HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hello, all! The semester is over and it's almost the new year! Classes ended well. We presented all our research in data. I was happy with my paper, less happy with how I did on the exam. I enjoy working with data and I'm usually pretty good at it, and I made some simple mistakes that I was disappointed with myself over. In budget, we had two back-to-back finals, it was tough, but it's over. I scored within a point of each of my exams, so at least I was consistent! I was happy with our HR research and did fine on the exam, too.

There is a new PASS leadership team! We have four officers. We wrapped up this semester with Georgetta Kelly, Director of Human Resources at the City of Cincinnati, speaking to about 15 individuals from the MPA program about cooperation and shared services. One thing that she said that really stuck with me, was that once you know your area, you need to KNOW YOUR AREA. You need to read up on everything you can get your hands on related to that subject, keep up with the news, trends, and development, etc. You should be an expert in what you are passionate about. The book drive finished with 711 lbs of books collected for Worldwide Book Drive. That is AMAZING! Thanks so much to everyone who contributed.

My winter break to-do list has A LOT on it, including applying for opportunities after graduation and moving forward with our capstone project.

The newsletter will be out early next semester!

I'm in Cleveland for NYE, hope everyone has a happy and safe new year! SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!

November News

Hello, all! I hope everyone's semesters are going well. Mine is moving right along. It's hard to believe it's into November and the craziness is just around the corner. Le sigh. It will be fine. It always is. Field hockey season ended for me a few weekends ago, so that definitely frees up some of my time. I miss the girls, but I wouldn't want to be out there in this cold weather. I'm excited for Election Day tomorrow! This is the first time I've ever had off--I can't wait to vote nice and early then have the rest of the day ahead of me. Make sure you all vote, too!

Ok, about classes, not so bad. For the next two weeks in data we have assignments due and optional or drop-in classes where we can come work on our paper, other assignments, or review class work and get help/feedback from our professor. Not a bad deal. I'm planning on going tonight, then deciding about next week. I'd like to quiz myself on how I'm keeping up with the things we've gone over in class so I might try to put together a list or study guide and go through each one on SPSS. In budget, we have one exam done, two to go. We should be getting the next one soon. In HR, my partner and I have a nice early jump on our research paper with one interview complete, one scheduled, an outline, and our literature review. Look at us not putting this off til the last minute!

BIG NEWS! I applied for graduation and scheduled my last semester of grad school classes! So excited! My capstone partner and I have also met with our organization and our instructor and put together an outline of our project. We'll be doing a community awareness assessment and plan for NAMI Clermont County. We both feel really good about it. Our proposal is due right before Thanksgiving break.

MPA: Beth and I attended the STEM-Nonprofit Government Fair in October and the department hosted the annual Fall Banquet later in the month. We had a great turnout, a great time, and the food was delicious. City of Covington Mayor Chuck Scheper presented on the obstacles he and Covington have overcome in the past year, how they did it, and made a surprise announcement that City Hall is going to become a hotel.

PASS: Our book drive is underway and going strong! We are halfway to our goal with a little more than a week to go. Leadership applications are coming in for the election next Thursday and we are all looking forward to our guest speaker. All of this will take place Thursday, November 15 so please join us and bring any books you'd like to donate!

ASPA: Join us Friday for Al Tuchfarber's annual election analysis and what the results will mean for the future of Public Administration!

Last but certainly not least, my 25th birthday is in one week!

Where did the month go?!

I’ve been doing some soul searching about what I will do when I finish the MPA program in May. I’m really craving some adventure, so here’s what I’ve decided: Western Europe! I have a girlfriend in London and I speak French conversationally, so those are two good prospects. I’d also be open to Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, and the Czech Republic. I’d like to find a job as a career counselor, academic advisor, or library program manager. I’m excited to be making some decisions and making them happen!

Classes: It’s midterms! In data we have a midterm next week and our first paper due. I’m doing a study on banned books and incidentally, it’s Banned Books Week! Two weeks ago we had a speaker visit from the Institutional Review Board, which was very interesting. Last night, we had treats to celebrate the three birthdays in our class this week! In budget, I’m currently in possession of our two-week take home exam. Tomorrow in class we’ll have a chance to clarify anything we’re having trouble with. In Human Resources, we’ve had two speakers visit and next week is our midterm. My partner and I submitted our paper topic last week, how wellness programs affect the bottom line.

Fall break is coming up October 15^th and 16^th! I’m going to Cleveland to visit my best friend where we’re going to the Browns-Bengals game and Canton to visit my cousin who recently moved there. I’m also really excited about volunteering for the Young Women LEAD Conference at NKU on October 16^th. The conference will feature two keynote speakers (Dominique Dawes and Julie Marie Carrier), a lunch presentation from Secret, and breakout sessions from female business and community leaders. And, this might be bad to say, but I’m already looking forward to Thanksgiving break! We’re going to visit my sister again in Daytona, Florida. Last year was such a great time I can’t wait to go back!

MPA news: Beth and I attended a career fair at Xavier where we met a lot of good potential applicants! I also got a chance to network and visit some booths including the Department of State. I’m excited about that and I’m looking forward to seeing them again tomorrow at NKU’s Nonprofit and Government career fair where Beth and I will be doing the same thing. Check out the two updates on our website! Two new students are featured in the Student Spotlights this semester http://artscience.nku.edu/departments/psccj/programs/publicadministration/mpa/spotlights.html and we’ve added an alumni profile http://artscience.nku.edu/departments/psccj/programs/publicadministration/mpa/alumninews.html! Very cool to learn more about people in the program and what alumni are doing with their degree. Also, the Fall Banquet is coming up October 24! This is a chance to connect with alumni and celebrate to department’s reaccreditation for the next seven years.

PASS news: We’d like to welcome Neil Kelly to the PASS leadership team! Neil will be treasurer for the remainder of the semester and hopefully move into another leadership position in the spring. Neil was very involved in student life at Mount Saint Joseph as an undergrad and has a lot of great ideas for PASS. We will not be participating in Service on Saturday this year as the date did not work well for any of our leadership team. INSTEAD, PASS will be hosting a book drive in conjunction with Worldwide Book Drive! The kickoff date is October 15 and will go through November 15 culminating in a celebration with pizza, drinks, and a book donation as an entry fee! Guest speaker Georgetta Kelly, Director of Human Resources at the City of Cincinnati, will present on cooperation and shared services. We will also determine the results of the PASS leadership election. This is one night of PASS you won’t want to miss!

ASPA news: ASPA is having a World Choir Games Re-cap event October 12^th. Nick Vehr is going to discuss Cincinnati's role in the World Choir Games with respect to issues such as safety, transportation, sight improvements, etc.

Whew, that was a lot! I’m out!

Off to a good start!

Hello, everyone! And welcome back to another fabulous school year! I love new school years. I hope everyone had great summers, I really enjoyed mine. I interned in the City of Cincinnati Human Resources department where the highlight was definitely the World Choir Games, what a cool experience! I assisted with the hospitality training for the WCG and worked on several other projects: policy research, civil service classification ordinances, and police and fire recruit examinations. I also enjoyed a nice break in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania and a short trip to New York City. Lots of time with family and friends, it was excellent, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to my school/work schedule and routine! Ah, what can I say?

We’re wrapping up the second week here. I’ve really enjoyed catching up with friends from last year and meeting some of the new students. Speaking of, Student Spotlights will be up soon with two new students this semester. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the ones from last semester yet, meet them here: http://artscience.nku.edu/departments/psccj/programs/publicadministration/mpa/spotlights.html.

We had our first PASS event of the semester Friday night at the Reds game. Unfortunately, the Reds lost to the Cardinals, but we had a great time and got to see the Barry Larkin fireworks display! ALSO, I believe we have a new attendance record for a PASS event: 25 tickets! Let’s keep that up this semester! Dates to put on your calendar for this semester: Service on Saturday Sat 9/29 10 a.m.-2 p.m., department banquet Wednesday 10/24, and guest speaker TBA (thinking November!).

I have three night classes this semester (no more Saturdays for me!). In Data Analysis we’ll be using secondary data to test a correlation between a set of variables. I’m thinking about doing either a happiness study or something about what factors influence people’s stance on banned books. In Public Budgeting we’ve discussed the characteristics of traditional individualism and communalism/communitarianism and what caused the financial collapse of 2007. In Human Resources Management we did introductions and I’ll have my second class tonight.

I’ve thought a little about my Capstone project, which will be next semester and in October I’ll be registering for graduation! Stay tuned! I have a feeling this year is going to fly by!

Summertime

I survived another finals week! As of last night at 8:30, I am officially done for the semester. Both of my classes were a lot of work and finishing them has left me feeling productive and satisfied. In Administrative Law we had one more case brief to complete before receiving our extremely extensive study guide, which, luckily, we could have during the exam. There were 60 True/False questions that were very challenging, but I tried my best on, and about 10 short answer. In Research Methods, I had two presentations recently, one on phenomenological research, and another on public versus private higher education institutions with my group after we turned in our final paper. Then last night we had our exam, which was a lot of short answer and writing! After I finished I met my classmates for a celebratory drink. It was a good time! There are some great people in this program and I've really enjoyed getting to know them. Hopefully I'll see them all soon at the department cookout.

So, things are just about wrapped up for the semester. The VP of PASS and I attended an officer training conference a few weeks ago where we attended sessions on membership and conflict resolution. We got information on what we need to do to prepare for next school year and have been brainstorming ideas for a while now. We are really trying to get more students to attend the social events and recently surveyed active PASS members on their interest. We got some really good feedback and input that we look forward to implementing. Hopefully, this will be a great year for PASS. I also attended the ASPA Public Administrators of the Year event at The Phoenix downtown. What a beautiful place and awesome event! It was great to celebrate so many people who are doing wonderful things in the area. Next Thursday we'll again recognize those individuals who received awards and celebrate even more people who devote their time and hard work to improving our region at the Public Service Appreciation Day at Fountain Square.

I'm off to Florida for a week then I'll have a few days off at home before I start my internship in the Human Resources Department of the City of Cincinnati. I met with some employees last week and I'm very excited about this summer. There are two other interns, one is continuing their internship and another will be starting around the same time I am and working on the legal side of business. I hope to get some experience with the diversity and cultural training for the World Choir Games and some exposure to the policies HR deals with. I am really looking forward to it and I hope you all have summer plans you are looking forward to as well! See you in August!

Good News

I got the internship! I just found out yesterday that I will be a Seasongood Good Government Foundation Summer Intern. I'm so excited! I did a rank order of department preferences yesterday and will know soon where I will be working.

In other exciting news, last night was the annual MPA Spring Banquet featuring keynote speaker Jane Keller, President and CEO of Cincinnati Youth Collaborative. Jane received the Distinguished Alumna Award and shared three stories with the audience about her transition from for-profit to community service. The banquet was also a chance to recognize graduating MPA students, so congratulations to all the recent and soon to be graduates, as well as all the award winners!

Only three weeks of classes left, hard to believe. Last week in Administrative Law we listened to the oral arguments presented to the Supreme Court in their review of the Affordable Care Act. It was really interesting to hear each side's argument and observe the dynamics of the court room. It helped me understand the act much better, too. In Research Methods we just turned in our draft of the final paper. I really like the format we used to write the paper, having a little due every few weeks and the opportunity to revise each section. It made the end of the semester far less stressful than usual!

Two weekends ago we had our last PASS event of the semester. PASS members volunteered at Pantry of Hope at First Baptist Church in Highland Heights where we gardened and painted. It was a fun and productive morning. As a leadership team we've decided we'd like to try having a few social events over the summer. Our first event will be a Cincinnati Rollergirls roller derby game on Saturday, May 19, 7-10 p.m. at Cincinnati Gardens, click here for more info HOMETOWN HEROES NIGHT: Cincinnati Rollergirls vs. DC Rollergirls ». Our second event will be a Red's game in August, so keep an eye out for more info!

PASS members on Spring into Service at Pantry of Hope at First Baptist Church

Spring Cleaning

Hi everyone, I hope your semesters are going well. I'll start with my classes: Administrative Law is about the same, following the same pattern from the first half of the semester. I did get my midterm back and was very pleased with the result. In Research Methods we administered our surveys and are tweaking a few issues before we move into the analysis of our results. We're covering quantitative methods and statistics right now and it makes me glad I worked so hard on those subjects in undergrad. It's still hard, but I imagine it'd be so much harder if I didn't learned the concepts well the first time around. This Thursday will already be time to register for fall classes and I'll be more than halfway finished with the program. This summer I'll have a break from classes and will hopefully be working at the internship I had a preliminary interview for last week. I'm anxiously waiting to hear back this week.

In the office, the NASPAA reaccreditation site visit took place two weeks ago and seemed to go really well. They met with various faculty, staff, students, and alumni. I'm continuing to work on a literature review of urban renewal and revitalization through community entertainment and arts districts. I had a library consultation last week and the research has been really interesting.

In PASS updates, last week we hosted guest speaker, Cincinnati vice mayor, Roxanne Qualls. Qualls addressed the topic of building inclusive organizations. More than twenty people from the MPA program attended and made up an active and engaged audience. Qualls pointed out that diversity is about more than the traditional concepts of gender, race and ethnicity, and includes a broader spectrum such as experience, perspective, and lifestyle. She emphasized the distinction between leadership and management, which are too often used interchangeably. Finally, she really drove home the point that an inclusive organization is important for many reasons, but perhaps the most important reason, is that it allows you to make better decisions. Qualls' presentation was informative and thought-provoking and I think gave each of us something to take back to our respective organizations. Thank you to everyone who attended and made this event so successful! This Saturday PASS will participate in Service on Saturday-A Day of Service in NKU's Backyard. Comment below if you'd like to join us or receive more information about the event. On a similar note, this Friday is the first MPA alumni (students, board, faculty, and staff also invited!) quarterly happy hour at Keystone Bar & Grill. Hope to see as many of you there as possible!

PASS 2012 spring social event at the Cincinnati Cyclones game 2/16

Time flies!

I cannot believe it has been over a month since my last post! I apologize for my absence, I've been busier than I realized. Let's see, there's a lot to catch up on. First, the Student Spotlights page has been added to the MPA website! You can view that and read about this semester's two featured MPA students here: http://psc-cj.nku.edu/programs/public/masters/Student_Spotlights.php.


The last time I wrote, I was headed off to the NKU MPA-ASPA annual dinner with guest speaker Joshua Smith. The dinner was delicious, Mexican buffet, and Joshua was very entertaining. Joshua shared with the audience his experience and career path in local government. His story was humorous and inspiring. As a note to pre-career students, he could not emphasize enough the value of internship and fellowship opportunities. I was intrigued with the thought of local government after Joshua's presentation and have since taken advantage of a few opportunities that I have come across in the MPA program. First, I attended  a Northern Kentucky City and County Managers Association meeting the following week to meet other leaders in the field and learn more about a career in local government. Second, I applied for a summer internship opportunity in local government. Keep your fingers crossed! It would be a great opportunity and I am really hoping it works out.


On February 10th, ASPA hosted Dr. Beth Honadle from the University of Cincinnati, who presented her paper "On Public Policy Analysis: Reflections and Practical Tips from the Field." Dr. Honadle's presentation focused on the distinction between doing academic policy work and doing policy work in the field. It was a very informative and interesting presentation especially since I am interested in a career in public policy.


The next week we had our first PASS event of the semester with a small group attending a Cincinnati Cyclones game. Despite the Cyclones loss in the final minutes, it was a really enjoyable outing. We're looking forward to the rest of our events this semester and hope to draw even bigger crowds.


The week after the Cyclones game, I attended the NKU Job Expo. I had a chance to talk to some great representatives from interesting organizations about the summer opportunities they had available. I got some good leads and feedback and have been in touch with a few places since then. Again, fingers crossed!


Now the real reason I've been so busy: classes. I had a midterm in Administrative Law Monday night (50% of our grade!). I spent a lot of time preparing for it and even though I wasn't feeling well when I sat down to take the exam, I do feel like it went pretty well. At least I hope it did, I guess I'll find out soon enough. Tuesday my group and I turned in our research design and are awaiting final approval of our survey so that we can begin collecting responses. Over spring break we will each collect 35 completed questionnaires for a total of 105. I can't believe we're already more than half-way through the semester and I'm looking ahead to what will be due the rest of the semester. As for Program Evaluation, we're more than half-way through, we're finished! All I have left is to turn in my final assignment, an evaluation of The Big Shake, due by Sunday at 6pm. I have an earlier personal deadline though because I fly out of Dayton for LAX at 4pm on Sunday! One assignment to go and I'll be enjoying five days of sunshine in California to visit my brother and a good friend from high school. I can't wait! When I get back things pick right back up with the NASPAA site visit team arriving for three days of evaluation. We're almost there! 

Lots of links, lots to share!

Last weekend I had my first of four Saturday classes for Nonprofit Program Evaluation and it went well. This Saturday we will be doing a site visit to The Betts House, Ohio's oldest brick house. Our major project for the class is creating an evaluation tool for their current exhibit, The Shake. I'm really looking forward to our one-on-one time with the Executive Director and a chance to explore the museum. Learn more about the Betts House here http://www.thebettshouse.org/.

In Research Methods we have continued to brainstorm with our groups. We've managed to narrow our topics and formulate research questions. My group has had a slight change of direction, but I think we're on track.  Our proposals are due next Tuesday. In Administrative Law, I wrote my first case brief. It took me longer than I expected. It was difficult to condense a whole case onto one page. I have a feeling it will get easier though what with all the practice I'll have after doing them weekly. 

MPA news: Check out the 2012 online edition of the MPA annual newsletter, The PA Nexus http://psc-cj.nku.edu/docs/MPAnewsletters/Newsletter_2012.pdf. Also, the Student Spotlights page should be up and running soon, so I'll let you know when that's available!

PASS news: We are happy to announce our guest speaker Roxanne Qualls will be presenting on March 22, 5-6pm. Roxanne is the former mayor and current vice mayor of Cincinnati and serves on city council. Also, she used to teach at NKU in the MPA program, how cool! More information will follow on the details of that event. Learn more about Roxanne here http://www.roxannequalls.com/home/about_roxanne.html. One more date to mark in your calendar, March 31, is the spring Service on Saturday PASS will be participating in. To stay up to date on PASS events check out the PASS page on the MPA website http://psc-cj.nku.edu/programs/public/masters/mpastudents.php or check out the MPA Facebook page for updates, you can find us under 'Northern Kentucky University MPA Program.'

ASPA news: Two weeks ago I attended my first ASPA-board meeting. Tonight is the ASPA-NKU annual dinner.The guest speaker will be Joshua Smith, who is currently the city manager of Hamilton, Ohio, and formerly the administrator of Howard (WI), Cedarburg (WI) and Monticello (IA). Learn more about Joshua here http://www.hamilton-city.org/index.aspx?page=502. I'll be heading over there shortly, and hope to see many of you there!

New year, new classes

Hello, readers!

I am officially one-third of the way through completing my Master's! Last semester went well and I'm excited for my classes this semester, just two nights a week! I'm taking Administrative Law and Research Methods. I think both classes will be challenging but interesting, which is great. I'm also taking Nonprofit Program Evaluation over the course of four Saturdays in January and February. After Program Evaluation I will be finished with my Nonprofit Management Concentration and just have Public Administration core classes left. I'm moving right along!

Winter break was great, but I was a little antsy to get back to a routine by the last week or so. I hope everyone else had a nice break, too!

In MPA department news: the annual newsletter, The PA Nexus, has officially gone to print and will be available soon! Also, the department has decided to feature a 'Students Spotlight' page on the website which I'm really excited about. Keep an eye out for two new students each semester. I'll be sure to keep you updated. Additionally, if you're interested in being featured or recommending someone, please email me @ vogelgesav1@nku.edu.
 
Outside of classes, I have a few other things going on this semester that will keep me busy. I'll be assisting Dr. Olberding and Dr. McIntyre Miller with some research on community development. Hopefully, I will get into the literature review next week. The first PASS event of the semester will be a social event at a Cincinnati Cyclones game on Thursday, February 16, 7:30 v. Elmira. I can't wait! Not only am I eager to get PASS going for the semester, but I LOVE hockey games! We've also decided to participate in NKU's Spring 'Service on Saturday' in March and have plans for a guest speaker in the works. More to come on all the PASS activities!

I hope everyone's semesters are off to a good start and I'll write again soon! Happy New Year!