Last semester!

Hello and welcome back to a new semester! This semester is extra-special for me because it is my LAST ONE! Crazy. One of my favorite authors, Gretchen Reuben, often comments that, “The days are long, but the years are short.” This applies to all areas of life and is no less true about my grad school experience.

I had a wonderful winter break, as I hope you all did, and I am already looking forward to Spring Break, if for no other reason than a break from the cold we’ve had here!

We are already two weeks into the semester now and I’m really enjoying all my classes. On Monday nights I have public policy, which I have been anticipating since I started the program. We had the option to do a research paper or a service learning project; I signed up for the project. Four team members and I will be working with an organization to evaluate the effectiveness of Early Childhood Education initiatives through cost-benefit analyses and possibly do some forecasting. I am really excited about this as this is one of my main areas of interest. Every couple of weeks the Capstone class meets on Tuesday nights. Capstone is usually associated with a major project but there are a couple of other components, as well, which include professional development, resume and interview techniques, and a portfolio reflecting on your MPA experience. In terms of the major project, my partner and I are (we think!) staying on top of things. Last week we met with the NAMI CC Executive Director, attended a support group meeting, and tomorrow, we are attending a different recovery group meeting for comparison and ideas. We have continued to work on our application to the Internal Review Board and drafting our survey questions. We hope to submit that next week. My last class of the week meets on Wednesday nights, Organizational Behavior and Theory. So far I am really enjoying the class and the instructor, who has a TON of international experience, so cool! My group wanted to get our presentation out of the way early, so we’re presenting organizations as machines next week.

In other news, the newsletter came out this week! Yay! You can check it out here: http://artscience.nku.edu/content/dam/psccj/docs/publicAdministration/2013%20Newsletter%2013.pdf. And, mark your calendars, the annual MPA-ASPA dinner is in two weeks on February 6. The guest speaker will be Rina Saperstein, Executive Director of Power Inspires Progress, 2006 MPA graduate and recipient of the 2012 PSC/CJ Outstanding Alumni Award.  Power Inspires Progress operates small businesses that provide paid on-the-job training to inner city residents who face obstacles pursuing and maintaining stable employment. Trainees gain the knowledge and experience necessary to be successful in the workforce. If you’re familiar with Venice on Vine, a delicious pizza eatery in OTR, Power Inspires Progress operates that!

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