James Webb Makes (Cosmic) History

NASA Administrator James Webb officially has been launched into space. While he was not able to accomplish such a feat during his tenure at NASA, it is possible today as his name is branded on the largest and most powerful space science telescope ever invented. Launched on Christmas Day, the Webb telescope has begun its mission to find the origins of the universe.

Development of the telescope began in 1996 and faced numerous technological obstacles along the way. It was officially launched on December 25, 2021 and is now on its way to the second Lagrange point (a strategically balanced point in space where craft can “hover”), a particularly ideal place to observe the entire universe.

James Webb joined NASA when he was appointed by President John F. Kennedy, Jr., in 1961 and stayed at his post through 1968. Serving as the second NASA administrator, it was on his watch that the agency undertook the mission to land a man on the moon—and investigated the Apollo program tragedy that killed Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chafee. Aside from the momentous historical occasions over which he presided, Webb provided NASA with the political connections necessary to make the space program a success from the very beginning, enabling it to achieve future successes and carry on its mission over time.

Webb also served as ASPA’s president (1966-1967) while he was NASA administrator, proving to be instrumental in major transitions for the organization including moving it from Chicago to Washington, DC—subsidizing the move by selling his DC rowhouse to the organization for this purpose!—and creating the National Academy of Public Administration. Webb prioritized the science of public administration and not only encouraged ASPA to remain focused on that but also worked hard to bring that science into NASA as it moved out of its infancy to establish itself within national government.

The Webb telescope was launched from French Guiana and, on January 8, its 21-foot mirror successfully unfolded. A joint effort with the European Space Agency and Canadian Space Agency, its mission will explore every phase of cosmic history, from within our solar system to the most distant observable galaxies in the early universe. Now that the mirror has successfully unfolded, it will begin moving its 18 primary mirror segments to align the telescope optics. The ground team will command 126 actuators on the backsides of the segments to flex each mirror and calibrate the science instruments prior to delivering Webb’s first images this summer.

ASPA congratulates NASA for this momentous achievement and looks forward to celebrating its accomplishments as it works to discover the beginnings of the universe.

2022 Annual Conference Early-Bird Deadline Approaches

A new year has begun, and with it the calendar is bringing us closer and closer to the much-anticipated 2022 ASPA Annual Conference! Taking place March 18-22 in Jacksonville, Florida, we are only nine weeks away from the start of the program. More, the early-bird registration rate will expire shortly, at which point member rates will rise to $449 (student rates remain $199 for the five-day event).

Knowing these remain uncertain times, we are planning for an in-person conference that places your health, safety and security at the forefront of our efforts. To support those plans, we have adopted a number of robust health policies for the conference. Among them:

• Proof of full vaccination is required to attend #ASPA2022
• Masks will be required for all indoor activities
• Social distancing and adequate spacing will be promoted and encouraged as much as possible
• Flexible refund/transfer options are available should you be unable to join us

• Six plenaries, including the Elliot Richardson, Donald C. Stone and Nesta M. Gallas lectures
• Twelve presidential panels focusing on a range of topics including the importance of democracy around the world; social equity, diversity and inclusion; 21st century infrastructure; global challenges to fighting COVID-19; and the President's Management Agenda and improving the user experience
• The Gloria Hobson Nordin Social Equity Luncheon
• SWPA's National Awards Breakfast
• A Social Equity, Diversity and Inclusion workshop featuring Racial Healing Circles
• Section events including the Fred Riggs Symposium, the SAPA Symposium and the Deil Wright Symposium
• The Students and New Professionals Summit

Look for more details about each of these highlights in the coming weeks—as well as a program of the concurrent panels on the agenda!

This will be a fully in-person event; hybrid or virtual options are not available during our time in Jacksonville. You can find more information on our website, including a link to register. Send your vaccination cards to [email protected], and we will look forward to seeing you in Jacksonville this March!



Use the following links to view the 2022 Annual Conference Events Code of Conduct, health and safety policies and liability waiver.

Remembering Jonathan West

Long-time ASPA member Jonathan West passed away suddenly earlier this month. As well as being an active ASPA member, he led the MPA program at the University of Miami for more than 40 years and recently headed its new MPP program.

In the early 1990s, West was part of a core group of public administration ethics educators within ASPA who set into motion a renewed and strategic focus on ethics in public administration, including founding a journal, Public Integrity; revising ASPA’s Code of Ethics; and founding its Section on Ethics and Integrity of Governance (SEIGOV). He went on to serve as managing editor of the journal for 16 years and was recognized for his service with SEIGOV’s lifetime achievement award in 2018.

West also was an active member in ASPA’s South Florida Chapter and Section on Personnel Administration and Labor Relations (SPALR), served on a number of national committees and won ASPA’s Paul Van Riper Award for Excellence and Service in 2014. He was a regular attendee and contributor at ASPA’s Annual Conferences, as well as regional events such as SECoPA.

West joined the University of Miami faculty in January 1981 and had a profound impact on its community and the study of public administration. He was a member of the Iron Arrow Society and received the university’s Luis Glaser Mentorship Award in 2021. Prior to serving as chair of its MPA department, he was chair of its political science department.

West published nine books, four research monographs and more than 150 articles and book chapters during his career.

He was a valued contributor within each community he touched and will be greatly missed.

More details will be forthcoming as celebrations of life are planned. Thanks to SEIGOV members for many of the above biographical details.

Remembering Mary Timney

Long-time member Mary Timney passed away earlier this month. She was 83 years old.

Timney grew up in Franklin, Pennsylvania and graduated from Bryn Mawr College. She earned her DPA from GSPIA, University of Pittsburgh. She was a professor at the University of Wisconsin—Green Bay where she met and married her husband of 35 years. They crossed the country together as she worked toward tenure, including the University of Cincinnati and California State University—Hayward, securing a space at Pace University as the chair of the public administration department.

Timney was an active ASPA member, playing leading roles in ASPA’s Section on Democracy and Social Justice and serving as chair (1993-1994) of the Section for Women in Public Administration (SWPA). She received SWPA’s Rita Mae Kelly award for distinguished research in 2015. She was active in the New York Metropolitan Chapter, served on several national committees and attended numerous Annual Conferences to speak on panels.

Among her areas of expertise, Timney was known for her extensive knowledge about the California energy market. She authored numerous journal articles, as well as a book, Power for the People. In addition to her research career, she served as executive director of the Allegheny County Environmental Coalition. Her research areas included environmental policy, sustainable development, public budgeting, public administration theory and ethics and citizen participation.

She was a generous and kind professor and mentor to many. She will be greatly missed.

E-Learning at Your Fingertips

ASPA staff work tirelessly to keep your skills up to date and the information flowing all year long through our e-learning program. Visit our website to see more details about upcoming KeepingCurrent, BookTalk and Students and New Professionals series programming.


KeepingCurrent: An FIU Series (Part II): Disclosure of Tax Expenditure in State Budgeting
Sponsored by Florida International University
January 18 | 1 p.m. EST
Presenters:
Howard Frank, Director, Perez Metropolitan Center, Florida International University
Sukumar Ganapati, Moderator, Associate Professor, Florida International University
Hai (David) Guo, Associate Professor, Florida International University

Tax expenditures are generally defined as foregone revenues resulting from legal provisions that provide preferential tax rates, exemptions, rebates and credits. Tax expenditures' reporting varies by state, with some not publishing or disclosing any information. There is a lack of consensus regarding tax expenditure definition and measurement. This webinar will look at a project that initiates a disclosure index of tax expenditures in state budgeting with an emphasis on reliability and comparability across jurisdictions. The model further examines compliance with GASB Statement 77, which requires state and local governments to disclose tax abatements in their financial statements. Finally, our presenters will address transparency practices, data obfuscation and tax bases stressors.




KeepingCurrent: Transition from Cognition to Action: Rapid Social Change in Extreme Events
Sponsored by ASPA's Pandemic Committee
January 20 | 10:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. EST
Presenters:
Louise K. Comfort, Moderator, Professor Emerita, GSPIA, University of Pittsburgh
Carlos Santos-Burgoa, Professor of Global Health and of Environmental and Occupational Health
Sae Mi Chang, Doctoral Candidate, GSPIA, University of Pittsburgh
Senghyun Lee, Doctoral Candidate, GSPIA, University of Pittsburgh

Moving entire societies to collective action to reduce a shared risk is an extraordinarily difficult task. Yet, this shift occurred partially in response to the threat of COVID-19, but at different rates in different countries, and within countries, at different rates in different states. This syncopated pattern of transmission and infection reflected differing perceptions of the same threat with different degrees of urgency and understanding of risk. It is a phenomenon of "complex time" that characterized the challenges involved in mobilizing a coherent pattern of collective action across nations and within nations, states. What factors contribute to collective cognition of risk, what factors inhibit it, what conditions and mechanisms translate shared understanding of risk into collective action to achieve a common goal?

ASPA Selects 2022 Founders’ Fellows

The ASPA Founders’ Fellows program recognizes outstanding students and new professionals (within three years of their graduation) in the field of public service and public administration.

Following a competitive review process, Founders’ Fellows present their scholarship during the ASPA Annual Conference, receive substantial professional development and networking opportunities, and are paired with a seasoned scholar or practitioner who serves as their mentor for their Fellowship year.

The following individuals have been selected to comprise the Class of 2022:

• Romeo Abraham (University of North Carolina—Wilmington)
• Marc Isaac Boyd (United States Department of Housing and Urban Development)
• Whitney Brown (Virginia Commonwealth University)
• Weston Burrer (Pueblo County, Colorado Department of Public Works; the Maxwell School at Syracuse University)
• Adam Croft (University of Colorado Denver)
• Renzo de la Riva Agüero (Indiana University—Bloomington)
• Fangda Ding (Rutgers University—Newark)
• Rebecca M. Entress (University of Central Florida)
• Dalten Fox (Boise State University)
• Dongfang Gaozhao (Florida State University)
• Brittany D. Houston (Florida State University)
• Tyresa Jackson (Teachers College, Columbia University)
• William T. Jackson (Florida International University)
• Bo Li (Georgia State University)
• Ryan J. Lofaro (Florida Atlantic University)
• Lauren H. Loyless (University of Texas at Dallas; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
• Hanjin Mao (Rutgers University—Newark)
• Alina Maria Pavelea (Babeș-Bolyai University)
• Valencia Prentice (University of North Texas)
• Huiting Qi (Penn State Harrisburg)

Now Announcing: Zoom Roundtable on Civically Engaged Learning and Teaching

The events of January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC highlighted the critical need to encourage graduate students in public administration and public policy programs (and beyond) to develop an understanding of and appreciation for civic engagement and public service, and stay creatively engaged in the future of their country and their communities as responsible citizens.

Civic engagement should be more than some time spent on a service-learning experience for a few hours, days or weeks during an undergraduate degree experience. Our programs need to educate and prepare their students to be civically engaged and active throughout their lives. Given the political environment and societal need to raise citizens and leaders who have a public service mindset and actively engage with civic duties, it is vital to have a public service-related course as part of the core curriculum.

This roundtable, taking place February 2 at 1 p.m. EST, is geared toward faculty from across the United States but open to anyone interested and will focus on "civically engaged learning and teaching." Those who attend this online event will work to develop ways for our students to graduate from colleges and universities prepared to be the informed, engaged citizens our communities and our democracy need. Participants will have opportunities to network and develop their civic-minded thinking and practices through engaging roundtable discussions.

Attendees will identify:

• the main elements of a civically engaged core course
• foundational readings, tools and discussions
• how to develop civic action as a lifelong practice
• how to create civic agency in our students and on our campuses

Special thanks to Craig Donovan (Kean University) for volunteering to lead and moderate this event.

OMB Seeks Input on the President's Management Agenda

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is looking for help in building a learning agenda with government-wide questions on management issues in support of the President’s Management Agenda (PMA). The PMA sets out key priorities for an equitable, effective and accountable government that delivers results for all Americans.

At the end of December, OMB released a draft PMA learning agenda and seeks input from researchers, practitioners and policymakers. Feel free to share your ideas through a short survey that will be active through January 31st, 2022. Any feedback provided will inform a full PMA Learning Agenda, coming in 2022. This first-ever PMA learning agenda will encourage collaboration and research to close evidence gaps for specific topics within, beyond and in partnership with the federal government. It will highlight questions where multiple agencies stand to benefit and galvanize the public research community.

Please comment and share this information with your colleagues and networks. OMB wants your help and will review all public comments received by January 31st, 2022.

Start Your HR Career Strong in the Federal Government!

What’s so rewarding about a federal career in human resources? Just ask our HR specialists:

“Federal employees touch the lives of every American on a daily basis. Being able to help agencies find the right talent to do everything from improving our roads and bridges to ensuring the safety of the food we eat to protecting our cultural resources and public lands makes me feel like I’m making a positive impact on my community.” - HR Specialist, OPM

“Putting all the pieces together—truly understanding a position and connecting top talent with that unique agency mission—is a rewarding challenge that keeps work interesting. I learn something new every day!” – HR Specialist, OPM

Apply for an HR position and start your own story with OPM or any of the other federal agencies that are actively hiring HR talent! The administration is considering applications from individuals who have at least one year of HR experience or hold a master’s degree or higher in human resources, business, management, public administration, public policy or other closely related fields. Begin your story. Apply today at USAJOBS.gov.

"Leading Through DEI" at the Price School

Throughout October, the University of Southern California Price Executive Education kicked off a major initiative to support public service executives and senior administrators within the diversity, equity and inclusion space. "Leading Through DEI" was an intensive nine-session program aimed to provide skills at the individual, team and organizational levels and allow time to pause and reflect.

The program was designed to be action-focused with presenters including public service executives and leading scholars and consultants in the field and across the United States. Participants were from four different states and included a chief of staff, legislative staff, county and city senior administrators, and nonprofit and behavioral health leaders.

“Structural racism has a detrimental effect on what we in the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office hold most sacred: public safety,” District Attorney George Gascón said. “It’s paramount that all working groups, particularly those in public service, develop and hone their leadership values with the goal of building stronger pipelines to racial and social diversity. USC Price’s 'Leading Through Diversity, Equity and Inclusion' program has helped move my office forward in furthering these crucial efforts.”

About this program specifically, LaVonna Blair Lewis, associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion, shared, “We miss the very best of the people we get to work with and for when we don’t give them a chance to be really seen and heard. We must focus our attention on DEI work if we ever hope to close the gaps that we all feel to some degree.”

"Leading Through DEI" takes many layers. The October 2021 program focused on why DEI matters in public service, doing the work: a mindful approach to DEI, cultural humility, social equity and ethics, empathy in professional settings, leading with courage and appreciative communication. Future offerings will include alternative topics and an expanded presentation team to reflect the breadth and depth of the field.

“There is no more important work than public service. We are proud to offer this program to support those who model, inspire and lead the way every day,” said Paul Danczyk, director of executive education.

Click here for more information about the presenters from October's event and for more information about this February's program, including registration details.

2022 Transatlantic Dialogue Call for Papers

The 16th Transatlantic Dialogue (TAD16), an annual conference bridging scholarly communities on either side of the Atlantic Ocean, will take place June 9-11, 2022, in Roskilde (Denmark). Co-sponsored by ASPA, the European Group for Public Administration/International Institute of Administrative Sciences and Rutgers University, we are pleased to join with our European counterparts to support this event and the scholarly communities it enhances.

Under this year's theme, “Strategic Management of Public Sector Transformation in Turbulent Times: Enhancing Collaborative Governance and Co-creation of Public Value," TAD16 will organize a broad range of workshops led by pairs of American and European scholars:

• Building capacities for collaborative governance and co-creation through strategic management
• Enhancing public performance through interagency and cross-sector collaboration
• Public innovation through networks of public and private actors: theory and practice
• Improving the performance of contracts, procurement and public-private partnerships
• Co-creating public value outcomes with citizens and voluntary organizations
• Public leadership and motivation in public value production
• Designing institutional platforms and arenas for collaborative governance and co-creation
• Political leadership and policy entrepreneurship in a turbulent world of collaborative governance
• Democratic legitimacy and accountability in collaborative governance arrangements

Tips and Resources

Can Pandemic Worry Hamper Your Cognitive Abilities?
New research finds that worries about the COVID-19 pandemic may affect your cognitive abilities and skew your perception of risk.

Fauci on What COVID Could Look Like One Year from Now
A conversation with the nation’s top infectious-disease doctor as the U.S. braces for another surge.

What Borrowers Need to Know About Biden Administration’s Reforms to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
Here’s what borrowers should know about the program’s updated rules.

22 Tips for 2022
To cut back on plastic, you need to audit how much you use.

Coronavirus in the News
While you can find our usual assortment of news headlines from the past several weeks below, here are stories specific to the coronavirus that are noteworthy.

Infrastructure

• Stop Wasting COVID Tests, People
• Biden to Launch Federal COVID-19 Testing Centers, New Federally Run Vaccination Sites
• Army Creates Single Vaccine against All COVID and SARS Variants, Researchers Say
• Whiplash on U.S. Vaccine Mandate Leaves Employers "Totally Confused"
• More Than 2,000 Feds Deployed as Biden Administration Looks to Fight Omicron Surge
• As Patients Fell Ill with COVID-19 Inside Hospitals, Government Oversight Fell Short
• Biden Announces U.S. Will Double Its Order of Pfizer's Antiviral Pill to Treat COVID-19

• Map: How Have Past Pandemic Surges Affected Unemployment?
• Defense Spending Could Rise, Wall Street Analysts Say
• Child Tax Credit’s Extra Help Ends, Just as COVID Surges Anew

• Social Security Administration, Union Spar over Reentry Plans
• Agencies Will Still Have "Their Own Parameters" on Returning to the Office amid COVID Surge
• The Pentagon Shifts to Maximum Telework as Omicron Surges
• Navy to Start Ejecting Unvaccinated Sailors
• Agencies Must Establish COVID-19 Testing Programs for Certain Unvaccinated Feds and Contractors By Feb. 15

• 2021 Revealed the Depths of Global Vaccine Inequity
• Census Recounts Fail to Account for COVID Chaos, Cities Say

(Otherwise) in the News

Today's headlines contain plenty of news coverage of some of our nation's most pressing public administration challenges. ASPA has curated some of the most important stories from recent weeks. If you have not seen these yet, make sure you read them now!

Infrastructure

• James Webb Space Telescope Launches on Journey to See the Dawn of Starlight
• We’re a Suburban Nation. We Need to Get Used to It.
• Biden Order Will Make Federal Operations Carbon-Neutral by 2050
• Biden Touts Progress on Alleviating Supply Chain Problems: "Shelves Are Not Empty"
• Billions in Amtrak Funding Could Modernize Aging Rail System
• U.S. Still Lacks Federal Cyber Strategy after Decades of Attempts
• Devastating Colorado Fires Cap a Year of Climate Disasters, with One Side of the Country Too Wet, the Other Dangerously Dry
• White House Investing $1 Billion to Boost Competition in Meat-Processing Industry and Lower Consumer Prices

• DOJ Injects over $12 Million to Update Information Sharing Systems
• 2022 Defense Authorization Bill (Once Again) Looks to Reform How DOD Buys Tech
• More Americans Can Use Food Stamps for Restaurants, Prepared Meals
• Smaller Cities, Poorer Regions Could Be Infrastructure Losers

• Reversed Employee Suspension at USDA Leads to New Policy on Employee Publishing Rights
• Biden Issues Executive Order Finalizing Average 2.7 Percent Pay Raise for Feds
• Biden Administration Made Major Customer Experience Moves in 2021
• A Stabilizing Force: Outgoing Weather Service Director Reflects on Tenure
• OPM Faces Uncertain Funding Prospects
• As Workers Gain Pay Leverage, Nonprofits Can’t Keep Up
• Making the Customer Service Executive Order Really Work

• Unpaid Family Caregivers Lose $522 Billion in Wages Every Year
• At-Home Businesses Are Growing. Women and People of Color Benefit the Most
• Feds' Spending on Facial Recognition Tech Expands, Despite Privacy Concerns

Welcome New ASPA Members!
Click here to view the most recent new ASPA members!

Around Public Administration

Here are the most recent updates from across the profession. Did we miss you? Send us your news and we'll include it in the next round!

Upcoming Events:

• SASPA Mini-Symposium on Capacity Building in South Asia
  Online | February 19-20
  
  
• COMPA 2022 Annual Conference
  Online | March 2-5, 2022
  View the Call for Proposals here
  
  
• ASPA 2022 Annual Conference
  Jacksonville, FL | March 18-22, 2022
  Registration is open
  
  
• 16th Annual UCF Public Administration Research Conference
  Online | March 24-25, 2022
  Registration is open
  
  
• 23rd Annual ASPA Georgia Chapter Academic Conference and Annual Meeting
  Online | March 30-31, 2022
  
  
• NFBPA Forum 2022
  Grand Rapids, MI | March 30 - April 3, 2022
  Registration is open
  
  
• Marc Holzer Public Performance Symposium
  Online | April 22, 2022
  Submit proposals here
  
  
• 16th Transatlantic Dialogue (TAD)
  Roskilde, Denmark | June 9-11, 2022
  The Call for Papers is open; registration is open
  
  
• 2022 Midwest Public Affairs Conference
  University of Illinois Springfield | June 23-24, 2022
  The Call for Papers and registration is open
  
  

• SPOD Releases Member Survey
  ASPA's Section on Professional and Organizational Development (SPOD) has created a short survey for its members and friends to better understand ASPA members, the kind of events they would like to see, circulate information about scholarships and potentially get involved with SPOD. Take the survey here.
  
  
• South Florida Chapter Releases New Podcast
  The South Florida Chapter's most recent edition of its podcast, "Public Sector Works!," has been released. Please join the hosts for an interview with Terry Murphy, procurement investigator at the Inspector General's office. He will speak to his path in public administration with many years of experience, as well as his adjunct professor work at the University of Miami and major accomplishments during his distinguished career. In addition to being a Chapter board member, he recently has been elected to another term as District III Representative on ASPA's National Council. This podcast also includes hosts Tom Hotz (Adjunct Professor, Stephen F Austin State University), Ben Paley (law student at Nova Southeastern University) and Bill Solomon (South Florida Chapter board member). Find the episode online via Podbean, or wherever you access your podcasts.
  
  
• COMPA 2022 Annual Conference Call for Papers
  COMPA's 2022 Annual Conference Call for Papers is open, centered on this year's theme, "Shifting Paradigms—Challenging Assumptions." We will address the challenges facing minority public administrators in communities experiencing increasing inequalities; systemic racism; police violence coupled with racialism in legal and justice systems; housing crises and food shortages; medical mistrust; chronic underinvestment; environmental degradation; and white supremacist extremism. All of these problems and many others have been exacerbated by an ongoing global pandemic that has killed more than 5 million people as it intensifies racial/ethnic tensions and economic disparities. Communities across the globe are fighting the brutal consequences of climate change and environmental racism amidst hurricanes, droughts, fires and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people. To add to the chaos, we have witnessed the widespread promotion of a lack of confidence, both internationally and domestically, in democratic governmental and administrative processes. Public administrators generally and minority public administrators in particular are in the process of adapting to the new realities while reconsidering the long held paradigms by which we live. There is a growing decline in public trust in news and information sources and a greater reliance on social media, a lack of confidence in the findings of scientific institutions, and an ever-increasing lack of faith in elected and appointed governmental leaders. The COVID-19 pandemic has been decisively marked by political divisions in the popular public trust of scientists. These realities have become a permanent element of the contemporary political discourse affecting minority public administrators and the levels of citizens' trust in the administration of public services. The current social, political and economic climate around bureaucracies, national and global, create a deluge of opportunities and challenges for the field of public administration. Minority public administrators are called upon to rethink our role as mitigators working amidst a rising sense of injustice and helplessness, the lack of hope and confidence in the present system, and a desire for radical change. This conference offers opportunities for public administration practitioners, academicians, independent scholars and students to expand the discourse through intellectual forums, research considerations and collaborative partnerships which tackle these challenges and restore public service values and meaningful governance. The conference program committee welcomes proposals to the conference's 15 tracks from academics, practitioners, independent scholars and students. Email your proposals to [email protected]. Proposals should include the title, abstract and presenter(s') name, institutional affiliation, address, email address and contact number. The proposals deadline has been extended! All papers now are due by January 15, 2022. Click here for more information.
  
  
• SCNS Call for Nominations: Best Paper Award
  The Section for Complexity and Network Studies (SCNS) is pleased to seek nominations for its 2022 Sam Overman Best Paper Award. This award is granted annually to the scholarly work that makes a significant contribution to the network or complexity literature and is relevant to the field of public administration. To be eligible for the award papers must be published or presented in the 2021 calendar year by an SCNS member or members. Evaluation criteria include contribution to network or complexity literature, relevance to public administration and research quality (theoretical, methodological). Self-nominations are welcome. Nominations may be submitted by email to Julia Carboni. Nominations are due by January 15, 2022. The Award will be announced at ASPA's 2022 Annual Conference.
  
  
• NFBPA Annual Scholarship Program and Poster Contest Call for Applicants
  In 2022, the National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA) will continue its prestigious scholarship program, recognizing African American or other minority students who are currently enrolled full-time at an accredited, traditional four-year college or university, preferably an HBCU, who show outstanding scholarship and leadership, particularly as related to public service. NFBPA provides several scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students through its partnerships with corporate supporters, public sector organizations and individual contributors. The scholarship program is an integral part of NFBPA’s goal of lending support to African American and other minority students interested in leadership roles in public service. All applications are due by January 17, 2022. Click here for more information.
  
  The NFBPA student research poster contest will be held in conjunction with its Forum 2022. The competition recognizes research conducted by the students at all undergraduate, masters and doctorate levels. All students are encouraged to submit for this competition. All poster submissions are due by January 17, 2022. Click here for more information.
  
  
• 10th Annual Section Capstone Panel: Deadline Extended
  Are you a graduate student working on your capstone project or a professor supervising a student working on one? Consider submitting a proposal to be considered for a $500 scholarship to attend and present at ASPA's 2022 Annual Conference. The Capstone Panel Organizing Committee at ASPA’s Section on Professional and Organizational Development (SPOD) has extended the deadline for submissions to January 21, 2022; five scholarships will be awarded. During the past nine years, this panel has showcased how schools of public administration effectively integrate theory and practice through capstone pedagogy. Particular attention will be given to research addressing the impact of Trump administration-era policies and executive behavior that threaten longstanding policies and practices in social welfare, civil rights, health care and other public policy issues. Email your capstone and cover letter to the organizing committee by January 21 to be considered.
  
  
• Flemming Awards Call for Nominations
  Please consider nominating a deserving federal employee for the 73rd annual Arthur S. Flemming Awards. The Arthur S. Flemming Award recognizes outstanding and meritorious achievement in working for the federal government; encourages the highest standards of performance in the federal service; enhances appreciation of our form of government and the opportunities and responsibilities it presents; and attracts outstanding individuals to a career in federal service. More than 500 people have received the awards to date. Eligibility is restricted to individuals currently engaged in federal government service and who have served 3-15 years. Similar employees of the Library of Congress, Government Accountability Office, Office of the Capitol Architect, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Government Printing Office and Botanical Gardens also are eligible. Only years directly on the federal payroll are considered service. Nominations will be accepted through January 31, 2022. Click here for more information.
  
  
• Marc Holzer Public Performance Symposium Call for Papers
  The Marc Holzer Public Performance Symposium will take place online on April 22, 2022, focusing on the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993. GPRA has served as a model since 1993, adopted and adapted throughout the United States and the globe at the national, state or provincial, and local levels. What lessons have been learned? How will GPRA continue to serve as a roadmap going forward? Proposals for this symposium are open to participants from all facets of the public performance community and related networks. All panelists must register. All proposals are due February 1, 2022. Click here for more information.
  
  
• STPA Student Paper Competition Call for Nominations
  ASPA's Section on Transportation Policy and Administration (STPA) invites undergraduate and graduate students who have written research papers related to transportation policy and administration to submit their papers for consideration. The review committee encourages students to submit copies of previously prepared research papers, conference papers and journal article manuscripts. Literature reviews and review essays are not eligible for consideration; papers co-authored with faculty members are not eligible. The best paper will receive a cash award of $250 and STPA will pay the conference registration fee for the awardee to attend ASPA's 2022 Annual Conference. The deadline for receiving papers is February 1, 2022. Please send papers or questions regarding this call to Jiseul Kim.
  
  
• 2022 MPAC Call for Proposals
  The MPAC trustees invite all in the profession to submit a proposal for the 2022 Midwest Public Affairs Conference (MPAC). Individual paper, panel, roundtable and workshop proposals are welcome on all topics in public affairs; MPAC actively encourages submissions from faculty, students and practitioners. This year's theme is "Designing and Running the Innovative Public Service Agency." They invite proposals that explore public sector innovation, with an emphasis on connecting research insights to agency practice. MPAC prides itself on its diversity: In addition to theme-related papers they welcome proposals from a variety of PA-related fields such as urban affairs, public policy, nonprofit management and planning. Reviewers will accept proposals that entail research in progress, though they should have enough content to facilitate substantial participant discussion. The submission period opens immediately; acceptances are sent a rolling basis. All proposals are due by February 15, 2022. Click here for more information.
  
  
• 2022 ASPA Georgia Chapter Academic Conference Call for Papers
  The 23rd Annual ASPA Georgia Chapter Academic Conference and Annual Meeting will take place virtually March 30-31, 2022 and will be hosted by Purdue University Global. The theme will be: "Resilience Building and Fostering Hope During Times of Crisis." The conference planning committee welcomes innovative proposals that reflect best practices, a rethinking of current practices, represent benchmarks and lessons learned with a focus on the future of the field. The committee is receptive especially to submissions that focus on topics including social justice issues (this will be the place to address COVID-19 issues); criminal justice, homeland security and emergency management; diversity, equity and inclusion; America's infrastructure (addressing issues with dams/bridges/roads/airports/schools, and more); and service delivery (covering intergovernmental relations, public-private partnerships, social media platforms and more). Proposals should focus on successful/effective people, policies and/or programs in the public or nonprofit sector. The Chapter also will produce an online peer-reviewed journal, "Public Administration Research Series - PARS." Proposals accepted and presented at the conference will have an opportunity to submit their work for publication. Applicants should email submissions no later than February 21, 2022.
  
  
• SPCM Best Paper Award
  The Section on Procurement and Contract Management (SPCM) has issued a Best Paper Award for ASPA's 2022 Annual Conference. Do you conduct research in public procurement, government contracting or contract management? Are you submitting a proposal for the conference? If so, submit your paper to SPCM for an award. First place will receive $500; second place will receive $250. Please send your full paper to Sawsan Abutabenjeh by March 1, 2022 for consideration. Click here for more information.
  
  
• 2022 Annual E-PARCC Teaching Case and Simulation Competition
  The Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration (PARCC) at the Syracuse University Maxwell School invites submissions for its 16th annual E-PARCC competition to further stimulate the creation of effective and innovative teaching cases and simulations. E-PARCC, a project of the "Collaborative Governance Initiative," provides free online resources for those who teach conflict and collaboration around the world. More than 3,000 visitors per month from more than 40 different countries take advantage of E-PARCC teaching materials. The E-PARCC competition consists of two tracks: (1) collaborative problem solving, collaborative governance, and network governance and analysis, and (2) collaborative methods in international development. All entries are due by March 15, 2022. Click here for more information.
  
  

PA TIMES Online

Here's a selection of current pieces on PA TIMES Online, covering a range of issues within the profession. We accept individual articles on a rolling basis; if you have a piece you think would fit our publication, submit it to [email protected] for consideration. (Please review our submission guidelines in advance!)

• Using Machine Learning and Twitter Data to Evaluate the Public Opinion of Environmental Policy
  By April Heyward
  
  
• Keeping Up with the Times: Rethinking Local Government Revenues
  By Deborah A. Carroll, Shayne Kavanagh and Chris Morrill
  
  
• Refugee Camps Management: Why Should Public Administration Act?
  By Khaldoun AbouAssi and Tina Nabatchi