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Current Update.
PPOL Update 9-21-05:
PPOL Students and Faculty:
I am beginning to feel like I am emerging from the process of learning and
getting up to speed in my new position as PPOL director. I appreciate everyone’s
help (and patience). Now I am able to share with you many news items that may be
of interest. And for future reference, please note that I will be sending out
such announcements every two weeks or so in order to keep everyone aware of news
and opportunities affecting you. I will try to make sure these do not happen
more than once every two weeks in order to avoid flooding your email. But when
these do come to your In-Box, please take a few minutes to read through the
items. Normally, they won’t be this long!
In this email:
- Brown Bag Research Roundtables
- Policy Presentation on Regional Growth
- Conference on Urban Sprawl and Smart Growth
- Social Science Statistics Blog
- Grad Student Conference
- Internships
- Scholarship
- Accomplishments
- Budget
- Spring Schedule
1. Brown Bag Research Roundtables
The Department of Political Science hosts these research roundtables several
times each semester. This year, the focus is on assisting with the publication
process. Presenters are encouraged to present research “in process” that is
nearing submission quality to get feedback from faculty on ways in which to
improve on the draft in preparation for submission. PPOL PhD students are
invited and encouraged to attend these sessions. The next session will be
Thursday, September 29, at 3:00 p.m. in the Political Science conference room.
Ted Arrington and Saul Brenner will present their article "Stability of the
Conference Coalitions on the Supreme Court." While each topic may not be
directly of interest to you, these brown bags are an opportunity to engage in
substantive, methodological, and procedural discussions involved in the effort
to get published. Furthermore, the department is inviting students that are
looking to get published the opportunity to present in this forum as well. If
you would like to participate as a presenter, there are slots available in
October and November. Let me know and I will get the details for you.
2. Policy Presentation on Regional Growth
There is a presentation here on campus coming up on Monday, October 3rd from
5:30-6:30 entitled “Public Policies to Encourage Regional Growth: Why Do Some
Regions Thrive.” This will be presented by Laura Mundell, the Economic Project
Administrator for the Centralina Council of Governments. The presentation will
be help in Denny 220. This is one of those freebies that you should probably
avail yourselves of.
3. Conference on Urban Sprawl and Smart Growth
On Thursday morning, October 27th, from 8:30am-11:30am, the Master of Public
Administration Alumni Association will be hosting its annual conference. This
year, the topic is: Meeting the Challenges of Fast Paced Growth.
When: October 27, 8:30-11:30am
Where: UNC Charlotte, Student Activity Center, Room 334G (Park in West Visitor's
Deck)
Topic: Meeting the Challenges of Fast Paced Growth
Keynote Speaker: Debra Campbell, Director of Planning, City of Charlotte
Panel Speaker: Jeff Michael, Director, UNC Charlotte Urban Institute
Mary Hopper, Executive Director, University City Partners
Ike Heard, Urban Planner, Heard Systems
Continental breakfast will be served during registration courtesy of the MPA
Student Group. I have flyers if you are interested in additional details.
Registration is free and all donations collected will be contributed to the
Burkhalter Scholarship. Mr. Burkhalter was City Manager of Charlotte from 1971
until 1980 when he retired. He actively supported UNC Charlotte and the MPA
Program. The UNCC Alumni Affairs Office will match all donations
dollar-for-dollar, so even if you are unable to attend please help by sending
your donation to:
UNC Charlotte Alumni Affairs
9201 University City Blvd.
Charlotte, NC 28223
4. Social Science Statistics Blog
I ran across this on one of the listservs I am on that might be of interest to
some of you. Gary King is a big name in quantitative methods:
“I thought you might be interested in a new social science statistics blog
created by a group of graduate student affiliates of the Institute for
Quantitative Social Science at Harvard and me. The graduate students represent a
wide range of academic disciplines, and plan daily posts intended to make public
some of the hallway conversations about social science statistical methods and
analysis at the Institute. We plan to cover a wide range of topics including
current methodological trends, ongoing research results, papers presented (and
discussion at) recent conferences and seminars. Some of the first posts are
about the summer meetings of the Society for Political Methodology just held at
FSU. Comments posted from those interested are encouraged. See
http://iq.harvard.edu/blog/Social_Science_Statistics/
Gary King”
5. Grad Student Conference
GOVERNANCE, PLACE AND COMMUNITY IN A GLOBALIZING WORLD
DOCTORAL STUDENT CONFERENCE
SCHOOL OF POLICY, PLANNING, AND DEVELOPMENT
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
JUNE 22-23, 2006
http://www.usc.edu/sppd/conference
CALL FOR PAPERS
Doctoral students from a wide variety of fields are invited to propose papers
for a conference to be held on the University of Southern California campus June
22 and 23, 2006. The purpose of the conference is to facilitate a discourse on
the themes of governance, place, and community in an increasingly complex world.
The core scholarship surrounding these themes originates in social sciences,
humanities, and the professions, including planning, public management, public
policy, and urban development. We welcome proposals that are theoretical, use
qualitative or quantitative approaches, and are grounded in a discipline or are
interdisciplinary in nature.
ELIGIBILITY
Currently enrolled doctoral students from a wide range of academic fields in the
United States are invited to participate in SPPD Doctoral Conference by
submitting an abstract that falls within the Conference theme. Eligible academic
fields include, but are not limited to: Anthropology, Business Administration,
Disaster Management, Ecology, Economics, Environmental Studies, Geography,
History, International Development, Political Science, Public Health, Public
Administration and Management, Public Policy, Real Estate Development,
Sociology, Urban Planning and Urban Studies.
Abstract submission deadline: December 1, 2005
Final Conference papers due: May 3, 2006
For more information about the Conference, submission guidelines, registration
fees, Conference grants and accommodations, please visit the
Conference website at
http://www.usc.edu/sppd/conference
Specific questions may be addressed to DocsConf@usc.edu.
6. Internships
I will occasionally post internship opportunities that might appeal to those of
you looking to expand your practical experience in preparation for getting into
policy analysis positions after graduation. The first one that has come across
my desk has a short timeline but is a good opportunity to work with the Urban
Land Institute here in the CharMeck region. Here’s a snip from their letter:
These students will have opportunities to interact with the professionals within
ULI, attend meetings and programs, and to participate in select committee
activities of the organization.
In exchange for their participation in the program, each student will receive a
one-year student membership in ULI which includes receipt of ULI information,
publication discounts, and Urban Land magazine, complimentary registration at
all ULI Charlotte member events (except invitation only events).
Students will be expected to provide the assistance to ULI Charlotte such as:
* Assist with registration for at least 2 events of ULI Charlotte during the
next year.
* Write a brief article recapping a program for the ULI Charlotte newsletter
and/or website.
* Assist with meeting preparations and/or member communications.
* Participate, as requested, in the support of key committees.
* Periodic calls and emails to new members providing them with information on
upcoming events and other local District Council information.
* Periodic calls and emails to members with a nearing expiration date,
encouraging them to renew their membership, walking them through the benefits of
the organization.”
If you are interested in such an opportunity, please let me know and send me a
copy of your resume to forward to them by the end of this week.
7. Scholarships
In addition to internship and possible job opportunities, I will also be using
this email update system to alert students and faculty about upcoming
scholarships and fellowships. This one came to me last week.
One or more fellowships totaling $30,000 will be awarded to graduate students in
recognition of their academic achievements and cutting-edge research that
furthers the study of the African diaspora. Please open the link that follows
for more information about this fellowship. The TIAA-CREF Institute’s online
application deadline is October 15. Thank you very much.
http://www.tiaa-crefinstitute.org/awards/hamilton/index.html
The TIAA-CREF Ruth Simms Hamilton Research Fellowship was established to honor
the memory and outstanding work of Dr. Ruth Simms Hamilton, the former Michigan
State University Professor and TIAA Trustee. Professor Hamilton was a TIAA
Trustee from 1989 to 2003 and during her 35-year career at Michigan State
University; she was a highly regarded sociology professor and a faculty member
of the African Studies Center, the Center for Latin American and Caribbean
Studies and the Center for Advanced Study of International Development. She was
an early pioneer of research concerning the African Diaspora-the study of the
dispersion and settlement of African peoples once they left the African
continent.
The fellowship is funded by TIAA-CREF and will be administered by the TIAA-CREF
Institute. The fellowship will be awarded to graduate students enrolled in a
social science field relating to the African Diaspora at an accredited U.S.
college or university and will recognize cutting-edge, graduate-level research
that furthers the study of the African Diaspora. The fellowship will be for one
year and is renewable. It is intended to provide research support, but not
necessarily cover all costs of a graduate study program.
Please refer to the above link for application information. Questions should be
directed to Roslyn M. Allen at
rallen@tiaa-cref.org.
8. Accomplishments
This email update system is also a useful vehicle through which I can update
faculty about student accomplishments (awards, presentations, journal articles),
but also share with students the activities of our PPOL faculty (award,
articles, grants, contracts, etc.).
For instance, PPOL student Nick Swartz just received word that the article he
co-authored with Milan Dluhy has been accepted for publication in Social
Indicators Research. The article is entitled: “Connecting Knowledge and Policy:
The Promise of Community Indicators in the United States.” If you present a
paper, win an award, or have a paper accepted for publication, please let me
know so we can share the news with the PPOL community.
On the faculty side, Dr. Heather Smith (GEOG) has an article out this month in
the current issue of the Journal of Urban Affairs entitled “Gentrification as
Corporate Growth Strategy: The Strange Case of Charlotte, North Carolina and the
Bank of America.” Dr. Suzanne Leland’s (POLS) recent book Case Studies in
Consolidation, continues to go strong. In the July/August issue of Public
Administration Review, she published an article (with co-author Kurt Thurmaier)
entitled: “When Efficiency Is Unbelievable: Normative Lessons from 30 Years of
City–County Consolidations.” I was fortunate to have an article published in the
current issue of Social Science Quarterly with co-author Janet Kelly entitled:
‘”Performance Measurement Versus City Service Satisfaction: Intra-City
Variations in Quality?” This is the same journal that Dr. Ken Godwin published
his article “Civic Socialization in Public and Fundamentalist Schools” in
December, with co-authors Jennifer Godwin and Valerie Martinez-Ebers.
In terms of recent grant work, Dr. Smith’s recent efforts have yielded two
successful external grants. 1) Latin American Coalition Needs Assessment Project
funded by the Knight Foundation. Christian Friend at the Urban Institute and Dr.
Smith are the Co-Investigators, and 2) An Analysis of Healthcare Delivery to the
Transitioning Hispanic Community in Charlotte, NC funded by the Charlotte
Mecklenburg Health Services Foundation. Michael Dulin of CMC is Principal
Investigator and Dr. Smith along with Owen Furuseth and Irene Zink (of CMC) are
Co-investigators. Dr. Smith has also won a Reassignment of Duties Award which
she is taking this current semester.
And speaking of Reassignment of Duty Awards, Dr. Gary Johnson (POLS) also won
such an award and is taking it this current semester. Dr. Suzanne Leland (POLS)
won one of these awards and will be taking it for the Spring semester coming up.
Dr. Wei-Ning Xiang (GEOG) won a sizeable research grant recently and will be
taking a reduced teaching load into order to execute the work on that project in
the spring term. I will share more details of this exciting project in the next
update.
I have been working with the University City YMCA on a $95,000 grant from the
Knight Foundation that was approved this month. This will fund a three-year
study of local social capital organization as it relates to the diversity in the
community.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of the recent activities among the PPOL
faculty and students’ activities. If you (faculty and students) present a paper,
win an award, or have a paper accepted for publication, please let me know so we
can share the news with the PPOL community. So congrats to everyone! I hope
sharing this information will help everyone develop a fuller appreciation for
the scholarship in which we are all engaged.
9. Budget
And now, the bad news. My initial optimism about the program’s operating budget
has been crushed. Not only did we not get the increase I was lobbying for (to
increase funding for student travel), we actually are taking a funding cut.
Since all university travel is still frozen at the moment, having travel money
is a moot point. But once the freeze is lifted, then this will definitely hurt.
As of right now, there is no money in the PPOL budget to subsidize student nor
faculty travel.
This is not over. The battle will continue. This was just the initial budget
allocation. But to give you an appreciation of what we are facing, it’s an
effective 25% cut to what it cost to run the program last year. It is important
to note that this budget is the *operating* budget for the program. We are doing
*very* well in terms of student assistantship support and tuition support this
year. We smashed all the previous year’s records soundly and that is due to the
outstanding efforts of many of the professors that are increasingly including
PhD student support in their external funding activities, which gives students
the opportunity to work on applied projects with the program faculty.
I am going to continue to lobby on this issue. But in the short run, it means
that we will be running with a tight belt until the budgets are finalized.
10. Spring Schedule
Lastly, I wanted to share with you all the initial layout of the spring schedule
of classes. Please note that this is still *tentative*, but I am very excited
that we are positioned to offer such a robust and wide array of courses this
next term. You will clearly see that not all the details are available yet
(e.g., room assignments, etc.). As the inevitable changes occur to this
schedule, I will be sure to keep you all posted.
PPOL 8602 Research Design Godwin (POLS) M 3:00-5:50 Fretwell 445C
PPOL 8663 Health Policy Brandon (POLS) W 3:00-5:50 Fretwell 445C
PPOL 8614/HIST 6000 20th Century Black Urban History Mixon (HIST) T 6:10-9:00
PPOL 8635/PHIL 6050 Ethics of Public Policy Tong (PHIL) T 3:00-5:50
PPOL 8683 Population Dynamics & Social Policy Hopcroft (SOCY) W 3:00-5:50
PPOL 8641 Economic Analysis of Public Policy II Wang (GEOG) W 6:00-8:50
PPOL 8621 Quantitative Methods in Public Policy II Whitmeyer (SOCY) R 3:00-5:50
Fretwell 421
PPOL 8673/CJUS 6104 Law and Social Control Bjerregaard (CJUS) R 6:00-8:50
PPOL 8667/HSRD 8004 Economics of Health & Health Care Staff (HSRD) W 6:00-8:50
Barnard 244
PPOL 8610/GEOG 6116 Urban Regional Environment Campbell (GEOG)
PPOL 8616/GEOG 6106 Urban Planning Theory & Practice Chilton (GEOG)
PPOL 8615/GEOG 6015 The Restructuring City Smith (GEOG)
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