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!

The FINAL Countdown

To do:

1 paper
3 exams

The last month has been a whirlwind! I'm sorry I have not written. My days, and nights, too, have been filled with meetings, long hours at the library, and CAFFEINE! Although, I shouldn't complain too much because I did get to spend a week in Florida over Thanksgiving :)

In terms of end of the semester work, I've survived three presentations and turned in two papers. I'm almost there! For our group project in Volunteer Management, my partner and I got to reconnect with the Crossover representative we worked with and show her what we've put together for their organization. She was very appreciative and seemed to really like it. In all three classes, its been really interesting to hear about all of my classmates projects and the research they've done. Well done, everyone!

In PASS news, we'd like to welcome Lauren Stieritz to the leadership team! Lauren has offered to serve as secretary for 2012, thanks, Lauren! We have plans in place already for a service event on MLK day in January and a social at a Cyclones game in February. We also have a lot of great ideas about guest speakers, so be on the lookout for more information! We're very excited about our plans for PASS this year!

On a related note, I attended my first ASPA (American Society of Public Administrators) event last Friday, which was a networking social. About half of the group was from NKU, but I also met some new people and we had very interesting discussions. I'm already looking forward to the next event in January!

Another highlight of the past month was the Mayerson Awards Ceremony. Our class presented the grants Toyota had awarded to local nonprofits based on our recommendations. It was very exciting and I got to reconnect with Anne Gunkle from Cincinnati State, who I met on our site visit. There were other classes there as well who had worked with the Mayerson Foundation in other capacities such as direct giving models, or providing some kind of research or other service. Some of the speakers were really captivating! It was a great event and I really enjoyed hearing about everyone's experience.

So, six more days and I'll be on winter break! While I'm really looking forward to the time off, I hope to be semi-productive, as well. We'll see.. HAPPY HOLIDAYS, EVERYONE!

Brillianaire

It's that time of the semester, things are getting exciting! (Read: Hectic!) So much has happened in the past two weeks. I survived my second and final midterm of the semester. Now just three papers, three presentations, and three finals to get through before the semester ends. Is that all??

In Foundations, I presented an article on policy implementation last week. Public policy is my favorite topic that we've covered and I think I may have actually discovered my dream career: working at a public policy think tank! Note: If anyone reading this has any information or connections in this field, I'd love to talk to you! I'm going to apply for summer internships over winter break, and ideally I'd find one at a think tank. How cool would that be??

In Volunteer Management we submitted out grant application evaluations and, as a class, voted on our recommendations to Toyota for funding. Several of my classmates will be going to Toyota tomorrow to present and discuss our recommendations. I'm very excited for them and can't wait to hear about their experience! We also had a follow up meeting with Crossover to discuss our volunteer program overview and plans for the term project. Originally, my partner and I had thought about a volunteer handbook, but after talking to the Crossover representative we're taking a different approach. Instead, we will be putting together a leadership plan for their team leaders who oversee the volunteer members. We have a lot of ideas and I think it's going to come together nicely.

Last week, I attended the Criminal Justice Career Fair where I helped provide information on the MPA program. I also squeezed in a little time to talk to the representative from Big Brothers Big Sisters (an MPA grad!) and the representatives from the FBI! Both were very interesting and informative. The Criminal Justice department has also been interviewing candidates for a new professor and I've gotten to talk to a few of them, all very intelligent and interesting people.

And last, but not least, perhaps the highlight of these two weeks are two updates on PASS. One, I will be serving as President for the 2012 year! I'm very excited about putting together some great events for the next two semesters. Special thanks to VP Stephanie Marston for offering to help. And second, we had an amazing guest speaker at our last event, April Gillepsie. April discussed personal branding, networking, and personal development. Some highlights: The #1 thing employers are looking for is differentiation, put your best foot forward on Linkedin, and her best piece of advice she had to offer was to talk to two new people each day. She also gave us a great reading list, sites with free resources, names to check out. If you're interested, comment below and I'll forward these on to you! I was so inspired by April's talk, I connected with her after the presentation and we went out for coffee this week. I conducted a pretty informal interview with April so I can write a piece on her in the upcoming MPA newsletter, and had a chance to glean some knowledge from her to apply to my own personal development. She also set me up with more people I might like to connect with, I am very appreciative!

One more thing! Thanks to everyone in the MPA department for the happy birthday wishes, and especially MPA Program Coordinator Beth DeVantier!

Group shot at the PASS event with April Gillepsie