NASPAA SELF STUDY REPORT
VOLUME I
MASTER IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION PROGRAM
UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE
SEPTEMBER 1, 2003
SUBMITTED TO:
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND ADMINISTRATION
1120 G. STREET NW, SUITE 730
W ASHINGTON, D.C. 20005
SUBMITTED BY:
SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
YALE GORDON COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS
UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE
1420 N. CHARLES STREET
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND 21201
Certified by:
NASPAA Principal Representative
Title
Date
Chief Academic Officer
Title
Date
Certified by:
Printed Name
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT INSTITUTION AND PROGRAM BEING REVIEWED .............. I
SUMMARY OF PROGRAM DATA FOR CURRICULUM, FACULTY AND STUDENTS ................. IV
SECTION ONE: ELIGIBILITY AND MISSION................................................................................ 1
I.0
ELIGIBILITY (STANDARD 1.0) .................................................................................... 1
1.1
ELIGIBILITY ................................................................................................... 1
1.2
INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITATION.................................................................... 1
1.3
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION ......................................................................... 1
1.4
PROGRAM LENGTH: YEARS IN OPERATION ................................................... 3
2.0
PROGRAM MISSION (STANDARD 2.0) ........................................................................ 4
2.1
MISSION STATEMENT .................................................................................... 4
2.2
ASSESSMENT ............................................................................................. 20
2.3
GUIDING PERFORMANCE ............................................................................ 27
SECTION TWO: STANDARD BY STANDARD ASSESSMENT RELATIVE TO MISSION .......... 35
3.0
PROGRAM JURISDICTION (STANDARD 3.0) ....................................................... 35
3.1
ORGANIZATION OF ACADEMIC UNIT ............................................................ 35
3.2
IDENTIFIABLE FACULTY............................................................................... 36
CHART III-1: UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE ORGANIZATION CHART ............ 37
CHART III-2: SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS ORGANIZATION CHART.......... 38
3.3
PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION ....................................................................... 39
3.4
SCOPE OF INFLUENCE ................................................................................ 42
4.0.
CURRICULUM (STANDARD 4.0) ............................................................................... 53
4.1
PURPOSE OF CURRICULUM ......................................................................... 53
4.2
CURRICULUM COMPONENTS ....................................................................... 53
4.21 COMMON CURRICULUM COMPONENTS........................................................ 56
4.22 ADDITIONAL CURRICULUM COMPONENTS ................................................... 62
MPA SPECIALIZATIONS .............................................................................. 65
4.23 GENERAL COMPETENCIES .......................................................................... 69
4.3
MINIMUM DEGREE REQUIREMENTS ............................................................. 69
4.4
INTERNSHIPS .............................................................................................. 75
5.0
FACULTY (STANDARD 5.0) ...................................................................................... 79
5.1
FACULTY NUCLEUS .................................................................................... 79
5.3
PRACTITIONER INVOLVEMENT ................................................................... 102
5.4
FACULTY QUALITY .................................................................................... 105
5.41 FACULTY INSTRUCTION ............................................................................. 118
5.42 RESEARCH ............................................................................................... 126
5.43 EXPERIENCE AND SERVICE ....................................................................... 143
5.5
FACULTY DIVERSITY ................................................................................. 146
6.0
ADMISSIONS AND SUBSEQUENT PROGRESS OF STUDENTS (STANDARD 6.0) ......... 151
6.1
ADMISSIONS GOALS AND STANDARDS ...................................................... 151
6.2
BACCALAUREATE REQUIREMENT.............................................................. 155
6.3
ADMISSION FACTORS ............................................................................... 156
7.0
STUDENT SERVICES (STANDARD 7.0) ................................................................... 164
7.1
ADVISEMENT AND APPRAISAL ................................................................... 164
7.2
PLACEMENT SERVICE ............................................................................... 166
8.0
SUPPORT SERVICES AND FACILITIES (STANDARD 8.0) .......................................... 169
8.1
BUDGET ................................................................................................... 170
8.2
LIBRARY SERVICES .................................................................................. 176
8.3
SUPPORT PERSONNEL .............................................................................. 184
8.4
INSTRUCTIONAL EQUIPMENT ..................................................................... 184
8.5
FACULTY OFFICES .................................................................................... 188
8.6
CLASSROOMS........................................................................................... 188
8.7
MEETING AREA ......................................................................................... 189
9.0
OFF-CAMPUS PROGRAMS (STANDARD 9.0) .......................................................... 190
APPENDIX A: SEIZING THE MOMENT: OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT, CURRICULUM REFORM,
AND MPA EDUCATION ........................................................................................ 191
APPENDIX B: RESULTS OF THE ALUMNI QUESTIONNAIRE ......................................................... 201
APPENDIX C: FALL 1995 CAPSTONE EXERCISES ...................................................................... 207
General Information About Institution and Program Being Reviewed
1
Title of Master’s Degree (1.3)
2
Off-Campus locations (9.1)
Master of Public Administration
GEORGE MEANY CENTER FOR LABOR STUDIES,
SILVER SPRING MARYLAND
WEB-BASED COURSES
3
Number of credits normally required for degree (4.3-A)
42 IF INTERNSHIP IS WAIVED. 45 IF INTERNSHIP IS
REQUIRED
4
Total credits in required courses (4.21-B)
33
5
Total credits in elective courses (4.22-A)
9, PLUS 3 FOR INTERNSHIP IF REQUIRED
6
Specializations advertised as
available (4.22-G)
PUBLIC POLICY ADMINISTRATION
HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATION
BUDGETING AND FISCAL ADMINISTRATION
PUBLIC AND NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT
7
Number of credits which can be
reduced for prior undergraduate
education (4.3-B)
NONE
8
Number of credits which can be
reduced fro significant
professional experience (4.3-B)
3 CREDIT INTERNSHIP IS WAIVED. 42 HOURS OF
COURSE WORK REMAIN.
9
Number in faculty nucleus (5.1B)
10
Number of
students in
degree
program
(6.3-D)
NASPAA SELF-STUDY REPORT-VOLUME 1
Full-time:
Part-time:
Total:
I
UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE
11
Is a thesis or major
professional report required?
(4.3-C)
NO
12
Is a comprehensive
examination required? (4.3C)
NO. A REQUIRED CAPSTONE COURSE IS SUBSTITUTED.
13
Is an internship available? Is
it required? 2.2-B)
INTERNSHIPS ARE REQUIRED FOR ALL PRE-SERVICE
STUDENTS. THE INTERNSHIP DUTIES AND ACADEMIC
REPORTS CONSTITUTE A SEPARATE THREE CREDIT
COURSE
NASPAA SELF-STUDY REPORT-VOLUME 1
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UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE
SUMMARY OF PROGRAM DATA FOR CURRICULUM, FACULTY AND STUDENTS
PAGE
ITEM
DATA
COMMON CURRICULUM COMPONENTS (STD. 4.21)
56
1.
Total credits in required courses (4.21-A)
33
Additional Curriculum Components (Std. 4.22)
62
2.
Number of credits in advanced area that a student is allowed
to take in courses open to undergraduates (4.22-B)
0
62
3.
Number of elective courses which are offered primarily for
students in the master’s program being reviewed (4.22-C)
24
63
4.
List the speciality areas advertised as available (4.22-D)
Public Management
Health Policy & Administration
Public Policy & Administration
Budgeting & Fiscal Administration
Urban Management/Community Planning
MINIMUM DEGREE REQUIREMENTS (STD. 4.2, 4.3)
63
5.
Total credits required in prerequisite subjects (4.2-D)
69
6.
Number of graduate credits required for degree (4.3-A)
42
71
Number of graduate credits which can be reduced for prior
undergraduate education (4.3-F)
0
71
Number of graduate credits which can be reduced for
significant professional employment experience (4.3-G)
0
69
Absolute number of graduate credits needed to receive
degree (4.3-A)
42
42
54
7.
Minimum number of credits toward degree which must be
earned in coursework reserved exclusively for graduate
students (4.2-8)
69
8.
Is thesis, master’s paper or major professional report required
or optional? (4.3-B)
69
How many credits toward degree are allowed?
3 (can also take a computer competency
examination as a substitute)
Optional
6
70
9.
Is a comprehensive exam required? (4.3-C)
No
70
10.
Is an internship available to students in the program (4.3-D)
Yes
75
If so, give the minimum length of the internship in weeks or
months?
3 months
75
How many credits for the internship can be counted toward
the absolute minimum number of graduate credits needed to
receive the master’s degree (as specified in item 6 above)
3
71
11.
Usual or normal number of full-time equivalent months of
study needed to complete degree requirements for students
with little preparation and little professional experience (4.3-E)
20 months
71
12.
Usual or normal number of full-time equivalent months of
study needed to complete degree requirements for students
with strong undergraduate preparation and little professional
experience (4.3-F)
20 months
13.
Minimum number of full-time equivalent months of study,
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UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE
PAGE
ITEM
71
DATA
exclusive of internship, needed to complete degree
requirements for students who have strong undergraduate
preparation and have significant professional experience
(4.3-E)
17 months
FACULTY (STD. 5.0)
91
14.
Number of individual faculty in nucleus (5.1-C)
13
101
15.
Number of other full-time faculty members (5.1-G)
0
101
16.
Percentage of nucleus full-time faculty holding doctorate (5.2A)
100%
101
Percentage of other full-time faculty holding doctorate (5.2-B)
NA
102
Percentage of total full-time faculty holding doctorate (5.2-C)
100%
Percentage of required courses taught by part-time faculty in
self-study year (5.3-A)
4.8%
102
Percentage of degree program elective courses taught by
part-time faculty in self-study year (5.3-A)
9.1%
102
Percentage of required and elective courses taught by parttime faculty in self-study year (5.3-A)
6.3%
102
17.
STUDENT ENROLLMENT (STD. 6.3)
161
18.
Number of students registered in program during the selfstudy year (6.3-E)
Full-time students
Part-time students
Total head count
NASPAA SELF-STUDY REPORT-VOLUME 1
IV
28
128
156
UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE
VOLUME I: NASPAA SELF-STUDY REPORT
SECTION ONE: ELIGIBILITY AND MISSION
I.0
ELIGIBILITY (STANDARD 1.0)
1.1
ELIGIBILITY:
STATE IF THE PROGRAM IS ELIGIBLE FOR PEER REVIEW ACCORDING TO THE
CRITERIA IN STANDARD 1.0 (STANDARD 1.1).
The University of Baltimore’s MPA program is eligible for peer review and accreditation
according to the criteria listed in Standard 1.0 (see below).
1.2
INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITATION
A.
NAME OF REGIONAL ACCREDITING ASSOCIATION:
Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.
B.
DATE OF MOST RECENT ACCREDITATION:
June 1987 (currently undergoing reaccreditation).
C.
ACCREDITATION ARRANGEMENTS FOR EACH OFF-CAMPUS LOCATION:
Does not apply.
1.3
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION
A.
BRIEFLY EXPLAIN HOW THE OVERALL DESIGN OF THE PROGRAM PROVIDES PROFESSIONAL
EDUCATION FOR LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT ROLES IN PUBLIC SERVICE.
Public administration in the 1990s is caught in an era of change. Alternatives to
traditional governmental functions are being explored through the delivery of services
through the nonprofit sector or are being undertaken by the private sector. Through
changes in technology and process re-engineering, administrators are seeking new ways to
promote efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of services. Finally, government and
those providing public services (including universities) are being held more accountable
than in the past with the public demanding tangible results for the expenditure of funds.
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UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE
Given the importance of governmental administration in today’s society and the
turbulent environment faced by government, the need for well-educated, extremely
innovative, and highly creative public administrators is unprecedented. An agenda of
complex, interrelated issues will face public administrators in the coming decades. Such an
agenda reinforces the proposition that public administration will continue to be a demanding
profession.
Public administrators will constantly need to update and expand their
managerial, analytical, computer, and communication skills in order to deal effectively and
efficiently with an ever changing environment. Moreover, no longer is the relevance of the
public administrator limited exclusively to public service.
With the growth of the
“administrative state,” the distinction between the public and not-for-profit sectors and even
certain parts of the private sector has become blurred. As a result, education in public
administration has applications which transcend governmental management and offers
career possibilities in the public and quasi-public service and the not-for-profit sector.
Just as public agencies are being called upon to reorient themselves, to determine
their core competencies, to identify their missions, and to become learning organizations, so
too must MPA programs. Among those questions which MPA programs must answer are:
How can we “teach” public administrators to build critically selfreflective
organizations?
How can we teach public managers to become more results
oriented?
Can we teach students to exhibit these behaviors if we do not model
them ourselves?
Aware of the changing skills, knowledge and values that public managers need in an
era of fiscal stress and shifting responsibilities, the faculty at the MPA program at the
University of Baltimore is committed to educating public administrators in strategically
grounded, ethically sensitive and analytically literate ways capable of meeting the challenges
of the turbulent environment in which public administrators now function. To this end, a
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UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE
strategic planning initiative undertaken by the School of Public Affairs has created an
outcome-based MPA curriculum which is designed to meet the evolving needs of our
students and the public. Stressed are the skills, knowledge bases, and values needed to
function effectively as they head into the 21st century.
As the result of our strategic planning processes, we have identified a number of
literacies needed for effective administration. Among these literacies are communication
skills, policy and decision analysis skills, and knowledge of the political, legal, ethical and
historical context of public administration. These literacies are assessed in three ways:
through integration in the core curriculum; through applications in areas of specialization;
and in our exit experience, the capstone course. The capstone course requires students to
integrate skills, values, and knowledge from other courses in addressing problems posed in
an agency simulation.
The capstone course and associated outcome assessment tools lead the University
of Baltimore MPA program to be involved in continuous process improvement. The capstone
course provides continuous feedback to the faculty on weaknesses and strengths in the
curriculum. To meet our mission, the faculty must stay abreast of the current trends, tools
and skills needed by today’s administrator.
B.
DEGREE SPECIFICATION: IDENTIFY ALL MASTERS’ DEGREE PROGRAMS OFFERED BY THE
DEGREE GRANTING UNIT.
Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.)
1.4
PROGRAM LENGTH: YEARS IN OPERATION
Location:
Date of First Admission:
Date of First Graduate:
NASPAA SELF-STUDY REPORT-VOLUME 1
University of Baltimore
Fall 1975
Spring 1977
3
UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE
2.0
PROGRAM MISSION (STANDARD 2.0)
2.1
MISSION STATEMENT
A.
PROGRAM BACKGROUND: BRIEFLY DESCRIBE THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE
PROGRAM, INCLUDING ITS GROWTH IN ENROLLMENT AND FACULTY SIZE, AND ANY
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE PROGRAM SINCE ITS ORIGINATION.
The MPA program was authorized by the Maryland State Board of Higher Education
in July 1975. UB began offering the program in the Fall 1975 semester with six core
courses; one hundred and thirteen students; one full-time faculty member; a heavy reliance
on adjunct professors and professors from other departments; and electives from other
programs. Spurred by outside training funds (LEAP funds), student enrollment peaked at
more than 250 in 1980. In 1981, however, the program changed from an open admission
policy to one which attempts to predict student success. Furthermore, a probationary
admission system which monitors conditional students was instituted in 1994. During the
present decade, enrollments have ranged between 130-160 students.
Since the 1980s, the program has been marked by a continual growth in core faculty,
numbering 11 in AY 1994-95.1 The academic credentials of full-time faculty members have
continued to rise as the result of the hiring process. Current faculty members in the School
of Public Affairs include three members of the National Academy of Public Administration 2; a
former editor in chief of Public Administration Review; and the 1993 recipient of the
Kammerer Award of the American Political Science Association for the best book on U.S.
national policy. The faculty has also been active in professional organizations by serving
on the editorial boards of Public Administration Review, Administration and Society, Journal
of Public Administration Research and Theory, Urban Affairs Quarterly, and numerous other
1
In addition, the program shares one faculty member with the Division of Criminology, Criminal Justice and
Social Policy. This faculty member, Dr. Fred Cheesman, teaches PUAD 614, Analytical Techniques in the MPA
Core Curriculum.
2
In July 1996, Dr. Patricia Florestano took a leave of absence to assume the post of acting Secretary of
Higher Education. She resigned from the School of Public Affairs in December 1996 .
NASPAA SELF-STUDY REPORT-VOLUME 1
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UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE
scholarly journals. Recent assessments of the scholarly productivity of the UB faculty
consistently rate UB MPA faculty as one of the top 15 most productive faculties in the
country (Forrester, 1996; Douglas, forthcoming)
In terms of curriculum, the program has gone through substantial changes since its
inception. First, the core curriculum has been expanded from 18 to 33 hours to assure
student exposure to subjects included in the NASPAA guidelines and as a result of recent
strategic planning initiatives. Degree requirements have been expanded from 36 to 42
hours to permit the development of specialization tracks within the degree. For pre-service
students, an internship in the pre-service student’s area of interest can serve as part of the
nine hours of specialization courses.
Just as public organizations have had to adjust to an environment which is oriented
toward outcomes and accountability, the MPA program has attempted to do the same. As
part of this effort, the faculty has comprehensively evaluated the skills, knowledge bases and
values needed by practicing administrators and changed the core curriculum to reflect the
results of this assessment. Initiated as a result of this review was an integrated, outcomes
based capstone course to replace the written MPA comprehensive exam. The capstone
course promises to inform personnel, curriculum, and program evaluation decisions over the
next NASPAA cycle.3
Under a recent reorganization of the Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts, the Division
of Government and Public Administration was merged with the Schaefer Center for Public
Policy to form the School of Public Affairs. Combining the two units offers the faculty the
opportunity to: (1) work on research projects in the “real world” of public administration; (2) to
foster placements for graduating students through increased networking of the faculty with
3
As this process also fostered internal examination of the MPA Core Curriculum in the light of student
outcomes and the development of a mission statement of the program, more information about this process will be
detailed in the response to Standard 2.1d.
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UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE
practicing administrators; (3) to give outstanding students the opportunity to do the same;
and (4) to be in a position to obtain feedback on the skills and knowledge needed by
administrators in the 1990s. The identity of the School of Public Affairs has been reinforced
with the move of the division into a facility shared with the Schaefer Center for Public Policy.
The Schaefer Center for Public Policy has greatly expanded its role in providing
public service to the state and local governments in Maryland. It has done so by utilizing
faculty knowledge and skills to assist in remedying problems faced by government. Since its
inception in 1985, the Schaefer Center has been involved in a variety of projects analyzing
the needs of state and local government. The Center is currently participating in a multi-year
evaluation of the Primary Prevention Initiative, Maryland’s welfare reform program. The
Center has also conducted program evaluations concerning the implementation of Part H
programs for developmentally delayed children; the Sandtown-Winchester community
revitalization project; Baltimore’s Empowerment Zone initiatives; and grassroots programs
targeting families’ at-risk. The Schaefer Center also undertakes survey research for a
number of state, local, and nonprofit agencies. The results of these surveys have been
widely discussed in the media and have gathered substantial attention in the state
legislature (see below).
Training programs have also received emphasis in the work of the Schaefer Center.
Recently, the program conducted a training program for mid-level state program managers
concerning both current issues in public administration and the development of skills needed
to address these issues. Most recently, the Schaefer Center and the Maryland Department
of Personnel sponsored a series of training seminars for mid-level state managers on the
skills and issues facing them in the 1990s. Among the projects undertaken by students in
these training seminars were assessments of the state’s needs in the area of electronic
communications.
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UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE
Another key area of activity for the Schaefer Center during the past several years has
been the communication of information on policy issues to public officials and citizens. Each
year, the survey unit of the Schaefer Center produces Maryland Policy Choices for the
Maryland legislature. This monograph gathers information on a number of important policy
issues from an annual survey of Maryland citizens. The Center has also conducted a study
of physician self-referral for the Maryland General Assembly. Plans are currently underway
to begin providing information to Maryland citizens through the Schaefer Center’s World
Wide Web page.
The Schaefer Center draws upon the research expertise of faculty teaching in such
diverse fields as public administration, criminal justice, psychology, economics and law.
However, the majority of Schaefer Center projects are conducted by MPA faculty. In part,
this stems from the fact that Dr. Larry Thomas, who is Executive Director of the School of
Public Affairs, also serves as Director of the Schaefer Center.
B.
EXTERNAL ANALYSIS: DESCRIBE THE PROGRAM’S ENVIRONMENT. FOCUS ON ELEMENTS
EXTERNAL TO THE PROGRAM THAT ARE IMPORTANT AND RELEVANT. DESCRIBE THE
POPULATION FROM WHICH YOU DRAW THE STUDENTS ENTERING THE PROGRAM BEING
REVIEWED. DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THE POPULATION FOR FULL-TIME AND PART-TIME
STUDENTS. ARE THERE ARE OTHER PUBLIC SERVICE PROGRAMS DRAWING STUDENTS
FROM THE SAME POPULATION? IDENTIFY THE OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS IN THE
ENVIRONMENT FACING THE PROGRAM, BOTH PRESENT AND POTENTIAL.
The University of Baltimore is an upper-division (junior-senior), graduate, and
professional institution administered through three divisions: the Yale Gordon College of
Liberal Arts; the Robert G. Merrick School of Business; and the School of Law. Founded as
a private institution in 1925, the University joined the Maryland state system for colleges and
universities in 1974. In 1988, it became a member of the University of Maryland System
(UMS).
The creation of the University of Maryland System Board of Regents and the
Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) in the late 1980s was an attempt by thenGovernor William Donald Schaefer to create greater accountability in the state university
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system. One of the goals of MHEC was to reduce duplication between programs and to
foster integrated planning among the public institutions in the state. Some of the products of
these efforts were the institution of systematic review of all programs and recommended
cancellation of a number of programs during the state’s fiscal problems of the 1990s.
As part of the increased accountability required by the UMS Board of Regents and
MHEC, an increased focus on both student and faculty outcome-based assessments has
occurred. A portfolio-based faculty workload assessment system has been put into place
wherein the faculty has to document their objectives and workloads for the coming academic
year. At the end of that academic year, the faculty must then demonstrate the outcomes that
have been achieved in each of the areas under review. In addition, each program is
required to undergo the UMS Mission Review process. As part of this process, programs
are also required to utilize student outcomes assessment and report faculty outcomes.
The University of Maryland System has been continually reviewing the status of the
universities serving the Baltimore area.
Currently, there are six publicly funded
baccalaureate granting institutions serving Baltimore and four privately funded
baccalaureate granting universities. One proposal entertained by MHEC was to create a
“flagship” university for the Baltimore area by merging the University of Baltimore and the
University of Maryland, Baltimore County. This proposal failed in 1990 largely due to a
consultant report finding that the institutions involved were not compatible for such a merger.
The state’s fiscal crisis of the early 1990s led to major changes for Maryland state
government. At the height of the crisis, the state budget was cut by one-quarter of the precrisis levels. For much of the first half of the decade, universities in the UM system
encountered diminution of budgets leading to hiring freezes; declining funds for adjunct
faculty members; furloughs for full-time faculty and staff; and salary freezes. Although the
state economy has recovered somewhat in recent years and the UM system universities
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UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE
have received some increased funding, many economic analysts stress that state economic
growth lags behind the nation and the region.
Both full-time and part-time students who attend UB are drawn primarily from the
Washington/Baltimore statistical metropolitan area which incorporates the Cities of Baltimore
and Washington, D.C. as well the suburban counties surrounding each city. The vast
majority of the part-time students are employed, with the largest contingents coming from
state and local governments. However, there is a sizeable component of federal employees
primarily based at the Social Security Administration complex in suburban Baltimore County.
There is a group of full-time, pre-service students which is composed of students in the
Department of Housing and Urban Development’s “Work-Study” program and the graduate
assistants of the School of Public Affairs. This group of graduate students has grown
somewhat in size due to the recognition of the Schaefer Center as one of the key public
policy research units in the state.
Within the University of Maryland System, the University of Baltimore MPA program
is the only publicly offered MPA program. Although there is one other NASPAA accredited
program in the UM system, it deals with policy sciences (UMBC). However, with enhanced
ease in commuting as demonstrated by the creation of the Washington/Baltimore
metropolitan area, the University of Baltimore’s MPA program also competes indirectly with
the Washington D.C.-based MPA programs at American University and George Washington
University. In addition, there are MPA degrees offered by Central Michigan University at
military bases in the state, most notably at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds and at Fort
Meade.
Recent developments in the environment of the public sector present some concerns
for the program. Downsizing in both the federal government and the state of Maryland has
made competition for qualified MPA students more intense than in the past. The turbulent
environment is influenced by changing technology (particularly computers); increased use of
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UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE
third-party vendors to provide public services; and new issues such as cutback
management. All these present new challenges to the MPA program.
The environment also presents opportunities as well as challenges. Government
employees faced with downsizing or process re-engineering efforts wish to upgrade skills.
Competition for qualified graduate students offers new opportunities to explore alternative
service delivery mechanisms. Finally, government reliance on new technologies creates the
need for managers to keep abreast of these changes.
The MPA Program has tried to take advantage of each of these opportunities. The
faculty at UB has intensified efforts to increase awareness of the program among those
students needing advanced degrees through proactive recruiting. The MPA director and
selected faculty members have attended educational fairs at other universities and health
care institutions. The faculty has also begun direct outreach to interested students by calling
those students expressing an interest in the program. The School of Public Affairs is
considering creating a position in Program Development. The faculty member holding this
position will be charged with program marketing and student recruitment. Also, the School
is offering classes in nonprofit administration on an experimental basis in an effort to reach
new audiences for the degree.
Competition for qualified MPA students coupled with the introduction of new learning
technologies has led to experimentation with alternative service delivery options. MPA
courses have been offered via interactive video at the Shady Grove (Rockville, MD) and
Annapolis Higher Education Centers of the University of Maryland System. MPA classes
have also been offered at St. John’s College in Annapolis and at the Downtown Baltimore
Center of the UM System. At present, plans are being made to offer portions of the MPA
degree at the HEAT Higher Education Center in Hartford County and the Gateway Center of
Howard Community College.
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The School of Public Affairs is attempting to address the needs of technology in a
changing environment in two different ways. The department is designing the “Pathways”
program for senior state government executives to review and retrain these executives in the
strategic role and uses of technology in governing. In addition, the Schaefer Center for
Public Policy is in the midst of creating the Institute of Government and Technology. The
Institute will offer services in the area of computer system and database design, as well as
prototyping computer programs, before they are put into general production by government
agencies.
C.
OFFICIAL STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: STATE THE PURPOSE OR OBJECTIVE OF THE
PROGRAM BEING REVIEWED EXACTLY AS PRINTED IN THE LATEST OFFICIAL BULLETIN OR
CATALOG OF THE INSTITUTION.
The 1994-1996 Graduate Catalog of the University of Baltimore describes the MPA
program at UB as:
The Master of Public Administration program is a two-year professional degree
offered by the Division of Government and Public Administration in the School of
Public Affairs. The program is designed to provide graduate education for persons
currently holding or seeking administrative careers in the public sector or quasipublic organizations. The objective of the program is to educate administrative
generalists. Based on this premise, a course of study has been designed to improve
the student’s understanding of the political and legal environment in which public
managers function, to enhance knowledge of managerial processes and
organizational behavior, and to improve skills in research methods and quantitative
techniques. The program is structured in such a manner to prepare students for
administrative positions in agencies and departments at all levels of government.
Students with all types of undergraduate backgrounds are considered for admission.
The MPA program is also designed to:
D.
1.
increase the promotional potential of in-service personnel;
2.
prepare students for further graduate study in the doctor of philosophy and
doctor of public administration programs;
3.
provide pre-service students with on-the-job training through an internship
program; and
4.
allow students to participate in the University of Baltimore’s combined Juris
Doctor/Master of Public Administration program.
MISSION STATEMENT
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1.
STATE CLEARLY THE “EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY AND MISSION” OF THE
PROGRAM. PLEASE INCLUDE ANY FORMAL MISSION STATEMENT. THIS SECTION
SHOULD INCLUDE A DISCUSSION OF THE PROGRAM’S OBJECTIVES IN TERMS OF
THE KINDS OF STUDENTS TO BE SERVED; KINDS OF PROFESSIONAL CAREERS FOR
WHICH STUDENTS ARE BEING PREPARED, STUDENT ENROLLMENT, AND RESEARCH
AND PUBLIC SERVICE ACTIVITIES.
In Spring 1995, the faculty of the School of Public Affairs adopted the
following mission statement for the MPA program at the University of Baltimore:
The MPA program at the University of Baltimore is dedicated to providing
pre-service and in-service students with the substantive knowledge, skills,
and values needed for effective public administration in the 1990s and
beyond. In this challenging era, we feel that graduates of our program
should be able to apply and persuasively communicate to citizens and
elected officials a sense of public interest-oriented expertise geared toward
solving public policy problems. We feel that they should be able to do so in
ethically grounded, politically strategic, and customer-sensitive ways that
can help inform, shape, and serve evolving national, state, and local
priorities. Finally, we feel that they must also be able to reflect critically
upon the role of public administration in a democratic society, upon the
roles that they and their organizations play in running our Constitution, and
upon the civic educational roles and responsibilities open to them as public
servants.
We believe very strongly that the emergence of such trends as third-party
government, cutback management, and technological innovation require a
fundamental rethinking of the duties, obligations, roles and skills of
contemporary public administrators. As such, we feel that students must
understand the forces propelling these changes, demonstrate their ability to
apply effectively the latest management tools associated with these trends,
and critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of these techniques.
We also believe, however, that fully appreciating and critically evaluating
these trends, techniques, and philosophies can only come if students are
well-grounded in the historical development, tools, and values of public
administration, its subfields, and its leading scholars and practitioners.
To these ends, we feel that our students should be able to demonstrate their
mastery of six general sets of literacies before leaving the program: policy
and decision analytic, political, legal-ethical, communication and historical.
They are given opportunities to demonstrate this mastery in three ways: (1)
in individual core courses; (2) in courses dealing with areas of
specialization tailored to student interests; and (3) in a problem-solving,
outcome-based, capstone course that requires them to integrate knowledge,
skills and values culled from the core curriculum in an agency simulation
exercise graded by a three-person faculty review committee.
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This mission statement, adopted by the faculty as the end product of our year
and half-long strategic planning exercise, clearly specifies that the program will serve
both pre-service and in-service students. The program attempts to address the
professional development needs of governmental employees at all levels of
government and has previously graduated students ranging from high level
managers to first line supervisors. The overwhelming majority of students are parttime and in-service, and all attend in the evening. It should be noted, however, that
one trend in student enrollment has been the development of a small group of fulltime, pre-service students that we intend to further expand with more proactive
recruiting. The core of this full-time student group has been the “HUD” fellow funded
by federal scholarship monies and the School of Public Affairs graduate students.
These pre-service students are required to complete an internship, so that graduates
will have relevant work experience prior to graduation.
It should be clear from review of the 1995 mission statement that the program
is attempting to foster the preparation of an administrative generalist with the
necessary skills and substantive knowledge to address the challenges of public
administration in a changing environment. To that end, six literacies were identified
and the faculty urged to incorporate those literacies where appropriate in their
courses. For example, the statistics course (PUAD 612) not only covers the obvious
decision analytic skills, but discusses policy relevant issues concerning research
utilization. The course attempts to foster technical communication skills by having
students write “user-friendly” analyses of results and to be critical consumers of
research. The capstone course experience is designed to do two things. First, it
permits a three-person committee of faculty members to assess the performance of
students across the six literacy areas identified. It does so with an an applied rather
than a scholarly venue. Second, it provides regular, systematic feedback about the
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strengths and weaknesses of our curriculum, the efficacy of our teaching
approaches, and the progress in meeting the goals and objectives of our mission.
As noted in the mission statement, specialization courses are an integral part
of the curriculum. Students are required to take nine hours in a specialization area in
addition to the core curriculum courses. Specialization courses give students more
exposure to academic or managerial topics of their choosing. Pre-service students
are required to take an internship in their substantive area as part of the nine-hour
specialization.
In the past, the program set no goals for enrollment. However, as the
program begins more active recruiting efforts, we hope to set performance goals for
the recruitment of new students. At present, the program has stabilized student
enrollment at between 130 and 160 head count per semester. The program
continues to accept mid-career students from a variety of backgrounds as these
students reach managerial ranks through career advancement.
Faculty involvement in research and public service is recognized as an
important component of the MPA program. Faculty members are expected to
contribute to the scholarly literature in the field of public administration and to serve
in public service activities. To help students address the needs of administration in
the 1990s (as articulated in the mission statement), the faculty must remain active in
the above areas to help create a stimulating, dynamic, professional and learning
environment for our students.
In order for the faculty to remain up-to-date on the issues facing public
administrators in the 1990s (as articulated in the mission statement), faculty
members are encouraged to participate in public service activities. A convenient
venue for such participation exists in the Schaefer Center for Public Policy, the
applied research component of the School of Public Affairs. The Center’s mission is
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to serve the public, not-for-profit, and government sectors by engaging in research
on public policy issues and conducting management training programs.
2.
STANDARD 2.1 REQUIRES THAT THE MISSION STATEMENT “HAVE AN ORDERLY
PROCESS FOR DEVELOPING APPROPRIATE STRATEGIES AND OBJECTIVES.”
PLEASE DESCRIBE THIS PROCESS.
In recent years, the faculty at the School of Public Affairs has engaged in
several planning initiatives that have led to the development of goals, outcomes and
strategies for the program. The first assessment was undertaken in Summer 1993,
as part of a required mission review of the MPA program for the University of
Maryland System. As part of this process, a core group of faculty consisting of the
internship coordinator (Dr. Downey), the Executive Director of the School of Public
Affairs (Dr. Thomas) and both the incoming (Dr. Wilson-Gentry) and outgoing (Dr.
Martin) MPA directors met to review the mission of the department and its role at UB.
A far longer term and inclusive review process began in Fall 1993 and lasted
through the 1993-1994 academic year. Originally intended to address faculty
concerns with the MPA comprehensive exam, an ad hoc committee composed of
two faculty members (Durant and Swaim), the MPA director (Wilson-Gentry) and two
graduate student representatives began exploring alternatives to the examination.
After several “town” meetings with the MPA student body and discussions with
faculty members who were not members of the committee, the ad hoc committee
recommended the substitution of a “capstone” course which would test certain skills
and progress toward desired outcomes. 4 However, the comprehensive exam was
still given in a parallel track to permit a choice for the graduate students and to allow
the faculty to assess the relative merits of the MPA exam and the capstone course.
4
For a faculty member’s view of this process, see Robert Durant, “Seizing the Moment: Outcomes
Assessment, Curriculum Reform, and MPA Education,” International Review of Public Administration (forthcoming) .
Dr. Durant’s article is included as Appendix A.
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In Fall 1995, the comprehensive examination was eliminated except for those
students who had failed the exam once.
To make the capstone a meaningful exercise, all members of the School of
Public Affairs engaged in a year-long review of the core courses in the light of
outcomes to be tested in the capstone. The faculty was divided into three clusters:
Public Management; Analytical Techniques; and Public Administration and
Democracy. Faculty members in the clusters were given the charge to identify the
“kinds of skills, knowledge, and values that students taking their cluster of courses
should be able to demonstrate in the capstone, and to determine how these might be
best assessed” (Durant, forthcoming: 12). After four months, the clusters reported
back to the main faculty body and the core curriculum was revised in accordance
with the cluster reports. Classes in Public Finance and Administrative Law were
dropped from the core and moved to specialization class status. In addition to the
capstone course, two other classes were added to the core: Legal and Ethical
Environment of Public Administration and Information Resource Management.
The capstone course, now named the Problem Solving Seminar in Public
Administration (PUAD 620), was first offered in Fall 1994. As part of the evaluation
of the class, students were asked for as much feedback as possible. Student
comments from that first semester were used to revise the class for the second
semester and for curriculum changes. At the end of the first year of the capstone,
the faculty held a “mini-retreat” in June 1995 and reviewed the results from the
capstone course.
Finally, based on the strategic planning process undertaken, the School of
Public Affairs created a strategic plan in terms of the mission statement. As part of
the clusters’ review, faculty defined the skills needed to be effective public
administrators based in part on NASPAA criteria and in part on review of the field.
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Literacies needed to develop these skills were then identified and incorporated into
the mission statement. Furthermore, faculty were able to identify current trends in
the field that need to be addressed. These trends have been incorporated into the
mission statement and the School of Public Affairs is developing plans to address
these needs both in the classroom and through the capacities of the Schaefer
Center.
3.
IN A BRIEF INTERNAL ANALYSIS, IDENTIFY STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES,
DISTINCTIVE COMPETENCIES, INNOVATIONS, PROBLEMS AND CONSTRAINTS IN THE
PROGRAM.
Perhaps the major strength of the program lies in the faculty. During the last
seven years, the University of Baltimore has strengthened its faculty immeasurably
with the addition of several nationally recognized scholars in the field of public
administration such as Drs. Durant, Florestano, Gawthrop, Henderson, Stenberg and
Wilson-Gentry. Furthermore, junior faculty are being recruited with more emphasis
on scholarship than was the case in the past. Junior faculty are advised by senior
faculty in terms of their progress toward tenure through annual reviews with the
Executive Director of the School of Public Affairs.
Furthermore, all faculty are reviewed through the portfolio process in which
faculty set performance outcomes for themselves. At the end of the academic year,
the faculty member is then reviewed on the progress they make toward these goals.
The faculty member must review the outcomes with the Executive Director of the
School. This, in turn, provides further information for the strategic planning process.
The creation of the capstone course and the strategic planning undertaken in
developing it constitutes one of the major innovations in the department. Overall, the
faculty appears to be more satisfied with the capstone course as an exit experience
than the comprehensive examinations. Use of the capstone course has also been
able to point out gaps in skills, knowledge bases and values deemed necessary for
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MPA students. It also allows the MPA faculty to identify and address strengths and
deficiencies in course content and teaching approaches.
Another innovation that was derived from the capstone review experience
was the establishment of an orientation program for incoming graduate students.
The orientation program not only focused on the resources of the university but on
the values, standards, and professional orientation that we wished our students to
adopt. A recent questionnaire administered to our students indicated that those
attending the orientation found the information to be most useful. In the future, we
hope to use the orientation to begin the outcomes assessment process by
conducting mini-skills assessment centers and linking these to the capstone
experience.
One of the key initiatives among the faculty in the past years has been the
creation of a “culture of excellence” among the MPA students. To a large extent,
the process creating the capstone course helped foster the creation of this culture for
many of the graduate students.
Student representatives helped design the
capstone course and the capstone course allows students the opportunity to be
recognized for superior performance in the capstone experience. In addition, MPA
students are encouraged to strive for excellence and recognition through a newly
instituted honors ceremony. We hope that these efforts along with the orientation
emphasis on professional standards and values will help emphasize to our students
how much we value excellence.
The problems and constraints of the School of Public Affairs in recent years
have been tied largely to the fiscal problems of the State of Maryland and the
University of Baltimore. MPA faculty have received cost-of-living and merit raises in
only one of the past five years. Moreover, the University's budget crisis has
impacted the number of faculty lines allocated to the MPA program. During the later
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part of AY96, the MPA program was informed that it would be unable, because of the
University's budgetary crisis, to fill Dr. Patricia Florestano vacant faculty position.
(Dr. Florestano resigned her tenured faculty position in the School of Public Affairs in
January 1996 when she became the Secretary of the Maryland Higher Education
Commission.) In June 1996, the School of Public Affairs also learned that Dr. Fred
Cheesman, who teaches one course per semester in the MPA program, would not
have his contract renewed after this upcoming academic year. Relying upon the
advice of the Attorney General's Office, the President of the University decided to
send non-renewal letters to all assistant professors in the University (School of Law,
School of Business, and College of Liberal Arts) who were in their last year of a three
year contract as a way of dealing with the University's budget problems. It is hoped
that if the University's fiscal problems dissipate over the next year and that Dr.
Cheesman will be retained.
Despite fiscal problems, the MPA program was able to hire an additional
faculty member during AY96. Dr. Thomas Darling was hired to teach MPA courses
dealing with public management information systems, geographical information
systems, and database design and administration. The MPA program, which now
has 11 full-time members (not including Dean Carl Stenberg), was able to get this
position when Dr. Thomas, Executive Director of the School of Public Affairs, took a
staff position in the Schaefer Center for Public Policy and made it a full-time faculty
position.
Because of the University's fiscal problems as well as declining enrollments
in the MPA program, the School of Public Affairs has been under pressure to
undertake off-campus initiatives. MPA faculty are anxious to pursue off-campus
efforts that are consistent with out mission and NASPAA standards for a high quality
program.
However, MPA program faculty are reluctant to pursue off-campus
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opportunities that threaten to dilute the quality of the "home-based" program. It has
become clear that some off-campus initiatives can meet the faculty and NASPAA
standards and activities in this area will be undertaken in the near future (see
Standard 2.3.C). Criteria and will be undertaken in the near future (see Standard
2.3.C).
4.
SUMMARIZE THE RATIONALE BEHIND THE PROGRAM’S MISSION AND OBJECTIVES
IN TERMS OF THE OPPORTUNITIES, PROBLEMS, PRESSURES AND CONSTRAINTS IN
THE OPERATING ENVIRONMENT.
As has been noted previously in this report, much of the motivation for the
changes made as the result of the strategic management review were the result of
changes and opportunities in the environment. The movement toward an outcomeoriented curriculum was initiated by many factors, at least some of which were based
in the environment. Faculty used review of the “real world” environment of the public
administrator where outcomes have become critical to inform our strategic planning
exercise. Also, playing a role were the accountability requirements of the UM
System discussed previously. These, too, have caused us to focus more on student
and faculty performance outcomes that are “real-world” based.
To remain competitive in attracting students, the UB MPA program has
focused on issues and problems relevant to today’s public administrator. One way of
remaining current on these issues and problems is to solicit input from persons
working in the field. In Fall 1995, an informal survey of MPA students was taken to
assess the strengths and weaknesses of the program. Some of the changes
undertaken in our curriculum also responded to student concerns voiced in a 1990
survey of program alumni. Finally, we are reconstituting our MPA Advisory Board to
incorporate a broader range of practitioners who better reflect changes in public
service delivery. The board will advise the faculty on new trends and concerns in the
field.
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2.2
ASSESSMENT
A.
PLEASE PROVIDE A SELF-APPRAISAL OF THE PROGRAM’S PROGRESS. IS THE PROGRAM
SATISFIED WITH THE PROGRESS BEING MADE TOWARD THE STATED MISSION, GOALS, AND
OBJECTIVES? W HERE APPROPRIATE, REFERENCE RESPONSES TO INFORMATION
PROVIDED IN THE PREVIOUS SECTIONS OF THIS REPORT.
The MPA Program has made substantial progress in implementing the new
curriculum changes developed under the strategic planning processes undertaken from
1994 to 1995. The capstone course has been offered for four semesters and has been
adjusted to reflect student concerns as well as faculty perceptions of possible deficiencies.
For example, one of the initial concerns voiced by the students was that the capstone course
was not sufficiently “real-world.” This year’s instructors, Drs. Thomas and Stenberg, are
having the students work on some of the key policy issues and problems facing a major
state agency. As of spring 1996, all of the courses created by the strategic review process
have also been offered at least once.
As our program is based on the concept of the six literacies needed to achieve
outcomes specified in our mission statement, one means of measuring progress is to assess
the faculty’s progress in incorporating the literacies in core courses. A second is to review
the outcomes of those efforts when students are called upon to exhibit them in the capstone
course. To analyze the incorporation of the literacies in the core curriculum, information from
course syllabi and other sources have been used.
POLICY ANALYTIC LITERACY: Clearly the courses most clearly involved in the policy
analysis literacy are the two advanced analysis courses: Analytical Techniques for Public
Administration (PUAD 614) and Public Program Evaluation (PUAD 616). In addition, the
Applied Statistics for Public Administration course (PUAD 612) also plays a role in this area
by exposing students to basic statistics. PUAD 612 serves as a prerequisite for PUAD 614
and 616.
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Analytic Techniques for Public Administration covers such topics as PERT analysis,
advanced regression analysis, queuing theory, forecasting techniques, and other
conventional policy analysis techniques. Public Program Evaluation focuses on such topics
as impact analysis, process analysis and needs assessments, and the methodological tools
needed to carry out each type of analysis.
As a result of the strategic planning process, the sequencing of the courses has
changed. Prior to 1994, the Applied Research Methods and Program Evaluation course
served as the prerequisite for Statistics. This method of sequencing meant that statistics
and related quantitative techniques were not integrated into the curriculum because many
students waited until quite late in their programs to take the statistics course. Furthermore,
the instructors in courses related to policy analysis and program evaluation were severely
limited in their abilities to emulate “real world” experiences.
Students had limited exposure to statistics and the major statistical analysis computer
programs. MPA faculty hope that as the sequencing change becomes more routinized, the
use of policy analysis techniques will become even more pervasive in other core and
specialization courses.
DECISION ANALYSIS LITERACY: Overall, the faculty of the School of Public Affairs are
comfortable with the degree of decision analysis techniques incorporated in the basic core.
Although the policy analysis courses also support decision making, a number of other
courses incorporate techniques relevant to decision analysis. Public Budgeting (PUAD 604)
incorporates a simulation of budgetary decision processes to introduce students to the
nature of the decisions made in this arena. Public Organization Theory (PUAD 606) reviews
the academic literature on decision making and also introduces students to organizational
analysis.
In one area, the strategic review process found that the old Public Management
course (PUAD 600) was very repetitive of material covered in other courses. As a result,
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this course was substantially revised to incorporate information on new managerial
techniques used to support decision making. Included in this course are materials related to
Total Quality Management, team work, and reengineering techniques. The structure of this
course is designed to be fluid so that the instructor can incorporate new techniques as they
gain more wide spread use. The bureaucratic politics course (PUAD 605) also has a major
component devoted to strategic management, its successes and weaknesses, and the
realpolitik of its implementation in public agencies.
Finally, the strategic review process found that one area where our students was
noticeably deficient was management information systems. Although our students have
always had to pass either a computer applications course or a computer competency
examination, the use and design of management information systems to assist decision
making was not systematically explored in any of the courses. A new course, Information
Resource Management (PUAD 608) was added to the core in 1995 to address these needs,
and an additional faculty member was hired in this area.
POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT: The core curriculum includes one core course totally
dedicated to the study of the political environment: Bureaucracy and the Political Process
(PUAD 605). This course also focuses on recent emphases in the public sector such as
reinvention, reengineering, total quality management and strategic planning. However, the
study of the political environment within which public administrators must work is well
represented in most of the other courses in the core curriculum. Among the courses which
devote substantial attention to the political environment are: Innovations in Public
Management, Public Budgeting, and Public Organizational Theory. Even in the statistics
course, there are discussions of the political use of data as well as techniques to foster
utilization of data in a political environment. Overall, the political environment literacy is well
represented in the curriculum.
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LEGAL AND ETHICAL ENVIRONMENT: The UB MPA program has one course strictly
devoted to this literacy area: , the Legal and Ethical Environment of Public Administration
(PUAD 610). Moreover, concerns with legal and ethical issues are also reflected throughout
the curriculum. In the Public Personnel and Human Resource Management course students
examine them as they relate to a variety of personnel issues. The Public Organization
Theory course also reviews ethical concerns from the perspective of organizational culture.
The Bureaucracy and the Political Process course reviews court-agency relationships.
Again, the faculty are reasonably comfortable with the attention paid to this literacy within the
core curriculum. In addition, the Program Evaluation and Analytical Techniques courses
deal with ethical issues related to research in the fields of public administration and public
policy.
COMMUNICATION LITERACY: The MPA Program has attempted to address this
problem on a number of different fronts. Students are introduced to writing expectations at
the orientation. Also included in the orientation is information related to library and tutorial
resources for writing so that incoming students are aware of potential sources of assistance.
Most of the courses include some form of written communication as part of the
course requirements. Even the more quantitative courses require some form of written
exercise. For example, the Applied Statistics course requires the submission of four
memoranda based on computer program output. Students are encouraged through these
exercises to master the technical writing skills needed to communicate research findings to
an audience.
Certain aspects of verbal communication skills are emphasized in the core
curriculum. A significant number of core courses encourage and reward class participation
by students. In addition, the workshops which are given to help students prepare for the
computer competency examination emphasize presentation software. Finally, students must
make a verbal presentation and defense of findings in the capstone course. These
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presentations are made in the multi-media interactive video room at Langsdale Library.
Students can use presentation options from hand-outs to on-line computer graphics in these
presentations. Faculty are also being urged to incorporate sophisticated presentation skills
and technologies in their classes where appropriate.
HISTORICAL LITERACY:
As stated in our mission statement, it is difficult to
understand the future if one does not understand the past. Due to credit hour constraints
and the nature of the student population served, the MPA program does not offer one class
strictly devoted to the history of the field. However, historical issues are reviewed in a
number of the core courses. The Public Personnel class, taught by a leading scholar in the
field (Dr. Martin), addresses the historical development of personnel systems and law. The
Bureaucracy and the Political Process class grounds the study of present public
management innovations in terms of what the past teaches us about reforms of this nature.
Furthermore, the budgeting course also reviews the development of the executive budget
and significant historical changes which have affected present day budgeting. It is probably
reasonable to comment that most of the core courses cover the relevant history of that
subfield of public administration.5
B.
ARE THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE PROGRAM GRADUATES CONSISTENT WITH THE
PROGRAM’S GOALS AND OBJECTIVES?
Data on the achievements of program graduates have been obtained from two
sources: a 1990 and 1996 surveys of program alumni. The 1990 survey found that among
students who changed jobs after receiving the MPA degree, 43 percent indicated that the
degree was extremely or very important in obtaining their new job. Survey respondents were
also asked to rank their MPA education relative to other factors contributing to career
5
We should also note that two of our faculty (Drs. Gawthrop and Martin) are among the most prominent
experts on the development of the discipline of public administration.
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success. Fully half of the respondents indicated that the MPA experience was of high
importance to continuing career success.
More specifically, respondents were also questioned about the quality of their
experience at the University of Baltimore. Eighty-five percent of those questioned were
either very satisfied “” or “satisfied” with the UB program and approximately 95 percent would
recommend the program to others.
In 1996, the earlier survey instrument was revised to reflect the new outcomes
orientation promoted by the faculty during the mission review process. Surveys were mailed
to all alumni of the University of Baltimore MPA program (approximately 675 alumni), with
213 alumni responding. Questions concerning student satisfaction were repeated. Alumni
were also questioned about the outcomes identified in our strategic planning process and
incorporated in our classes.
The importance of education in today’s turbulent environment was underscored by
the finding that over 67 percent of those responding to the survey indicated that the MPA
degree was either “very useful” or “useful” in obtaining their current position. Over ninetyfour percent of those responding to the survey also indicated that they would recommend the
program to others.
This survey was also intended to provide feedback to us about the skills and
knowledge working administrators needed. They were also questioned about the utility of
the literacies identified by faculty as critical for working administrators (see Table II-1 below).
Students reported that the most important skills for administrators (mentioned as very
important by 85 percent or more of the respondents) were oral and written communication
skills; self-directed effort; problem solving; interpersonal skills; and flexibility in dealing with
different situations.
In terms of the knowledge areas identified by the faculty as being critical for working
administrators, alumni were questioned on the amount of attention we were giving to a
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variety of areas, ranging from management of people to the role of government in a
democratic society. Alumni clearly felt that the program was given the right amount of
attention to organizational dynamics, roles of managers in a democratic society, knowledge
of governmental institutions and processes, and the role of government in society. 6 A
sizeable proportion of alumni also felt that too much attention was being given to the
evolution of public management as a profession. Finally, many alumni felt that the program
needed to give more attention to the areas of management of people, finances, information
resources, and strategic decision making processes. Because we surveyed all program
alumni, many respondents may be reacting to situations before we made changes in these
areas.
C.
STANDARD 2.2 STATES THAT “EACH PROGRAM SHALL DEVELOP AND USE PROCEDURES
FOR DETERMINING HOW WELL IT CARRIES OUT ITS MISSION.” PLEASE DESCRIBE THESE
PROCEDURES AND REPORT ON THEIR USE.
Outcome assessment has become an important component of the University of
Baltimore’s MPA program during the past few years. Outcomes assessment has been used
to identify curriculum needs, to evaluate the quality and content of instruction, and to
determine whether program graduates perceive the program as effectively advancing their
public sector careers. To assess MPA program outcomes, the department has relied on two
different approaches. One is a career success approach which examines how the MPA
degree has affected the careers of recipients. This approach focuses on the types of jobs
pre-service graduates receive, the kinds of career advancement both preservice and in
service students obtain, and whether the types of skills, knowledge bases, and values they
receive match the demands of their work environment.
The second approach is value-added in nature. It focuses on how successful the
program has been in transmitting the knowledge, values, and skills necessary for graduates
6
Alumni responded at least 60 percent of the time to this category.
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to act ethically and effectively in the administration and management of public and not-forprofit organizations.
Various techniques are available to use in outcomes assessment. The MPA program
at the University of Baltimore relies primarily upon four such techniques including three
career success assessments (alumni surveys, advisory board evaluations, and student
surveys) and one value added assessment (exit examination or capstone course).
2.3
GUIDING PERFORMANCE
A.
PROCESS TO GUIDE PERFORMANCE: W HAT SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES HAVE BEEN
ESTABLISHED TO GUIDE PERFORMANCE IN PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION TO
PREPARE PERSONS FOR LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT ROLES IN THE PUBLIC SERVICE?
W HAT INFORMATION IS COLLECTED ABOUT HOW THE PROGRAM IS PERFORMING IN TERMS
OF OBJECTIVES, STRATEGIES AND OPERATIONS? HOW HAS INFORMATION BEEN USED TO
IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE OF THE PROGRAM?
As part of the strategic planning process undertaken by the department, a number of
managerial competencies were identified by the faculty. In essence, these competencies
constitute a list of objectives that we expect students to meet. The list of competencies was
derived from review of NASPAA guidelines, studies conducted by public administration
scholars, and from the opinions of faculty, present and former in-service students, and the
MPA Advisory Board. The major competencies (or meta skills) deemed important by the
program are listed below in Table II-1.
As noted above, the MPA program employs a variety of strategies to ascertain how
the program is performing vis-a-vis its stated goals. A newly designed alumni survey has
been crafted to gather information regarding the relative importance of these competencies
for the work place. In addition, information evaluating program performance in achieving the
desired competencies has also been gathered as part of this survey.
This survey data will become a baseline by which progress in meeting the goals,
strategies and specific objectives can be measured. The information gained from the
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surveys will also be used to adjust the core curriculum to meet the changing needs of public
administration students as government changes.
More immediate feedback as to the performance of students in achieving these
desired competencies can be found in the capstone course. The capstone course, PUAD
620, is used as a means of assessing the degree of success that MPA students have in
mastering the meta-skills needed by contemporary public administrators. To show how this
assessment is undertaken by the UB MPA program, the assignments from the Fall 1995
capstone course were analyzed (for a full assessment, see Appendix C). Following are a
few examples of how the meta-skills detailed in Table II-2 are integrated into the capstone
course.
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TABLE II-1
MANAGERIAL COMPETENCIES
META-SKILLS
W RITTEN AND ORAL COMMUNICATION
CREATIVE THINKING
DECISIVENESS
SELF-DIRECTION
PLANNING AND EVALUATION
CLIENT ORIENTATION
ETHICAL AND LEGAL SENSITIVITY
INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
PROBLEM SOLVING
INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
MANAGING DIVERSE W ORKFORCE
TOLERANCE FOR AMBIGUITY
LEADERSHIP
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
NEGOTIATING
FLEXIBILITY
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
HUMAN RESOURCES
UNDERSTANDING SOCIETAL INSTITUTIONS
TEAM BUILDING
TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES
INTRAORGANIZATIONAL
W ORKING THE SEAMS OF GOVERNMENT
DYNAMICS
The Fall 1995 capstone course focused on the issues of environmental justice at the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Students in the course were given five
assignments, four of which were individual analyses of contemporary issues at the agency
whereas the fifth assignment was a group project. The individual assignments dealt with:
Downsizing the EPA: The Impact of President Clinton’s Executive Order on Environmental
Justice; Decentralization of EPA Functions; and EPA Budget Forecasting. The group project
dealt with a statistical analysis of Federal Funds Allocations and Environmental Justice.
For the problem-solving meta-skill identified by the UB faculty, the group project
involved the construction and testing of alternative explanations of the distribution of
environmental funds. The individual project dealing with downsizing forced students to deal
with the competing values of downsizing and Affirmative Action. The project dealing with
President Clinton’s Executive Order had students conduct a detailed organizational analysis
focusing on capacity assessment relative to existing resources. The decentralization project
required that students evaluate the consequences of various structural changes to the EPA
organization whereas the budget forecasting project involved an analysis of how well
budgets have reflected new projects while dealing with across the board cuts.
In terms of conflict management, students had deal with the problem on two levels:
first, in reality as members of groups seeking to carry out a project; and second, on a more
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intellectual basis in some of the individual papers. As the capstone class involves a group
project, students had to deal with group dynamics which occasionally led to conflict within
the groups, particularly over the issue of workload “equity”. However, several of the
individual projects required that students deal with problems of conflicting values. The
downsizing memo required that students reconcile the competing values and the likely
conflicts that would arise in a downsizing exercise given Affirmative Action. The Executive
Order project had students examine how existing budgets pose barriers to change and make
oversight difficult. The decentralization project was designed to foster student awareness
how both internal and external conflicts could be generated from a structural change to the
organization.
As but one final example of how meta-skills were incorporated into the capstone
course, students were assessed on a number of technical capabilities in the class. The
group project required that students demonstrate the capacity to formulate alternative
models and to test these models using a multi-variate statistic. The downsizing exercise
required that students conduct an implementation analysis whereas the Executive Order
project required that students conduct budgetary and staffing analyses. The decentralization
memo fostered a political economy of organizations analysis whereas the forecasting memo
required the use of electronic spreadsheets, implementation analysis and scenario writing.
Feedback from the capstone course is incorporated into the curriculum in a variety of
ways. As mentioned previously, student feedback refocused the capstone on more “realworld” issues and problems in the second year by having them work on policy issues at a
state agency. We are also learning more about what is emphasized too much or too little in
the curriculum. As such, the capstone offers a regular opportunity for continuous process
improvements. For example, discussion with students having data collection problems has
led to the statistics course incorporating more material on how to search for quantitative data
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from various sources. The Bureaucracy course now incorporates more strategic planning
aspects, implementation techniques, and reinvention analyses.
To further gather information on managerial skills and knowledge, we have turned to
practitioners on a number of occasions. As many of our students are practitioners already,
we surveyed our student body in Fall 1995 about the strengths and weaknesses of the
program. The MPA Advisory Board has been redesigned not only to include program alumni
but practitioners in a number of areas. One of the first charges of the new Advisory Board
will be to undertake yet another review of the MPA curriculum for further input on the needs
of administrators in the field.
B.
PLANNED PROGRAM CHANGES IN THE YEAR AHEAD: DESCRIBE SPECIFIC PROGRAM
CHANGES OR INNOVATIONS THAT ARE EXPECTED DURING THE SITE VISIT YEAR. THIS
SHOULD INCLUDE OBJECTIVES, ORGANIZATION, DEGREE REQUIREMENTS AND
CURRICULUM, ADMISSION POLICIES AND/OR PRACTICES, FACULTY, STUDENT SERVICES,
RESOURCES AND FACILITIES.
In terms of general program changes, the most significant undertaking in the next
year will include a more concerted effort to offer a portion of the MPA degree at two offcampus locations: the HEAT Center in Aberdeen, Maryland and the Gateway Center of
Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland. The UB MPA program has offered
occasional courses through interactive and compressed video formats at a number of sites
over the past two years. However, the previous offerings consisted of single courses with no
plans to offer a portion of the degree.
The reality of student enrollment patterns and demographic trends indicate that the
UB MPA program must begin to reach to the suburban areas to attract new student
audiences. At present, we are planning to offer only a limited number of courses over the
next two years (beginning in Fall 1996) in order to assess the potential of these markets. All
efforts are being made to offer these courses in conformity with NASPAA guidelines and
within the constraints of the current faculty size.
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A significant curriculum change that will begin to be implemented in Fall 1996 is the
development of a joint MPA/MBA concentration in health care administration. In the past,
the MPA program has had to rely on a single faculty member (supplemented by adjuncts) to
offer the specialization. The creation of the joint concentration broadens the faculty base
available to teach in this area while easing access of these MPA students to MBA courses.
In terms of faculty positions, the UB MPA program has recently completed a search
for an assistant professor in the area of Information Resource Management. Dr. Thomas
Darling will join the faculty in August 1996. A second position became vacant upon Dr.
Patricia Florestano’s confirmation as Secretary of Higher Education for the State of Maryland
in January 1996. Due to the University’s fiscal constraints, the School of Public Affairs will
not be able to fill this position.
The program is also working with the University’s Manager of Student Enrollment to
investigate the potential of various student recruitment strategies. We have developed and
are implementing a system where faculty contact students who have expressed interest in
the program. In addition, the MPA Program is attempting to identify new student markets in
suburban locations and in substantive areas such as nonprofit management and
management of technology.
The program is also undertaking initiatives in new training efforts. Faculty have
recognized the needs of managers at different levels of government to adapt to the turbulent
environment of public administration. For mid-level managers, the School of Public Affairs
has developed a training program which reviews some of the recent trends in government
such as cutback management. It has also reviewed the skills needed to address these
challenges. For upper level managers, program faculty are developing the “Pathways”
program which explores how high level public executives can make use of IRM techniques
to strategically guide their agencies through today’s turbulent environment. These two
training programs will be offered as part of the Schaefer Center’s overall training curriculum
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for “Managing Change in Turbulent Times”. These programs are set to begin in September
1996.
C.
PLANNED PROGRAMS FOR THE LONG-TERM: DESCRIBE ANY ANTICIPATED CHANGES
DURING THE NEXT FIVE YEARS IN THE INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT WHICH MAY HAVE A
DIRECT IMPACT ON THE MISSION AND OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAM. DISCUSS ANY
FUTURE PLANS THAT ARE BEING SERIOUSLY CONTEMPLATED FOR IMPROVING, EXPANDING,
DECREASING, OR IN ANY WAY CHANGING THE PROGRAM. EXPLAIN HOW SUCH PLANS
ADDRESS THE PERCEIVED NEEDS OF THE FUTURE.
At present, the UB MPA program faces two imminent changes in its environment.
The first change concerns the potential implementation of responsibility centered budgeting
(RCB). This change will increase focuses on student enrollments as a key component in
funding formulas. With the change to RCB, the School of Public Affairs faces the challenge
of presenting a high quality program while maintaining or increasing the size of the student
body. Critical to meeting this challenge will be the continued flow of resources to enhance
student recruitment and retention as well as to maintain faculty resources as we move to
developing off-campus sites.
Another environmental constraint involves the creation of regional higher educational
centers in the state.7 As an alternative to creating new institutions of higher education, these
centers exist as locations where existing universities can offer programs. Most of these
centers are equipped with interactive or compressed video technologies. The net effect of
these changes will create opportunities for the School of Public Affairs to offer the MPA at
more off-campus locations. Again, however, we wish to stress that we are committed to not
over extending ourselves in ways that risk the quality of the MPA degree.
Our current plan to address these changes is to use the Aberdeen and Howard
County off-campus locations to assess the potential to increase program enrollments. We
also anticipate that these two sites will constitute experiential “laboratories” where the
7
Among these centers are the UMS Center at Shady Grove (Montgomery County); the HEAT Center
(Harford County) and the Southern Maryland Higher Education Center (Talbot County).
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program can gain experience in offering the MPA program off-campus and in alternative
delivery formats. The goal of the MPA program is to find a happy medium by which we can
offer a high quality MPA program at a limited number of off-campus locations.
Finally, the president of the University of Baltimore has directed the Schools of Public
Affairs and Business to review the potential of both schools to offer a joint doctorate in
executive management. At present, the discussions have evolved to the point where a
committee composed of the deans of both colleges and selected faculty have entered into
discussions about the potential of offering such a degree.
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VOLUME I: NASPAA SELF-STUDY REPORT
SECTION TWO: STANDARD BY STANDARD ASSESSMENT RELATIVE TO MISSION
3.0
PROGRAM JURISDICTION (STANDARD 3.0)
3.1
ORGANIZATION OF ACADEMIC UNIT
A.
CHART AND DESCRIBE HOW THE UNIT BEING REVIEWED IS ORGANIZED WITHIN THE
ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE OF THE INSTITUTION/CAMPUS LOCATION AT WHICH THE
PROGRAM RESIDES. PLEASE NOTE ANY FORMAL OR INFORMAL AGREEMENTS WHICH ARE
RELEVANT TO THIS STANDARD.
The University of Baltimore's MPA Program is housed in the School of Public Affairs.8
The School of Public Affairs also offers an undergraduate degree in government and public
policy; a JD/MPA degree in conjunction with the University's School of Law; and a PhD/MPA
degree in conjunction with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. The MPA Program
is the largest degree program offered by the School of Public Affairs.
Organizationally, the School of Public Affairs is one of five units contained in the Yale
Gordon College of Liberal Arts. The College is one of the three major academic units which
constitute the University of Baltimore. (The School of Law and the School of Business are
the other two academic components.) The Director of the MPA Program reports to the
Executive Director of the School of Public Affairs, who in turn reports to the Dean of the Yale
Gordon College of Liberal Arts. The Dean of the Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts is
responsible to the Provost who in turn reports to the President of the University. The
President is responsible to the Chancellor of the University of Maryland System, who in turn
reports to the Board of Regents of the University of Maryland System.
The following charts illustrate how the MPA Program is organized within the
administrative structure of the University of Maryland System, the University of Baltimore,
8
The other component to the School of Public Affairs is the Schaefer Center for Public Policy, an applied
research institute.
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and the Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts.
(See following pages for Charts III-1 and III-
2).
B.
RELATE PROGRAM MISSION TO INSTITUTIONAL/CAMPUS MISSION.
The MPA program is considered to be an integral part of the University of Baltimore's
mission. As stated in the institutional component of the University of Baltimore's mission
statement:
The University of Baltimore (UB) aspires to be a major center for the study of law,
business, public administration, and for related professional applications of the
liberal arts at the graduate and undergraduate levels...The University's emphasis on
career-oriented education attracts students with clear professional objectives and
provides them with a broad foundation of knowledge to meet the rapidly changing
conditions of today's work environment as well as with the latest skills and
techniques for productive careers in the public and private sector (UB Mission
Statement, 1993).
The MPA program has been designated as one of two "Centers of Excellence" in the
Mission Statement of the Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts. In the 1988-1993 Yale Gordon
College Mission Statement, the College made a commitment to continue building on its
strengths and enhancing the role of the MPA program within the College.
3.2
IDENTIFIABLE FACULTY
A.
CHART AND DESCRIBE THE INTERNAL ORGANIZATION OF THE MASTER DEGREE UNIT,
INCLUDING THE TITLE OF THE UNIT HEAD AND THE NUMBER OF FULL-TIME FACULTY
ADMINISTRATIVELY ASSIGNED TO OR ROSTERED IN THE UNIT.
The MPA program is the graduate program offered by the Division of Government
and Public Administration, the instructional unit of the School of Public Affairs. The School of
Public Affairs is administered by an Executive Director, Dr. Larry Thomas, who also serves
as the Director of the Schaefer Center for Public Policy. Both the graduate program (MPA)
and the undergraduate program (Government and Public Policy) are administered by
program directors. In addition, the Executive Director is assisted by a Deputy Chair (See
Chart III-2).
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CHART III-1:
UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE ORGANIZATION CHART
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CHART III-2:
SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS ORGANIZATION CHART
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The faculty reports directly to the Executive Director of the School of Public Affairs.
During the self-study year, all of the division's twelve full-time members were substantially
involved with the MPA Program through teaching, advising, research, and public service
activities (See Table III-1). During the 1995-1996 academic year, the division successfully
recruited one faculty member (Thomas Darling) who will be involved extensively in the MPA
Program during AY 96-97.
The following Table lists the full-time faculty who were administratively assigned to
teach in the MPA Program during the self study year.
TABLE III-1
MPA FACULTY NUCLEUS
FACULTY MEMBER
RANK
Cheesman, Fred*
Durant, Robert
Downey, Lawrence
Florestano, Patricia**
Gawthrop, Louis
Henderson, Lenneal
Haynes, Don
Lippincott, Ronald
Martin, Daniel
Swaim, C. Richard
Thomas, Larry
Asst. Prof.
Professor
Assoc. Prof.
Professor
Professor
Professor
Assoc. Prof.
Assoc. Prof.
Professor
Assoc. Prof.
Professor
Wilson-Gentry, Laura
Assoc. Prof.
*
TITLE
Schaefer Center Research Chair
Internship/Placement Coordinator
Eminent Scholar
Distinguished Professor
Government & Public Policy Prog. Director
Executive Director, School of Public Affairs;
Director, Schaefer Center for Public Policy
MPA Program Director
**
Asst. Professor Cheesman shares a joint appointment between the School of Public Affairs and the
Division of Criminology, Criminal Justice.
Professor Florestano was on leave during the Fall 1995 Semester while she was serving as Acting
Secretary for Higher Education. During the Spring 1996 Semester, she resigned when she was
confirmed as Secretary of Higher Education by the Maryland General Assembly.
3.3
PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION
A.
INDICATE WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR DIRECT ADMINISTRATION OF THE PROGRAM. SHOULD
THIS INCLUDE MORE THAN ONE POSITION (UNIT OR DEPARTMENT CHAIR, MPA DIRECTOR
ETC.), PLEASE DESCRIBE ARRANGEMENTS. DESCRIBE THE DEGREE OF FACULTY
CONSULTATION IN APPOINTMENTS.
Administrative responsibility for the MPA Program rests with the Program Director,
the Executive Director of the School of Public Affairs, the Internship/Placement Coordinator,
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and the MPA faculty. The Program Director is responsible for the following: (1) recruiting students; (2) advising them on their course of study; (3) assisting in scheduling classes;
providing leadership in curriculum matters; (4) hiring and monitoring adjunct faculty
members; (6) developing mechanisms to help retain currently enrolled students; (7)
administering the MPA comprehensive examinations; (8) certifying students for graduation;
(9) assisting in the formulation and execution of the MPA Program budget; (10) assisting in
the evaluation of MPA faculty members; and (11) contributing to professional public
administration activities at the national, state and local levels.
The MPA Program Director is also responsible for insuring that the program remains
in compliance with the standards developed by the National Association of Schools of Public
Affairs and Administration (NASPAA). Dr. Wilson-Gentry also serves as the NASPAA
Institutional Representative. The Program Director also plays a major leadership role in
recommending curriculum changes to the MPA faculty members and the Executive Director
of the School of Public Affairs.
The MPA Program Director coordinates responsibilities for administering the MPA
Program with the Executive Director of the School of Public Affairs. It is the Executive
Director who is ultimately responsible for insuring that all programs offered by the
department are meeting their objectives and operating in a cost-effective manner. The
current Executive Director of the School of Public Affairs, Dr. Larry Thomas, is a former
Director of the MPA Program. It is the Executive Director’s responsibility, in conjunction with
the Program Director, to plan course schedules and design faculty coverage to insure that
student needs are met. The Executive Director plays an active role in evaluating MPA
faculty, and makes final budgetary decisions.
As Dr. Thomas also serves in the related capacity as Director of the Schaefer Center
for Public Policy, some division administrative duties are allocated to the division
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administrator, Dr. Lawrence Downey.
Dr. Downey is responsible for supervising the
department staff and assists the MPA director in advising graduate students.
The Internship/Placement Coordinator also is actively involved in helping to
administer the MPA Program. (Dr. Downey is also a former Director of the MPA Program.)
Students who must complete an internship must consult with the Internship/Placement
Coordinator who assists students in arranging for a suitable position.
The
Internship/Placement Coordinator also advises students during their internship and sets the
academic requirements for this exercise. The Internship/Placement Coordinator also assists
students in securing permanent jobs.
The Internship/Placement Coordinator maintains a list of job openings in public
agencies at the state, local and national levels. In addition, he works closely with the
University's Career Development Office in conducting workshops on resume writing and job
interviewing. While the ultimate responsibility for securing a job resides with the student, the
department makes a concentrated effort to assist students in their job search.
The MPA Program has four major faculty committees which are critically important in
administering the program. These are the Probationary Admissions Committee, the Awards
Committee, the Capstone Evaluation Examination Committee, and the Faculty Evaluation
Committee. The MPA Probationary Admissions Committee is composed of three faculty
members, including the Program Director. This Committee's function is to make decisions
regarding the admission of students who fail to meet normal MPA admission requirements.
The Awards Committee selects students who receive departmental graduate assistantships.
It consists of the department administrator, the MPA Program Director and the Government
and Public Policy Program Director. The MPA Capstone Evaluation Committee is composed
of three core faculty members. They are responsible for reviewing and evaluating the work of
the students in the Capstone course. Lastly, the Faculty Evaluation Committee is composed
of all senior faculty members. This committee-of-the -whole assists the Executive Director
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and the MPA Program Director in decisions regarding the retention, promotion, and tenure of
junior level faculty members.
An Advisory Board was established in Spring, 1989 to provide practitioner
perceptions on the quality of the MPA Program and the relevancy of the MPA curriculum.
New members of the Advisory Board were appointed in Fall 1996. The advisory board will
also provide valuable networking assistance to students who are seeking employment in
public sector and not-for-profit organizations. The Advisory Board is appointed by the
Executive Director in consultation with the Program Director.
The Director of the MPA Program is appointed by the Executive Director in
consultation with the MPA faculty. The Executive Director is elected by a majority of full-time
members of the department for a three year period. Each year, faculty members have an
opportunity to evaluate the job performance of the MPA Program Director, as well as the
Executive Director. A majority of full-time members of the department may request an
election of a new Executive Director at any time by petitioning the Dean. In such a case, the
Dean will schedule another election for a Executive Director. In any event, the MPA Program
Director serves until the Executive Director, in consultation with the MPA faculty, determines
that a change should be made.
3.4
SCOPE OF INFLUENCE
A.
EXPLAIN THE AUTHORITY OR PARTICIPATION THAT THE DEGREE PROGRAM UNIT HEAD AND
FACULTY NUCLEUS (AS LISTED IN STANDARD 5.1) HAVE IN DECISIONS IN THE FOLLOWING
AREAS:
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1.
GENERAL PROGRAM POLICY AND PLANNING.
General program policy and planning for the MPA program is undertaken by
the MPA program director in consultation with the Executive Director of the School of
Public Affairs. Any changes in general program policy or planning initiatives are
undertaken only with the consent of the MPA faculty nucleus. Faculty meetings are
held frequently to obtain faculty input for general program policy and planning
initiatives.
2.
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
Degree requirements are determined by the MPA faculty members. As noted
above, the MPA Program Director is responsible for providing leadership with regard
to curriculum issues and making sure that the program is in compliance with the
standards issued by NASPAA.
The MPA Director plays a significant role in
recommending changes in the public administration program to the members of the
MPA faculty and the departmental Chairperson. However, any faculty member can
make recommendations regarding degree requirements in the MPA Program. Such
recommendations are considered and voted upon by all members of the MPA faculty.
Any degree changes made by the MPA faculty must be forwarded to the
College's Graduate Curriculum Committee for its approval.
The Graduate
Curriculum Committee consists of seven faculty members from the Yale Gordon
College of Liberal Arts (The MPA Program Director is a member of this committee).
The function of the Graduate Curriculum Committee is to review all proposed
curriculum changes to insure that proposed changes in a graduate program in no
way conflict with or duplicate the offerings of any other graduate program. In
addition, the other graduate program directors are provided with notice of changes in
MPA degree requirements and have the opportunity to raise issues concerning these
requirements in the Graduate Curriculum Committee.
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Degree changes must also be voted upon the Liberal Arts Council (LAC), a
council of approximately 20 faculty members from the Yale Gordon College of Liberal
Arts. This group serves as the overall curriculum policy and planning entity for the
College.
3.
NEW COURSES AND CURRICULUM CHANGES
Although the MPA Program Director plays a significant role in advising the
faculty as to curriculum needs, the faculty determines the need for new courses and
their content (please see the discussion in Std 2.D.2). Once the structure and
content of the new courses have been determined by the faculty, new courses and
curriculum changes follow much the same procedures as degree changes.
However, only curriculum changes that constitute a major change in degree
requirements or change a specialization must be considered by LAC. New course
additions, unless they constitute a major change, do not have to be approved by
LAC.
4.
ADMISSIONS
To be admitted to the MPA Program, an applicant must satisfy the
requirements of the University and the School of Public Affairs. Students may be
admitted to the program in two different categories. A student with a degree from an
accredited college or university who has maintained at least a 3.0 quality point
average (QPA) (on a 4.0 scale) during undergraduate work is granted admission as
an unconditional degree student. For those students with a post-baccalaureate
degree, both the undergraduate and graduate grade point averages are examined to
determine eligibility for admission. More recent work is generally weighted more
heavily. It is the responsibility of the MPA Director to admit students to the MPA
Program who meet the above criteria.
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Applicants who fail to meet these standards may apply for probationary
admission. The MPA Director may admit applicants into this category if their
undergraduate QPA exceeds 2.75.
If the student’s QPA is below 2.75, the case is
forwarded to the Probationary Admissions Committee. This committee consists of
the MPA Program Director and two other MPA faculty members. For any student
eligible for probationary admission, a combination of indicators is reviewed to
determine if the applicant may be otherwise qualified to do graduate level work. In
their approximate order of importance, these indicators include:
a.
Significant public sector or not-for-profit sector managerial
experience;
b.
Outstanding letters of recommendations;
c.
Exemplary interviews with the applicant; and
d.
Promising GRE and/or GMAT scores.
In sum, the MPA Probationary Admissions Committee makes the final decision
regarding acceptance or denial into the program regarding probationary admission.
The committee's decisions are then forwarded to the Admissions Office.
5.
CERTIFICATION OF STUDENTS FOR GRADUATION
A student is certified for graduation by the Registrar's Office following a
review of his or her record by the MPA Program Director. The MPA Program Director
has to insure that all students certified for graduation has met all of the program's
degree requirements.
6.
COURSE SCHEDULING AND TEACHING ASSIGNMENTS
Course schedules and faculty assignments are determined by the MPA
Director, in consultation with the Executive Director and concerned faculty. The MPA
Director determines the number of sections to be offered each semester based upon
curriculum requirements, student enrollment, sequencing needs, and faculty
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interests.
Ultimately, the Executive Director must approve the MPA Program
Director's scheduling decisions. The Executive Director performs this role to insure
there is an adequate number of faculty to support the undergraduate degree
program, and to assure that members of the MPA faculty nucleus are teaching more
than half their courses in the graduate program.
7.
USE OF FINANCIAL AND OTHER RESOURCES.
The Executive Director prepares, coordinates, and oversees the depart-
ment's annual operating budget. The department's request for funds to support the
MPA Program (e.g. travel, instructional materials, equipment, office supplies,
membership dues, etc.) is submitted to the Dean of the Yale Gordon College of
Liberal Arts only after consultation with the MPA Program Director and MPA faculty
members. The Dean of YGCLA makes the final determination regarding the amount
of funds which the department will receive. Once the Dean makes his or her
allocation decision, the Executive Director, in conjunction with the faculty, makes the
final allocation decision. Since the MPA Program is by far the largest program
offered by the department, the bulk of the resources received by the department go
for the administration of the MPA Program.
The Executive Director's authorization is necessary for the disbursement of
funds from the department's operating budget. In addition, an Assistant Dean in the
Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts must approve the disbursement before the
University's Business Office will expend the funds. The Schaefer Center for Public
Policy also returns money to the School of Public Affairs through overhead funds and
faculty release time. The vast majority of these funds go to support the MPA
program.
8.
APPOINTMENT, PROMOTION AND TENURING OF PROGRAM FACULTY
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Faculty personnel decisions fall within the domain of the MPA faculty nucleus.
Individual members of the faculty participate in the selection and hiring of new
personnel. One member of the faculty is designated chairperson of a search
committee.
This individual
insures that ads for the position are placed in
appropriate publications, that a letter of acknowledgment is sent to each applicant,
and that a record of the committee's ranking of perspective candidates is kept.
When the faculty committee has agreed upon a candidate whom it wishes to
recommend, its decision is forwarded to the Dean. If he or she approves the
recommendation, it is forwarded to the Provost and, ultimately, to the President.
The School of Public Affairs also has a policy regarding the retention of
faculty. A Faculty Evaluation Committee, consisting of senior level members of the
full-time teaching faculty (including the MPA Director and the departmental
Chairperson), annually reviews the research, teaching, and public service records of
each untenured MPA faculty member. The committee's recommendation regarding
retention is included in the Executive Director's annual evaluation of the faculty
member. The Executive Director’s annual evaluation is forwarded to the Dean of the
Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts who, in turn, makes a recommendation regarding
retention to the Provost and the President. The opinions and recommendations of
the Faculty Evaluation Committee, as well as the Executive Director's annual
evaluation, are considered critically important by the Dean, the Provost, and the
President in making personnel decisions regarding the public administration faculty.
Tenure and promotion are based upon past academic achievements and the
judgment that such achievements will continue in the future. The criteria for promotion and tenure are: (l) quality teaching, (2) scholarly research, and (3) responsible
public service. To become a tenured member of the School of Public Affairs, a faculty
member must have an earned doctorate, show evidence of effective teaching, be
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engaged in scholarly research activities, be involved in professional organizations,
and provide dependable service to the University and the community.
Faculty are normally considered for tenure and promotion at the end of their
probationary periods. These may vary depending upon the rank and the date the
faculty member began his or her service as a full-time faculty member of the
department. However, it is University policy that tenure review must be undertaken
at least fifteen months prior to the completion of the probationary period.
Assistant professors are generally considered for tenure during the sixth year
of full-time University teaching. An early tenure decision requires special approval
from the Board of Regents and, therefore, requires a special submission to the
President of the University in order to justify proceeding. Assistant professors may
apply for promotion to associate professor simultaneously with the tenure decision
experience.
The procedures for tenure and promotion in the Yale Gordon College of
Liberal Arts are somewhat cumbersome. However, they do allow for a major and
primary role for MPA faculty members. Under the College's Guidelines, it is the
responsibility of the Executive Director of the School of Public Affairs to notify faculty
members that they are eligible for promotion or tenure and to request a written
application from the candidate. Upon receipt of this application, the Executive
Director must then notify the Dean of the Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts that
the application has been received. The Dean must then formulate a schedule for the
promotion and tenure process and advise the candidate whether there are any
administrative, programmatic or fiscal concerns which could negatively affect the
promotion or tenure process.
At the beginning of the academic year, the Executive Director must convene
a Tenure and Promotion Committee to review the merits of the candidates’
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application. These committees consist of all full-time tenured faculty from the
department in the case of a tenure decision. In the instance of a promotion decision,
all faculty of ranks above or equal to the rank for which the candidate is applying are
members of the committee. In both instances, the Executive Director chairs the
committees unless he is under consideration for promotion.
Once a candidate has been approved or disapproved by the Tenure and
Promotion Committee, their application is then forwarded to the College Review and
Appeals (R & A) Committee. Each division has a faculty member serving on the
committee.
This committee then reviews the candidate’s case, the divisional
response, and any written response of the candidate. The YGCLA Review and
Appeals Committee then forwards its report to the YGCLA Dean. The candidate has
one week to respond to the College Committee report.
In considering requests for tenure and/or promotion, the Promotion and
Tenure Committee and the Review and Appeals Committee has the authority to ask
for any materials (e.g., student evaluations, peer evaluations, annual chair's
evaluations, publications, syllabi, etc.) it considers necessary for a fair and thorough
evaluation of the candidate. The department's recommendation is given significant
weight in the YGCLA Committee's final recommendation.
The Dean reviews the recommendation of the YGCLA Review and Appeals
Committee, advises the Provost of the Committee's vote and makes his own
independent recommendation. The Provost in turn reviews the decision of the
Promotion and Tenure Committee and the Dean. He then advises the President of
his/her recommendation. Final authority for the approval of promotion or tenure rests
with the President of the University.
B.
DESCRIBE ANY RELATIONSHIP AND/OR JOINT AGREEMENTS BETWEEN YOUR PROGRAM AND
OTHER ACADEMIC UNITS AT THE PARENT OR OTHER INSTITUTIONS.
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The MPA Program has a number of relationships and/or joint arrangements with
other academic units at the University of Baltimore and a joint agreement with the Policy
Sciences Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
The following is a discussion of each of these programmatic arrangements.
1.
J.D./M.P.A. PROGRAM
The University of Baltimore's School of Law and the Department of
Government and Public Administration offer students the opportunity to obtain Juris
Doctor (J.D.) and Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) degrees by completing an
integrated sequence of courses over a three to four year period.
Students in the combined program are required to complete a minimum of 90
credit hours in law school and a minimum of 42 hours in the MPA Program. The Law
School recognizes nine credits of the MPA core requirements as transferable to its
program. The MPA Program reciprocally allows the transfer of 12 credits of Law
School courses to satisfy its course work requirements. In addition, the MPA program
waives PUAD 610 (Legal and Ethical Environment) for students in the joint JD/MPA
program. Thus, students who are admitted to this program have the opportunity to
obtain both the J.D. degree and the M.P.A. degree for 18 fewer credit hours than
would be required were the two degrees obtained independently.
All other
requirements for the J.D. degree apply to students in this program. Students in the
combined program must also successfully pass the M.P.A. Capstone Course (PUAD
620).
2.
MPA PROGRAM/MERRICK SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
The MPA Program and the Merrick School of Business have had an ongoing
relationship because of the degree requirement that each student in the MPA
Program must choose a specialization in the public administration field or some other
University of Baltimore graduate program. Many of the courses which make up the
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five specializations in public administration--public policy, budgetary and fiscal administration, public management, health policy and administration, and urban
management--are drawn from the offerings of departments within the Business
School. In addition, students may elect, with the approval of the MPA Program
Director and the Associate Dean of the Business School, to develop a specialization
in some business related field (e.g.,
management information systems).
accounting, finance, economics, or
MPA students may also select, with the
approval of the MPA Program Director and the Associate Dean of the Business
School, to take free elective courses offered by the Business School. A number of
the Business School courses have prerequisites which must be met by MPA
students before they are allowed to enroll in specific classes.
The greatest degree of cooperation between the MPA Program and the
Business School comes in the health policy and administration specialization within
the MPA program. Health policy is one of the largest areas of specialization in the
MPA program, and a substantial number of the students who enroll in the
department's health courses each semester are MBA students. The relationship
between the School of Business and the MPA program in the health care area is
expected to become even more cooperative upon implementation of the joint
MBA/MPA specialization in health care administration in Fall 1996.
3.
MPA/PH.D. IN POLICY SCIENCES
The University of Baltimore's School of Public Affairs and the University of
Maryland, Baltimore County's Program in Policy Sciences offer students the
opportunity to obtain the MPA and the Ph.D. degrees by completing an integrated
sequence of courses. (UMBC's Master program in policy sciences is also accredited
by NASPAA.) Each institution admits students separately. MPA students who are
likely candidates for the Ph.D. program in Policy Sciences will be urged to apply for
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the joint program as early as possible so that their programs can be planned
efficiently by the MPA Program Director and the Ph.D. Program Director.
Students in the joint program must take 30 course credit hours at UB and at
least 24 at the University of Maryland Graduate School, Baltimore (UMBC), as well
as successfully defend a dissertation. (Students who have special interests or
require special training may need to take additional hours.) Students in the joint
program must complete at least 30 credit hours (15 at UB and 15 at UMBC) in order
to qualify to sit for the Ph.D. comprehensive examination. If the student passes that
examination (it may be attempted twice), the MPA capstone course will be waived.
Once the student has passed the Ph.D. comprehensive examination and completed
30 credit hours at UB and 12 at UMBC, the student will be awarded the MPA degree.
When students have completed the rest of their course work, they must sit for
the Ph.D. field qualifying examination. When that examination is passed (it may be
attempted twice), and the student has submitted a satisfactory dissertation proposal,
the student advances to doctoral candidacy.
4.
MPA PROGRAM/OTHER GRADUATE PROGRAMS IN LIBERAL ARTS
Finally, based upon their substantive interests, MPA students may, with the
approval of the MPA Program Director or their faculty advisor, choose to take elective
courses in other graduate degree programs within the Yale Gordon College of Liberal
Arts. MPA students frequently take graduate courses in the Master programs in
Criminal Justice, Applied Psychology, and Legal and Ethical Studies. In fact, the
department's course on Legal and Ethical Environment is cross-listed with the Legal
and Ethical Studies program. Courses dealing with bureaucracy and public
organization theory are cross-listed with the criminal justice program.
4.0.
CURRICULUM (STANDARD 4.0)
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NOTE: THE DEGREE REQUIREMENTS DESCRIBED IN THIS SECTION SHALL BE THOSE APPLIED TO
ALL STUDENTS REGISTERING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE PROGRAM AS OF THE BEGINNING OF THE
TERM IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO SUBMISSION OF THIS SELF-STUDY REPORT ON SEPTEMBER 1.
(1994-96 CATALOG).
4.1
PURPOSE OF CURRICULUM
A.
EXPLAIN HOW THE PURPOSE OF THE CURRICULUM IS DESIGNED TO DEVELOP
PROFESSIONALS CAPABLE OF LEADERSHIP IN THE PUBLIC SERVICE, AS ENVISIONED BY
THE MISSION AND AS CONDITIONED BY THE ENVIRONMENT.
The curriculum that emerged from the strategic management process has been
designed to assist MPA students to develop the strategic, analytical and ethical skills needed
to cope with today’s turbulent environment of public administration. We want the graduates
of the UB MPA program to have the managerial skills, knowledge bases and analytical
abilities to be at the cutting edge of management in the public and nonprofit sectors.
However, we also recognize that it is necessary to balance command of skills and
techniques with knowledge of the traditional constitutional, legal, and democratic values of
the public administration profession. Furthermore, we recognize that it is necessary for
students to understand the historical context and development of the field. The curriculum
that has been developed at the University of Baltimore attempts to balance these competing
needs. At the same time, it is under continual review and planning as feedback continues
from the capstone course.
4.2
CURRICULUM COMPONENTS
A.
DESCRIBE HOW “THE CURRICULUM COMPONENTS ARE DESIGNED TO PRODUCE
PROFESSIONALS CAPABLE OF INTELLIGENT, CREATIVE ANALYSIS AND COMMUNICATION,
AND ACTION IN THE PUBLIC SERVICE.”
The core courses have been selected based on mission-driven strategic planning
process reviewed in Standard 2.0. These courses were chosen to assure that students are
exposed to training in the areas of the identified literacies: policy and decision analysis,
communication skills, the legal and ethical environment, and the historical and political
context of public administration. Overall, the core curriculum is designed to develop
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generalist administrators for the public, quasi-public, and not-for-profit sectors. The MPA
faculty seek to equip these administrators with the skills, knowledge, and values needed to
cope with the rapidly changing and turbulent environment they face.
Students are also required to choose an area of specialization of particular interest to
their career aspirations. For pre-service students, an internship in their area of specialization
is required as part of the specialization. The MPA Program offers five specialization areas:
health care administration; public management; policy analysis and evaluation; public
budgeting and financial management; and urban management. Students can also create a
customized specialization to meet their individual needs upon consultation with and approval
by the MPA Director.
B.
EXPLAIN IF THE COURSES TAKEN TO FULFILL THE COMMON CURRICULUM COMPONENTS
ARE PRIMARILY FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS. NOTE ANY EXCEPTIONS. STATE THE MINIMUM
NUMBER OF CREDITS WHICH MUST BE EARNED IN COURSES RESERVED FOR GRADUATE
STUDENTS.
The courses taken by students in the School of Public Affairs to fulfill the common
curriculum components are exclusively graduate courses. The minimum number of credits
taken in courses reserved for graduate students is 42 credit hours, the total number of
credits in the program.
C.
EXPLAIN HOW BOTH THE COMMON AND THE ADDITIONAL CURRICULUM COMPONENTS ARE
“ASSESSED AS TO THEIR QUALITY AND CONSISTENCY WITH THE STATED MISSION OF THE
PROGRAM”.
The primary means of assessing the mission-curriculum linkage, initially, the strategic
planning process. Ongoing assessment of the core curriculum is now conducted through the
capstone course (Problem Solving Seminar in Public Administration). If students appear to
be unprepared for the capstone in a given area, the curriculum is then reviewed for coverage
of the material. If the area is not covered in the existing curriculum, then the faculty
considers where the material should be included.
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Other materials are reviewed assessing course quality. Teaching and curriculum
issues are considered as part of the faculty outcomes assessment process. In addition, all
faculty are annually reviewed by the Executive Director of the School of Public Affairs and
the Dean of the Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts. 9 Included in this review are synopses of
student evaluations of the course, a faculty self-assessment, and a meeting with the
Executive Director. Teaching and curricula considerations are incorporated into these
discussions.
D.
REQUIRED PREREQUISITES: LIST ALL PREREQUISITE SUBJECTS (AND UNDERGRADUATE
CREDITS FOR EACH) WHICH ARE REQUIRED OF EACH STUDENT, BUT FOR WHICH NO
GRADUATE CREDIT IS GIVEN. EXPLAIN HOW EACH PREREQUISITE CONTRIBUTES TO
STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT OF EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES. IF THERE ARE NONE, STATE NO
“REQUIRED PREREQUISITES.” STATE CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH WAIVERS ARE GRANTED
FOR PREREQUISITES.
The only required prerequisite for the MPA program is computer competency.
Students are required to demonstrate computer competency before they can take PUAD
608--Information Resource Management. They can do so in one of two ways. They can
pass a computer competency examination which covers such subjects as word processing,
spreadsheet analysis, database management and basic operating systems. Alternatively,
they can take a pre-approved undergraduate course which covers these areas. To assist
students in preparing for this examination, the MPA Program offers a number of free
workshops in the appropriate software. A waiver for the examination can be granted if the
student has demonstrated knowledge through computer training programs. Appropriate
documentation of the training is required and evaluated by the staff member offering the
workshops in consultation with the MPA Director.
The rationale behind the requirement of computer competency is that students must
first know the basics of the more commonly utilized computer software. They can then
9
Dr. Carl Stenberg, a former President of the American Society for Public Administration serves as the
Dean of the Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts.
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integrate this knowledge base into their course work into two ways. First, particular software
are utilized in individual courses. In addition, one of the core courses (PUAD 608-Information Resource Management) builds upon this base and reviews the role of
information in administration.
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4.21
COMMON CURRICULUM COMPONENTS
A.
LIST THE GRADUATE LEVEL COURSES (COURSE NUMBER, TITLE, CREDITS, COURSE
DESCRIPTION) WHICH ARE REQUIRED FOR ALL STUDENTS. STATE THE CONDITIONS UNDER
WHICH ANY OF THESE COURSES MAY BE WAIVED OR OTHER COURSES SUBSTITUTED FOR
THEM. IF THERE ARE OPTIONS AMONG THE REQUIRED COURSES, EXPLAIN THOSE OPTIONS
CLEARLY AND DESCRIBE THE CRITERIA BY WHICH STUDENTS FOLLOW EACH OPTION.
PUAD 600 INNOVATIONS IN PUBLIC MANAGEMENT (3) Designed to integrate the perspectives
of public administration by focusing on the management problems in public
agencies. The topics covered are: the activities and roles of public managers; the
ethical and managerial issues involved in administering public policies in a
democratic, pluralistic society; and the applicability of quantitative and economic
tools to decision-making situations. Also included in the course are information
related to new management techniques such as Total Quality Management and reengineering government.
PUAD 603 PUBLIC PERSONNEL AND HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (3) A study of the roles
of the public personnel executive, personnel functions, and the application of
problem-solving techniques. The development and evolution of the civil service
system and relevant personnel laws and regulations.
PUAD 604 PUBLIC BUDGET AND FISCAL ADMINISTRATION (3) The role, dynamics, politics, and
processes involved in the budgetary function, and associated budget preparation
methods. Fiscal interrelationships of federal, state, and local levels of government.
PUAD 605 BUREAUCRACY AND THE POLITICAL PROCESS (3) The organizational, functional
and administrative aspects of the federal bureaucracy, and the interrelationships
among federal, state, and local agencies. Public administration as a part of the
political process.
PUAD 606 PUBLIC ORGANIZATION THEORY (3) The development and evolution of public
organizational structures. A study of macro system functions and structures, current
postulated models, and hypotheses of future needs for government organization.
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PUAD 608 INFORMATION RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (3) This course focuses on the role of
computers in developing and managing information necessary for decision making in
public organizations.
Topics include consideration of computer applications
including: (1) development and management of computer databases; and (2) use of
software applications for decision making in both individual and distributed
computing contexts. Implications of computer technology, such as privacy, control,
and security will also be considered. Working of spreadsheets and data base
software is required.
PUAD 610 LEGAL AND ETHICAL ENVIRONMENT OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION (3) The focus of
this course is on the legal and ethical dimensions of the democratic policy process
as this process as it has evolved in the United States.
Primary attention is
concentrated on historical antecedents, as well as contemporary sociopolitical
patterns of governance as these have shaped the notions of law and ethics. This
provides public administrators with the benchmarks of democratic accountability,
responsibility and responsiveness.
PUAD 612 STATISTICAL APPLICATIONS IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION (3) A course in quantitative
analysis for public administrators. Topics include statistical analysis, the computer in
processing data, and the presentation of findings.
PUAD 614 ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES FOR PUBLIC SECTOR DECISION MAKING (3) Review of
analytic techniques conventionally used in the planning, formation, and
implementation of public policy. Among the topics to be reviewed are forecasting
techniques, cost-benefit analysis, PERT/CPM, and other analytical techniques used
in public administration.
PUAD 616 PUBLIC PROGRAM EVALUATION (3) This course focuses on the systematic
application of quantitative and qualitative research methods to the assessment of
public policy interventions. Covered are topics within formative and summative
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evaluation contexts, including needs assessments, impact evaluation and process
evaluation.
PUAD 620 PROBLEM SOLVING SEMINAR IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION (3) This capstone course
requires students to integrate and apply analytical skills, knowledge bases,
managerial principles, and normative frameworks learned in MPA core courses to
concrete management situations. The course must be passed with a B or better to
graduate.
Waivers of the core courses are rarely granted. Substitutions are made only when
substantially the same course has been taken at another university, and transferred into the
MPA program. In such cases, unless a precedent has already been established for a
particular outside course, the core faculty responsible for the course is asked to review the
outside syllabus to judge whether the waiver should be granted.
B.
DISCUSS ANY VARIANCES WITH THE COMMON CORE CURRICULUM COMPONENTS WHICH
SUPPORT THE UNIQUE MISSION
OF THE PROGRAM.
There are no such variances in the UB MPA program.
C.
DESCRIBE HOW THE CURRICULUM ENHANCES “STUDENTS’ VALUES, KNOWLEDGE, AND
SKILLS TO ACT ETHICALLY AND EFFECTIVELY PARTICULARLY IN THE CATEGORIES LISTED IN
STANDARD 4.21.
Ethics as applied to management of employees is an explicit topic with dedicated
class time in PUAD 600 (Innovations in Public Management) and PUAD 603 (Public
Personnel Management). It is also an intrinsic part of PUAD 605 (Bureaucracy and the
Political Process). Among the topics discussed are conflict of interest, whistle-blowing, discrimination, legal liability, responsiveness, accountability, commitment, public disclosure and
confidentiality, and professional ethics.
Discussions of the ethical issues related to social science research are addressed in
PUAD 612 (Statistical Applications in Public Administration). The topic is also addressed, in
PUAD 608 (Information Resource Management), PUAD 614 (Analytical Techniques for
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Public Administration), PUAD 616 (Public Program Evaluation) and PUAD 620 (Problem
Solving Seminar in Public Administration). Among the subjects discussed are informed
consent, confidentiality, privacy, the limits of interpretation, and the proper use of research
results.
Ethics are most intensively reviewed for the public policy and organizational
environments.
One course, PUAD 610 (Legal and Ethical Environment of Public
Administration) is devoted to legal and ethical issues
in the environment of public
administrator. Dr. Louis Gawthrop, a nationally recognized expert on ethical issues in public
administration, is the faculty member teaching this course.
Ethical concerns in the
organizational environment are also reviewed in PUAD 606 (Public Organization Theory).
D.
PLEASE RELATE THE CURRICULUM TO THE AREAS LISTED IN SECTION 4.21 (AND LISTED
BELOW ). NOTE THE COVERAGE OF THESE AREAS IN THE CURRICULUM, PARTICULARLY AS
THEY RELATE TO PROGRAM MISSIONS. SINCE THE AREAS DO NOT PRESCRIBE SPECIFIC
COURSES OR EQUAL TIME AND SINCE NOT ALL COURSES MUST BE OFFERED AND OTHER
SPECIAL STRENGTHS CAN BE ADDED, IT IS IMPORTANT IN THE PRESENTATION TO SHOW
WHAT IS AND IS NOT COVERED AND TO PROVIDE THE SUPPORTING RATIONALE. RELATE
THE REQUIRED CURRICULUM COMPONENTS TO THE FOLLOWING AREAS LISTED IN
STANDARD 4.21. THE PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS SHOULD LINK DIRECTLY TO THE
PROGRAM MISSION AS PREVIOUSLY DEFINED.
1.
THE MANAGEMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS. Management of
public service organizations assumes a major role in the mission of the MPA
program at the University of Baltimore. To understand the emergence of major
management issues, as well as the role of the contemporary public manager,
students must first understand the various management functions and their
incorporation into organizational structures.
Human resources and personnel management issues are addressed
primarily in PUAD 603 (Public Personnel Management and Human Resources) while
budgeting and financial resources are covered in PUAD 604 (Public Budgeting) and
PUAD 605 (Bureaucracy and the Political Process). As mentioned previously,
information resources are addressed through the computer competency requirement
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and PUAD 608 (Information Resource Management).
Innovations in public
administration such as Total Quality Management, reengineering and group
management processes are reviewed in PUAD 600 (Innovations in Public
Management) and PUAD 605 (Bureaucracy and the Political Process). Although
these are the primary courses dealing with managerial issues, other courses also
address some managerial issues. For example, PUAD 605 (Bureaucracy and the
Political Process) reviews managerial techniques such as strategic management. 2.
APPLICATION OF QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE TECHNIQUES OF ANALYSIS.
According to the mission statement of the University of Baltimore, we feel that
students need to be equipped with both policy and decision analysis skills to address
the new challenges for public administrators face. In our strategic planning process,
this area was rigorously reviewed by the faculty and a number of recommendations
were made. For example, the old Research Methods course was given a more
applied focus and reoriented toward a program evaluation emphasis. The old Policy
Analysis and Evaluation course was likewise reviewed. It was refocused to
emphasize analytical techniques.
Students are introduced to basic policy formulation and implementation
issues in PUAD 605 (Bureaucracy and the Political Process). It is also important to
note that policy formulation and implementation issues in particular areas such as
budgeting or personnel issues are covered in courses which focus specifically on the
subject areas.
Students are exposed to decision making and problem solving in a number of
courses. The quantitative component of the MPA curriculum consists of three
courses: Statistical Applications in Public Administration, Public Program Evaluation,
and Analytical Techniques. Students are expected to master these skills to assist in
the decision making process.
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collection and retrieval is to decision making in the Information Resource
Management class. The extent to which students have mastered these techniques
is assessed in the capstone course. Students are presented with a series of “reallife” problems and are expected to present solutions to these problems using
knowledge gained in both analysis and substantive knowledge classes.
3.
UNDERSTANDING OF PUBLIC POLICY AND ORGANIZATIONAL ENVIRONMENT. As
our mission statement stresses, understanding these environments is critical for
today’s successful public manager. The UB MPA program conveys this information
in a number of courses which focus exclusively on this literacy.
Political and legal institutions/processes are covered in PUAD 605
(Bureaucracy and the Political Process) and PUAD 610 (Legal and Ethical
Environment of Public Administration). PUAD 603 also reviews the role of legal
processes in personnel administration.
PUAD 600 (Innovations in Public
Management) also reviews management in a social context. In part, these courses
also address the role of economic and social institutions/processes. PUAD 604
(Public Budgeting) also reviews the role of economic institutions in the budgetary
process.
Organization concepts and behavior are addressed in PUAD 606 (Public
Organization Theory). This course takes as its basis the study of organizations
within their environment. It also explores the internal structure and processes of
organizations and the interrelationships of structure, process and environment. As
mentioned above, the Innovations in Public Management course (PUAD 600) also
reviews basic management techniques and concerns.
4.22
ADDITIONAL CURRICULUM COMPONENTS
NOTE: THERE MAY BE TWO KINDS OF OBJECTIVES FOR YOUR ADVANCED AREAS; THOSE THAT
PROVIDE A BROAD ADVANCED TRAINING IN POLICY AND /OR MANAGEMENT AND THOSE THAT APPLY
TO PARTICULAR SPECIALIZATION.
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A.
FOR ADVANCED COURSE WORK BEYOND THE COMMON CURRICULUM COMPONENTS,
DEFINE YOUR OBJECTIVES FOR THE ADVANCED COURSE WORK AND THE RATIONALE FOR
THOSE OBJECTIVES. EXPLAIN HOW THE ADVANCED CURRICULUM IS DESIGNED TO
ACHIEVE THOSE OBJECTIVES.
The core is designed to train generalists in the techniques and subjects that
administrators are likely to encounter in any level of administration at any level of
government. However, it is also advisable to allow students to specialize in their particular
areas of interest. Nine hours of electives permit that specialization. It is important to note
that preservice students are required to take an internship in their substantive area as part of
their specialization.
Within the electives, students are required to cluster three courses within one of five
specializations that are described in section C below. Alternatively, should the student have
an interest that is taught in another department (criminal justice, economics or finance), the
student can take three graduate-level courses in a Master program outside the MPA
curriculum. Finally, one of the five specialization areas, public management, is intentionally
designed to be broadly based for students who have not yet selected a focused career path.
B.
IN THE ADVANCED ELECTIVE AREA, STATE HOW MANY CREDITS A STUDENT IS ALLOWED TO
TAKE IN COURSES OPEN TO UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS.
MPA students may only take electives in graduate level courses. On occasion, a
graduating undergraduate senior may be admitted to elective courses on a case-by-case
basis.
C.
LIST THE ELECTIVE COURSES WHICH ARE OFFERED PRIMARILY FOR STUDENTS IN THE
MASTER PROGRAM BEING REVIEWED.
PUAD 701
PUAD 702
PUAD 703
PUAD 705
PUAD 708
PUAD 709
PUAD 720
PUAD 730
PUAD 731
PUAD 740
PUAD 743
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND PUBLIC FINANCE
PUBLIC FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
URBAN MANAGEMENT
SPECIAL TOPICS IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
GOVERNMENT AND AGING POLICY
INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH
URBAN POLITICS AND POLICY PLANNING
STATE AND LOCAL PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
PUBLIC EMPLOYEE UNION LABOR RELATIONS AND COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
ADMINISTRATIVE LAW AND REGULATION
THE COURTS AND LEGAL PROCESSES
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PUAD 750
PUAD 751
PUAD 752
PUAD 753
PUAD 754
PUAD 755
PUAD 760
PUAD 761
PUAD 763
PUAD 764
PUAD 770
PUAD 775
PUAD 795
D.
HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS, ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT
POLICY ISSUES IN HEALTH CARE
SPECIAL TOPICS IN PUBLIC HEALTH ADMIN.
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AND HEALTH CARE
HEALTH PLANNING
HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
REGULATORY POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION
PUBLIC POLICY MAKING
PUBLIC POLICY IMPLEMENTATION
GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS COOPERATION IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
INTERGOVERNMENTAL ADMINISTRATION
ADVANCED QUANTITATIVE TECHNIQUES IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
FOR EACH SPECIALTY THAT IS LISTED IN YOUR UNIVERSITY CATALOG, PROGRAM
BROCHURES, OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL, PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:
1.
DESCRIBE THE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES FOR THE SPECIALTY, THE MAIN CATEGORIES
OF STUDENTS TO BE SERVED, THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS ENROLLED IN EACH
SPECIALTY AREA, AND HOW THE CURRICULUM PROVIDES AN UNDERSTANDING OF
THE ENVIRONMENTAL BACKGROUND/CONDITIONS FOR THE SPECIALTY.
2.
LIST THE SPECIALTY AREA COURSES BEYOND YOUR CORE CURRICULUM. INCLUDE
COURSE NUMBER, COURSE TITLE, AND CREDITS. CLEARLY IDENTIFY THE
COURSES TAUGHT WITHIN THE PROGRAM BEING REVIEWED AND THOSE OFFERED
BY OTHER UNITS.
3.
PROVIDE EVIDENCE THAT THE KEY COURSES IN THE SPECIALIZATION OR
CONCENTRATION ARE OFFERED ON A REGULAR BASIS BY QUALIFIED FACULTY.
4.
LIST THE NAMES OF THE FACULTY WHO TEACH EACH OF THE SPECIALTY COURSES.
The University of Baltimore's MPA program presently has five areas of
specialization: (1) public policy and administration, (2) budgeting and fiscal
administration, (3) public management, (4) health policy and administration, and (5)
urban management and community planning.10 Each specialization is designed to
provide advanced knowledge and training in the administration of public and not-forprofit organizations. Based upon their substantive interests, a student must choose
a specialization in public administration or in some other University of Baltimore
graduate program--e.g. accounting, criminal justice, economics, or management
10
During the coming academic year (1996-97), the MPA Program will be examining the feasibility of
developing specializations in nonprofit administration and public management information systems.
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information systems. Outside specializations must be developed in collaboration
with the student's faculty adviser and approved the MPA program director. MPA
students are required to complete at least 9 hours of coursework within their area of
specialization. If the student is pre-service, the nine hours will include an internship
in their area of specialization.
The following section describes the specific objectives of each of the
specializations, lists the courses that comprise the specializations, estimates the
number of students in each of the specializations 11 and lists the faculty who teach
each of the speciality courses. However, prior to describing the specializations, it
must be noted the courses which comprise each of the specializations are offered
frequently enough to insure that full-time MPA students can graduate within a two
period . The precise sequencing of courses is tailored to each student's interest and
schedule, and is determined during academic advising.
Students are strongly encouraged to enroll in the core courses first,
especially public management, bureaucracy and the political process, organization
theory, and statistics. Working together with the MPA program director and/or their
faculty adviser, the student is then advised to take courses in his/her specialization
area. As noted above, elective courses are offered frequently enough in each MPA
specialization to insure that students can complete the program within a two year
period. Moreover, courses that make up the specializations are generally taught by
full-time MPA faculty members or by adjunct faculty members who have substantial
expertise in a particular subject area.
11
MPA students are required to satisfy specialization requirements by the time they are to graduate. Under
current policy, no student can register in any semester without being advised by either the MPA program director or
an MPA faculty member. After completing 18 credit hours, an MPA student can select an adviser from among the
MPA faculty. Typically, students select their adviser based upon their specialization area. In short, students do not
have to enroll in an area of specialization per se. Instead, it is the responsibility of the faculty adviser and/or the
program director to advise students abut which elective courses fit the various specializations.
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To increase elective course offerings among students who normally take a
few years to complete their degrees, we attempt to offer elective courses in our most
popular specializations every semester.
Four of the five specializations have
“recommended” courses that students are advised to take before progressing into
other elective courses. These “recommended” courses are offered at least once a
year. On the semester that the “recommended” course is not offered, an attempt is
made to offer other courses in the specialization. In cases where the elective
courses have insufficient enrollment to be offered, students are given the possibility
of a directed reading with a professor working in the area. Likewise these students
may also be directed to courses being offered in other colleges or departments.
Finally, the School of Public Affairs maintains two special topics courses:
Special Topics in Public Management (PUAD 705) and Special Topics in Health Care
Administration (PUAD 752). These courses offer a mechanism by which the School
of Public Affairs can offer courses which deal with timely topics of interest to today’s
administrator. For example, PUAD 705 has been used to offer classes in Total
Quality Management , Managing Diversity and Nonprofit Administration. Courses in
Strategic Planning for Health Care Administration and Managed Care Administration
have been offered as PUAD 752 sections.
MPA SPECIALIZATIONS
1)
PUBLIC POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION
(ADVISERS: DURANT, SWAIM, AND THOMAS)
This specialization houses a variety of issue areas such as environmental
policy, regulatory policy, and government-business relations. The coursework also
provides students with knowledge in the formulation and implementation of public
policies. Students in this area would most likely seek employment in a public agency
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which operates within the domain of a substantive policy field. Approximately 20
percent of our students (N=158) elect this specialization.
ELECTIVES:
PUAD 708
PUAD 740
PUAD 760
PUAD 761
PUAD 763
PUAD 764
PUAD 770
PUAD 775
FACULTY
GOVERNMENT AND AGING POLICY
ADMINISTRATIVE LAW
REGULATORY POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION
PUBLIC POLICY MAKING
PUBLIC POLICY IMPLEMENTATION*
GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS COOPERATION IN
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
INTERGOVERNMENTAL ADMINISTRATION
SWAIM
THOMAS
THOMAS
DURANT
SWAIM
DURANT
DOWNEY
STENBERG
* Recommended that all students in this specialization take this course.
2)
BUDGETING AND FISCAL ADMINISTRATION
(ADVISERS: DOWNEY AND W ILSON-GENTRY)
This specialization covers the topics of public finance, financial planning,
revenue forecasting, and financial management. It also includes courses that deal
with accounting, public economics, cost-benefit analysis, fiscal impact analysis, and
taxation policy. This specialization is designed for students who currently hold or
anticipate taking a position as a budget analyst, financial planner, or auditor in a
public agency or third sector organization. Students are encouraged to explore
opportunities to take courses in the Merrick School of Business. This specialization
is currently elected by approximately 5 percent of the student body. One of the future
plans of the graduate director is to revisit this specialization to enhance the
attractiveness of this specialization for students.
ELECTIVES:
PUAD 701
PUAD 702
ACCT 640
ACCT 655
ACCT 740
ACCT 755
ECON 610
FACULTY
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND PUBLIC FINANCE*
WILSON-GENTRY
PUBLIC FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
DOWNEY
FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING THEORY
BUSINESS FACULTY
TAX POLICY
BUSINESS FACULTY
ADVANCED TOPICS IN AUDITING
BUSINESS FACULTY
GOVERNMENTAL AND NOT-FOR-PROFIT ACCOUNTING
BUSINESS FACULTY
MANAGERIAL ECONOMICS
BUSINESS FACULTY
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TAXA 672
STATE AND LOCAL TAXATION
BUSINESS FACULTY
* RECOMMENDED THAT STUDENTS IN THIS SPECIALIZATION TAKE THIS COURSE.
3)
PUBLIC MANAGEMENT
(ADVISERS: GAWTHROP, HENDERSON, AND MARTIN)
This specialization deals with the processes by which public agencies are
structured and managed. Fundamental management issues such as planning,
decision-making, control, leadership, motivation, and ethics are examined. It also
includes courses on collective bargaining, organizational change, and operations
management. This specialization is designed for students who presently administer
or envision administering public sector programs. It is the most popular among our
students, with nearly 30 percent of MPA student body electing this option.
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ELECTIVES:
PUAD 704
PUAD 730
PUAD 731
PUAD 740
PUAD 775
APPL 641
APPL 642
APPL 644
APPL 645
APPL 646
MGMT 675
MGMT 715
MGMT 752
4)
FACULTY
ETHICS AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT
STATE AND LOCAL PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
PUBLIC EMPLOYEE UNION LABOR RELATIONS
AND COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
ADMINISTRATIVE LAW
INTERGOVERNMENTAL ADMINISTRATION
BEHAVIORAL FACTORS
ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
PERSONNEL PSYCHOLOGY
PERSONNEL ASSESSMENT
EMPLOYMENT LAW IN HUMAN RESOURCES
MANAGEMENT
STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
COMPENSATION, EVALUATION AND MOTIVATION
TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT
GAWTHROP
MARTIN
MARTIN
THOMAS
STENBERG
MITCHELL
MITCHELL
PSYCH. FACULTY
PSYCH. FACULTY
PSYCH. FACULTY
BUSINESS FACULTY
BUSINESS FACULTY
BUSINESS FACULTY
HEALTH POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION
(ADVISER: LIPPINCOTT)
This specialization provides the student interested in health policy and
administration with an understanding of the major administrative concerns in the field
of health, including the role of public health programs, health care finance,
preventive care, and health planning. It includes courses on health administration,
health policy, health planning, and health care systems. It is designed for those
preparing for careers in health related organizations. Approximately 35 percent of
the student body elect this specialization.
Please note the discussion under
Standard 2.3 B as to the new joint specialization in Health Care with the Merrick
School of Business.
ELECTIVES:
PUAD 750
PUAD 751
PUAD 752
PUAD 753
PUAD 754
PUAD 755
FACULTY:
HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS,
ORGANIZATIONS, AND MANAGEMENT
POLICY ISSUES IN HEALTH CARE*
SPECIAL TOPICS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
ADMINISTRATION
HEALTH CARE FINANCE
HEALTH PLANNING
HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
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LIPPINCOTT
LIPPINCOTT
LIPPINCOTT
ADJUNCT FACULTY
ADJUNCT FACULTY
LIPPINCOTT
UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE
ACCT 797
MGMT 765
ECON 765
FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING FOR HEALTH CARE
ORGANIZATIONS
MANAGEMENT OF HEALTH CARE ORGANIZATIONS
THE HEALTH CARE SERVICES SYSTEM
FORGIONE
BENTO
LEVY
* RECOMMENDED THAT ALL STUDENTS IN THIS SPECIALIZATION TAKE THIS COURSE.
5)
URBAN MANAGEMENT AND COMMUNITY PLANNING
(ADVISERS: DOWNEY, STENBERG, AND HENDERSON)
This specialization covers the special administrative concerns of urban
governance. Emphasis is placed on urban management, on intergovernmental
administration, and on business-government cooperation. The specialization is
designed for students who anticipate working, or are currently working, in the area of
economic, county planning, or urban management. Approximately 10 percent of the
students in the MPA program elect this specialization.
ELECTIVES
PUAD 703
PUAD 720
PUAD 770
PUAD 775
FACULTY:
URBAN MANAGEMENT*
URBAN POLITICS AND POLICY PLANNING
GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS COOPERATION IN
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
INTERGOVERNMENTAL ADMINISTRATION
HENDERSON
HENDERSON
DOWNEY
STENBERG
*RECOMMENDED THAT ALL STUDENTS IN THIS SPECIALIZATION TAKE THIS COURSE
4.23
GENERAL COMPETENCIES
A.
IDENTIFY THE GENERAL COMPETENCIES, CONSISTENT WITH THE PROGRAM MISSION, THAT
ARE DEVELOPED BY THE COMMON AND ADDITIONAL CURRICULUM COMPONENTS.
As noted in the discussion of the mission statement, the MPA Program attempts to
produce students with six general competencies: policy and decision analytic skills,
knowledge of political, legal-ethical, communication, and historical skills. While these
literacies are most clearly covered in the core curriculum, courses offered in the
specialization components also help foster competencies.
The specialization courses permit students to gain mastery of these literacies within
their particular areas of interest. As but one example, the Public Administration and Public
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Finance course (PUAD 701) covers such policy and decision analytic skills as revenue
forecasting techniques and financial monitoring techniques. In addition, in-depth knowledge
bases relevant to the financial arena such as debt financing and intergovernmental revenue
generation are also covered in the courses.
4.3
MINIMUM DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
A.
STATE THE MINIMUM NUMBER OF GRADUATE CREDITS (INDICATE SEMESTER OR QUARTER)
REQUIRED FOR GRADUATION, INDICATING ANY PROVISIONS FOR REDUCING THE CREDITS
REQUIRED BASED ON PRIOR UNDERGRADUATE PREPARATION OR SIGNIFICANT
PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCE.
The program requires 42 semester hours, which may not be reduced for
undergraduate or professional experience. Up to 12 semester hours may be transferred
from other graduate programs, but only for course work at the graduate level.
B.
EXPLAIN ANY REQUIREMENTS FOR A THESIS OR MASTERS PAPER AND HOW MANY CREDITS
MAY BE EARNED TOWARD GRADUATION FOR THE PAPER.
A Master thesis option exists, although it has been used only once in the history of
the program. A student can earn six semester hours for the successful completion of a
thesis. Under the addendum to the 1994-1996 Catalog which will take effect in Fall 1996,
the Master Thesis option has been deleted.
C.
EXPLAIN ANY REQUIREMENTS FOR A COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION, INCLUDING THE
LENGTH AND COVERAGE OF THE EXAM.
One of the results of the strategic planning process undertaken by the University of
Baltimore’s MPA program was the creation of the capstone course as an alternative to the
comprehensive examination.
After a year of running the capstone course and the
comprehensive examination as an experiment, the faculty overwhelming chose the capstone
course.
Students in that year were given the option of either the capstone or the
comprehensive examination. They were told that they had to complete the experience that
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they had chosen so as to minimize strategic behavior on the part of the students. During this
self-study year, the comprehensive examination is still being offered to those students who
had taken the examination in the past but who had failed it initially.
D.
EXPLAIN ANY REQUIREMENTS FOR ANY INTERNSHIP, THE MINIMUM LENGTH IN MONTHS,
AND HOW CREDITS MAY BE EARNED FOR IT TOWARD THE DEGREE. (A MORE COMPLETE
EXPLANATION OF THE INTERNSHIP IS EXPECTED IN STANDARD 4.4).
All students who lack significant managerial or policy-making experiences are
required to complete an internship, for which they are granted three semester hours of
elective credit. Students with significant managerial and/or policy-making experience are not
required to complete the internship. However, they may be encouraged to do so if they are
seeking a career change. Also, students in the joint MPA/JD program are not required to
complete an internship since preparatory work is a part of that degree.
The internship lasts a minimum of three months. The three credits of the internship
are awarded upon completion of the following:
E.
1.
enrollment in PUAD 790 Internship;
2.
completion of 200 hours of internship work with a satisfactory evaluation by
the field internship mentor;
3.
completion of an internship project report with a satisfactory evaluation by the
internship coordinator; and
4.
completion of a journal or diary. (See Standard 4.4 for a more complete
description of the internship.)
STATE THE USUAL OR NORMAL NUMBER OF FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT MONTHS OF STUDY
NEEDED TO COMPLETE THE DEGREE REQUIREMENTS FOR STUDENTS WITH LITTLE OR NO
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND AND NO SIGNIFICANT PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE.
Based on a 12-hour full-time equivalent load, and a 10-month academic year, the 42
hour program would take four semesters, or 20 full-time equivalent months of study.
F.
STATE THE USUAL OR NORMAL NUMBER OF FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT MONTHS OF STUDY
NEEDED TO COMPLETE THE DEGREE REQUIREMENTS FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE HAD
STRONG UNDERGRADUATE PREPARATION PRIOR TO ENTERING THE PROGRAM, BUT HAVE
NO SIGNIFICANT PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE.
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Twenty full-time equivalent months of study would be required, comprising two Fall
and two Spring semesters.
G.
STATE THE MINIMUM NUMBER OF FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT MONTHS OF STUDY EXCLUSIVE
OF INTERNSHIP NEEDED TO COMPLETE THE DEGREE REQUIREMENTS FOR STUDENTS WHO
HAVE STRONG PREPARATION AND HAVE SIGNIFICANT PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE.
Based on a full-time load of 12 hours each Spring and Fall (nine hours is the normal
full-time load), and six hours during the Summer, the degree theoretically could be
completed in three regular semesters and a Summer, or 17 full-time equivalent months.
Such a load would be extraordinarily taxing, however, and would require some luck in
scheduling.
H.
EXPLAIN YOUR NORMAL COURSE SCHEDULING PRACTICES, INCLUDING TYPICAL NUMBER
OF CLASS CONTACT HOURS DURING A TERM FOR 1, 2, 3, 4 AND 5 CREDIT COURSES
(INDICATE SEMESTER OR QUARTER), NUMBER OF CLASS MEETINGS PER WEEK, WHEN THE
CLASS MEETS (EVENING, DAYTIME OR WEEKENDS), AND ANY SPECIAL PRACTICES LIKE AN
INTENSIVE SEMESTER PLAN.
All MPA classes meet one evening per week for 16 weeks during Spring and Fall
semesters, They meet two evenings per week for eight weeks during the Summer. With
three exceptions, all classes are for three semester hours, and meet 2-1/2 hours per
session, for a total of 40 contact hours per semester. One exception is the internship, which
is explained in Standard 4.4. Individual Research (PUAD 709) involves a research project
monitored by an individual faculty member. The semester hours can vary from one to four,
although amounts other than three are uncommon since they would often result in needing
more than 42 hours to complete the degree. Finally, the School of Public Affairs is
experimenting with one credit hour skill seminars for students interested in nonprofit
administration.
As far as curricular concerns, the goal of the department is to offer all popular core
courses each semester, to offer all core courses at least once during an academic year, and
to offer all elective courses at least once each three semesters. This ensures that all full-time
students could graduate in a two year time frame. While lack of student enrollment and
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faculty release time for research have occasionally caused some difficulty, this goal has
normally been met.
I.
STUDENT TRANSCRIPT ANALYSIS: IN A TABLE FORMAT, PROVIDE THE GRADES RECEIVED
BY EACH STUDENT IN A SAMPLE FOR EACH PREREQUISITE SUBJECT, EACH COMMON
CURRICULUM COMPONENT GRADUATE COURSE AND EACH COURSE IN THE ADDITIONAL
CURRICULUM COMPONENT (4.22 ABOVE).
Before reviewing the results of the student transcript analysis, it is important to note
that this analysis reflects the fact that there were several catalogs in operation during the self
study year. As UB MPA students are predominately part-time students, it is highly likely that
several catalogs will be published during their studies at the University. Under the 19911993 Catalog, courses in Public Finance and Administrative Law were required courses. In
the 1994-1996 Catalog, these courses were changed to electives. In the new catalog,
courses in Information Resource Management and Legal/Ethical Environment became
required courses. However, the instructor of the Administrative Law course (Dr. Thomas)
suggested that the Legal/Ethical course could be used as a substitute since his availability to
teach Administrative Law was limited and the subject matter was similar. This situation did
not exist in the case of Public Finance since the instructor has offered this course every
summer. Finally, the comprehensive exam was replaced by the capstone under the 19941996 catalog.
The sample for the transcript analysis consists of the students who graduated in the
Fall 1995 semester or appeared to be eligible for graduation in the Spring 1996 semester. 12
Thirty-four students appeared to meet this criteria. A skip interval of two was used to choose
the initial fifteen subjects. The remaining five were chosen at random.
12
At the time of this writing, the final degree audits are not official. The Spring 1996 sample was chosen
from students who were approved for graduation and showed no significant bar to graduating such as incompletes in
their final semester.
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STUDENT TRANSCRIPT ANALYSIS
Type of Course
Course Title and Number
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
1
6
17
18
19
20
Required
Prerequisite
Computer Competency Exam
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
*
P
P
A
Required
Graduate Course
PUAD 600-Public Mgt.
A
A
A
A
B
A
A
A
A
A
B+
B+
A
A
A
A
A
C+
A
A
PUAD 603-Public Personnel
A
A
A
A
B
B
A
A
A
A
B+
A
A
B
A
B
+
B
A
A
A
PUAD 604-Public Budgeting
B+
A
A
A
B+
A
A
A
A
B+
B+
B+
A
B+
A
A
A
A
B+
A
PUAD 605-Bureaucracy and
the Political Process
B
B+
B
A
C+
A
A
B+
A
B+
C+
B+
C+
B
A
B
C+
B+
A
A
PUAD 606-Public Organization
Theory
A
B
A
A
T
B
A
B
B+
A
A
C
A
B
B
B
B
A
A
A
PUAD 608-Information
Resources Mgt.
A
PUAD 610-Legal & Ethical
Env.
*
**
T
W
C
B+
A
B
A
B+
B
B
C
A
PUAD 612-Statistical Appl.
A
C+
B
A
B+
A
A
A
A
B
B
B
A
C+
A
T
B
B
A
A
PUAD 614-Analytical
Techniques
A
C
C
A
C+
B+
A
A
A
B+
C
B+
A
A
A
B
+
C+
B
A
A
PUAD 616-Program
Evaluation
B+
B+
B
A
B
A
A
B+
A
A
B
B+
A
B
A
A
B
B
B+
A
PUAD 620-Problem Solving
A
B+
**
B+
B
A
A
A
B+
B+
B
B+
A
B+
A
A
**
B+
A
A
PUAD 701-Public Finance
B
B+
B+
B+
B
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
PUAD 740-Administrative Law
B+
B
B+
B
B
B
B
B+
B+
C+
B+
A
A
Elective 1
A
B+
B
B+
B+
A
A
A
B
B
B
B
B+
A
A
A
A
A
B+
A
Elective 2
B+
B
B+
B+
A
A
A
A
A
B+
B+
B
A
A
A
A
B
B+
A
A
Elective 3
B+
C+
B+
A
A
A
A
C
B+
B
B
B
A
A
A
Internship
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
A
A
A
A
A
A
Indicates that the student took the Computer Applications Course last offered in the 1989-1991 Catalog.
Indicates that the student took and passed the Master Comprehensive Examination in place of the Problem Solving Seminar.
Indicates that the student transferred this class from another university. While their individual grades are not recorded on the transcript, any transfer class must carry a grade of “B”
or better.
Indicates that the internship was waived.
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4.4
INTERNSHIPS
A.
EXPLAIN THE PURPOSE OF THE INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE.
Internships are designed to provide students with practical experience at the
management level or in policy-making in a public or third sector organization. With the
cooperation of the student, the internship coordinator, and the site mentor, the student
should be able to gain practical experience within the framework of the concepts and skills of
the program. However specialized the project around which the student develops a paper,
the end result should be that the student understands the relationship of a particular agency,
department, or division's activities to the broader framework of the larger organization's
structure, policies, and management. In addition, the student should be the role of the
organization in a democratic society.
B.
EXPLAIN THE BASIS ON WHICH AN INTERNSHIP IS VOLUNTARY OR REQUIRED IN THE
PROGRAM.
ARE THERE ANY PREREQUISITES FOR PARTICIPATION IN AN INTERNSHIP?
The internship is optional only for those students who would otherwise receive a
waiver based on their current career status. The internship is not optional for pre-service
students. The internship is generally delayed until all core courses have been taken and
usually occurs during the last semester in the program.
C.
EXPLAIN THE BASIS (FORMULA) FOR GRANTING ACADEMIC CREDITS FOR THE INTERNSHIP,
INCLUDING THE DURATION OF INVOLVEMENT AND THE KIND OF ACTIVITIES IN WHICH THE
INTERN ENGAGES. HOW ARE GRADES DETERMINED WHEN INTERNSHIP CREDIT IS GIVEN?
The internship is a three credit course in the MPA program. In order to earn the
credits, the student must: 1) complete 200 hours of internship over a three month period by
being on site no less than twice a week in no less than six hour blocks; 2) receive a satisfactory evaluation from the site mentor; 3) complete a journal or diary describing the
student's daily activities at the site; 4) prepare an academically justifiable paper around a
project or activity assigned during the internship; 5) provide a narrative evaluation of the
internship experience; and 6) participate, when possible, in seminars with other interns. If no
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other interns are involved during a given semester, the seminar may be waived. Students
are assigned letter grades based on the following criteria: 90 percent, site mentor evaluation
and academic advisor grade of project-activity-related-paper; 10 percent, student's journal,
narrative evaluation, and, when required, seminar participation. The final grade is assigned
solely by the internship coordinator.
D.
EXPLAIN WHEN AND HOW THE INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE IS INTEGRATED WITH THE OTHER
PARTS OF THE CURRICULUM.
The internship is integrated into the curriculum in two ways: First, it is normally taken
by students near the end of the program, when they are most likely to have identified a
specialized interest. It is taken with an agency or organization that meets the concentration
and career interests of the student. Second, it is taken at that point in the student’s program
when they are able to bring the concepts and skills of the academic courses to bear on their
agency assignment.
E.
EXPLAIN THE SUPERVISION PROVIDED BY THE PROGRAM FACULTY AND BY AGENCY
PERSONNEL. ARE REGULAR SITE VISITS BY PROGRAM PERSONNEL REQUIRED? HOW IS
THE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM COORDINATED?
Internships, regardless of the assignments or specialization, are under the direct
supervision of the program's internship coordinator (when needed, in consultation with
academic specialists) and the internship site supervisor or mentor.
The internship
coordinator conducts site visits that are joint conferences involving the coordinator, the
intern, and the site mentor/supervisor. As a rule, there are at least two site visits, one early
in the semester and one during the last three weeks of the semester. Between the site
visits, there are routine contacts (usually by telephone or by office visit) between the intern
and the internship coordinator.
F.
W HAT CRITERIA ARE USED FOR MATCHING STUDENTS WITH AVAILABLE LOCATIONS AND
WHO DOES THE MATCHING?
Internship placements are arranged in several ways. First, the internship coordinator
attempts to use personal contacts, and those of other faculty members and alumni, to place
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students. Further, he tries to match their career interests and elective specializations with
the internship experience. A file of placements and possible placements is kept by the
internship coordinator. Second, the MPA internship coordinator and the MPA student
seeking internships use the University of Baltimore Career Development Center's internship
announcements for graduate students. Third, students may find their own placements. In
this event, no internships are allowed until the internship coordinator contacts the likely site
mentor and is assured that the purposes, assignments, and arrangements are acceptable
and justifiable as an academically-based experience. No internship is allowed without the
agreement of the intern, the site mentor, and the internship coordinator.
G.
EXPLAIN ANY ARRANGEMENTS FOR REMUNERATION OF INTERNS, INCLUDING WHO MAKES
THE PAYMENTS TO THE STUDENTS.
Internships, for the most part, are not paid positions. A few exceptions include
assignments through the university co-op program and assignments in which the students
have a salary or stipend agreement with the site agency or organization. At no time is the
internship coordinator involved in the disbursement of salaries.
H.
W HAT PLACEMENT LOCATIONS ARE REGULARLY AVAILABLE?
Frequently used assignment locations include:
BALTIMORE METROPOLITAN COUNCIL
BALTIMORE NEIGHBORHOODS
BALTIMORE COUNTY (GENERAL ADMINISTRATION)
CITY OF BALTIMORE (GENERAL ADMINISTRATION)
CITY OF BALTIMORE, HOUSING AUTHORITY
MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF FISCAL SERVICES
MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND MENTAL HYGIENE
MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES
MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
MARYLAND OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
VETERANS ADMINISTRATION, CHIEF MEDICAL ADMINISTRATOR
HOSPITALS: ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS:
SINAI HOSPITAL
MARYLAND GENERAL HOSPITAL
ST. AGNES HOSPITAL
FALLSTON HOSPITAL
I.
LIST THE PLACEMENTS OF ALL INTERNS DURING THE SELF-STUDY YEAR, INDICATING
LENGTH OF PLACEMENT, HOURS PER WEEK, AND CREDITS EARNED.
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MPA INTERNSHIP PLACEMENTS, SUMMER 1995 THROUGH SPRING 1996
PLACEMENT
LENGTH OF
PLACEMENT
HOURS PER
WEEK
CREDITS
Maryland Dept. Of Transportation:
Organizational Analysis and
Development
13
16
3
Sinai Hospital: VP Human Resources
10
20
3
Baltimore Metropolitan Council
17
12
3
Congressional Research Service:
Education and Public Welfare
Division
14
15
3
Baltimore Neighborhoods
15
14
3
Democratic Leadership Council:
Office of Field Coordination
15
14
3
Maryland Dept. Of Fiscal Services
15
16
3
Fallston General Hospital: VP for
Operations
15
16
3
Maryland Office of Attorney General:
Consumer Protection Division
15
16
3
J.
INDICATE THE NUMBER OF INTERN PLACEMENTS FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS, INCLUDING
THE SELF-STUDY YEAR.
MPA INTERNSHIP PLACEMENTS: SUMMER 1992 TO SPRING 1996
ACADEMIC YEAR
NUMBER OF PLACEMENTS
1995 to 1996 (Self-Study Year)
9
1994 to 1995
5
1993 to 1994
7
1992 to 1993
13
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5.0
FACULTY (STANDARD 5.0)
5.1
FACULTY NUCLEUS
A.
RELATE THE FACULTY NUCLEUS TO PROGRAM MISSION AND ENVIRONMENT.
The MPA faculty at the University of Baltimore is strongly committed to providing
students with the substantive knowledge, skills, and values necessary to be effective public
administrators in the 1990s and beyond. This requires the faculty to do the following:

expand the creative and imaginative decision making capacities of future managers;

to enhance their abilities to engage in critical thinking;

to amplify the scope of their problem solving strategies; and

to augment their leadership capacities in developing anticipatory and flexible
management styles designed to meet the demands of a rapidly changing public
sector environment.
To accomplish these objectives, MPA faculty must be committed to quality teaching,
scholarly research, and public service. The following is a discussion of quality of the
University of Baltimore MPA faculty nucleus as it relates to these three areas, as well as the
overall mission of the MPA program. (Also see Table V-1)
TEACHING
In the area of teaching, faculty members are required to demonstrate substantial
knowledge of their subject matter, to communicate that knowledge to their students, and to
encourage student participation in discussions of public administration issues. Teaching
excellence is promoted and maintained through a number of mechanisms, including student
evaluations, peer evaluations, and faculty development initiatives.
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TABLE V-1
FACULTY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE
NAME
RANK AND TITLE
AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION
HIGHEST DEGREE;
MAJOR FIELD
Fred Cheesman
Assistant Professor
Quantitative Techniques
Ph.D.,Public Affairs
Thomas Darling*
Assistant Professor
Management Information Systems;
Negotiation
Ph.D., Public
Administration
Lawrence Downey
Associate Professor;
Internship Coordin.
Budgeting; Urban Policy
Ph.D., Political Science
Robert Durant
Professor; Schaefer
Center Research Chair
Bureaucratic Politics;
Environmental Policy
Ph.D., Political Science
Patricia Florestano**
Professor
Urban Management; Bureaucratic
Politics
Ph.D., Political Science
Louis Gawthrop
Professor: Eminent
Scholar
Ethics; Legal Environment of PA
Ph.D., Political Science
Donald Haynes
Associate Professor
Program Evaluation; Survey
Research
Ph.D., Political Science
Lenneal Henderson
Distinguished Professor
Urban Politics; Public Management
Ph.D., Political Science
Ronald Lippincott
Associate Professor
Organizational Theory; Health
Administration
Ph.D., Political Science
Daniel Martin
Professor
Personnel Administration; Public
Management
Ph.D., Political Science
Carl Stenberg
Professor
Public Management;
Intergovernmental Relations
Ph.D., Political Science
Richard Swaim
Associate Professor; Dir.,
GVPP Program
Bureaucratic Politics; Arts Policy
Ph.D., Political Science
Larry Thomas
Professor; Exec. Dir.,
School of Public Affairs
Public Management;
Administrative Law
Ph.D., Political Science
Laura Wilson-Gentry
Associate Professor;
Dir., MPA Program
Statistics; Public Finance
D.P.A., Public
Administration
* Thomas Darling was hired in Spring 1996 and will be joining the faculty in Fall, 1996.
** Patricia Florestano resigned in January 1996 to become Maryland Secretary of Higher Education.
Faculty at the University of Baltimore use a number of different teaching techniques
to instruct students. In the Budgeting course, Dr. Downey uses role playing as one means of
focusing students on the political aspects of the budgetary process. The capstone course
was designed to be an agency simulation, while Dr. Gawthrop uses case study method
extensively in the Legal and Ethical Environment of Public Administration course. The use of
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innovative teaching approaches permits the faculty to educate creative and innovative public
managers.
The advent of distance technology also allows faculty to develop creative
approaches to teaching. Drs. Swaim and Martin, have already begun teaching classes
using the distance learning facilities at the University of Baltimore. They have found that the
use of these technologies has fostered redevelopment of their courses as they incorporate
their multi-media capacities.
Finally, the faculty at the University of Baltimore have attempted to relate curriculum
changes to the needs of the working administrator. As a faculty, we understand the
importance of constantly revising our curriculum in order to reflect the needs of public
administrators. We have refocused our course in Public Management and Bureaucratic
Politics to incorporate innovations in the management field such as reengineering, cutback
management, TQM and performance measurement. The old Research Methods course
was substantially revised to focus more on Program Evaluation.
BASIC AND APPLIED RESEARCH
The School of Public Affairs at the University of Baltimore is distinguished by the
quality of its faculty in the areas of basic and applied research. In the area of basic
research, the quality of the MPA faculty was verified in two recent studies in the leading
journals in the field. Recent articles by Forester and Douglas, in Administration & Society
and Public Administration Review respectively, indicate that UB's MPA faculty is among the
top fifteen nationally in terms of per capita publications in the leading journals in the fields of
public administration and public policy. (Forrester, 1996; Douglas, forthcoming). For the
period 1986-1993, Douglas found that Professor Robert Durant, Professor and Research
Chair in the Schaefer Center for Public Policy, was the second most productive scholar in
the country in terms of articles published in leading public administration and policy journals.
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Other MPA faculty members have also published widely in the field of public
administration. Professor Louis Gawthrop, who has been designated an Eminent Scholar by
the University of Maryland System Board of Regents, is the author of numerous books.
Professors Martin, Henderson, and Durant have each authored two books and Professors
Stenberg and Lippincott have co-authored one volume each. Dr. Durant has completed a
draft of his most book About Face which is scheduled to be published by Duke University
Press. Dr. Durant and his co-authors--Rosemary O'Leary and Daniel Fiorino--also has a
book proposal on environmental management accepted by Jossey-Bass. Drs. Henderson,
Thomas, and Stenberg are in the process of writing a book on Maryland Government and
Politics to be published by the University of Nebraska Press.
MPA faculty members have received various awards for their contribution to the
literature in the fields of public administration and public policy. In 1993, the American
Political Science Association awarded Professor Durant the Kammerer Award for the best
book on national policy. Drs. Durant, Thomas, and Haynes received the Pressman Award
from the Policy Studies Organization in 1995 for having the best article in the 1994 editions
of the Policy Studies Review.
Dr. Durant recently received the Lifetime Research
Accomplishment Award from the ASPA Section on Environment and Natural Resources
Administration. Finally, Dean Stenberg and his co-authors Richard Cole and Carol Weissert
were just informed that their paper "Reversing Directions: A Ranking and Comparison of
Key Intergovernmental Events, 1960-1980 and 1980-1995," was chosen as the best paper
on federalism and intergovernmental relations presented at the 1995 American Political
Science Association meeting.
The MPA faculty at the University of Baltimore feel that it is important for them to
acquire "real world" experiences and to be actively involved in the formulation,
implementation, and evaluation of public programs as a way of keeping abreast of the major
concerns of public administrators and public policymakers. For this reason, MPA faculty at
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the University of Baltimore have been extensively involved in applied research activities
through the Schaefer Center for Public Policy. The type of activities the Schaefer Center
undertakes--evaluation research, policy analysis, organizational analysis, survey research,
and management training-- provide MPA faculty the opportunity to gain experience and
knowledge that is directly relevant to student and employer needs.
Over the past four years, the Schaefer Center has been awarded over 85 grants and
contracts from various local, state, and federal agencies, as well as not-for profit
organizations. Among the agencies and not-for-profit organizations that contracted for
Schaefer Center services during this time were: the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs,
the Social Security Administration, the Maryland General Assembly, the Maryland
Department of Fiscal Services, the Maryland Department of Personnel, the Maryland
Department of Human Resources, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene,
the Maryland Department of the Environment, Maryland Department of Transportation, the
Maryland Office of Planning, the Governor's Workforce Investment Board, Governor's Office
of Children, Youth, and Families, the Baltimore Metropolitan Council, Baltimore City Civil
Service Commission, Baltimore City Department of Planning, the Enterprise Foundation, the
Smith Foundation, the Mount Vernon/Belvedere Improvement Association, Community
Assistance Network, and numerous others. The amount of awards given to the Schaefer
Center over the past four years totaled approximately $7.0 million.
Dr. Larry Thomas, the Executive Director of the School of Public Affairs also serves
as Director of the Schaefer Center for Public Policy. In addition, a number of MPA faculty
members- including Drs. Wilson-Gentry, Haynes, Florestano, Henderson, and Lippincott-have in the past or are currently playing significant roles in the research activities of the
Center. Other MPA faculty members, including Drs. Gawthrop, Durant, Martin, have been
involved in a number of training programs that the Schaefer Center has developed for state
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and local agencies. The following is a brief discussion of some of the applied research
projects MPA faculty members have performed for the Schaefer Center. A booklet detailing
the Schaefer Center and its various activities in program evaluation, survey research,
organizational analysis, and management training has been included in the information
packet forwarded to NASPAA.
In the area of evaluation research, the Center is presently conducting a large-scale
evaluation ($6.2 million) of Maryland's major welfare reform program--the Primary Prevention
Initiative (PPI). The PPI evaluation, which is being conducted for the Maryland Department
of Human Resources under a waiver from HHS, is a "behavioral based" reform that is
designed to improve the life prospects of children receiving AFDC. Under PPI, AFDC
recipients with school age children are required to verify their children attend school at least
80 percent of the time. Recipients with preschool children must verify their children receive
preventive health care. The PPI evaluation methodology is a randomized experimental
design involving approximately 17,000 AFDC recipients in the state. Dr. Larry Thomas is the
Principal Investigator on the PPI project and he is being assisted in his efforts by Dr. Laura
Wilson-Gentry and Dr. Don Haynes.
The Center has also just recently completed an analysis of the extent and character
of the physician self-referral phenomenon in Maryland. This study examined the extent to
which health care practitioners in Maryland have beneficial interests in or compensation
arrangements with health care entities to which they make referrals of patients for health
care services. The project was directed by Dr. Ron Lippincott. Dr. Thomas and Dr. Haynes
were also involved in the project.
In addition to the above studies, the Schaefer Center has completed an evaluation
for the Mayor's Office of Baltimore City that involved an organizational and financial analysis
of the Enoch Pratt branch library system (Lippincott and Thomas). The Maryland Office of
Planning contracted with the Center to conduct an evaluation of the Baltimore Regional
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Council of Governments (now the Baltimore Metropolitan Council). This evaluation was
performed by Drs. Thomas, Henderson, and Florestano. The North Central Wisconsin
Planning Commission engaged the Schaefer Center to assess constituency attitudes on
possible mergers of services and/or jurisdictions and to find what local characteristics might
influence citizen choices. The Schaefer Center has also conducted an evaluation of
Community Assistance Network's Community Outreach Program and conducted a study on
the feasibility of establishing a special management district in the Mount Vernon/Belvedere
section of Baltimore City.
In the area of survey research, the Center has completed telephone and/or mail
surveys on AIDS awareness, taxing and spending issues in Maryland, quality-of-life issues in
the Baltimore Metropolitan area, business retention, environmental issues, minority
businesses, defense contractors, and a host of other topics. The Center also conducts an
annual statewide survey for the Maryland General Assembly on the major policy issues
facing the state. Drs. Haynes, Thomas, and Florestano have all been extensively involved in
survey research efforts conducted by the Schaefer Center.
The Schaefer Center has also provided management consulting and management
training to a variety of agencies and organizations. The Center is presently involved in
conducting a comprehensive management improvement project for the Title IV-E Foster
Care Program. The Center has also done strategic planning consulting for the State AIDS
Administration (Dr. Henderson) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (Dr. Thomas).
Dr. Henderson is presently engaged in a strategic planning exercise for the Maryland Public
Service Commission.
Management training programs were developed for the Maryland Department of
Personnel, the Baltimore City Civil Service Commission, the Maryland Department of Human
Resources, the Maryland Department of the Environment, the Managerial and Professional
Society of Baltimore City, and Goodwill Industries. Drs. Gawthrop, Florestano, Martin,
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Henderson, Lippincott, Wilson-Gentry, and Thomas were all involved in the design and
implementation of these training programs. Drs. Haynes, Florestano, and Henderson have
also completed focus group training and research for the Social Security Administration and
The Baltimore Urban League.
The Schaefer Center has a great deal of experience in developing databases,
establishing local area networks, and providing training to government agencies and not-forprofit organizations on selected software and various computer systems. Presently, the
Schaefer Center is in the process of establishing an Institute of Government and
Technology. The Institute, which is to be established by October 1, 1996, will focus on ways
of applying technology to improve government service delivery, enhance productivity, and
increase efficiency. In addition, the Institute of Government and Technology will test and
evaluate prototype technological solutions before agencies make costly capital investments
in full-scale information system. Dr. Thomas Darling, a faculty member who was hired during
Spring 1996, will serve as director of the new institute.
PUBLIC SERVICE
MPA faculty members are also active in the area of public service. Numerous faculty
have held leadership positions in both national and regional public administration
organizations. Dean Stenberg and Professor Florestano were both former Presidents of the
American Society for Public Administration. Drs. Henderson and Martin are both former
presidents of the Maryland Chapter of ASPA and Dr. Henderson has also served as
president of the National Conference of Black Political Scientists.
Dr. Durant is the
President-Elect of the Section on Public Administration of the American Political Science
Association and he is the Program Chair of the Section of Public Administration of the 1997
National Conference of the American Political Science Association. In 1992, Dr. Thomas
received the President's Award for Service from the Maryland Chapter of the American
Society for Public Administration.
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Three faculty members--Drs. Gawthrop, Florestano, and Stenberg are members of
the National Academy of Public Administration. MPA faculty members presently serve or
have served on the editorial boards of the some of the leading journals in the fields of public
administration and public policy.
Professor Gawthrop is a former editor of Public
Administration Review and is currently a member of the editorial Board of Administration &
Society. Professor Durant has also served on the PAR editorial board, is also on the
editorial board of Administration & Society and was recently appointed to the editorial board
of the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory. Professors Henderson is on
the editorial board of Public Administration Quarterly and the Regionalist and Professor
Downey is on the editorial board of Public Voices.
Faculty within the School of Public Affairs regularly review manuscripts for journals
such as American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, Public
Administration Review, Administration & Society, Policy Studies Journal, Journal of Public
Administration Theory and Research, Public Administration Quarterly, Public Voices, as well
as others. In addition, MPA faculty have served as reviewers for a number of publishing
houses, including Harper Collins, SUNY Press, and Kansas Press.
Numerous MPA faculty members are very active in community and civic affairs. Dr.
Lenneal Henderson is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Chesapeake Bay
Foundation and a member of the Board of Governors of the Citizen's Planning and Housing
Association of Baltimore City. In addition, Dr. Henderson serves on the Executive Board of
the Baltimore Urban League and on the Center for Environment, Commerce and Energy in
Washington, D.C. Professor Gawthrop serves on the Board of the St. Mary's Ecumenical
Center and Richard Swaim is the former chair of the Board of Directors of the Waxter
Foundation. In addition, faculty members have given lectures, held workshops, and made
formal presentations to various groups and organizations throughout the Baltimore
metropolitan area and the State of Maryland.
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In conclusion, the faculty has been willing to adapt to a changing environment. We
have tried to do this through innovative teaching techniques, new teaching technologies, and
curriculum change.
Faculty have also kept abreast of the changing field of public
administration through basic and applied research. One example of these changes can be
found in a series of articles published by Drs. Durant and Wilson-Gentry on the contingent
nature of TQM. These articles were motivated in part by TQM training courses that faculty
members attended. Finally, those faculty involved in applied research through the Schaefer
Center remain current with issues in the field through their “real world” research and
consulting experiences.
EFFECTS OF THE PROGRAM ENVIRONMENT
Perhaps the most profound effect of the program environment lies in decreasing
resources brought about as a result of the recession of the early 1990s. These continue in a
mitigated form to today. One of the first moves on the part of the UB administration at the
beginning of the recession was to pare the resources for the use of adjunct faculty and for
program initiatives identified in our strategic planning process. Although the MPA program
has continued to use adjunct faculty, it has been to a lesser degree than in the past.
Another concern lies in our current ability to replace vacant faculty positions. The
School of Public Affairs was notified in June 1996 that it would be unable to fill Dr.
Florestano’s vacant faculty position. Because of the University financial situation, the funds
for the vacant faculty position went toward deficit reduction.
The final effect of program environment has been the shift in population from
Baltimore City to the suburbs and the merger of the Baltimore and Washington DC
metropolitan regions into a single metropolitan area. The change in demographics has
fostered increased pressure and interest in off-campus programs. As the potential pool of
students in Baltimore City declines, the program will have to seek new sources of students
elsewhere.
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Although resources have begun declining from institutional sources, the faculty have
become more entrepreneurial, particularly in the area of grants and contracts. As a result of
the efforts of MPA faculty (particularly Drs. Thomas, Wilson-Gentry and Haynes), the School
of Public Affairs has been able to bring considerable sponsored research. The University
returns approximately $20,000 per year in overhead monies to the MPA program. These
monies are used for student recruitment, speakers, student workshops and equipment
support for faculty and staff.
B.
IN JUDGING WHETHER THE PROGRAM HAS ACHIEVED A CRITICAL MASS OF FACULTY,
DISCUSS FACTORS SUCH AS THE DEPTH AND BREADTH OF PROFESSIONAL INTEREST
REPRESENTED BY THE FACULTY; THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROFESSIONAL INTERACTION
AMONG THE FACULTY; AND THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO BE EXPOSED TO THE
APPROPRIATE RANGE OF FACULTY VIEWPOINTS AND CONTENT AREAS WITHIN MAJOR
PROGRAMS OF STUDY.
The MPA Program at the University of Baltimore has faculty members with a wide
range of interests and expertise. The School has recruited faculty not only with the idea of
providing a diverse range of professional interests, but with sufficient commonality of
interests so that there are multiple faculty members in each substantive field. For example,
Drs. Cheesman, Haynes and Wilson-Gentry all focus on issues concerning analytical
techniques, but with different emphases. Dr. Cheesman’s expertise lies in forecasting and
analytical techniques; Dr. Haynes is involved in survey research and evaluation while Dr.
Wilson-Gentry focuses on statistical modeling and evaluation. During the self-study year, we
hired Dr. Thomas Darling, an expert in Management Information Systems.
In the public management area, Dr. Martin focuses on personnel issues,
management techniques and organizational theory. Dr. Downey works in areas concerning
budgeting and economic development with a focus on urban issues. Dr. Henderson also
focuses on urban issues, management techniques and comparative administration. Dr.
Thomas also works in a variety of public management areas such as program evaluation,
administrative law, and policy analysis.
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Drs. Durant, Gawthrop, Lippincott and Swaim focus on issues related to the context
of public administration. Dr. Durant is considered one of the top scholars in the field of
public administration, while Dr. Gawthrop is a nationally recognized expert in the study of the
legal/ethical context of administration. Dr. Swaim also has a policy and policy making focus.
Dr. Lippincott focuses on organizational issues and health policy issues. These faculty
members are supplemented by Dr. Martin’s expertise in the historical traditions of public
administration.
Opportunities for professional interaction among the faculty are enhanced through
the Schaefer Center for Public Policy. Virtually all the faculty participate in either Schaefer
Center training or research activities. For those participating in research activities at the
Schaefer Center, interaction with faculty from other universities is also enhanced. During the
self-study year, faculty from a variety of disciplines such as business, nursing, policy
analysis, computer sciences, and criminal justice were working with faculty from the School
of Public Affairs on a variety of projects. Faculty working on Schaefer Center projects have
been drawn from other departments at the University of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University,
Western Maryland University and George Washington University.
Professional interaction among the faculty has also been facilitated by the relocation
of the teaching faculty of the School of Public Affairs into a facility shared with the Schaefer
Center for Public Policy. In the past, the two portions of the School were housed in different
locations. This somewhat inhibited professional interaction. Since the relocation has
occurred, personnel from the School of Public Affairs have been able to interact more
frequently and consistently.
The depth and breadth of faculty facilitate opportunities for students to be exposed to
the appropriate range of faculty viewpoints and content areas. In virtually every major area,
a faculty member is assigned primary responsibility for a course, but a secondary faculty
member is also identified for the course. For example, both Drs. Lippincott and Martin have
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interests in organizational theory.
Although Dr. Lippincott has the primary teaching
responsibility in this area, Dr. Martin could (and has) offered the same course. Similarly, Dr.
Downey has primary responsibility for the budgeting course but Drs. Wilson-Gentry and
Thomas could also offer budgeting classes.
In one area, however, the School of Public Affairs has recognized the lack of
complementary expertise and has taken action to correct the problem. In the area of health
care administration, the specialization has only one faculty member, Dr. Lippincott. To
ensure that students are exposed to diverse faculty viewpoints in this area, and to offer
sufficient courses so that students choosing this specialization may obtain a comprehensive
view of the field, the School of Public Affairs is offering a joint specialization in health care
administration with the Merrick School of Business. The joint specialization will begin in the
Fall 1996 semester with Dr. Lippincott taking the lead by offering two classes.
C.
FOR THE SELF-STUDY YEAR, PROVIDE A SUMMARY LISTING FOR THE FACULTY MEMBERS
EMPLOYED FULL TIME BY THE INSTITUTION WHO HAVE PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE
MASTERS PROGRAM BEING REVIEWED. THIS REGULAR FACULTY SHOULD CONSIST OF A
MINIMUM OF FIVE (5) PERSONS WHO ARE FULL TIME FACULTY MEMBERS AT THE
UNIVERSITY AND ARE SIGNIFICANTLY INVOLVED IN THE TEACHING AND OPERATION OF THE
MASTER DEGREE PROGRAM BEING REVIEWED.
See Table V-1. (Next page).
D.
FOR EACH FACULTY NUCLEUS MEMBER (5.1-C ABOVE), LIST THE SECTIONS OF REQUIRED
AND ELECTIVE COURSES FOR DEGREE PROGRAM STUDENTS TAUGHT DURING THE SELFSTUDY YEAR AND THE PRECEDING YEAR.
See Tables V-2 and V-3. (Following Chart V-1).
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TABLE V-2
FACULTY NUCLEUS
NAME
AFFIRMATIVE
ACTION STATUS
RANK AND TITLE
TENURE STATUS
ADMINISTRATIVE
UNIT
HIGHEST DEGREE;
MAJOR FIELD
Fred Cheesman*
Assistant Professor
Tenure Track
Public Affairs and Criminal Justice
Ph.D.
Public Affairs
Thomas Darling**
Assistant Professor
Tenure Track
Public Affairs
Ph.D. Public Administration
Lawrence Downey
Associate Professor;
Internship Coordin.
Tenured
Public Affairs
Ph.D.
Political Science
Robert Durant
Professor; Schaefer Center
Research Chair
Tenured
Public Affairs
Ph.D.
Political Science
Professor
Tenured
Public Affairs
Ph.D.
Political Science
Louis Gawthrop
Professor: Eminent Scholar
Tenured
Public Affairs
Ph.D.
Political Science
Donald Haynes
Associate Professor
Tenured
Public Affairs
Ph.D.
Political Science
Professor; Henry Welcome
Professor
Tenured
Public Affairs
Ph.D.
Political Science
Ronald Lippincott
Associate Professor
Tenured
Public Affairs
Ph.D.
Political Science
Daniel Martin
Professor
Tenured
Public Affairs
Ph.D.
Political Science
Carl Stenberg
Professor
Tenured
Yale Gordon College of Liberal
Arts, Dean.
Ph. D.
Political Science
Richard Swaim
Associate Professor; Dir.,
GVPP Program
Tenured
Public Affairs
Ph.D.
Political Science
Larry Thomas
Professor; Exec. Dir., School
of Public Affairs
Tenured
Public Affairs
Ph.D.
Political Science
Associate Professor;
Dir., MPA Program
Tenured
Public Affairs
D.P.A.
Public Administration
Patricia Florestano***
Lenneal Henderson
Laura Wilson-Gentry
*
**
***
Female
Minority
Female
Dr. Cheesman was notified in June 1996 that his contract would not be renewed at the end of AY 1997. This action was taken by President Turner upon the advice of the State
Attorney General’s Office.
Dr. Darling was hired during Spring 1996 Semester and will be joining the faculty in Fall 1996.
Dr. Florestano resigned in January 1996 to become Secretary of Higher Education for Maryland.
TABLE. V-3
COURSES TAUGHT BY FACULTY NUCLEUS*
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ACADEMIC YEAR 1995-1996
FACULTY NAME
ACADEMIC YEAR
COURSE #
Fred Cheesman
1995-1996
PUAD 614
3
Analytical Techniques
Larry Downey
1995-1996
PUAD 604
3
Public Budgeting
Robert Durant
1995-1996
PUAD 605
3
Bureaucracy and the Political Process
Robert Durant
1995-1996
PUAD 761
3
Environmental Policy and Administration
Don Haynes
1995-1996
PUAD 616
3
Public Program Evaluation
Lenneal Henderson
1995-1996
PUAD 709
3
Special Topics: Neighborhood and Community Development
Lenneal Henderson
1995-1996
PUAD 705
3
Special Topics: Diversity Management
Louis Gawthrop
1995-1996
PUAD 610
3
Legal and Ethical Environment of Public Administration
Ronald Lippincott
1995-1996
PUAD 606
3
Public Organization Theory
Ronald Lippincott
1995-1996
PUAD 705
3
Special Topics: Managing Change
Ronald Lippincott
1995-1996
PUAD 751
3
Policy Issues in Health Care
Ronald Lippincott
1995-1996
PUAD 752
3
Managed Care Administration
Daniel Martin
1995-1996
PUAD 600
3
Public Management
Daniel Martin
1995-1996
PUAD 603
3
Public Personnel Management
Carl Stenberg
1995-1996
PUAD 620
3
Problem Solving Seminar in Public Administration
Richard Swaim
1995-1996
PUAD 705
3
Special Topics: Non-Profit Management
Richard Swaim
1995-1996
PUAD 709
3
Directed Readings: Non-Profit Evaluation
Larry Thomas
1995-1996
PUAD 620
3
Problem Solving Seminar in Public Administration
3
Statistical Applications in Public Administration
Laura Wilson-Gentry
1995-1996
PUAD 612
* The academic year is defined as the Fall 1995 semester and the Spring 1996 semester.
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COURSE
CREDITS
TITLE
UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE
TABLE V-4
COURSES TAUGHT BY FACULTY NUCLEUS*
ACADEMIC YEAR 1994-1995
FACULTY NAME
ACADEMIC YEAR
COURSE #
COURSE CREDITS
TITLE
Larry Downey
1994-1995
PUAD 604
3
Public Budgeting
Larry Downey
1994-1995
PUAD 770
3
Government and Business Cooperation in Community Development
Robert Durant
1994-1995
PUAD 605
3
Bureaucracy and the Political Process
Robert Durant
1994-1995
PUAD 620
3
Problem Solving Seminar in Public Administration
Robert Durant
1994-1995
PUAD 764
3
Public Policy Implementation
Patricia Florestano
1994-1995
PUAD 605
3
Bureaucracy and the Political Process
Patricia Florestano
1994-1995
PUAD 703
3
Urban Management
Don Haynes
1994-1995
PUAD 605
3
Analytical Techniques in Public Administration
Don Haynes
1994-1995
PUAD 616
3
Public Program Evaluation
Don Haynes
1994-1995
PUAD 705
3
Survey Research
Lenneal Henderson
1994-1995
PUAD 600
3
Public Management
Louis Gawthrop
1994-1995
PUAD 610
3
Legal and Ethical Environment of Administration
Ronald Lippincott
1994-1995
PUAD 606
3
Public Organization Theory
Ronald Lippincott
1994-1995
PUAD 752
3
Managed Care Administration
Ronald Lippincott
1994-1995
PUAD 755
3
Health Administration
Daniel Martin
1994-1995
PUAD 600
3
Public Management
Daniel Martin
1994-1995
PUAD 603
3
Public Personnel Management
Daniel Martin
1994-1995
PUAD 705
3
Special Topic: Innovations in Public Management
Richard Swaim
1994-1995
PUAD 605
3
Bureaucracy and the Political Process
Richard Swaim
1994-1995
PUAD 763
3
Public Policy Making
Larry Thomas**
1994-1995
PUAD 600
3
Public Management
Laura Wilson-Gentry**
1994-1995
PUAD 612
3
Statistical Applications in Public Administration
*
The academic year is defined as the Fall 1994 semester and the Spring 1995 semester.
**
As a result of the evaluation of the Maryland’s welfare reform effort, Dr. Thomas bought out time and worked full-time on the grant in Spring Semester, 1996. Dr. Wilson-Gentry also
bought out time in both the Fall and Spring Semesters to work on the grant.
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E.
STATE THE NORMAL COURSE LOAD PER ACADEMIC YEAR FOR FULL-TIME FACULTY
MEMBERS. FOR EACH FACULTY MEMBER, NOTE ANY SERVICE OR RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT
DURING THE SELF-STUDY YEAR AND PERTAINING TO THE MASTER PROGRAM BEING
REVIEWED THAT COUNTS AS PART OF A FACULTY MEMBER'S NORMAL COURSE LOAD OR
SUBSTITUTES IN SOME WAY FOR A PART OF THE NORMAL COURSE LOAD.
Eighteen credit hours (six courses) per year constitute the normal teaching load for
all MPA faculty within the Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts at the University of Baltimore.
However, the normal teaching load for Drs. Durant, Gawthrop and Henderson are twelve
credit hours (four courses) per academic year. Additional reductions are permitted for the
following purposes:
a.
administrative and field experience supervision (e.g. Executive
Director, Program Director, or Internship Director;
b.
the current pursuit of scholarly and research activity;
c.
supportive academic responsibilities (e.g. thesis supervision).
The normal teaching load of the Executive Director and MPA Program Director is six
hours (two courses) per semester. Since the Executive Director (Dr. Thomas) is also the
Director of the Schaefer Center for Public Policy, his course load is only one course (three
credit hours) per semester.
The Undergraduate Program Director receives one course
reduction during the school year. The normal teaching load for all MPA faculty members is
eighteen credit hours (six courses) per year except for those faculty whose contractual
agreements with the University specify that they will teach only twelve credit hours per year.
With the approval of the Executive Director of the School of Public Affairs, and the Dean of
the College of Liberal Arts, MPA faculty members can receive an additional course load
reduction (three credit hours). This occurs if they are completing a scholarly undertaking or
if they are involved in grant and contract activities through the Schaefer Center for Public
Policy. The above policy regarding faculty teaching loads in the MPA program has been in
effect since academic year 1981-82.
1.
MPA FACULTY MEMBERS TEACHING LOAD: AY 1995-96
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Cheesman, F.
Professor Cheesman has a joint appointment between the School of Public
Affairs and the Division of Criminology, Criminal Justice and Social Policy.
Although he teaches six courses annually, only two courses are taught for
the MPA Program.
Downey, L.
Dr. Downey received one course release during the 1995-96 academic year.
His teaching load was five courses. In addition, he supervises the student
internship program (both graduate and undergraduate).
Durant, R.
Dr. Durant received two courses release time as Schaefer Research Chair.
His teaching load for the academic year was four courses.
Gawthrop, L.
Dr. Gawthrop received two courses release time as an Emiment Scholar. His
teaching load for the academic year was four courses.
Haynes, D.
Dr. Haynes received two courses release time as Director of Survey
Research for the Schaefer Center for Public Policy. His teaching load for the
academic year was four courses.
Henderson, L.
Dr. Henderson received two courses release time as a Distinguished
Professor. His teaching load for the academic year was four courses.
Lippincott, R.
Professor Lippincott received one course buyout during AY 1995-96 for work
at the Schaefer Center for Public Policy. His teaching load for the academic
year was five courses.
Martin, D.
Professor Martin received no release time during AY 1995-96. His teaching
load for the academic year was six courses.
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Stenberg, C.
Professor Stenberg is the Dean of the Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts.
His teaching load was one course.
Swaim, C. R.
Professor Swaim received a 3-hour reduction during 1995-96 for serving as
Undergraduate Program Director. His teaching load for the academic year
1995-1996 was five courses.
Thomas, L.
Professor Thomas received a four-course reduction during AY 1995-96
because of his service as Executive Director of the School of Public Affairs,
Director of the Schaefer Center for Public Policy, and research activities. His
course load was two courses.
Wilson-Gentry, L.
Professor Wilson-Gentry received a two-course reduction as MPA Program
Director and an additional course reduction during Fall Semester, 1995 to
work on the NASPAA Self-Study Report. Her course load for the 1995-1996
academic year was three courses.
F.
DESCRIBE HOW EACH OF THE FACULTY MEMBERS LISTED IN STANDARD 5.1 PARTICIPATES
IN THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES FOR THE PROGRAM BEING REVIEWED:
1.
APPOINTMENT OF THE HEAD OF THE DEGREE PROGRAM UNIT.
The MPA program faculty participate in the election of the Executive Director
of the School of Public Affairs. It is the responsibility of the Executive Director to
appoint the MPA Program Director only after consultation with the MPA program
faculty. The current MPA Program Director, Dr. Laura Wilson-Gentry, was appointed
by the Executive Director, Dr. Larry Thomas, upon the recommendation of the MPA
faculty.
2.
SELECTION AND HIRING OF DEGREE PROGRAM FACULTY.
Individual members of the MPA faculty participate in the selection and hiring
of the P.A. faculty. One member of the P.A. faculty is designated as Chairperson of
the Search Committee. The Search Committee is composed of all MPA faculty
members, including the MPA Program Director and the Executive Director of the
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School of Public Affairs. It is the responsibility of this committee to select the
candidates to be interviewed and to recommend to the Dean of the College of
Liberal Arts the person to be offered the position.
3.
ADMISSION OF STUDENTS
The MPA Program Director admit students to the MPA program who have
received a B.A. degree from an accredited college or university and who have
maintained at least a 3.0 quality point average (QPA) (on a 4.0 scale) during
undergraduate work. The MPA Program Director is also responsible for admitting
students to the program who have received a post-baccalaureate degree and have
the required undergraduate quality point average.
A Probationary Admissions Committee, consisting of the MPA Program
Director and two other MPA faculty members, makes the determination regarding
students applying for probationary admission.
Admissions
Committee
utilizes
a
number
In so doing, the Probationary
of
indicators
(e.g. letter of
recommendation, GRE/GMAT scores, work experience, and personal interviews) to
determine whether a student is capable of doing graduate level work. It is the
responsibility of the Probationary Admissions Committee to recommend or deny
admission to students who fail to qualify for regular admission, but whose record
suggests potential that is unreflected in their undergraduate QPA.
4.
STUDENT ADVISING
Student advisement and career guidance are provided by the MPA program
director as well as by individual MPA faculty members. The MPA Program Director
advises all students during their first six (6) courses (18 credit hours) and all students
who have been placed on academic probation. As the University of Baltimore has
recently moved to a phone registration system, the MPA Director also advises all
students wishing to use the phone registration system. Students who wish to use
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phone registration must call the MPA Director first to review their plans for course
work. If their plans are acceptable, the MPA Director then removes an electronic
block on their registration. Due to computer security issues, only the MPA Director
has authorization to enter the computer to remove these blocks.
The Executive Director and the Internship/Placement Coordinator (both of
whom are former directors of the MPA Program) are also involved in assisting the
Program Director in advising students during the early stages of their course work.
Working
together,
the
student
and
MPA
Program
Director
(or
the
Internship/Placement Coordinator) plan a course of study to meet the career
objectives and personal interests of the individual student.
Graduate students have every right to expect academic advice and career
guidance from any member of the MPA faculty that they may choose. For the sake
of consistency, students are encouraged to use the program director as an academic
advisor for their first several courses. Once a degree student has completed six
courses with at least a 3.0 grade point average, he or she works with both the MPA
Director and members of the MPA faculty who teach in his or her area of specialization. However, for the convenience of the students, the program director remains
willing to sign registration cards. The list of MPA faculty advisors and their areas of
specialization can be found in Table V-6.
It is University policy that Program Directors and/or academic advisors assist
students in planning their academic careers and in selecting appropriate courses to
satisfy degree requirements. MPA students are requested to work closely with the
MPA Program Director and/or their faculty advisor for several reasons. First, it is
important that students select those courses that will provide the substantive
knowledge, analytical skills, and values that will allow them to claim an expertise in a
specialization area. Second, it is also essential that students sequence their courses
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in a manner that allows them to complete the program within a reasonable time
period. This usually means two years for full-time and four years for part-time
students.
All MPA faculty members are required to maintain regular office hours for
students seeking assistance and advice. Since our student population is largely
part-time, faculty members maintain office hours at times convenient for student
access (usually mid to late afternoon and early evening).
5.
ESTABLISHMENT OF COURSES AND DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
As the strategic planning exercise already discussed indicates, MPA faculty
members are centrally involved in establishing new courses and changing degree
requirements. In addition, any MPA faculty member can recommend new courses
or changes in the program's degree requirements. The MPA Program Director is
responsible for providing leadership with regard to curriculum issues.
All
recommendations are considered and voted upon by members of the MPA faculty.
New course offerings or changes in degree requirements made by the MPA
faculty are forwarded to the College's Graduate Curriculum Committee for its
approval. The Graduate Curriculum Committee consists of seven faculty members
from the College of Liberal Arts, one of whom is always the MPA Program Director.
The function of the Committee is to insure that there is no overlap, conflict, or
duplication among programs. Departmental changes in course offerings and/or
degree requirements have always been approved by the College's Graduate
Curriculum Committee.
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TABLE V-5
FACULTY ADVISING AREAS
NAME
ADVISING AREAS
Fred Cheesman
Policy Analysis and Evaluation, Criminal Justice
Thomas Darling*
Policy Analysis and Evaluation; Public Management
Lawrence Downey
Public Finance and Budgeting; Urban Management
Robert Durant
Policy Analysis and Evaluation; Public Management
Patricia Florestano**
Urban Management; Public Management
Louis Gawthrop
Public Management
Donald Haynes
Policy Analysis and Evaluation
Lenneal Henderson
Urban Management; Public Management
Ronald Lippincott
Health Care Administration
Daniel Martin
Public Management
Carl Stenberg
Public Management
Richard Swaim
Policy Analysis and Evaluation
Larry Thomas
Public Management; Policy Analysis and Evaluation
Laura Wilson-Gentry
Public Budgeting and Finance; Policy Analysis and Evaluation
* Thomas Darling was hired in Spring 1996 and will be joining the faculty in Fall, 1996.
** Patricia Florestano resigned in January 1996 to become Maryland Secretary of Higher Education.
G.
OTHER FULL-TIME FACULTY W HO TEACH FOR PROGRAM: PROVIDE A SUMMARY LISTING
(AS INDICATED BELOW ) OF ALL OTHER FULL-TIME FACULTY AT THE INSTITUTION WHO
TAUGHT AT LEAST ONE GRADUATE COURSE DURING THE SELF-STUDY YEAR AND
PRECEDING YEAR PRIMARILY FOR DEGREE STUDENTS IN THE PROGRAM BEING REVIEWED.
There are no other full-time faculty who teach for the program.
5.2
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
A.
PERCENTAGE OF NUCLEUS FULL-TIME FACULTY (5.1 C) HOLDING EARNED DOCTORATE.
AY 95-96 100%
B.
PERCENTAGE OF OTHER FULL-TIME FACULTY (5.1 G) HOLDING EARNED DOCTORATE.
AY 95-96 N/A
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C.
5.3
PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL FULL-TIME FACULTY HOLDING EARNED DOCTORATE (5.1 C AND 5.1
G).
AY 95-96 100%
PRACTITIONER INVOLVEMENT
A.
PROVIDE THE NUMBER AND PERCENT OF GRADUATE COURSES FOR P.A. STUDENTS
TAUGHT BY PART-TIME FACULTY DURING THE PAST FOUR (4) YEARS INCLUDING THE SELFSTUDY YEAR.
TABLE V-6.
NUMBER OF COURSES TAUGHT BY PRACTITIONERS
AY 1992-1993
COURSE TYPE
NUMBER
AY 1993-1994
%
AY 1994-1995
NUMBER
%
NUMBER
AY 1995-1996
%
NUMBER
%
Required MPA
Courses
0
0
1
4.8
2
8.7
1
4.8
Elective MPA
Courses
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
25.0
*
These data include only the Fall and Spring semesters of each year. In addition, courses taught using interactive video
technologies are collapsed into one section.
B.
PROVIDE A SUMMARY LISTING OF ALL ADJUNCT AND PART-TIME FACULTY WHO TAUGHT FOR
THE PROGRAM BEING REVIEWED DURING THE SELF-STUDY YEAR AND THE PRECEDING
YEAR.
TABLE V-7.
PRACTITIONER AND PART-TIME FACULTY, 1995-1996
NAME
YEAR
JOB TITLE AND AGENCY
TITLE OF COURSE TAUGHT
HIGHEST DEGREE EARNED
AND MAJOR FIELD
Ronald Heacock
1994-1995
Dir. Institutional
Research, Howard
Community College
Program Evaluation
Bureaucracy and the Political
Process
Ph.D. Political Science
James Qualls
1995-1996
Dir. Academic
Computing, UB
Information Resource
Management
Ph.D. Political Science
Sandra Pfau
1995-1996
Owner, Sandy Pfau and
Assoc.
Special Topics: Legal Issues
for Non-Profit
Juris Doctorate, Law
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C.
EXPLAIN THE WAYS THAT PRACTITIONERS ARE INVOLVED WITH THE PROGRAM AND ITS
STUDENTS BEYOND SERVING AS PART-TIME FACULTY.
Practitioners are involved with the MPA program on an on-going basis. First, a
number of leading practitioners who work for federal, state, local, and not-for-profit
organizations serve on the newly reconstituted MPA Advisory Board (See Table V.8). Mr.
Devon Brown, the Director of the Montgomery County Department of Correction, is the chair
of the Advisory Board. Among other members who serve on the Board are Ms. Susan
Fernandez, the Deputy Secretary of the Maryland Department of Human Resources; Ms.
Ellen Janes, Assistant Secretary of the Maryland Department of Housing and Community
Development; Mr. Wendell Sutton, Assistant for Administration and Fiscal Affairs for the
Office of the Mayor (Baltimore City); Ms. Rachel Weinstein, a Senior Analysis for the Health
Care Finance Administration; and Dr. Laslo Boyd, the Director of Public Policy for the
Greater Baltimore Committee. Ms. Blanca Fuertes, the current Present of the Maryland
Chapter of ASPA, also serves on the Board. Mr. Brown, Ms. Weinstein, Mr. Juppe, Ms.
Jackson, Mr. Straw, Ms. Fuertes, and Mr. Sutton are all graduates of the MPA program.
The purpose of the Advisory Board is to assist the faculty in keeping the MPA
curriculum current in these constantly changing times. The MPA Advisory Board, which
meets twice annually, reviews proposed MPA curriculum changes, recommends proposed
curriculum changes, assists students in finding internships and job placements, and provides
assistance in the area of student recruitment and marketing. MPA Advisory Board members
also make presentations on selected topics to MPA students and provide input into selecting
individuals to participate in the MPA Student Association Speaker Series. For example,
Deputy Secretary Fernandez made a presentation to the MPA Student Association regarding
welfare reform in Maryland during AY96.
Practitioners also serve as major role in monitoring student interns. Student interns
must have an agency supervisor to direct them during their work experience. As such, the
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practitioners who serve as internship supervisors perform an important role in shaping the
opinions and experiences of pre-service MPA students at the University of Baltimore. These
same practitioners are frequently very helpful in assisting MPA students find full-time
employment upon graduation from the MPA program.
Practitioners have also been involved in the program through the capstone
experience. During the self-study year, numerous capstone students worked with the staff of
the Maryland Department of Human Resources and Maryland New Directions (nonprofit
organization) on a number of managerial and policy projects. For DHR, capstone students
worked on a host of projects, including activity based costing, the privatization of human
services, the computerization of DHR's rulemaking process. The capstone students who
worked with Maryland New Direction designed an evaluation study to assess an "at-risk"
intervention program that the organization had implemented in Douglas High School in
Baltimore City. Practitioners serve a major role in monitoring students serving as interns in
their agencies. Each student serving as an intern must have an agency supervisor to direct
the intern in addition to the Internship Coordinator. As such, the practitioners serving as
internship supervisors perform a substantial role in forming the opinions and experiences of
MPA students at the University of Baltimore.
The MPA Student Association sponsors a speaker series which includes both
practitioners and academics.
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TABLE V-8
MPA ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS
NAME
POSITION
AGENCY
Devon Brown
Unit Chief
Patuxent Institute (MD. Dept. Of Public Safety and Corrections)
Susan Fernandez
Deputy Secretary
Maryland Department of Human Resources
Ellen James
Assistant Secretary
Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development
Rachel Weinstein
Senior Analyst
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Health Care
Financing Administration
David Juppe
Senior Analyst
Maryland Department of Fiscal Services
Timothy Tosten
Special Projects Manager
National Institutes of Health
Michelle Jackson
Staff Assistant
Maryland Governor’s Office
Blanca Fuertes
President, Maryland ASPA
Laslo Boyd
Director of Public Policy
Greater Baltimore Committee
Lester Straw
Deputy Director of Parks
Maryland National Parks and Planning Commission
Wendell Sutton
Assistant for Administration
and Fiscal Affairs
Baltimore City Mayor’s Office
Dr. John Thomas of ASPA and Al Zuck of NASPAA has given addresses to our MPA
students to discuss the state of the discipline. Governor Parris Glendening of Maryland,
Deputy Secretary Susan Fernandez of the Maryland Department of Human Services and Dr.
Laslo Boyd, Director of Policy at the Greater Baltimore Committee have all made
presentations to the MPA Student Association. For 1996-1997, invited speakers include
Irene Rubin, Donald Kettl and the Chairman of the Maryland Public Service Commission.
Furthermore, Dr. Henderson’s work with the local ASPA chapter has fostered student
involvement with practitioners through chapter activities. Currently, several UB MPA alumni
are now serving as chapter officers.
5.4
FACULTY QUALITY
A.
FACULTY DATA SHEETS: FOR ALL FULL-TIME MEMBERS, PROVIDE A FACULTY DATA SHEET
FOLLOWING THE FORM PROVIDED AT THE END OF THIS MANUAL. THESE DATA SHEETS ARE
TO BE BOUND IN VOLUME II FOLLOWING THE COURSE SYLLABI SECTION. IDENTIFY
FACULTY IN THE TABLE OF CONTENTS AND NUMBER EACH PAGE SEQUENTIALLY.
(SEE VOLUME II)
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B.
DESCRIBE THE INSTITUTIONAL AND PROGRAM CRITERIA FOR PROMOTION AND TENURE OF
FACULTY.
DESCRIBE THE PROCEDURES FOR PROMOTION AND TENURE.
The School of Public Affairs and the College of Liberal Arts at the University of
Baltimore is responsible for promoting the advancement of knowledge, improving the
general welfare of the citizens of the state, and assisting the University to fulfill its mission
within the University of Maryland System. To accomplish these objectives, the College of
Liberal Arts and the School of Public Affairs must have faculty capable of performing at the
highest levels of instruction, scholarship, and service. The following sections detail the
guidelines and procedures that are to be used in making decisions regarding the promotion
and tenure of faculty who teach and administer the MPA program. These guidelines and
procedures are designed to guarantee equal opportunity and to insure fairness to individuals
who are seeking promotion and tenure. Prior to describing the guidelines and procedures
that govern the granting of tenure and promotion to faculty who teach in the MPA program at
UB, a general statement regarding faculty responsibilities and a description of the
University's faculty workload portfolio concept are provided.
1.
FACULTY RESPONSIBILITIES AND W ORKLOAD POLICY
To fulfill the mission of the University of Baltimore as a leading center for the
study of law, business, and public administration, faculty members are expected to
advance knowledge in their fields, to disseminate that knowledge through
instructional programs, to make their expertise available to their professions and the
community, and to be active in the governance of the University. All faculty members
in the School of Public Affairs who teach in the MPA program are expected to fulfill
these responsibilities through teaching, scholarship, and service. The distribution of
each faculty member's responsibilities in teaching, scholarship, and service is
determined by the faculty member, in consultation with the Executive Director of the
School of Public Affairs, the Executive Committee of the School of Public Affairs
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(composed of full professors in the MPA program) and the Dean of the College of
Liberal Arts. The distribution of each faculty member's responsibilities in the above
areas is specified each year in the faculty member's workload portfolio.
The concept of the faculty portfolio is based on defining faculty
responsibilities as a percentage of effort devoted to the categories of teaching,
research, and service. The portfolio concept provides a framework to merge the
priorities of the University, the mission of the academic programs, and the interests
of individual faculty members, as well as to communicate to external groups (General
Assembly) how the University is deploying its resources. The percentage of the
portfolio assigned to teaching, research, and service may vary each year depending
upon the mission of the academic program and the needs of individual faculty.
Faculty members must annually assemble supporting materials to demonstrate their
performance of responsibilities allocated in the portfolio and submit these materials
to the Executive Director of the School of Public Affairs, the Executive Committee of
the School of Public Affairs, and the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. In short, the
portfolio concepts builds on and incorporates existing University of Maryland System
(UMS), University of Baltimore, and College of Liberal Arts policies and procedures
related to tenure and promotion.
2.
PROMOTION AND TENURE CRITERIA
The criteria for determining promotion and tenure are established by the
University of Maryland System (UMS), the University of Baltimore, and the Gordon
College of Liberal Arts. The criteria for promotion and tenure in the University of
Maryland System are: (1) teaching effectiveness, including student advising; (2)
research, scholarship, and appropriate, creative activities; and (3) relevant service to
the community, institution, and profession. The weight accorded to the above
categories will vary from case to case depending upon the work assignments of the
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faculty member and the mission of the academic program within the College of
Liberal Arts.
In all cases involving tenure, the programmatic impact of the decision must
be considered. Moreover, it is the responsibility of those who evaluate candidates
for tenure to determine whether that individual is likely to continue to be an active
and productive teacher, scholar, and colleague after tenure is granted. With this
perspective in mind, faculty who are responsible for making decisions about the
tenure status of a candidate must conscientiously weight the quality of past
achievements in order to judge what the future performance of the candidate will
likely be.
Following is a description of promotion and tenure criteria utilized by the
College of Liberal Arts and the documentation used by the faculty of the School of
Public Affairs to determine whether a candidate meets those standards.
a.
TEACHING EFFECTIVENESS
The tenure and promotion guidelines of the College of Liberal Arts
states that tenure appointments and promotion shall be made only when
there is clear evidence of the individual's ability and commitment as a
teacher. Evaluation of teaching effectiveness, ability, and commitment shall
be based on all relevant materials and evidence. This evidence includes
evaluations of a candidate's performance by students, peers, and
supervisors. Criteria include:

Information from student evaluations designed to reflect
teaching excellence and creativity.

Preparation and development of innovative courses, teaching
materials, or instructional techniques.

Written statements of evaluation by former students.
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b.

Peer evaluations by faculty colleagues who have observed or
team-taught with the candidate.

Successful direction of individual student work, e.g.
independent studies, theses, or special projects.

Quality and diligent advisement of students pursuing
academic programs.

Teaching awards or other special recognitions for teaching
accomplishments.

Selection for special teaching activities outside the University,
(e.g. Fullbright awards, Lily awards, special lectureships or
professorships at other reputable institutions).

Membership on accreditation bodies concerned with teaching
effectiveness.

Receipt of competitive grants/contract to fund innovative
teaching activities or fund stipends for students.

Adoption of candidate's textbooks by accredited universities.
SCHOLARSHIP AND PROFESSIONAL GROWTH
According to the CLA's guidelines governing tenure and promotion,
evidence of scholarship and professional growth shall be sought in the
candidate's publications or creative work, supported by all relevant material.
Works must be evaluated, and work in progress must be assessed. When
work is a product of a joint effort, it is the responsibility of the candidate to
establish as clearly as possible his/her role in the joint effort.
As interpreted by the faculty of the School of Public Affairs,
scholarship involves a systematic or studious inquiry or examination of
theories, laws, or conclusions with the intent of discovering new ideas,
providing new interpretations to enduring ideas, and disseminating the
results of that work through appropriate media.
It also involves the
application of knowledge through research to the solution of societal
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problems. Evidence of scholarship in the fields of public administration and
public policy include, but is not limited to, the sources listed below.
C.

Books, articles, and other scholarly works published by
reputable presses, scholarly journals, and publishing houses
that accept works only after review and approval by peers in
the discipline.

Scholarly reviews of publications of the candidate.

Citations of research in scholarly publications.

Competitive grants and contracts to finance the development
of new ideas, to deal with societal problems, or to analyze
delivery of service options.

Membership on editorial boards reviewing publications,
panels judging grant/contract proposals, or juries judging
creative works.

Prizes and awards for excellence in scholarly publications or
creative works.

Testimony before governmental bodies concerned with
research or other creative activities.

Presentation of papers at professional conferences.

Quality and impact of written documents/monographs
produced through applied research.

Appointments as consultants to local, state, national, or
international public or private groups engaged in scholarly or
creative endeavors.

Writing book reviews for professional journals.
SERVICE
Faculty who teach in the MPA program and are members of the
School of Public Affairs are expected to take part in the governance of the
University community, to participate in the professional activities of their
discipline, and to be responsive to the larger society which the University
serves. In short, faculty are to play an important role in the formulation and
implementation of university and college policy. Faculty should also make
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contributions to their respective disciplines by fostering communication and
advancing knowledge in the field. Finally, faculty should, when appropriate,
render service to individuals, communities, organizations, and governmental
entities when it is within the faculty member's special capacity as a scholar.
They may also do so in areas beyond this when the work is pertinent and
significant.
Evidence of the quality of service contributions includes, but is not
limited to, the sources listed below. In all instances, a distinction must be
made between routine performance and high-level or innovative leadership
contributions.

Selection for leadership roles in divisional, school, college, or
university administrative positions.

Selection for membership on or leadership roles in divisional,
school, college, or university ad hoc or standing committees.

Selection for membership on or leadership roles in the
University Faculty Senate Council, the College Faculty
Senate Council, the College Executive Committee, and
College Liberal Arts Council.

Outstanding performance of administrative responsibilities at
the division, school, college, or university-wide level.

Contributions to student welfare through service on
committees or advising student organizations.

Election to offices in professional associations or learned
societies.

Service to important local, state, national, and international
committees in professional organizations.
Service as consultants to individuals, groups, organizations,
elected officials, or public agencies on issues appropriate to
one's expertise.


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Awards and other program recognitions given for service
contributions by public, private, and not-for-profit
organizations.
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3.

Quality of presentations by faculty undertaking public service
instructional activities (including participant assessment).

Quality of instructional materials developed for
public/community presentations as measured by clientele
evaluation.

Impact or outcome of consultation activities, including written
materials produced, testimony presented, tests and
techniques developed, and/or recommendations offered.

Writing of newspaper, magazine, and non-scholarly journal
articles that is related to one's professional expertise.

Conducting interviews for newspapers, radio, and television
on issues/topics related to one's discipline or professional
expertise.
PROCEDURES GOVERNING PROMOTION AND TENURE
a.
INITIATION OF THE PROCESS
In the academic year prior to the eligibility of the candidate for
promotion or tenure, the Executive Director of the School of Public Affairs
shall advise the candidate of his/her eligibility and shall request a written
application from the candidate for promotion and tenure. The candidate shall
forward the written request for promotion and/or tenure to the Executive
Director of the School of Public Affairs.
The Executive Director will
subsequently inform the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts of those faculty
who are to be considered for promotion and/or tenure in the next academic
year.
By the end of each academic year, the Dean of the College of Liberal
Arts shall formulate a schedule for promotion and tenure to be used in the
next academic year. At the same time, the Dean shall provide the candidate
and the Executive Director of the School of Public Affairs with a candid,
written statement of any administrative, programmatic and fiscal concerns
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which, in the dean's view, could adversely affect the promotion and/or tenure
application of the candidate.
At the beginning of the academic year in which the actual
consideration of the candidate is to take place, the Executive Director of the
School of Public Affairs convenes a Promotion and Tenure (P&T) Committee
to consider the candidate's application for promotion. This committee is
chaired by the Executive Director, or, if necessary by a faculty member
chosen by the Executive Director . The P&T Committee consists of all
tenured members of the School of Public Affairs with a rank equal to or
higher than the rank for which the candidate is applying.
Documentation of the candidate's readiness for promotion and/or
tenure is organized into a dossier and forwarded to the chair of the P&T
Committee. The contents of the dossier includes:

a cover letter, a vita,

a summary of student evaluations,

copies of scholarly works,

other creative activities (books, journal articles, monographs,
convention papers, grant/contract proposals, book reviews),

annual faculty evaluations,

annual promotion and/or tenure reviews, and

any other supporting materials which the candidate or the
P&T Committee may feel is relevant to conducting a thorough
evaluation.
In the cover letter, the candidate describes his/her workload
assignments since appointment or promotion to the presently held rank. The
candidate also specifies the proportions of time allocated for instruction,
scholarship or other creative activities, and service.
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candidate describes his/her professional activities and attainments in relation
to the criteria (teaching, scholarship and service) for promotion and tenure.
b.
REVIEW BY THE P&T COMMITTEE
The role of the faculty in the School of Public Affairs is critical in
determining whether a candidate should be granted a promotion and/or
awarded tenure in the Gordon College of Liberal Arts. The recommendation
of the P&T Committee carries the weight of informed professional judgment
and is accorded substantial deference by the college-wide Review and
Appeals Committee and by university administrators. The responsibilities of
the P&T Committee are to evaluate the candidate's record according to the
criteria governing tenure and promotion and to assess the contribution of the
faculty member to the mission and curriculum of the MPA program. It is the
responsibility of the chair of the P&T Committee to insure that a quorum is
present at meetings in which a candidate's
qualifications are being
discussed.
Following a systematic and rigorous evaluation, P&T Committee
members vote on whether to recommend the candidate for tenure and
promotion. A simple majority of faculty voting yes (aye) is required to decide
whether the candidate is recommended. Faculty members may vote ye(aye),
no (nay), or abstain. An abstention does not count as a vote. The total
number of yes, no, and abstention votes must be recorded.
Following this review, the chair of the P&T Committee writes a Report
and Recommendation that summarizes the votes and addresses in detail the
rationale for the recommendation. In the event that the chair of the P&T
Committee disagrees with the affirmative vote of the faculty, the Executive
Director of the School of Public Affairs designates another appropriate faculty
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member, (i.e., one who agrees with the majority), to write the Report and
Recommendation. The Report and Recommendation is forwarded to the
college-wide Review and Appeals Committee, the Dean of the college, and
the candidate.
Any member or members of the P&T Committee who cannot support
the majority Report and Recommendation have the option of writing a
minority report that details his/her rationale for the dissent. A faculty member
who abstains does not have to provide a reason for why he/she chooses to
do so.
After receiving the Report and Recommendation, the candidate has
one week to respond in writing to it. The candidate can either accept the
recommendation or file an appeal with the CA's Review and Appeals
Committee. A discussion of the role and responsibilities of the Review and
Appeals Committee is provided below.
c.
COLLEGE REVIEW AND APPEALS COMMITTEE
The next level of review and/or appeals is the college-wide Review
and Appeals Committee (R&A).
This committee examines the
recommendations of the Personnel and Tenure Committees to insure that the
criteria, requirements, and procedures were correctly adhered to when
making promotion and/or tenure recommendations. Moreover, the Review
and Appeals Committee serves as the first-level forum for appeal of a
negative recommendation by a P&T Committee.
The scope of review employed by the R&A Committee includes both
substantive and procedural issues. The committee determines whether
there were any factual omissions or inaccuracies, in the evidence
considered, any procedural irregularities, and any failure to apply the
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appropriate standards to the particular case. The R&A Committee considers
the full record of the P&T Committee decision, but has to show deference to
the decision rendered by the P&T Committees regarding matters of
substance.
If a majority of the Review and Appeals Committee members
concludes that there are factual omissions or inaccuracies in the record,
procedural irregularities, a failure to apply the requisite criteria, or a lack of
substantial evidence to support the decision, the reviewing body reports its
findings to the candidate, the promotional unit, and the Dean of the College
of Liberal Arts. The Review and Appeals Committee can recommend that the
case be reconsidered by the P&T Committee in light its findings or that the
Dean of the college consider reversing the recommendation (either positive
or negative) of the promotional unit. The decisions of the Review and
Appeals Committee are only advisory. They are not binding on either the
School of Public Affairs or the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. In all
instances, the Review and Appeals Committee must provide a written
statement of its recommendations. This information must be transmitted
through appropriate channels to the candidate.
Any member of the R&A Committee who cannot support the majority
recommendation as the option of writing a minority report that shall include
the rationale for dissent. The R&A Recommendation, along with any minority
report, shall be forwarded to the Dean of the College, the P&T Committee,
and the candidate. Upon receipt of the R&A recommendation, the P&T
Committee as well as the candidate shall have two weeks to respond. Any
responses are forwarded to the Dean of the CA and become part of the
record.
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The Review and Appeals Committee is composed of five tenured and
promoted faculty members; one for each division/school within the CLA.
Members of this committee must be active in their disciplines and hold ranks
equal to or higher than those they are making decisions on.
The
division/school through a vote of its faculty selects a qualified individual to
serve as a member of the R&A Committee. Dr. Durant served this year as
the School of Public Affairs' representative on the R&A Committee. Prior to
Dr. Durant, Dr. Henderson served on the Committee.
d.
RECOMMENDATION OF THE DEAN
After receipt of all materials submitted in the earlier stages of the
review process (e.g. supporting materials, reports, recommendations, and
responses), the Dean of the College (at the present time Dr. Carl Stenberg)
considers the candidate's application for tenure and promotion. The dean
may request or consider additional material or speak with other informed
parties.
The Dean is responsible for filing a written Report and
Recommendation that indicates whether he
affirms or reverses the
recommendation of the promotional unit. In making that determination, the
Dean considers the recommendation made by the College Review and
Appeals Committee. In this Report and Recommendation, the Dean sets
forth in detail the rationale for his recommendation, including but not limited
to institutional considerations, the candidate's record, the division/school's
curriculum and mission, and any other relevant matters concerning the
candidate's application.
The Dean's Report and Recommendation, along with all materials
submitted in earlier stages, is forwarded to the Provost of the University, the
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chair of the College Review and Appeals Committee, the chair of the P&T
Committee, and the candidate.
Upon receipt of the Dean's Report and Recommendation, the
candidate has two weeks to respond in writing. All responses are be
forwarded to the chair of the P&T Committee, the chair of the College
Review and Appeals Committee, the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, and
the Provost of the University.
If a candidate wishes to appeal the Report and Recommendation
made by the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, he/she informs the Provost
in writing within two weeks of receiving the dean's recommendation.
e.
PROVOST'S RECOMMENDATION
When a faculty member is under review for tenure and promotion, the
Provost
considered all prior recommendations, including the Dean's
recommendation and all reports and recommendations on which the Dean's
recommendation was based. After arriving at his own recommendation, the
Provost forwards this recommendation to the President of the University. If
the Provost's recommendation is negative, the candidate has ten calendar
days within which to appeal the recommendation by requesting the President
of the University to convene the University Faculty Appeals Committee.
Grounds for appeal include: procedural errors, failure to give adequate
consideration to the candidate's record, a recommendation that is arbitrary,
capricious, or not supported by the evidence; a recommendation that is
based on any consideration that violates academic freedom; and a
recommendation which violates the explicit understanding concerning the
criteria that govern tenure and promotion. The University's Faculty Appeals
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Committee has to conduct its deliberations in a timely manner and submit a
report to the President regarding the Committee's findings and conclusions.
f.
GRANTING OF TENURE AND PROMOTION
Final authority for granting promotion and tenure of faculty resides
with the chief executive officer of the University.
5.41
FACULTY INSTRUCTION
A.
ADDRESS THE QUALITY OF FACULTY INSTRUCTION. AS APPROPRIATE, REFERENCE
SHOULD BE MADE TO MEASURES OF QUALITY SUCH AS SUMMARIES OF COURSE
EVALUATIONS, EXIT INTERVIEWS, GRADUATE SURVEYS AND RELATED INFORMATION.
The University of Baltimore conducts a number of different assessments regarding
student perceptions of faculty quality. In 1990, the MPA program at the University of
Baltimore conducted a survey of program graduates and asked a number of questions
regarding the quality of instruction.
When questioned about the MPA program faculty,
approximately 80% of the respondents felt that the faculty exposed the students to a variety
of views, were well prepared for class, and communicated clearly the subject matter to their
classes. More than 90% of the respondents stated that MPA program faculty were very
knowledgeable about their subject area. More than 60% of MPA graduates felt that the
faculty graded fairly and were accessible to students.
In 1996, a second survey of program alumni was undertaken to obtain feedback on
the performance of the program. Surveys were sent to all program alumni (approximately
675 alumni) and responses were received from 213 alumni. Alumni were asked whether
they felt that the MPA program had improved their understanding of the skills and knowledge
areas identified by the faculty as critical for administrators (see Table 2.1 for skill areas).
Over 70 percent of the respondents indicated that the program helped improve most of
these skills either “somewhat” or “a great deal”. The areas in which respondents found the
program to be most helpful were in the areas of written communication (82 percent) and
problem solving (80 percent). The skills areas where a proportion of alumni found the MPA
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program “did not improve their understanding at all” were client orientation (40 percent);
information resources (32 percent); negotiation (39 percent) and tolerating ambiguity (31
percent).13 Again, it is important to note that many of these students are reacting to their
experience before our program reforms were instituted.
13
The program has recognized the weaknesses in the areas of information resource management and
negotiation and has hired Dr. Thomas Darling, who has specializations in both areas. Dr. Darling will begin teaching
in Fall 1996.
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In the knowledge areas identified by the faculty as important for administrators, at
least 49 percent of the respondents felt that the program had either improved knowledge
“noticeably” or “a great deal” for all of the knowledge areas. Areas in which the program
performed well were organizational dynamics (84 percent); evolution of public administration
as a profession (75 percent); knowledge of governmental institutions and processes (66
percent); critical analysis of managerial problems (65 percent); decision making (63
percent); and the role of managers in a democratic society (61 percent). Alumni also felt that
the program performed slightly less strongly in the areas of innovations in public
management (59 percent); management of people (56 percent); strategic thinking (56
percent);use of information resources (54 percent); ethical issues in management (53
percent); management of financial resources (49 percent);and communication skills (49
percent).14
Alumni also felt that they had been treated fairly by faculty in the program with nearly
93 percent of respondents indicating that they either strongly agreed or agreed with the
statement. Respondents also felt that the program was responsive to their needs as
individuals, with 80 percent of respondents expressing either strong agreement or
agreement with this statement. (See Appendix B for complete results).
Finally, the capstone course promotes feedback from the graduating students not
only on that course but on potential deficiencies in the MPA program. Valid concerns raised
by the capstone students have resulted in changes to the MPA curriculum at UB. Faculty
evaluations from the self-study year will be available for NASPAA site representatives to
review.
B.
IDENTIFY EFFORTS TO IMPROVE THE INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM, INCLUDING STUDENT
ADVISEMENT, TEACHING METHODS, COURSE CONTENT, AND INNOVATIVE CURRICULA
14
In reviewing these results it should be noted that the survey was sent to all alumni and would not reflect
the creation of required courses in “Legal and Ethical Environment” and “Information Resources Management” or the
changes which refocused the “Public Management” course to “Innovations in Public Management”.
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DEVELOPMENT. DESCRIBE THE PROCEDURES FOR PROMOTING AND MAINTAINING QUALITY
TEACHING STANDARDS.
The University of Baltimore's MPA Program places a great deal of emphasis on
quality teaching. Faculty members are required to demonstrate substantial knowledge of
their subject matter, to communicate that knowledge to their students, and to encourage
student participation in discussions of public administration issues. Teaching excellence is
promoted and maintained through a number of avenues.
The primary mechanism for promoting and maintaining teaching effectiveness is a
system of student evaluations. Student evaluations are administered each semester for
every course offered by full-time and part-time MPA faculty members. It is the responsibility
of the Executive Director to complete both qualitative and quantitative evaluation data for
each faculty member in the department and incorporate this information into the Executive
Director’s annual report concerning each faculty member.
This evaluation survey is
reviewed by the Director, the MPA Program Director, and the individual MPA faculty member
for apparent and/or perceived deficiencies.
A second mechanism for promoting and maintaining quality teaching is that the
Executive Director requires each member of the department to produce a general statement
each year evaluating his or her own performance in the classroom. Faculty members
provide a statement regarding the objectives of their courses, how these objectives were
achieved, and how the course was organized. In addition, the Executive Director and the
MPA Program Director examine course syllabi and the selection of texts to insure that the
content of the course is meeting the MPA PROGRAM'S MISSION STATEMENT.
This process requires individual faculty members to identify activities which could
improve their teaching in the coming semester. It also allows the Executive Director and the
MPA Program Director to monitor any changes to insure that they are in keeping with the
mission statement of the Program. In addition, the strategic planning exercise reviewed in
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Standard 2 also fostered curricula review with an eye to changing courses and teaching
methods to remain current with the needs of the field.
The final mechanism for promoting and maintaining quality teaching is through
faculty development initiatives provided by the College of Liberal Arts. Faculty development
for members of the department has included seminars on writing across the curriculum and
money to travel to professional meetings to discuss state-of-the-art developments in
teaching public administration. The Yale Gordon Foundation provides money each year to
faculty members who wish to engage in faculty development activities. MPA faculty
members are eligible to apply for such monies.
Student evaluations and the Executive Director’s annual reports are an important
component of the record for tenure and promotion review.
In addition, three other
documents are required of all candidates. They must provide a general statement of their
teaching philosophy, provide a detailed description of two courses, and provide a statement
of their teaching contributions to the department's degree requirements. Faculty members
are asked to discuss any innovative or non-traditional teaching methods they employ in their
classes. Finally, faculty members must submit a statement describing their roles and
activities in student advising.
In sum, the MPA program, the School of Public Affairs, and the College of Liberal Arts
place a great deal of emphasis on quality teaching. It is essential that MPA faculty members
be able to effectively convey knowledge to students.
C.
DESCRIBE THE NORMAL FACULTY TEACHING ASSIGNMENTS IN TERMS OF SEMESTER,
CREDIT HOURS PER ACADEMIC YEAR AND NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PREPARATIONS PER
SEMESTER AND ACADEMIC YEAR.
The official teaching load in the College of Liberal Arts is twelve credit hours per
semester. State and University policies permit the granting of release time in certain
circumstances, as long as provisions regarding class size and budgetary restrictions are
met. Specific situations in which release time maybe granted include:
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
Teaching in a graduate program;

Engaging in a major research project; and

Performing heavy administrative duties.
As a result of the release time policy granted by the President and Provost of the
University, the normal teaching load for faculty in the MPA program is nine credit hours per
semester (18 credit hours per year). The Executive Director teaches three credit hours per
semester and the MPA Program Director teaches six credit hours per semester. Full-time
MPA faculty members may be able to get their teaching load reduced from nine hours to six
hours per semester if they are engaged in a major research project or performing a public
service activity for the Schaefer Center for Public Policy or for some governmental or not-forprofit organization. However, it should be noted that for distinguished faculty (Drs. Durant,
Gawthrop and Henderson), the teaching load is four courses per year.
All attempts are made to minimize the number of preparations that faculty must
undertake each semester and year. Although faculty may have two preparations per
semester, the tendency is for faculty to teach the same MPA core courses each semester.
Thus, the yearly course preparation is usually limited to two courses if the faculty member
only teaches core courses and three course preparations if the faculty member teaches one
core course and two elective courses in the MPA program.
D.
DESCRIBE THE PROGRAM’S POLICY FOR PLANNING CLASS SIZES (STUDENTS ENROLLED
PER SECTION) FOR THE REQUIRED COURSES AND FOR THE ELECTIVE COURSES.
The MPA Program Director and the Executive Director determine the number of
courses to be offered each semester based upon enrollment trends, curriculum needs,
specialization requirements, and faculty interests. The desired average class size for MPA
core courses is between 25 and 30 students, and the desired average class size for elective
courses is 12 to 15 students. However, the policy of the department is to provide well-
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rounded course offerings each semester, rather than limit offerings and force optimum class
sizes.
The registration system of the University permits upper enrollment limits to be placed
on each class. MPA classes are typically capped at 25 students, although some courses
(e.g., the labor intensive capstone course) have had much lower enrollment caps (15
students). Once the maximum class enrollment is reached, the student is referred to the
instructor so that additional enrollments are decided on a case by case basis after
discussion with the faculty member. In addition, if students have not paid their tuition by a
specified date, their enrollment is deleted (although they can re-enroll), thus freeing
additional seats for students who are registering late.
Students enrolled in the MPA program typically meet with the MPA Program Director
for approval of course selections prior to registering each semester. Through the advising
process, every effort is made to insure that students are distributed as evenly as possible in
MPA program courses.
E.
DESCRIBE YOUR PROGRAM'S POLICY FOR INCLUDING DISSERTATIONS, THESES AND
MASTER'S PAPERS AS PART OF THE TEACHING ASSIGNMENT.
The MPA program has not developed a policy regarding the supervision of
dissertations, theses and master's papers as part of an instructor's teaching assignments.
This stems from the fact that the department does not offer a Ph.D. program and does not
require a thesis or master's paper as part of the MPA degree requirements. Under the
current catalog, students do have the option of writing a thesis in lieu of taking six credit
hours of course work.15
However, only one student in the history of the MPA program (in
1981) has chosen to write a thesis. Consequently, this has not been an area of faculty
concern.
15
It should be noted that the thesis option has been deleted under the catalog addendum that will take
effect in Fall 1996.
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F.
DESCRIBE YOUR PROGRAM'S POLICY FOR ASSIGNING FULL-TIME PARENT CAMPUS FACULTY
TO TEACHING COURSES AT OFF-CAMPUS LOCATIONS.
Although the University of Baltimore has offered courses at off-campus locations
(Shady Grove Center and Annapolis Center), the vast majority of these courses have been
delivered via interactive video facilities. Thus, the instructor has remained on the main
campus. Commencing Fall 1996, the MPA program will begin offering courses at the
Gateway Center of Howard Community College. At present, full-time faculty are being
assigned to teaching at this facility as part of their normal teaching load. However, a college
committee is reviewing the issues concerning faculty workload and compensation at offcampus locations.
G.
FACULTY TEACHING LOAD INFORMATION: PROVIDE A TABLE FOR CLASS SIZES FOR THE
SELF-STUDY YEAR AND THREE PRECEDING YEARS. PLEASE INCLUDE ALL REQUIRED
COURSES AND ELECTIVE COURSES FOR THE PROGRAM.
TABLE V-9
MPA CLASS SIZES
CLASS
SIZE
*
19921993
REQUIRED
19921993
ELECTIVE
19931994
REQUIRED
19931994
ELECTIVE
19941995
REQUIRED
19941995
ELECTIVE
19951996
REQUIRED
19951996
ELECTIVE
1-9
1
0
1
3
3
6
2
6
10-19
4
7
6
6
5
4
10
4
20-29
14
3
10
2
11
2
6
1
30-39
5
0
5
0
3
0
4
0
40-49
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
Over 50
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
These data reflect only the Fall and Spring Semesters. In addition, the University uses a convention for registration that
separate sections of a course are created for Interactive Video Courses. However, for calculating faculty workload policy, the
remote sites are considered part of the on-campus course. The latter convention is followed here.
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H.
ACTUAL CREDIT HOURS TAUGHT BY FACULTY: PROVIDE A TABLE SHOWING THE TOTAL
CREDIT HOURS TAUGHT BY EACH NUCLEUS FACULTY MEMBER FOR THE SELF-STUDY YEAR
AND PRECEDING YEAR.
TABLE V-10
FACULTY CREDIT HOURS*
AY 1995-1996
NAME OF FACULTY
GRADUATE
AY 1994-1995
UNDERGRADUATE
TOTAL
GRADUATE
UNDERGRADUATE
TOTAL
Cheesman, Fred
6
0
6
0
6
6
Downey, Lawrence
9
6
15
9
9
18
Durant, Robert
9
3
12
12
0
12
NA
NA
NA
6
9
15
Gawthrop, Louis
6
6
12
6
6
12
Haynes, Donald
6
6
12
6
6
12
Henderson, Lenneal
6
9
15
6
6
12
Lippincott, Ronald
18
0
18
12
0
12
Martin, Daniel
12
6
18
12
6
18
Stenberg, Carl
3
0
3
NA
NA
NA
Swaim, Richard
2
15
17
6
12
18
Thomas, Larry
6
0
6
3
0
3
Florestano, Patricia
*
Wilson-Gentry,
6
3
9
6
0
6
Laura
This table includes only information from the Spring and Fall semesters of each academic year. Courses taught through
interactive and compressed video formats at remote locations typically have separate sections in the class schedule. For
faculty workload calculations, however, these sections are collapsed into one class. The latter convention is used in these
calculations. There are no continuing education courses taught at the University of Baltimore.
5.42
RESEARCH
A.
RESEARCH: PLEASE LIST ALL RESEARCH UNDERTAKEN BY NUCLEUS FACULTY MEMBERS
DURING THE SELF STUDY YEAR AND THE THREE PRECEDING YEARS. THE INFORMATION
MAY BE ORGANIZED INTO CATEGORIES AS APPROPRIATE TO THE PROGRAM BUT IT SHOULD
INCLUDE NAME OF FACULTY, NAME OF THE RESEARCH PROJECT, THE RESEARCH PRODUCT,
THE FUNDING (EXTERNAL SUPPORT, INTERNAL SUPPORT, UNFUNDED AND DATES).
Fred Cheesman
1.
Forecasting Admissions to a Juvenile Justice System with stochastic models.
This research was unfunded and was conducted from 1993 to 1996. The
products from this research lead to a dissertation and an article submitted for
review and possible publication by the Journal of Quantitative Criminology
(April 1996).
2.
Comparing time series regression models: Forecasting admissions to a
juvenile correctional system. This research was conducted from 1993 to the
present time. This research will lead to an article to be placed under review
by the Journal of Quantitative Criminology in June 1996.
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3.
Comparing computer intensive with autoregressive multiple models. This
research is on-going and was funded by an internal Yale Gordon College
Research Stipend. This research resulted in a paper presented at the 1995
meeting of the American Society of Criminology. It will be submitted to a peer
reviewed journal.
4.
Using ARIMA models to forecast juvenile correctional admissions. This
research is on-going and is unfunded. A paper containing the findings of this
research is to be presented at the 1996 meeting of the American Society of
Criminology and then submitted to a peer reviewed journal.
5.
A test of the demographic disaggregation technique for forecasting
admissions to juvenile correctional systems. This research is on-going and is
unfunded. This research has resulted in a paper to be presented at the 1996
meeting of the American Society of Criminology. It will be submitted to a peer
review journal.
6.
Evaluation of co-production service delivery: Nuisance abatement in Harlem
Park and its effect on Crime and Fear of Crime. A grant proposal is pending
at the National Institute of Justice.
Lawrence Downey
1.
From 1992 to 1996, Dr. Downey has been exploring the economic
development potential and policy implications of large stadiums and sports
complexes. This research has been unfunded and has resulted in a number
of papers presented at conferences. Among the products of this research
are:
a.
"Alexandria-One, Redskins-Zero," presented at Western Social
Science Association Conference, Corpus Christi, Texas, April 21-24,
1993.
b.
"The Washington Redskins' Proposed Football Stadium Site in
Laurel, Maryland: A Game of Economic Development Politics,"
Western Social Science Conference, Oakland, California, April 2629, 1995
"The Proposed JKC Stadium and Economic Development Politics in
Prince George's County, Maryland," Western Social Science
Conference, Reno, Nevada, April 17-20, 1996
c.
2.
Dr. Downey has recently begun exploring (1995-1996) issues of land and
economic development in a rural Virginia county. This research is unfunded
and is expected to result in a 1997 paper: "Westward Ho! vs Tally Ho!: The
Politics of Economic Development in Western Loudoun County, Virginia."
3.
Other projects undertaken by Dr. Downey in the 1993-1996 time period
include unfunded research into the structure and duties of economic
development agencies. This unfunded research has resulted in :
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a.
"Local Economic Development Agencies as Project Coordinators,"
ASPA Conference, San Francisco, California, July 17-21, 1993
b.
"The Baltimore/Washington Economic Common Market:
An
Integrating Concept for Competing Economic Development
Bureaucracies". Unpublished manuscript.
Robert F. Durant
1.
2.
Research into "Sovereign Impunity: Politics, Pollution, and the `Democratic
Deficit' in America". This research was funded by $25,000 grant from the
Smith Richardson Foundation from 1993 to present. Products from this
research include:
a.
Book: About Face, (Duke University Press).
b.
"The Democratic Deficit in America," Political Science Quarterly, vol.
110:1 (Spring 1995).
c.
"Public Policy, Overhead Democracy, and the Professional State
Revisited," Administration & Society, vol. 27:2 (August 1995).
d.
"Hazardous Waste, Regulatory Reform, and the Reagan Revolution:
The Ironies of an Activist Approach to Deregulating Bureaucracy,"
Public Administration Review (November/December, 1993).
Dr. Durant has followed the experience of the University of Baltimore MPA
program in conducting outcomes based assessment with further exploration
into the issue of outcomes based assessment. This research project has
been conducted from 1994 to the present and has been funded internally
through a Schaefer Research Chair Stipend. The products of this research
project include:
a.
3.
"Seizing the Moment: Outcomes Assessment, Curriculum Reform,
and Graduate Professional Education," International Journal of Public
Administration (accepted for publication).
Total Quality Management Project: This project involved exploration of the
conditions under which TQM could be used effectively. This project is
unsupported and has been conducted from 1994 to present. Products from
this research include:
a.
“Evaluating TQM: The Case for a Theory-Driven Approach," with
Laura Wilson-Gentry, Public Administration Review, vol. 54, no. 2
(March/April 1994).
b.
"Public Management, TQM, and Quality Improvement: Toward a
Contingency Strategy," with Laura Wilson-Gentry, American Review
of Public Administration, vol. 23 (September 1993).
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c.
4.
5.
"TQM, Organizational Scorecards, and Public Administration," in
Steven Condrey, ed., Handbook of Human Resource Management
(Jossey-Bass, Forthcoming, 1997).
Regulatory Policy Project: Exploration of various aspects of regulatory policy
in the United States. The time frame for this project is from 1993 to the
present. This research project has been supported internally through a
Schaefer Center Research Chair grant.
a.
"Beyond Profitability: Hybrid Enterprise, Service Delivery, and the
Denationalization of British Telecom," with Antony Moussios, and
Jerome S. Legge, Jr., Journal of Public Policy (accepted for
publication).
b.
"The Politics of Growth Management Reform in the States: A
Comparative Analysis," with Larry Thomas and Don Haynes, Policy
Studies Review, vol. 12:3/4 (Autumn/Winter 1993). Note: This article
received the Jeffrey L. Pressman Award from the Policy Studies
Organization as the best article appearing in this journal during 1994.
c.
"Domestic Programs, Budget Outlays, and the Reagan Revolution: A
Test of Competing Theories in Four Policy Arenas," with Teresa
Klusner, and Jerome S. Legge, Jr., Journal of Public Administration
Research and Theory, vol. 2:4 (October 1992).
d.
"Policy Tools, Regulatory Reform, and Theory-Building: Lessons from
the Traffic Safety Arena," with Jerome S. Legge, Jr., Political
Research Quarterly, vol. 46:3 (September 1993). [This is the former
Western Political Quarterly].
American Bureaucracy Project: In large part, this project focuses on the
environmental bureaucracy. This project has been undertaken from 1993 to
the present and has been supported internally by a Schaefer Center
Research Chair. The products of this project include:
a.
Book Proposal: Contract with Jossey-Bass Publishers to produce a
book on environmental administration due by December 1997 (coauthored with Rosemary O'Leary of Indiana University and Dan
Fiorino of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
b.
"Worldwide Groundwater Pollution," in Robert Paehlke, ed.,
Conservation and Environmentalism: An Encyclopedia (New York and
London: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1995).
c.
"The Tennessee Valley Authority," in Robert Paehlke, ed.,
Conservation and Environmentalism: An Encyclopedia (New York and
London: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1995).
d.
"The Department of the Interior," in George Kurian, ed., Oxford
Historical Guide to American Government (New York: Oxford
University Press, 1997).
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Patricia Florestano
1.
2.
Dr. Florestano has continued her research into various aspects of
cooperative agreements among governments. These projects were
unfunded and have included:
a.
“Past and Present Utilization of Interstate Compacts in the United
States,” Publius: The Journal of Federalism, Vol. 24:4 (Fall 1994).
b.
“The Acceptablility of Regionalism in Solving State and Local
Problems” with L. Wilson-Gentry, Spectrum: The Journal of State
Government, Vol. 67: 3 (Summer 1994).
Dr. Florestano has also continued research into issues involving state
government, particularly Maryland State Government. These projects were
unfunded and have included:
a.
“Women’s Caucus to Football Color the 1994 Maryland Legislature,”
Comparative State Politics, Vol. 15: 4 (August 1994).
b.
“Public Acceptability of Taxing Alternatives,” with D. Haynes, Public
Administration Quarterly, Vol. 17 (Winter 1994).
c.
“1993 Maryland General Assembly Health Reform Legislation,”
Comparative State Politics, Vol. 14: 5 (November 1993).
d.
“The Case of the Failed Nomination: Subtexts in a State Legislature,”
PS: Political Science and Politics (September 1993).
e.
Maryland Policy Choices 1995: Public Opinion and Policy Choices,
with Larry Thomas, Don Haynes, and Herb Smith (Schaefer Center
for Public Policy, University of Baltimore), 1995.
f.
Maryland Policy Choices 1994: Public Opinion and Policy Choices,
with Larry Thomas, Don Haynes, and Herb Smith (Schaefer Center
for Public Policy, University of Baltimore), 1994.
g.
Maryland Policy Choices: 1993, with Larry Thomas, Don Haynes, and
Herb Smith (Schaefer Center for Public Policy, University of
Baltimore), 1993.
h.
Maryland Policy Choices: 1992, with Larry Thomas, Don Haynes, and
Herb Smith (Schaefer Center for Public Policy, University of
Baltimore), 1992.
Louis Gawthrop
1.
Dr. Gawthrop has continued his research into the various issues concerning
public administration and public ethics. Among his numerous publications in
these areas are:
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2.
a.
"The Ennobling of Democracy," (BRE), Society, (NovemberDecember, 1992).
b.
"The Ethical Foundation of American Public Administration,"
International Journal of Public administration, Symposium Issue, Dan
Martin (ed.) (January-February, 1993).
c.
"Ethics and Democracy: A Call for 'Barefoot Bureaucrats'", Inaugural
Lecture, Monograph, Erasmus University, Rotterdam: February,
1993.
d.
"Public Management and the Common Good: The Search for a
Sense of Purpose," Professional Ethics, Vol.3:1 (1994).
In addition, Dr. Gawthrop is conducting research into the historical figures in
the field and their impact on public administration today. Among the articles
resulting from this research are:
a.
"Dorothea Lange and Visionary Change," Society (July-August 1993).
b.
"Images of the Common Good," Public Administration Review, Vol.
53: 6 (November/December 1993).
c.
"In the Service of Democracy," International Journal of Public
Administration, Symposium Issue, Kathryn Denhardt and Richard
Green (eds.), Vol.17:12 (1994).
R. Don Haynes
1.
Dr. Haynes is continuing his research into environmental and growth
management issues. This research is unfunded and has resulted in:
a.
2.
"The Politics of Growth Management Reform in the States: A
Comparative Analysis," with Larry Thomas and Robert Durant, Policy
Studies Review, vol. 12:3/4 (Autumn/Winter 1993). Note: This article
received the Jeffrey L. Pressman Award from the Policy Studies
Organization as the best article presented in that journal.
As Director of Survey Research for the Schaefer Center for Public Policy, Dr.
Haynes continues work in areas of survey research. This research is
unfunded and has resulted in:
a.
“Public Acceptability of Taxing Alternatives,” with Patricia Florestano,
Public Administration Quarterly, Vol. 17 (Winter 1994).
b.
Maryland Policy Choices 1996: Public Opinion and Policy Choices,
with Larry Thomas, and Herb Smith (Schaefer Center for Public
Policy, University of Baltimore), 1996.
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3.
c.
Maryland Policy Choices 1995: Public Opinion and Policy Choices,
with Larry Thomas, Pat Florestano, and Herb Smith (Schaefer Center
for Public Policy, University of Baltimore), 1995.
d.
Maryland Policy Choices 1994: Public Opinion and Policy Choices,
with Larry Thomas, Pat Florestano, and Herb Smith (Schaefer Center
for Public Policy, University of Baltimore), 1994.
e.
Maryland Policy Choices: 1993, with Larry Thomas, Pat Florestano,
and Herb Smith (Schaefer Center for Public Policy, University of
Baltimore), 1993.
f.
Maryland Policy Choices: 1992, with Larry Thomas, Pat Florestano,
and Herb Smith (Schaefer Center for Public Policy, University of
Baltimore), 1992.
Dr. Haynes is currently working with the Maryland Department of the
Environment on a project dealing with comparative risk assessment
Lenneal Henderson
1.
2.
Dr. Henderson continues his work in areas related to minority concerns and
public policy. This work, in part, has been supported by a Henry Welcome
Fellowship and has resulted in the following publications:
a.
"Federal Contract Policy & Management: The Small Business
Administration's Set-Aside Program," International Journal of Public
Administration, (June 1995).
b.
"Managing Diversity in Organizations: Empirical, Normative and
Public Policy Issues," in Elsie Cross, Frederick Miller and Edith
Seashore, Editors, The Promise of Diversity (Burr Ridge, Illinois:
Richard D. Irwin, Inc. (1994)
c.
"African Americans in the Urban Milieu: Conditions and Trends," in
Billy Tidwell, Ed., The State of Black America, 1994 (New York:
National Urban League,1994).
d.
"Budgets, Taxes and Politics: Options for African American Politics,"
in Huey L. Perry and Wayne Parent, Editors, Blacks in the American
Political System (Gainesville, Florida: 1994) University of Florida
Press.
e.
"Empowerment Through Entrepreneurship
Americans,"The State of Black America, 1993.
Among
African
Dr. Henderson also conducts research into public and urban management
concerns. This research is supported in part by a Henry Welcome
Fellowship and has resulted in the following publications:
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3.
a.
"The Government Performance and Results Act: Metrics, Marketing
and Meaning," The Public Manager, (April 1995).
b.
"Baltimore: Managing the Civics of a `Turnaround' Community,"
National Civic Review, V.80, N.3.,( Fall 1993).
Finally, Dr. Henderson is concerned with aspects of comparative
administration. This research, in part, is supported by a Henry Welcome
Fellowship and has resulted in the following publications:
a.
Energy Management in Third World Nations (forthcoming 1996)
b.
"Managing Human and Natural Disasters in Developing Nations: The
Multidimensional Bureaucratic Role," in Ali Farazmand, Editor, The
Handbook of Bureaucracy (New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc. 1994).
Ronald Lippincott
1.
Dr. Lippincott continues his research into strategic management in the health
care professions. This work has been funded through a University of
Baltimore sabbatical and resulted in:
a.
2.
Strategic Adaptation in the Health Professions with James Begun,
(Jossey-Bass 1993).
The second research project undertaken by Dr. Lippincott involved directing
a survey of Maryland physicians concerning the issue of physician selfreferral. The survey resulted in:
a.
The Incidence of Physician Self-Referral in Maryland, which was
prepared for the Maryland General Assembly. The Research was
internally funded by the Schaefer Center for Public Policy and the
Institute for Governmental Service.
Daniel Martin
1.
Dr. Martin continues his research into the historical foundations of public
administration and their implications for the development of the field. This
research has been on-going from 1993 to 1996 and is unfunded. The work
has resulted in the following journal articles:
a.
“The ‘Other’ Papers on the Science of Administration,” International
Journal of Public Administration, in press, to appear late 1996.
b.
“From Mechanical Engineering to Reengineering: What Would
Frederick Taylor Think of Modern Management Thought?” Journal of
Management History, Vol. 1 (1995).
c.
"Foundations of Public Administration: Introduction to the
Symposium" and "Competing Motives in the Formation of American
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Public Administration," in a symposium issue of International Journal
of Public Administration edited by himself, Vol. 16 (1993).
Carl Stenberg
1.
Dr. Stenberg is continuing his studies into state and local government and
federalism-related issues. This research is unsupported and has resulted in
the following publications:
a.
“Recent Trends in State Spending: Patterns, Problems, Prospects,”
Publius (Summer 1994).
b.
“How will the Clinton Era Affect State and Local Government?” with
James Knude, State and Local Government Review, (Fall 1993).
Richard Swaim
1.
2.
3.
Dr. Swaim has been involved in research on new ways of using metaphor,
video images and new paradigms for envisioning information. Chaos theory,
dissipative structures and nonlinearity form the cornerstones of the new
paradigm presented in both text and video. A 1996 Gordon College Summer
Stipend will support incorporating data in an effort to portray a literal portrait
of arts policy. The products of this research included:
a.
"Imaging/Imagining Policy Networks: A New Geometry," Presented at
the 1995 Social Theory Politics and the Arts meeting, Santa Barbara.
b.
"Imagining Policy Networks: A New Geometry," paper and video
presented at the April 1995 annual meeting of the Pennsylvania
Political Science Association, Gettysburg College.
Adding multimedia and interactive technologies to traditional teaching
methods resulted in creation of a "bookend video" for an undergraduate
class on central European culture and politics. A Gordon College Summer
Stipend supported this effort. The products of this research were:
a.
"Nature, Culture, Art at the fin d'siecle: Central Europe," a paper and
video presented at the Art-Culture-Nature conference at Salisbury
State University, April 1995 .
b.
"Straddling the fin d'siecle, again..." a paper and video presented at
the Annual Conference on Social Theory, Politics and the Arts, Baton
Rouge, October 1994.
Under contract with the National Endowment for the Arts, "Research About
Artists: A Round table" was developed during the Summer 1993. A Final
Report was prepared for the Research Division, National Endowment for the
Arts, and submitted October 1993.
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a.
This work resulted in an article: "To Every Age its Art, to Art its Age"
Journal of Arts Management and Law Volume 24, (Spring 1994).
ARTSUSA (American Council for the Arts).
Larry Thomas
1.
2.
Research into behaviorally based welfare reform initiatives. This research is
on-going and is in part supported by a grant by the Maryland Department of
Human Resources to evaluate its Primary Prevention Initiative program.
Products of this research include:
a.
“Paternalistic Welfare Reform” with Robert Stoker, Laura WilsonGentry, and Grace Clark to be published in a symposium on welfare
reform in the Journal of Health and Human Services Administration
(1996 forthcoming).
b.
Maryland's Primary Prevention Initiative: An Interim Report, with
Laura Wilson-Gentry, et. al. (Schaefer Center for Public Policy,
University of Baltimore), October 1995.
c.
Pre-PPI Environment, with Laura Wilson-Gentry, Robert Stoker, and
George Rawson (Schaefer Center for Public Policy, University of
Baltimore) June 1994.
Dr. Thomas has also been active in the study of growth management in the
states. This research is unfunded and has resulted in:
a.
3.
Another research project undertaken by Dr. Thomas involved directing a
survey of Maryland physicians concerning the issue of physician self-referral.
The Research was internally funded by the Schaefer Center for Public Policy
and the Institute for Governmental Service. The survey resulted in a report:
a.
4.
"The Politics of Growth Management Reform in the States: A
Comparative Analysis," with Robert F. Durant and Don Haynes
Policy Studies Review, vol. 12:3/4 (Autumn/Winter 1993). Note: This
article received the Jeffrey L. Pressman Award from the Policy
Studies Organization as the best article published in that journal in
1994.
The Incidence of Physician Self-Referral in Maryland, with Ron
Lippincott, et. al. (Schaefer Center for Public Policy, University of
Baltimore and the Institute for Governmental Service, University of
Maryland College Park), September 1995. (Report prepared for the
Maryland General Assembly).
Dr. Thomas also assists in directing an annual survey of public opinion in
Maryland:
a.
Maryland Policy Choices 1994: Public Opinion and Policy Choices,
with Don Haynes, Patricia Florestano, and Herb Smith (Schaefer
Center for Public Policy, University of Baltimore), 1994.
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b.
Maryland Policy Choices: 1993, with Don Haynes, Patricia
Florestano, and Herb Smith (Schaefer Center for Public Policy,
University of Baltimore), 1993.
c.
Maryland Policy Choices: 1992, with Don Haynes, Patricia
Florestano, and Herb Smith (Schaefer Center for Public Policy,
University of Baltimore), 1992.
Laura Wilson-Gentry
1.
2.
Research into behaviorally based welfare reform initiatives. This research is
on-going and is in part supported by a grant by the Maryland Department of
Human Resources to evaluate its Primary Prevention Initiative program.
Products of this research include:
a.
“Paternalistic Welfare Reform” with Robert Stoker, Larry Thomas and
Grace Clark. to be published in a symposium on welfare reform in
the Journal of Health and Human Services Administration (1996
forthcoming).
b.
Maryland's Primary Prevention Initiative: An Interim Report, with
Laura Wilson-Gentry, et. al. (Schaefer Center for Public Policy,
University of Baltimore), October 1995.
c.
Pre-PPI Environment, with Larry Thomas, Robert Stoker, and George
Rawson (Schaefer Center for Public Policy, University of Baltimore)
June 1994.
Research into applicability of Total Quality Management under contingency
conditions. This research was conducted from 1993 to 1994 with Dr. Robert
Durant and was unfunded. This research resulted in :
a.
"Evaluating TQM: The Case for a Theory-Driven Approach," with
Robert Durant, Public Administration Review, vol. 54, no. 2
(March/April 1994), pp. 137-146.
b.
“Public Management, TQM, and Quality Improvement: Toward a
Contingency Strategy," with Robert Durant, American Review of
Public Administration, vol. 23 (September 1993), pp. 215-243.
3.
Research into interest group behavior. This area of research consists of
explorations into the structures and organization of interest groups. After
review at Social Science Quarterly, this article is being revised for possible
publication elsewhere.
4.
State bond rating research. This research involves the use of economic
modeling (non-stationarity procedures) to evaluate the impact of factors often
hypothesized to cause changes in state bond ratings. This research is
anticipated to be placed under review in the next year.
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B.
RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS: PLEASE LIST THE ARTICLES, MONOGRAPHS, BOOKS, MANUALS,
REPORTS OR OTHER PUBLISHED MATERIAL PRODUCED BY MEMBERS OF THE FACULTY IN
THE SELF-STUDY YEAR AND THE PRECEDING THREE YEARS.
Robert F. Durant
About Face? Toxic Politics, the Democratic Deficit, and the `Greening' of the
National Security State (Jossey Bass).
"The Department of the Interior," in George Kurian, ed., Oxford Historical Guide to
American Government (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997).
"Public Policy, Overhead Democracy, and the Professional State Revisited,"
Administration & Society, vol. 27:2 (August 1995).
"Worldwide Groundwater Pollution," in Robert Paehlke, ed., Conservation and
Environmentalism: An Encyclopedia (New York and London: Garland
Publishing, Inc., 1995).
"The Tennessee Valley Authority," in Robert Paehlke, ed., Conservation and
Environmentalism: An Encyclopedia (New York and London: Garland
Publishing, Inc., 1995).
"The Democratic Deficit in America," Political Science Quarterly, vol. 110:1 (Spring
1995).
"Evaluating TQM: The Case for a Theory-Driven Approach," with Laura WilsonGentry, Public Administration Review, vol. 54, no. 2 (March/April 1994).
"Hazardous Waste, Regulatory Reform, and the Reagan Revolution: The Ironies of
an Activist Approach to Deregulating Bureaucracy," Public Administration
Review (November/December, 1993).
"Public Management, TQM, and Quality Improvement: Toward a Contingency
Strategy," with Laura Wilson-Gentry, American Review of Public
Administration, vol. 23 (September 1993).
"The Politics of Growth Management Reform in the States: A Comparative Analysis,"
with Larry Thomas and Don Haynes, Policy Studies Review, vol. 12:3/4
(Autumn/Winter 1993). Note: This article received the Jeffrey L. Pressman
Award from the Policy Studies Organization as the best article appearing in
this journal during 1994.
"Policy Tools, Regulatory Reform, and Theory-Building: Lessons from the Traffic
Safety Arena," with Jerome Legge, Jr. Political Research Quarterly, vol. 46:3
(September 1993), pp. 641-656. [This is the former Western Political
Quarterly].
“Beyond Markets, Hierarchies, or Clans: Lessons from Natural Resource
Management in the Reagan Era,” Administration and Society, vol. 24: 3
(November 1992).
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The Administrative Presidency Revisited: Public Lands, the BLM and the Reagan
Revolution (Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1992). Winner
of the American Political Science Association’s 1993 Gladys M. Kammerer
Award for the best publication on U.S. National Policy published the previous
year.
"Domestic Programs, Budget Outlays, and the Reagan Revolution: A Test of
Competing Theories in Four Policy Arenas," with Teresa Klusner and Jerome
Legge Jr., Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, vol. 2:4
(October 1992).
"Beyond Profitability: Hybrid Enterprise, Service Delivery, and the Denationalization
of British Telecom," with Antony Moussios, and Jerome S. Legge, Jr.,
Journal of Public Policy (accepted for publication).
"Seizing the Moment: Outcomes Assessment, Curriculum Reform, and Graduate
Professional Education," International Journal of Public Administration
(accepted for publication).
"TQM, Organizational Scorecards, and Public Administration," in Steven Condrey,
ed., Handbook of Human Resource Management (Jossey-Bass, forthcoming
1997)
Patricia Florestano
Maryland Policy Choices 1995: Public Opinion and Policy Choices, with Larry
Thomas, Don Haynes, and Herb Smith (Schaefer Center for Public Policy,
University of Baltimore), 1995.
“Public Acceptability of Taxing Alternatives,” with Don Haynes, Public Administration
Quarterly, Vol. 17 (Winter 1994).
“Past and Present Utilization of Interstate Compacts in the United States,” Publius:
The Journal of Federalism, Vol. 24: 4 (Fall 1994).
“The Acceptablility of Regionalism in Solving State and Local Problems”, with Laura
Wilson-Gentry, Spectrum: The Journal of State Government, Vol. 67: 3
(Summer 1994).
“Women’s Caucus to Football Color the 1994 Maryland Legislature,” Comparative
State Politics, Vol. 15: 4 (August 1994).
Maryland Policy Choices 1994: Public Opinion and Policy Choices, with Larry
Thomas, Don Haynes, and Herb Smith (Schaefer Center for Public Policy,
University of Baltimore), 1994.
“1993 Maryland General Assembly Health Reform Legislation,” Comparative State
Politics, Vol. 14: 5 (November 1993).
“The Case of the Failed Nomination: Subtexts in a State Legislature,” PS: Political
Science and Politics (September 1993).
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Towards A Regionalism Policy for Maryland with Laura Wilson-Gentry and Patricia
Atkins. (Schaefer Center for Public Policy, University of Baltimore), Fall
1993. (Study Prepared for Maryland Office of Planning).
Maryland Policy Choices: 1993, with Larry Thomas, Don Haynes, and Herb Smith
(Schaefer Center for Public Policy, University of Baltimore), 1993.
Maryland Policy Choices: 1992, with Larry Thomas, Don Haynes, and Herb Smith
(Schaefer Center for Public Policy, University of Baltimore), 1992.
Louis Gawthrop
"Public Management and the Common Good: The Search for a Sense of Purpose,"
Professional Ethics, Vol.3:1 (1994).
"In the Service of Democracy," International Journal of Public Administration,
Symposium Issue, Kathryn Denhardt and Richard Green (eds.), Vol.17:12
(1994).
"Images of the Common Good," Public Administration Review, Vol. 53: 6
(November/December 1993).
"Dorothea Lange and Visionary Change," Society (July-August 1993).
"The Ethical Foundation of American Public Administration," International Journal of
Public administration, Symposium Issue, Dan Martin (ed.) (January-February,
1993).
"The Ennobling of Democracy," (BRE), Society, (November-December, 1992).
R. Don Haynes
Market Survey Report, Wausau, Wisconsin. (Schaefer Center For Public Policy,
University of Baltimore), Winter 1995
Evaluation Study of Community Assistance Network's Circle Terrace Apartment
Program, (Schaefer Center for Public Policy, University of Baltimore), April,
1995.
Maryland Policy Choices 1995: Public Opinion and Policy Choices, with Larry
Thomas, Patricia Florestano, and Herb Smith (Schaefer Center for Public
Policy, University of Baltimore), 1995.
“Public Acceptability of Taxing Alternatives,” with Patricia Florestano, Public
Administration Quarterly, Vol. 17 (Winter 1994).
"The Politics of Growth Management Reform in the States: A Comparative Analysis,"
with Robert F. Durant, Larry W. Thomas, Policy Studies Review, vol. 12:3/4
(Autumn/Winter 1993). Note: This article received the Jeffrey L. Pressman
Award from the Policy Studies Organization as the best article presented in
that journal.
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Reservoir Watershed Protection: 1994 Public Awareness Survey, With Jack
Anderson, (Schaefer Center for Public Policy, University of Baltimore and
Baltimore Metropolitan Council), 1994.
Focus Group Report for Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Baltimore Urban League,
(Schaefer Center for Public Policy, University of Baltimore), Fall 1994
Maryland Policy Choices 1994: Public Opinion and Policy Choices, with Larry
Thomas, Patricia Florestano, and Herb Smith (Schaefer Center for Public
Policy, University of Baltimore), 1994.
An Assessment of Community Opinions on Merger of Services or Consolidation of
Governments: Wausau, Wisconsin. with Patricia Atkins (Schaefer Center for
Public Policy, University of Baltimore), October 1994.
U.S. 301 Transportation Study; A survey of public opinions and attitudes toward
quality of life, environment and growth in the U.S. 301 Corridor. (Schaefer
Center for Public Policy, University of Baltimore), June, 1994
Maryland Policy Choices: 1993, with Larry Thomas, Patricia Florestano, and Herb
Smith (Schaefer Center for Public Policy, University of Baltimore), 1993.
Maryland Policy Choices: 1992, with Larry Thomas, Patricia Florestano, and Herb
Smith (Schaefer Center for Public Policy, University of Baltimore), 1992.
Evaluation of Programs for 'At-risk Males'. Governor's Workforce Investment Board,
Fall, (Schaefer Center for Public Policy, University of Baltimore) 1992.
Medical Research and Health Care Concerns: A Survey of Maryland Voters.
(Research!America, Inc.), March 1992.
Lenneal Henderson
Energy Management in Third World Nations (forthcoming 1996)
"Federal Contract Policy & Management: The Small Business Administration's SetAside Program," International Journal of Public Administration, June 1995
"The Government Performance and Results Act: Metrics, Marketing and Meaning,"
The Public Manager, April 1995
"Managing Diversity in Organizations: Empirical, Normative and Public Policy
Issues," in Elsie Cross, Frederick Miller and Edith Seashore, Editors, The
Promise of Diversity (Burr Ridge, Illinois: Richard D. Irwin, Inc. (1994)
"Managing Human and Natural Disasters in Developing Nations: The
Multidimensional Bureaucratic Role," in Ali Farazmand, Editor, The
Handbook of Bureaucracy (New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc. 1994).
"African Americans in the Urban Milieu: Conditions and Trends," in Billy Tidwell, Ed.,
The State of Black America, 1994 (New York: National Urban League,1994).
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"Budgets, Taxes and Politics: Options for African American Politics," in Huey L. Perry
and Wayne Parent, Editors, Blacks in the American Political System
(Gainesville, Florida: 1994) University of Florida Press.
"Baltimore: Managing the Civics of a `Turnaround' Community," National Civic
Review, V.80, N.3., Fall 1993.
"Empowerment Through Entrepreneurship Among African Americans,"The State of
Black America, 1993.
The Impact of Rising Energy Prices on Household Energy Consumption and
Expenditure Patterns: The Persian Gulf Crisis As A Case Example. Lead
author with David Poyer and Arvand Teotia (Argonne National Laboratory,
ANL/ESD/TM-34, September 1992.
Ronald Lippincott
The Incidence of Physician Self-Referral in Maryland, with Larry Thomas, et. al.
(Schaefer Center for Public Policy, University of Baltimore and the Institute
for Governmental Service, University of Maryland College Park), September
1995.
Strategic Adaptation in the Health Professions, with James Begun. (Jossey-Bass
Publishers, 1993).
"Interest Groups in Maryland: The Struggle for Power in the Midst of Change,
Complexity and Institutional Constraints," with Larry Thomas. In Ronald J.
Hrebenar and Clive S. Thomas (eds.), Interest Group Politics in the
Northeast. Pennsylvania State University Press: University Park, 1993.
Daniel Martin
“From Mechanical Engineering to Reengineering: What Would Frederick Taylor
Think of Modern Management Thought?” Journal of Management History,
Vol.1, (1995).
"Foundations of Public Administration: Introduction to the Symposium" and
"Competing Motives in the Formation of American Public Administration," in a
symposium issue of International Journal of Public Administration edited by
himself, Vol. 16 (1993).
“The ‘Other’ Papers on the Science of Administration,” International Journal of Public
Administration, in press, to appear late 1996.
Carl Stenberg
“Recent Trends in State Spending: Patterns, Problems, Prospects,” Publius
(Summer 1994).
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“How will the Clinton Era Affect State and Local Government?” with James Knude,
State and Local Government Review, Fall 1993.
America’s Future Work Force: A Health and Education Policy Issues Handbook with
William Colman (Westport, CN: Greenwood Press, 1994).
Richard Swaim
"To Every Age its Art, to Art its Age" Journal of Arts Management and Law Volume
24, (Spring 1994). ARTSUSA (American Council for the Arts).
Larry Thomas
The Incidence of Physician Self-Referral in Maryland, with Ron Lippincott, et. al.
(Schaefer Center for Public Policy, University of Baltimore and the Institute
for Governmental Service, University of Maryland College Park), September
1995.
Maryland's Primary Prevention Initiative: An Interim Report, with Laura WilsonGentry, et. al. (Schaefer Center for Public Policy, University of Baltimore),
October 1995.
Pre-PPI Environment, with Laura Wilson-Gentry, Robert Stoker, and George Rawson
(Schaefer Center for Public Policy, University of Baltimore) June
Maryland Policy Choices 1994: Public Opinion and Policy Choices, with Don
Haynes, Patricia Florestano, and Herb Smith (Schaefer Center for Public
Policy, University of Baltimore), 1994.
"The Politics of Growth Management Policy in the States: A Comparative Analysis,"
with Robert F. Durant and Don Haynes, Policy Studies Journal (Autumn,
Winter 1994): 30-54.
"Interest Groups in Maryland: The Struggle for Power in the Midst of Change,
Complexity and Institutional Constraints," With Ronald Lippincott, In Ronald
J. Hrebenar and Clive S. Thomas (eds.), Interest Group Politics in the
Northeast. Pennsylvania State University Press: University Park, 1993:
131-165.
Maryland Policy Choices: 1993, with Don Haynes, Patricia Florestano, and Herb
Smith (Schaefer Center for Public Policy, University of Baltimore), 1993.
Maryland Policy Choices: 1992, with Don Haynes, Patricia Florestano, and Herb
Smith (Schaefer Center for Public Policy, University of Baltimore), 1992.
“Paternalistic Welfare Reform”, with Robert Stoker, Laura Wilson-Gentry and Grace
Clark. Journal of Health and Human Services Administration 1996, in press.
Laura Wilson-Gentry
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Maryland's Primary Prevention Initiative: An Interim Report, with Larry
Thomas, et. al. (Schaefer Center for Public Policy, University of Baltimore),
October 1995.
Third Year Evaluation of the Family Development Community Initiative (Schaefer
Center for Public Policy, University of Baltimore) November 1995.
Pre-PPI Environment, with Larry Thomas, Robert Stoker, and George Rawson
(Schaefer Center for Public Policy, University of Baltimore) June 1994.
Second Year Evaluation of the Family Development Community Initiative (Schaefer
Center for Public Policy, University of Baltimore) October 1994.
“The Acceptablility of Regionalism in Solving State and Local Problems”, with
Patricia Florestano, Spectrum: The Journal of State Government, Vol. 67: 3
(Summer 1994).
"Evaluating TQM: The Case for a Theory-Driven Approach," with Robert Durant,
Public Administration Review, vol. 54: 2 (March/April 1994).
First Year Evaluation of the Family Development Community Initiative (Schaefer
Center for Public Policy, University of Baltimore) February 1994.
"Public Management, TQM, and Quality Improvement: Toward a Contingency
Strategy," with Robert Durant, American Review of Public Administration, vol.
23 (September 1993).
“Changing Revenue Conditions and State Budgetary Decision making”, with Ronald
Sylvia, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, Volume 3,
(1993).
Towards A Regionalism Policy for Maryland. With Patricia Florestano and Patricia
Atkins. (Schaefer Center for Public Policy), Fall 1993. (Study Prepared for
Maryland Office of Planning).
“An Etiquette for the 1990s Regional Council”, with Patricia Atkins, National Civic
Review, Volume 81, (1993).
“Paternalistic Welfare Reform” with Robert Stoker, Larry Thomas and Grace Clark.
Journal of Health and Human Services Administration 1996, in press.
5.43
EXPERIENCE AND SERVICE
A.
FOR NUCLEUS FACULTY MEMBERS, IDENTIFY PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE AND SERVICE
WITH GOVERNMENT, INDUSTRY, NON-PROFIT AGENCIES, OR CONSULTING ASSIGNMENTS.
Fred Cheesman
Professional Experience
Researcher and Systems Analyst, Ohio Department of Youth Services, Columbus,
Ohio 1978-1993.
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Robert Durant
Consulting
Invited consultant, Committee for the National Institute for the Environment,
Washington, DC, 1994;
Consultant, David Williams, U.S. Department of State, United Nations Conference on
Environment and Development Coordination Center, Washington, DC,
September/December 1992;
Consultant, TQM Implementation, Region II, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1992;
Lawrence Downey
Consulting
Political Base Study, Edgewood Independent School District, San Antonio, 1972.
Consultant to Plaintiffs, Sierra Club et al. v. Romney et al., 1973, Federal District
Court, San Antonio.
Curriculum Consultant and Director, Institute of Politics-San Antonio, 1974.
Consultant to Plaintiffs (and Expert Witness) Local 1617 AFGE v Rumsfeld and
IMAGE v. Rumsfeld, 1976 Federal District Court, San Antonio.
Consultant to Voting Rights Monitoring Project, 1975-76.
Patricia Florestano
Professional Experience
Vice President/Associate Vice Chancellor for Governmental Relations, University of
Maryland System, July 1985-August 1991.
Staff Assistant, President of Maryland Senate, 1975-1978.
Research Associate, Maryland Governor’s Commission on the Functions of
Government, 1973-1975.
Research Staff, Maryland
Cooperation, 1972-1975.
Legislative
Commission
on
Intergovernmental
Louis Gawthrop
Professional Experience
United States Senate, Office of Joseph S. Clark, 1958.
State of Maryland, Legislative Council of Maryland, Research Assistant, 1959, 1960.
R. Don Haynes
Consulting
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Merrick School of Business and Maryland Department of Employment and Economic
Development: survey of business climate (ongoing project with David Stevens)
Lenneal Henderson
Washington Gas Company: conducted economic and socioeconomic analyses of
demand-side energy management strategies and public utility rates, 1995.
Conducted training for the Eastern Management Development Center (U.S. Office of
Personnel Management) on the Government Performance and Results Act,
particularly statistical approaches to assessing outcomes, 1995
Trainer, Powell and Reese, Inc.: Conducted a course for the U.S. Department of
Justice: Effective Decision-Making, 1993.
Consultant: The Enterprise Foundation: Sandtown-Winchester Community
Development Initiative, Baltimore, 1993-1994.
Training Consultant, Maryland Government Executive Institute, College Park
Maryland, 1993.
U.S. Office of Personnel Management: Western Management Development Center,
Denver, Colorado: Conducted workshops on "Policy Evaluation and Impact
Dynamics" for federal managers and supervisors, 1992.
Trainer, Government of the Bahamas: Data and Statistics for Managers, 1992.
Senior Trainer, Richmond Leadership Roundtable, Richmond, Virginia, 1990-93.
Special Term Appointee: Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois: Energy
Policy Analysis, 1989-93.
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Ronald Lippincott
Professional Experience
1973-1974 Policy Evaluation Specialist, Governor’s Office, Governor’s Management
Task Force on Human Progress, Raleigh, North Carolina.
1971-1973 Administrative Assistant to Governor of New Jersey.
Consulting
1993-Survey Analysis for St. Agnes Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland
1994-Maryland State Department of Personnel Training Seminar, Baltimore,
Maryland
Daniel Martin
Consulting
"Introduction to Public Management," also "The Problem Employee." Training
seminar for Baltimore City employees, 1987-1994.
Carl Stenberg
Professional Experience
Director, Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, University of Virginia, 1989 to
1995.
Executive Director, The Council of State Governments, 1983-1989.
Assistant Director for Policy Implementation, U.S. Advisory Council on
Intergovernmental Relations, 1977-1983.
Analyst/Sr. Analyst, U.S. Advisory Council on Intergovernmental Relations, 19681977.
Research Assistant, New York State Division of the Budget, 1967.
Larry Thomas
Consulting
Veteran’s Benefit Administration, Strategic Planning, 1995.
Laura Wilson-Gentry
Professional Experience
Coordinator of Curriculum Services and Executive Assistant to the Vice-President for
Academic Affairs, Eastern New Mexico University, 1984-85.
Institutional Research Data Analyst, Office of the Provost, University of Oklahoma,
1981-1984.
Research Assistant, Oklahoma Legislative Council, 1979-1980.
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Consulting
Training, Maryland Department of Personnel Training Seminar on Managing
Retrenchment, August 1994.
5.5
FACULTY DIVERSITY
A.
LIST THE FACULTY FROM 5.1C AND 5.1G WHO ARE MINORITY, FEMALE OR PERSONS WITH
DISABILITIES.
Dr. Lenneal Henderson is a minority faculty member while Drs. Patricia Florestano
and Laura Wilson-Gentry are female.
B.
PRESENT DATA WHICH DESCRIBE THE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION RECORD OF ALL FACULTY
SEARCHES AND HIRES FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS. THE DATA SHOULD DETAIL THE
NUMBER OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES RECRUITED INTO YOUR CANDIDATE POOLS, THE
FRACTION OF THOSE INTERVIEWED AND THE NUMBER TO WHICH JOB OFFERS WERE MADE.
In collecting information to respond to this standard, we were limited by two
considerations. First, the School of Public Affairs has been able to conduct only two
successful searches in the past four years. Secondly, information on the number of women
and minorities recruited into the applicant pools is extremely limited and is based on returned
Affirmative Action cards which can have extremely low return rates. For example, the most
recent search conducted in Spring 1996 yielded a pool of more than twenty-five applicants,
but only six Affirmative Action cards were returned. It would be hazardous to impute race or
gender from the candidates’ vitae and we have elected not to do so.
The two successful searches that have been conducted in the last two years have
been for the highly technical areas of quantitative analysis and management information
systems. The resulting pools of candidates were small due to the technical nature of the
positions. In each case, three individuals were interviewed for the positions. Five of the
candidates were white males, although it should be noted that one individual was
interviewed for each of the positions. The sixth interviewee was a white female. The
positions were ultimately offered to white males.
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C.
DESCRIBE EFFORTS OF YOUR PROGRAM TO PROVIDE A POSITIVE AND SUPPORTIVE
ATMOSPHERE FOR WOMEN AND MINORITY FACULTY MEMBERS WITHIN THE PROGRAM.
DESCRIBE WHAT SUPPLEMENTAL MEASURES ARE UNDERTAKEN BY THE PROGRAM TO
ENHANCE THE PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES.
DESCRIBE EFFORTS WITHIN
THE PROGRAM TO INCREASE THE RETENTION OF WOMEN AND MINORITY FACULTY.
The University of Baltimore does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion,
sex, national original, age, marital or parental status or handicap in its hiring practices and
the administration and operation of all its programs. The MPA Program is actively committed
to this University policy.
The MPA Program makes every effort possible to provide a positive and professional
environment for women and minority faculty members. This is accomplished in a number of
ways. First, the search committees makes an effort to determine a perspective candidate's
personal interests as well as academic interests prior to any visit to the campus. Second,
when the visit occurs, expressions of the candidates interests are discussed in light of the
overall objectives of the MPA Program. Third, minority and women candidates are given
every opportunity to meet other women and/or minority faculty members on campus.
In addition to salary and benefits, the MPA Program provides a professional work
environment for minority and female faculty members. Minority and female faculty members,
as well as all faculty members, are given release time for research and provided money to
travel to professional conferences. In addition, minority and female faculty members can
apply to the College's Research and Awards Committee for resources to conduct research
projects. Such efforts are strongly encouraged by the Executive Director and the MPA
Program Director. It is instructive to note that the first MPA faculty member to win the Yale
Gordon College Distinguished Chair in Research in the last decade was a female faculty
member. (Dr. Wilson-Gentry).
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The MPA Program undertakes a number of supplemental measures to increase the
participation and visibility of women and minorities. First, the MPA Program regularly uses
women and minority practitioners as adjunct faculty members when possible. Sandra Pfau,
Esq. is currently teaching as an adjunct in the Legal Issues in Non-profit Administration
course. In addition, Dr. Irvin Brown, Associate Dean of the Yale Gordon College of Liberal
Arts, teaches in the program. Unfortunately, limitations imposed by budgetary constraints
and decreasing University enrollments have restricted the use of adjunct faculty by the MPA
program.
The retention of women and minority faculty is a high priority of the MPA Program. To
help in this endeavor, women and minorities are informed of the School of Public Affairs,
College, and University's tenure and promotion criteria. In addition, faculty members are
provided funding for travel to professional meetings, given released time for research when
appropriate, and appointed to important committees in the School of Public Affairs and Yale
Gordon College. The MPA Program Director and the Executive Director also go to great
lengths to insure that women and minority faculty are not assigned advising responsibilities,
committee work, or teaching loads greater than the departmental norm.
D.
DESCRIBE THE COMMITTEE, TASK FORCE, OR DESIGNATED INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBLE FOR
THE DEVELOPMENT, IMPLEMENTATION, AND MONITORING OF THE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
PLAN.
The President of the University of Baltimore is charged by law to ensure that the
University develops, promotes, and implements a successful Affirmative Action Program.
These responsibilities have been delegated to the Affirmative Action Officer of the University.
The duties of the Affirmative Action Officer are to:
1.
Initiate, coordinate, develop, and promote the University's Affirmative Action
Program.
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2.
Ensure implementation and continued adherence to the Governor's Code of
Fair Practice. To enforce programs of equal opportunity in state contracts,
agreements, or employment rules.
3.
Advise the president and other administrators, faculty, and other employees
in relation to affirmative action issues.
4.
Handle all complaints alleging discrimination on the basis of race, color,
religion, national origin, age, sex, or handicap.
5.
Conduct reviews of equal employment opportunity implementation to ensure
compliance with State and Federal anti-discrimination requirements.
6.
Advise managers of utilization rates within the University and relative market
availability.
7.
Educate employees regarding equal employment opportunity procedures and
laws by conducting seminars with managers and search committees.
Seminars include but are not limited to discussion of bona fide occupational
qualifications and interviewing.
8.
Inform the university community of legal developments in equal employment
opportunity.
9.
Investigate new methods for attracting and retaining women and minority
candidates.
10.
Assist in the design and implementation of specialized programs aimed at
the hiring and upward mobility of these protected groups.
In addition to the activities of the Affirmative Action Officer, departments are charged
with applying equal opportunity principles when making personnel decisions, setting goals,
and monitoring goal attainment. The chairperson of each faculty search committee is
responsible for ensuring that the goals of the University affirmative action program are met.
To increase the pool of minority and female applicants for its positions, the School of
Public Affairs has adopted an aggressive recruitment strategy. First of all, advertising efforts
are coordinated with the University's Affirmative Action Officer to ensure the targeting of
minority and female candidates. All MPA job announcements are advertised in the P.A.
Times, APSA's Newsletter, the Chronicle of Higher Education, Black Issues in Higher
Education, the Baltimore Sun, and the Washington Post. In addition, the School of Public
Affairs makes every effort to solicit applicants by actively seeking nominations via personal
contacts, by seeking assistance from the directors of Ph.D. & DPA programs, and by seeking
assistance from NASPAA-member institutions. Such efforts have been extremely helpful in
diversifying the pool of applicants applying for jobs in the MPA program during the past five
years.
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Finally, faculty searches take advantage of the network and contacts of nucleus
faculty members.
Particularly important in this regard is the network of Dr. Lenneal
Henderson, the current president of the National Conference of Black Political Scientists.
Each of the recent faculty search committees of the School of Public Affairs has included
either minority or female members.
6.0
ADMISSIONS AND SUBSEQUENT PROGRESS OF STUDENTS (STANDARD 6.0)
6.1
ADMISSIONS GOALS AND STANDARDS
A.
RELATE ADMISSIONS POLICIES TO PROGRAM MISSION.
We are committed to developing generalist administrators for the 1990s and beyond,
who are capable of dealing with the changing nature of public service in the 1990s and
beyond. As our mission statement indicates, the University of Baltimore MPA program is
interested in recruiting students with both intellectual curiosity and the ability to develop the
skills, knowledge and values necessary to be a successful administrator in the public,
private or nonprofit sectors. In admissions decisions, we use a combination of grade point
average, experience, and other factors to assess the student’s potential to succeed in our
program.
To ascertain whether a student has the intellectual capacity for the program, we use
the traditional measure of quality point average. However, we are also quite interested in the
student’s capacity to acquire the skills that were identified in our latest strategic planning
exercise as necessary for success. To this end, transcripts are reviewed with an eye toward
courses that are considered indicators of success fin these endeavors such as courses in
political science, management or quantitative skills.
The University of Baltimore MPA program also recognizes that grade point average is
not the sole indicator of success in our program. Our program recruits students from diverse
academic backgrounds such as engineering, nursing, and fields where grading policies are
not comparable to those in the social sciences. To manage this dimension of the recruitment
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process, faculty review the student’s experience, particularly in a managerial or
administrative capacity. Furthermore, the MPA program has developed a probationary
admission policy where students with sufficient experience or potential can be accepted and
demonstrate their abilities to the faculty. Students accepted under probationary status are
advised by the MPA Program Director, are assigned to four of our more rigorous courses first
and are closely monitored for performance. If their performance merits it, they are then
admitted as regular students into our program.
B.
DESCRIBE THE ADMISSION POLICIES, STANDARDS AND PRACTICES OF YOUR PROGRAM
RELATIVE TO THE CATEGORIES OF ADMITTEES LISTED BELOW.
1.
Full-time graduate students, including any differences for pre-service
students and students with significant professional experience.
There are no differences in the admission standards for pre-service
applicants and students with significant professional experience. The only exception
is that responsible administrative experience gives additional evidence of the ability
to perform graduate level work for those persons seeking probationary admission.
Students may be admitted to the program in two different categories. A
student with a degree from an accredited college or university who has maintained at
least a 3.0 quality point average (QPA) (on a 4.0 scale) during undergraduate work is
granted admission as an unconditional degree student. Students with masters’ level
work are admitted unconditionally if they have completed at least 12 semester hours
with at least a 3.0 QPA in graduate-level work.
Students who fail to meet the above standard may apply for probationary
admission. A probationary admissions committee, consisting of the MPA program
director and two other faculty members, has been formed to assess a combination of
indicators to determine whether a student is capable of doing graduate level work.
Among the criteria examined are:
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a.
Responsible public sector or third sector work experience;
b.
Outstanding letters of recommendation that assess an applicant's
academic and career potential;
c.
An interview with the applicant; and
d.
GRE or GMAT scores if available.
Students admitted on a conditional basis are granted unconditional status
upon completion of 12 hours of specified graduate course work if they have
maintained at least a 3.0 average with no more than one “C” grade in an individual
course. The courses required of probationary students are: Public Management
(PUAD 600); Bureaucracy and the Political Process (PUAD 605); Statistical
Applications in Public Administration (PUAD 612); and Program Evaluation (PUAD
616). These courses were chosen because the faculty felt that they are courses
which are good indicators of success for the program, among its more rigorous, and
are critical indicators for public administrators.
2.
PART-TIME GRADUATE STUDENTS (STUDENTS NORMALLY HOLDING A FULL-TIME
JOB).
No special provisions are made for part-time students who make up about 82
percent of the MPA student body. Admission standards and policies for part-time and
full-time students are the same except that successful and responsible work
experience gives part-time students additional evidence to offset a marginal undergraduate grade record should they be seeking probationary admission.
3.
ANY SPECIAL ADMISSION POLICIES, SUCH AS FOR STUDENTS WITH NONTRADITIONAL BACKGROUNDS, TRANSFERS, MINORITIES, WOMEN AND DISABLED
INDIVIDUALS.
The need for special admission policies for minorities and females is largely
alleviated by the natural diversity of our recruiting population; namely, in-service
public administrators. Recruitment is a separate issue which is discussed in section
C below. The program has special policies for accepting international students in
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that. Overseas transcripts are evaluated by one of the traditional transcript rating
services and a TOELF test is required.
For students lacking the “traditional” social science or business background
of many MPA students, all efforts are made to evaluate transcripts by finding courses
which would serve as indicators of success in MPA courses. Experience and other
indicators of success are also reviewed as part of the admissions process and can
play a slightly stronger role in the admission of students with non-traditional
backgrounds.
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C.
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
1.
DESCRIBE THE EFFORTS OF YOUR PROGRAM TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN
MINORITIES, WOMEN AND DISABLED INDIVIDUALS.
It is important to note that the University of Baltimore has enjoyed great
success in recruiting both minorities and women. In the Fall 1995 semester, 58
percent of students enrolled in the program were women. For the same semester,
34 percent of the students enrolled in the program were minorities.
The factors in the University's environment serve to minimize affirmative
action concerns. First, we are in the midst of an extraordinary array of government
office complexes. As has been noted by every significant study on the subject since
the 1940s, government in the United States has consistently provided a more
welcome environment for placement and advancement of minorities and women
than has been the case in the private sector. Second, within a few miles of the
University are two predominantly African American universities that serve to provide
a substantial portion of minority applicants to the MPA program. Finally, the assistant
manager of student enrollment, Richard Morrell, maintains a recruiting schedule that
includes these and other traditionally Black universities in the region.
2.
DESCRIBE EFFORTS OF YOUR PROGRAM TO PROVIDE A POSITIVE, SUPPORTIVE
ENVIRONMENT FOR WOMEN, MINORITIES, AND DISABLED INDIVIDUALS.
One method for creating a supportive environment for women and minorities
is by placing members of those groups on the faculty. As is described in Section V,
this has been difficult in recent years due to the recession and job freezes which
have affected the School of Public Affairs’ ability to hire faculty. Over the years,
however, the department has hired two women faculty members. In the self-study
year, the department has one female faculty member who was on leave and
resigned in the Spring Semester 1996 to take the position of Secretary of Higher
Education for the State of Maryland. Up to this point in time, Dr. Florestano taught at
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least two graduate courses annually. A second woman (Dr. Wilson-Gentry) was just
promoted and tenured in the School of Public Affairs. She serves as the current
MPA program director and teaches primarily in the graduate program.
Dr. Lenneal Henderson has been named as the Henry Welcome Fellow for
the School of Public Affairs and serves an active role in mentoring the minority
student population.
Dr. Henderson is also actively involved in organizations for
African American political sciences and has actively advanced our recruiting efforts.
In the case of disabled individuals, the MPA program works with the Disablitiy
Support Services Offices in providing support to students with disabilities. Among
the options offered to disabled students are note takers for those with sight or
learning disabilities, alternative examination arrangements, and interpretation
services for hearing impaired students. In the last several years, the program has
made special arrangements for students with learning disabilities to have extended
time periods for examinations or has supplied alternative examinations.
6.2
BACCALAUREATE REQUIREMENT
A.
EXPLAIN ANY SPECIAL CONDITION THAT WOULD PERMIT ADMISSION TO APPLICANTS OTHER
THAN THOSE WITH A BACCALAUREATE DEGREE FROM A REGIONALLY ACCREDITED
INSTITUTION OR THOSE WITH APPROPRIATELY EVALUATED CREDENTIALS FROM NON-U.S.
UNIVERSITY.
Students who are in their last year of undergraduate work may seek admission to the
University of Baltimore MPA program based upon all but their last semester of course work.
However, students may not register for classes until the last semester of undergraduate
course work is completed. If an official transcript documenting award of the degree has not
been received by UB, the student must sign a waiver which requires the submission of an
official transcript within 30 days.
6.3
ADMISSION FACTORS
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A.
PROVIDE TABLES ON ADMISSION OF STUDENTS FOR THE SELF-STUDY YEAR AND FOR EACH
OF THE THREE PRECEDING YEARS. EACH TABLE SHOULD SHOW THE NUMBER OF
APPLICANTS IN EACH CATEGORY, THE NUMBER GIVEN EITHER REGULAR OR PROBATIONARY
ADMISSION, AND THE NUMBER WHO ACTUALLY REGISTERED. THIS SHOULD BE DONE FOR
BOTH FULL-TIME AND PART-TIME STUDENTS.
In discussing the data for Standard 6.3 (A), a few cautions are in order. The data
files that were used to generated these tables did not record the Admissions status for
students. Therefore, the data on admission type are unavailable in this format. However, it
should be noted that the current probationary admissions system was put in place in Spring
1994, so data would not be available until that time.
In addition, data on the Full-Time/Part Time distinction was also unavailable in the
data files used to generate these tables. However, it should be remembered that more than
80 percent of our students are part-time. Furthermore, our students tend to move between
full-time and part-time status fairly frequently, so a student enrolling as full-time in Fall 1993
may be a part-time student the succeeding semester (See Tables VI-1 to VI-4).
B.
PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES: FOR THE SELF-STUDY YEAR AND EACH OF THE THREE
YEARS PRECEDING THE SELF-STUDY, INDICATE THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS WITH
DISABILITIES WHO APPLIED, WERE ADMITTED AS REGULAR STUDENTS OR PROBATIONARY
STUDENTS, AND REGISTERED IN THE PROGRAM.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to track disabled students in the MPA program. Students
are not asked about disabilities upon application to the university. Indeed, the University of
Baltimore only learns about a student with disabilities after that student is accepted to the
university and registers with the Office of Disability Services. If the student does not choose
to exercise the option to register with this office, then the University is unaware of the
student’s status. In the last four years, two MPA students with disabilities registered with
Disability Services for services.
TABLE VI-1
ADMISSIONS, 1995-1996
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MINORITY FEMALE
MINORITY MALE
WHITE FEMALE
WHITE MALE
TOTAL
Applicant
41
19
28
23
111
Admission
29
14
24
22
89
Registration
25
12
17
16
80
TABLE VI-2
ADMISSIONS, 1994-1995
MINORITY FEMALE
MINORITY MALE
WHITE FEMALE
WHITE MALE
TOTAL
Applicant
41
24
31
27
123
Admission
32
15
29
26
102
Registration
30
11
22
23
86
TABLE VI-3
ADMISSIONS, 1993-1994
MINORITY FEMALE
MINORITY MALE
WHITE FEMALE
WHITE MALE
TOTAL
Applicant
35
20
31
29
115
Admission
25
13
26
28
92
Registration
19
11
19
21
70
TABLE VI-4
ADMISSIONS, 1992-1993
MINORITY FEMALE
MINORITY MALE
WHITE FEMALE
WHITE MALE
Applicant
31
18
44
34
127
Admission
25
11
41
31
108
Registration
21
11
29
25
86
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C.
IF GRADE POINT AVERAGES, ADMISSIONS TESTS, OR OTHER MEASURES ARE USED,
PROVIDE SUMMARY DATA ON STUDENTS ADMITTED FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS. AS
APPROPRIATE, SEPARATE CATEGORIES MAY BE USED FOR PRE-SERVICE, IN-SERVICE,
FULL-TIME, PART-TIME STUDENTS, ETC.
TABLE VI-5
UNDERGRADUATE Q.P.A. OF STUDENTS ADMITTED TO THE MPA PROGRAM
Q.P.A.
1995-96
NUMBER
1995-96
PERCENT
1994-95
NUMBER
1994-95
PERCENT
1993-94
NUMBER
1993-94
PERCENT
1992-93
NUMBER
1992-93
PERCENT
3.75 and
above
2
2.4
4
4.1
5
5.6
0
0.0
3.50 to 3.74
7
8.6
6
6.2
9
10.1
15
14.8
3.25 to 3.49
16
19.8
21
21.6
13
14.6
18
17.9
3.00 to 3.24
16
19.8
20
20.6
26
29.2
25
24.7
2.75 to 2.99
19
23.5
25
25.8
16
18.0
18
17.9
2.50 to 2.74
19
23.5
18
18.6
16
18.0
17
16.8
2.49 and
below
2
2.4
3
3.1
4
4.5
8
7.9
For those students with very low undergraduate Q.P.A. (2.49 and below), efforts were
made to ascertain why they were admitted. In eight of the seventeen cases, the student had
demonstrated the capacity to undertake graduate work by either enrolling in at least six
hours of master’s level work in another program or university. For the remaining nine cases,
the low undergraduate Q.P.A. was off-set by either significant managerial experience or
extremely strong letters of reference.
Although the trends in undergraduate QPAs indicate a substantial number of persons
with less than a “B” average overall, some considerations need to be kept in mind. First, the
creation of the probationary admissions system has created more internal controls than
existed in the past. The decision to admit these students is determined by a committee after
a through review of the applicant’s package. Second, these students receive special
advising and monitoring by the MPA Director to ascertain their continued performance.
The UB MPA program is also attempting to broaden the pool of potential MPA
applicants through outreach activities for the MPA program in Howard and Hartford Counties.
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We are aware of a decline in the undergraduate QPA among our traditional student pools in
Baltimore City and Baltimore County. By expanding our outreach efforts, we hope to expand
the quality of the students in the program.
D.
PROBATIONARY STUDENT ASSESSMENT: FOR THE SELF-STUDY YEAR AND EACH OF THE
LAST THREE YEARS, EXPLAIN THE REASONS WHY STUDENTS ARE ADMITTED ON
PROBATION. ALSO PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROGRESS OF STUDENTS TOWARD
THE DEGREE. FOR INSTANCE, WHAT PERCENTAGE WERE MOVED TO REGULAR
ENROLLMENT STATUS AND WHAT PERCENTAGE WERE TERMINATED AS PROBATIONARY
STUDENTS. ALSO INDICATE THE PERCENTAGE OF PROBATIONARY STUDENTS FROM EACH
YEAR WHO GRADUATED.
The primary reason why students are admitted on a probationary status is that their
undergraduate G.P.A. does not meet the minimum required for full admission to the program.
In addition, some international students who meet the GPA requirements and have
appropriate experience, but have TOEFL scores lower than those specified in the graduate
catalog, are occasionally admitted to the program on a probationary basis. Finally, some
students in the JD/MPA program who have low grades in their law courses prior to applying
for the MPA are given probationary admission status.
Prior to a discussion of the progress of probationary students, it should be noted that
the current probationary admission system was instituted in Spring Semester 1994.
Although the MPA program had a conditional admissions system previously, members of the
School of Public Affairs were concerned on two fronts. First, that students were not being
required to demonstrate, in any comparable way, their abilities to master the skills and
knowledge considered necessary by the faculty. Second, the conditional students were not
being monitored in any consistent fashion or receiving special advising.
The new probationary admissions policy requires that students maintain a “B”
average across four specified courses with no more than one “C” in one of the four courses.
However, it is important to note that university policy allows a student to repeat one course
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for a higher grade.16 Therefore, students receiving more than one “C” among these courses
must be permitted to repeat a course for a higher grade. Students admitted under a
probationary status are advised to complete these courses as soon as possible, but are not
restricted to taking only those classes.
Of the 69 students admitted on probationary status beginning in 1994, 12 have
elected not to attend the program (17%). An additional seven students (10 percent) have
withdrawn from the program after attending at least one semester of classes. As of the end
of the Fall 1995 semester, three students were eligible for full admission and one student
was being forced to retake a class because of an “F” grade. As of the end of the Spring
semester, one student was being terminated because she had received two “C” grades in
the required probationary courses and an “F” in another course. Of the twenty-two students
who were continuing students (had registered for courses in Spring 1996 semester), sixteen
had overall grade point averages above 3.00 while six students had grade point averages
below 3.00.17 Given the newness of the probationary system, we have had no probationary
students graduate as of Spring semester 1996.
In summary, the probationary system appears to be working as we intended.
Those students admitted in the probationary category appear to be self-selecting in that the
vast majority that choose to attend are performing well and meeting the expectations of the
program.
Those who are not doing as well as they would like appear to be either
withdrawing before they have committed a large number of hours to the program or
transferring to other programs which better fit their needs and interests. We also anticipate -
16
In this instance University of Baltimore policy takes precedence over policy of the School of Public Affairs.
17
The remaining probationary students were either new admissions or students which, for one reason or
another had decided not to take classes during the Fall or Spring semesters but had not formally withdrawn from the
program. Among this group of students are the JD/MPAs who only take MPA classes during the summer for their
first two years in the program.
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and have seen evidence already - that more aggressive recruiting will produce a higher
quality applicant pool in the future (see below).
E.
Enrollment/Size of Program: Please provide the following table for the self-study year
and three preceding years.
TABLE VI-6
PROGRAM SIZE
# OF STUDENTS
FALL 1995
FALL 1994
FALL 1993
FALL 1992
Full-time
28
28
32
41
Part-time
128
136
134
148
Total
156
164
166
189
Minority
53
51
53
69
Female
90
99
102
107
Persons with
Disabilities
1
2
0
0
REGISTERED
F.
NUMBER OF GRADUATES: PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING TABLE FOR THE SELF-STUDY YEAR
AND THREE PRECEDING YEARS.
TABLE VI-7
PROGRAM GRADUATES
1996
1995
1994
1993
No. of graduates
34
38
37
46
Minority
12
13
13
14
Female
23
24
22
28
Persons with Disabilities
0
0
0
0
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G.
STUDENT ATTRITION: DETERMINE (EITHER BY TRACKING A COMPLETE ENTRY COHORT
FROM THREE/FOUR YEARS PRIOR TO THE SELF-STUDY YEAR, OR BY CONSTRUCTING SOME
SAMPLING PROCEDURE TO PRODUCE SIMILAR DATA) THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS FOR THE
FOLLOWING TABLE.
TABLE VI-8
STUDENTS WHO ARE NO LONGER ACTIVE*
FULL-TIME
FULL-TIME
PART-TIME
PART-TIME
TOTAL
TOTAL
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
Minority Female
3
60
3
21.42
6
31.58
Minority Male
0
0
1
7.14
1
5.26
White Female
0
0
5
35.72
5
26.32
White Male
2
40
5
35.72
7
36.84
Total No Longer
Active
5
100
14
100
19
100
* These data consist of the Fall 1995 status of students who began the program in Fall 1992.
H.
ATTRITION OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: COVERING A FOUR YEAR PERIOD, INDICATE
IN NARRATIVE FORM THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES WHO GRADUATED,
WHO ARE ACTIVELY PURSUING THE DEGREE AND NO LONGER ARE ACTIVE.
At present, there is one student with disabilities (defined as being registered with
Office of Disability Services) currently enrolled in the program and actively pursuing the
degree. Another student began the program in 1994, but elected to transfer to the Master’s
degree program in criminal justice after two semesters in the MPA program.
I.
FOLLOW -UP OF GRADUATES
1.
FOR THOSE GRADUATED IN THE SELF-STUDY YEAR AND THREE PRECEDING
YEARS, PROVIDE A LIST SHOWING THEIR CURRENT EMPLOYMENT STATUS, IF
AVAILABLE.
Unfortunately, such data is available only through the alumni survey listed
below. However, it should be noted that the vast majority of our students are inservice which would imply that they are continuing in the positions that they have
held throughout the program.
2.
DESCRIBE ANY EFFORTS REGULARLY MADE TO DETERMINE THE REALIZATION OF
PROGRAM OBJECTIVES BY PROGRAM GRADUATES.
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Three major efforts are made to maintain contact between alumni and our
program. First, several offices try to keep graduates informed on developments
within the department. Notably, the University of Baltimore Alumni Association, Inc.
provides a steady source of contact with alumni through publications such as the
Newsmagazine, special events for alumni, and a yearly fund-raising telephone campaign.
All alumni are automatically members, and the Association makes a
concerted effort to keep track of as many graduates as possible. Faculty from the
School of Public Affairs are also quite active in the Maryland ASPA chapter (Dr.
Henderson is the outgoing president and several alumni are on the Board for the
chapter) and maintain contact with a large number of graduates through this
medium.
The School of Public Affairs also regularly solicits information about alumni
through surveys and alumni participation on our advisory board. One such survey
was conducted in 1990 and another survey is being conducted during 1996.
Included in these surveys are information concerning job satisfaction, curriculum
initiatives, and information to be used for marketing the MPA program. In addition,
basic demographic and employment information is collected as part of the survey
questions.
Other efforts are made to receive input from alumni. Notably, the Alumni
Association coordinates annual career days, in which graduates are recruited to talk
to current classes about career opportunities. On several occasions, the MPA
Student Association has invited alumni to speak to the group on particular topics.
Also, alumni are the department's most fruitful source of information on potential
internship placements, and several have supervised such internships.
3.
PROVIDE A TABLE INDICATING THE APPROXIMATE PERCENTAGE OF THE
PROGRAM’S ALUMNI WHO ARE CURRENTLY EMPLOYED IN THE FOLLOWING
CATEGORIES.
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The data in this table were obtained from those responding to the 1996
survey of program alumni.
TABLE VI-9
EMPLOYMENT OF MPA ALUMNI
CURRENT EMPLOYER
7.0
NUMBER
PERCENT
Federal Government
51
24.1
State Government
50
23.6
Local Government
38
17.9
Non-Profit Organization
23
10.8
International Organization
1
0.5
Private Business
18
8.5
College or University
16
7.5
Employed by home country
0
0
Continuing their education
1
0.5
Unknown or unemployed
14
6.6
STUDENT SERVICES (STANDARD 7.0)
A.
RELATE STUDENT SERVICES TO PROGRAM MISSION
In our attempts to educate public administrators with the knowledge, skills and values
needed in the current environment faced by government and nonprofit administrators, the
University of Baltimore offers a number of student services. One of the goals of the current
graduate director has been to utilize new technologies which can assist students in their
career search efforts and as part of the overall university experience. In addition, the
University of Baltimore Library and computer systems have also been utilizing new
technologies in their efforts to assist students.
One of these efforts has been to install a computer system which is readily
accessible to MPA students. This computer has links to important federal and state
information sites on the Internet and World Wide Web. Another effort has occurred as part
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of the graduate student orientation. Librarians with public administration specializations
review new electronic capacities for database searching and document review. Finally, the
MPA director has created a system for voice registration and advising which offers the
students convenience of phone registration.
7.1
ADVISEMENT AND APPRAISAL
DESCRIBE THE PROCESSES USED TO ADVISE/COUNSEL STUDENTS, INCLUDING ANY
SPECIAL PROGRAMS FOR MINORITIES, FEMALES, AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN THE
FOLLOWING AREAS:
A.
CAREER GUIDANCE
Initial career guidance, to assure that the MPA is the appropriate degree for the
prospective student, occurs at the time of the initial advising session with each student. It
can also occur earlier if an applicant call requesting MPA program information and/or
applications. Once the student is in the program, a number of opportunities exist to reinforce
career guidance. First, specific faculty are assigned to each specialization area and are able
to give advice on career opportunities in that area. Also, as described below, the University
maintains a Career Development Center offering advice, workshops, and "Career Days" to
describe various career choices. The MPA Student Association has also been active in
offering career-oriented workshops, programs and discussions. The MPA Advisory Board
has also been used for identifying internships which can lead to employment.
B.
PROGRAM AND COURSE ADVISEMENT
No student may register in any semester without the signature of an academic
advisor or without the electronic removal of a block on voice registration. Program and
course advisement are provided by the MPA program director as well as by individual MPA
faculty members. The MPA program director is responsible for advising all students through
their initial courses. The internship coordinator (a former director of the MPA program) is
also extensively involved in assisting the program director in advising and counseling
students during the early stages of their course work. Once students have completed the
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core requirements, they may select any member of the public administration faculty,
including the program director, for academic counseling. In highly specialized areas (e.g.,
health care administration), many students choose to be advised by faculty teaching courses
in their chosen field. Others have found it convenient to continue to use the program
director as their advisor. In a 1996 survey of program alumni, the preponderance of students
found program advising to be either “very satisfactory” (36.2 percent) or “adequate” (11.3
percent).
C.
ACADEMIC PROGRESS
In terms of meeting minimum grade standards, any student who falls below a 3.0
grade average after completing six hours of course work is automatically blocked from
registration without obtaining a special waiver from the academic counselor in the Yale
Gordon College of Liberal Arts. The counselor works closely with the MPA director on these
cases and will not sign the waiver without the director's concurrence and advice on
appropriate courses.
More generally, students are expected to complete most core courses before
attempting elective courses, and students are regularly questioned about this during the
advising process. Once they have completed 30 hours of core courses (and are in good
standing), students are advised to apply for the capstone course. To be admitted to this
course, students must have completed all core courses with at least a 3.0 GPA. Finally,
students must apply to graduate. The MPA program director checks to be sure all degree
requirements have been met.
D.
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE: PROVIDE A TABLE SHOWING THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO
HAVE RECEIVED SPECIFIC KINDS OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE (SCHOLARSHIPS,
FELLOWSHIPS, ASSISTANTSHIPS, INTERNSHIPS, ETC.) DURING EACH OF THE SELF-STUDY
YEAR AND THE THREE PRECEDING YEARS.
The University of Baltimore provides a variety of financial assistance for students in
the MPA program.
The School of Public Affairs Assistantships and Schaefer Center
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Fellowships consist of a stipend and tuition support. The HUD Fellowship program provide
students with a stipend, tuition support, and an allowance for books. University scholarships
tend to be cash awards only.
TABLE VII-1
MPA STUDENTS RECEIVING FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
TYPE OF ASSISTANCE
1995-1996
1994-1995
1993-1994
1992-1993
School of Public Affairs
Assistantship*
5
5
2
2
Schaefer Center Fellowship
6
6
5
5
HUD Fellowship
3
3
8
10**
University Scholarship
2
2
2
2
*
**
In academic year 1994-95, the School of Public Affairs decided to increase the number of students supported by
decreasing the size of the assistantships awarded.
Includes two students who were supported for half the academic year.
7.2
PLACEMENT SERVICE
A.
DESCRIBE THE JOB PLACEMENT SERVICES AVAILABLE THROUGH THE PARENT INSTITUTION
AND/OR DEGREE PROGRAM TO STUDENTS IN THE PROGRAM BEING REVIEWED.
The School of Public Affairs maintains a listing of job notices . These contain
information concerning employment opportunities in federal, state, and local government
agencies and not-for-profit organizations. In addition, the School of Public Affairs has
developed our electronic search capacities by dedicating a computer for student use with
linkages to major job listing sites on the Internet. This computer has been placed in the
lobby of the School of Public Affairs where it is accessible to all MPA students. Computer
programmers in the School of Public Affairs are working to develop means to make this
machine more “user-friendly” by creating menu systems.
Reference materials, job
announcements, and civil service information are available for student use and are updated
regularly.
In addition to the services offered by the School of Public Affairs, the Career Center
at the University of Baltimore offers comprehensive services to all enrolled students and
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alumni.
These services included individual career counseling, administration and
interpretation of career assessments, workshops and seminars, job listing services, oncampus recruiting and resume referral programs, and paid and non-paid internships. The
Career Center staff assists students with the identification and achievement of specific
career goals. Because the student body is characterized by employed adults, The Career
Center focuses on individualized service.
While MPA students may take advantage of all career services and programs, there
are several resources and programs especially appropriate to them.
MPA WELCOME LETTER: Each Fall, MPA candidates receive a special letter from The
Career Center outlining services, programs and resources that may be particularly
appealing to MPA students. The Career Center also participates in the MPA
orientation to new students.
CAREER RESOURCE LIBRARY: The library contains hundreds of books with information about
almost every career field. Some examples of resources of particular interest to MPA
students are: Non-Profits Job Finder, Jobs in Washington, D.C., Dictionary of
Occupational Titles, America's Federal Jobs, Careers in Government, The Complete
Guide to Public Employment, and Good Works (A guide to careers in social change).
In addition to books, the Library maintains local business journals and
hundreds of files containing information on local businesses and organizations.
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CAREER PREVIEW: A special program called Career Preview is sponsored each year by The
Career Center, the Office of Alumni Affairs, and the Student Activities Office. Career
Preview is a forum for alumni to revisit the campus and speak to classes about their
personal career experiences. Each year, the MPA professors participate in the
program by inviting alumni into their classrooms to speak. In addition, special
workshops targeted toward various student interests are also arranged. In 1995-96,
one workshop of particular interest to MPA students was "Is There An International
Career In Your Future?" This workshop featured a non-profit administrator and an
FBI supervisory agent in charge of foreign intelligence.
JOB LISTING AND COMPUTER RESOURCES: The Career Center posts local, state, and federal
positions (as well as those from corporations and non-profits) and directs students
to the OPM web site and other appropriate Internet resources. The Career
Resource Library computer contains the SF 171 program, ALEX (the Maryland State
job listing service) and several other career assessment and information tools.
ON-CAMPUS RECRUITING AND RESUME REFERRAL: Each year about 120 employers visit
campus to interview graduating seniors and graduate students for entry-level
professional positions. While employers rarely seek out MPA graduates, most
employers welcome interviews with all majors and degree levels. Therefore, if an
MPA student desires to participate, that option is open. In addition, The Career
Center will mail out resumes directly to employers in response to a specific job
request. Students register with the Center and can identify salary ranges and
geographic areas in addition to the skills they wish to use on the job. In the past, the
Career Center has developed lists of MPA graduates and mailed them to prospective
employers.
SPECIALIZED WORKSHOPS: The Career Center will create and deliver any specialized
workshop at the request of a department, class, faculty member, or student club. "
Finding a Federal Government Job" has been a standard offering for the past few
years and is facilitated by a federal personnel officer.
INTERNSHIPS: All students may participate in a paid or non-paid internship. While MPA
students, as a rule, are not active participants in internships during the school year,
some are interested in summer programs or federal cooperative education positions.
In addition, those interested in community service options may peruse the
clearinghouse of opportunities available in the Career Resource Library.
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8.0
SUPPORT SERVICES AND FACILITIES (STANDARD 8.0)
A.
RELATE SUPPORT SERVICES AND FACILITIES TO PROGRAM MISSION.
The University of Baltimore MPA Program offers a number of support services for
MPA students to help them acquire the skills, knowledge bases, and values necessary for
the challenges of public management in the 1990s and beyond. For example, the University
library system offers a number of electronic search services, tutorials on use of the Internet,
the ability to search the entire University of Maryland system library and journal indices. The
University also offers students training in a variety of computer environments from a
mainframe setting, to several micro computing facilities, to a state of the art INDY laboratory.
In other instances, students in certain courses (most specifically the capstone
course) are also offered use of multimedia presentation facilities in the Interactive Video
Network room in Langsdale Library or the Bell Atlantic Room in the Business Center. These
multimedia rooms offer students the potential to learn the latest techniques in presentation
technologies.
The School of Public Affairs has also recently invested in new computer assisted
technologies for interviewing (CATI). Although this technology is primarily for use by the
Schaefer Center Survey Research units, we anticipate that this unit will have instructional
potential as well. Although construction of the CATI system has been somewhat slowed by
the need to provide security for the computer system, recent construction of a secure facility
will bring the CATI system on-line in the near future.
Also on hand are facilities and equipment designed to accommodate researchers
who have physical disabilities. Aside from providing materials and information informally to
the public administration faculty and students, the library also provides class instruction (and
if needed, one-on-one tutoring by appointment) in the use of research materials and
techniques. Classes are requested in advance by the faculty and generally run one hour.
These sessions are tailored to the needs of individual courses.
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8.1
BUDGET
A.
DESCRIBE HOW AND WHEN THE BUDGET IS PREPARED FOR THE PROGRAM BEING
REVIEWED, INCLUDING ANY PARTICIPATION BY THE HEAD OF THE PROGRAM BEING
REVIEWED.
The annual budget cycle at the University of Baltimore begins approximately
eighteen months prior to the start of the fiscal year (July 1st). Preparation for the MPA
program budget begins in late January/early February with a forecast of anticipated staffing
and resource needs. A request for funds to support the MPA program (e.g. travel,
instructional materials, equipment, membership dues, etc.) is submitted to the Dean of the
Gordon College of Liberal Arts after meetings involving the Executive Director of the School
of Public Affairs, the MPA program director, and the MPA faculty nucleus. The Dean of the
College of Liberal Arts, Dr. Carl Stenberg who is a tenured faculty member within the School
of Public Affairs, reviews the amount of funds requested for inclusion in the College's
submission to the Provost, the Vice-President for Business and Finance, and the President.
The President makes the final budgetary decisions prior to submission to the Chancellor the
University of Maryland System.
The University of Maryland System’s consolidated budget is submitted to the
Governor in November proceeding the beginning of a fiscal year, and the Governor's budget
requests are forwarded to the General Assembly in January. Final review and approval of
the University of Maryland System budget takes place sometime during the legislative
session, usually in March. This is about three months before the beginning of the fiscal year.
Following the General Assembly's approval of the UMS budget, the University of Baltimore
and each administrative unit within the University must make adjustments in light of what
might have occurred in the various stages of the review process. Funds are then allocated
to the School of Public Affairs and the MPA program.
Once the Dean of the Gordon College of Liberal Arts makes his final allocation
decision, the Executive Director of the School of Public Affairs, in conjunction with the MPA
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program director and the faculty, make the final allocation decisions. The vast majority of
funds allocated by the College of Liberal Arts to the School of Public Affairs go to support the
MPA program. These funds go mostly for travel, instructional supplies, equipment, and
membership dues (NASPAA). The MPA program has a separate and distinct budget within
the School of Public Affairs.
Because of lessened state support and trends of lower enrollment, particularly in
business programs, the University's administration decided in AY96 to embark upon a new
method of budget control and allocation beginning FY97. Enrollment Center Budgeting.
ECB is designed to provide accountability for each academic unit--School of Law, School of
Business, and the College of Liberal Arts--based on the enrollment for each unit. The three
administrative units will be analyzed for proper funding levels as well. The plan incudes an
inter-center bank which will hold excess funds for multi-year initiatives and to lend to
academic centers facing deficits. There is also a campus investment fund planned which
will support on-time and recurring costs of new initiatives. The goals of ECB are to improve
understanding of budget realities, to spread responsibility to control costs, to create
incentives to enhance revenues, and to establish a "new ventures" fund.
The implication of the ECB process is that the School of Public Affairs and the MPA
program's budget will be tied to enrollment patters.
Since ECB has not yet been
implemented, it is difficult to assess the full impact on the MPA program's budget. Since the
MPA program enrollments have remained relatively steady over the years, it is not
anticipated that the funds that the MPA program receives from the College of Liberal Arts
will change significantly in future years.
INDIRECT COST FUNDS
As noted earlier in this report, it is a policy of the University to encourage faculty to
engage in sponsored research projects. Such projects generate indirect costs. Indirect
costs are costs of administrative support and infrastructure such as plant operations, library,
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information services, and personnel incurred by the University during the life of a sponsored
research project which are billed to a sponsored agency or organization. The University has
a negotiated an indirect cost rate with the federal government of 50% of salaries and wages.
The University distributes the indirect cost funds generated by means of sponsored
research according to the following formula: 30% is awarded to the generating unit; 30% is
returned to the college and the provost's office; and 10% is returned to the department of the
principal investigator. Salary savings for faculty working on the projects are generally split
between the college and the generating unit.
The Schaefer Center for Public Policy, which is located within the School of Public
Affairs, has received grants and contracts totaling approximately $7.0 million over the past
four years. From the indirect funds and salary savings generated by these grants and
contracts, the University returns approximately $60,000 a year in indirect cost funds and
salary savings to the Schaefer Center another $20,000 per year to the School of Public
Affairs.
For FY97, for example, the School of Public Affairs received over $21,000 in
indirect cost funds. These funds are made available to the School of Public Affairs and the
MPA program at the beginning of each fiscal year. A description of how these funds are
used to support the MPA program is provided in the following section.
B.
BUDGET FOR THE MPA PROGRAM
University support for the MPA Program has remained relatively stable over the past
four years. This has been the case even though the University's overall budget. However,
faculty salaries have remained stagnant over the four year period. Because of the state's
fiscal crisis and the University's budget problems, faculty have received only one 2%
increase in salary over the four period. However, the University has provided for some
equity adjustments for faculty in the MPA program over this period of time. (The NASPAA
Site Evaluation Team will be provided information on MPA faculty salaries during the Site
Team's visit to the University.)
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The funds for the MPA program's budget are drawn from three separate sources: (1)
an allocation from the College of Liberal Arts; (2) indirect cost funds that are returned to the
School of Public Affairs by the University; and (3) indirect cost funds that are returned to the
Schaefer Center for Public Policy (the applied research unit within the School of Public
Affairs). Since Professor Thomas serves as both the Executive Director of the School of
Public Affairs and the Director of the Schaefer Center for Public Policy, the indirect cost
funds that go to each unit help support the MPA program.
The College of Liberal Art's allocation to the School of Public Affairs to support the
MPA program goes primarily to cover equipment, faculty travel, instructional supplies and
association dues. Over the past four years, the College of Liberal Arts has allocated
approximately $21,000 a year to the MPA program. Approximately $7,000 of these funds go
each year to cover the costs of faculty traveling to professional conferences.
The financial contribution of the College of Liberal Arts to the MPA program has
grown steadily over the past four years. In FY93, the MPA program's budget was $15,117 a
year and by FY96 it had increased to $28,759. This change was attributed primarily to funds
allocated to purchase new computer equipment for the faculty. Funds to cover the costs of
duplication and phones are maintained in the College of Liberal Arts budget. The CLA has
also provided funding in each of the past four years from the College of Liberal Arts to award
2 graduate assistantships per year.
MPA PROGRAM'S OPERATING BUDGET
EXPENDITURES
FY93
FY94
FY95
FY96
$ 6,329.00
$ 9,310.00
$10,251.00
$ 5,318.00
Dues & Subscriptions
1,810.00
1,810.00
1,830.00
1,963.00
Instructional Supplies
738.00
708.00
1278.00
823.00
Contractual Services
688.00
688.00
780.00
780.00
6,240.00
7,619.00
6,180.00
19,875.00
Travel
Equipment
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EXPENDITURES
TOTAL
FY93
FY94
FY95
FY96
$15,117.00
$20,127.00
$20,419.00
$28,759.00
Over the past few years, the School of Public Affairs and the Schaefer Center for
Public Policy has provided supplementary budget support to the MPA program and its
faculty. For the four year period AY93-96, the School of Public Affairs and Schaefer Center
contributed an average of $8500 to support the MPA program. Most of these funds went to
support faculty travel to professional conferences, instructional supplies, computer
equipment, and computer workshops for MPA students. In addition, the Schaefer Center
has provided funding each year to support five graduate assistantships for MPA students.
Finally, Professor Durant, who holds a research chair in the School of Public Affairs, receives
$10,000 per year from CLA funds to support his research activities.
In FY96, the University returned approximately $26,000 to the School of Public Affairs
and approximately another $53,000 to the Schaefer Center to support the operation of the
applied research unit. The vast majority (75%) of the funds that were allocated to the School
of Pubic Affairs went to support the faculty and activities of the MPA program. In addition to
purchasing new computers for faculty members, these funds went to support faculty travel,
publication of the MPA Student Handbook, and the MPA program's Speaker Series. The
funds also went for student recruitment and retention initiatives. Finally, these funds were
used to support a series of computer workshops offered to MPA students each semester.
For FY97, the University is allocating approximately $21,000 in indirect cost founds to the
School of Public Affairs and another $62,800 to the Schaefer Center for Public Policy. As a
result of the CLA allocations as well as the indirect cost funds returned to the School of
Public Affairs and Schaefer Center, the MPA program has sufficient resources to support its
activities, faculty, and students.
The MPA Student Association also receives funds annually from the University of
Baltimore's Student Government Association to support various activities, including the
Speaker Series and travel to regional ASPA conferences. The MPA Student Association
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received approximately $1500 last year to support its activities. The Student Association's
funds are not part of the MPA program budget and students can elect to spend the money in
any manner they so choose as long as it is within State of Maryland and University of
Baltimore guidelines.
UNIVERSITY'S FISCAL CRISIS AND MPA FACULTY
The University's budget woes began to have a serious impact on MPA program in
AY96. While the University allowed the MPA program to fill a faculty position in public
management information system, the University did send a letter to Dr. Fred Cheesman
(who has a joint appointment in the School of Public Affairs and the Division of Criminology,
Criminal Justice and Social Policy) notifying him that his contract would not be renewed
following AY97. The letter sent to Dr. Cheesman was also sent to all University faculty
members who were entering their third year as Assistant Professors at the University of
Baltimore. The University took this action based upon the recommendation of the Maryland
Attorney General's Office in anticipation of continued fiscal problems for the University in
FY96.
Because of the University's fiscal problems, the MPA program will not be able to fill
Dr. Pat Florestano's vacant position. In fact, Dr. Stenberg informed the School of Public
Affairs that Dr. Florestano's position (and the funding that goes with it) will go toward
University's deficit reduction strategy. The College of Liberal Arts and the School of Public
Affairs are not anticipating any other reductions in the number of personnel who are teach in
the MPA program.
C.
SALARY INFORMATION (OPTIONAL): FOR ALL NUCLEUS FACULTY, SHOW THE FOLLOWING
SALARY DATA FOR THE SELF-STUDY ACADEMIC YEAR:
This information will be available for the site evaluation team.
8.2
LIBRARY SERVICES
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A.
DESCRIBE THE SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE LIBRARY TO PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
STUDENTS AND FACULTY.
The University of Baltimore's Langsdale Library provides the students and faculty of
the MPA program with several services supportive of learning: reference (featuring online
services such as
LEXIS and DIALOG), faculty reserves, interlibrary loan, and book
circulation. The University's library is open 81.5 hours per week, including evening and
weekend hours for UB's high proportion of non-traditional students. A professional librarian
is stationed at the desk for the entire time the Library is open, with the exception of one hour
each on Saturdays and Sundays. The building provides students with sufficient study carrels
and several group study spaces. Also on hand are facilities and equipment designed to
accommodate researchers who have physical disabilities. Aside from providing materials
and information informally to the Public Administration faculty and students, the library also
provides class instruction (and if needed, one-on-one tutoring by appointment) in the use of
research materials and techniques. Classes are requested in advance by the faculty and
generally run one hour. These sessions are tailored to the needs of individual courses.
Additionally, the library's Information Access Services Department (IAS) offers a twohour Internet class (separate sessions for basic and advanced users) several times each
semester. Students and faculty also receive one hour of training as a prerequisite to using
150 DIALOG databases on their own, (either in the library or at remote sites, 24 hours a
day, seven days per week). Use of the online service LEXIS/NEXIS is taught individually.
Among the 150 DIALOG databases which public administration faculty and students can
search at no cost to them are BNA Daily News from Washington, U.S. Political Science
Documents, PAIS International, Federal News Service, American Statistics Index, the
Congressional Information Service's Index to Publications of the United States Congress,
Public Opinion Online, and PAPERS (full-text of sixty U.S. newspapers). LEXIS/NEXIS
provides full-text access to federal and state legislation, campaign and performance records
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of elected officials, and both local and national media coverage of domestic and international
political happenings.
The Information Access Services Department (IAS) provides a full range of research
assistance, from locating relevant materials bibliographically and physically to procuring
them through interlibrary loan. IAS Staff guide students and faculty to appropriate reference
sources and then instruct and demonstrate them as needed. The Library will also act as the
initial contact with researchers at other institutions when answers may best be found outside
the University.
With an eye to the other major electronic information technologies in use today, the
Library has set up four workstations which present indexes and materials on CD-ROM.
The CDS include multiple U.S. Census disks; Marcive, an index to GPO publications; ABI
Inform, an index aimed primarily at business, but with many relevant policy and management
issues; Social Science Index, an index to periodicals including public administration and
political science journals; and a full-text database covering five-plus years of the Baltimore
Sun. Also available for use by appointment are numerous CD-ROMS provided by the U.S.
government which require specialized software and instruction.
MPA students and faculty may obtain access to the Internet -- including text and
graphical versions of the World Wide Web (WWW) -- through computer accounts on
campus. These accounts may also be accessed remotely, using a PC and modem. This
extra capability permits public administration research to be done at home or the job site at a
time most convenient for the researcher. In addition to reaching DIALOG and the Internet
via this method, MPA students and faculty can tap into the Library's Victor catalog system
which includes other relevant databases such as Newspaper Abstracts. The Library
provides pointers to WWW sites relevant to the MPA discipline, through the Library's web
page. Plans are also underway to set up an additional workstation dedicated exclusively to
the use of governmental information sites on the Internet.
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Additionally,
MPA faculty and students can turn to Langsdale's Networked
Information Resources Department (NIRD) for digital media and audiovisual services,
interactive video for distance education, and satellite teleconference capabilities. NIRD's
media services range from providing traditional audiovisual equipment to outfitting electronic
classrooms able to project World Wide Web sessions. The department also offers support
to MPA faculty and students who wish to develop class presentations using video, digital
graphics, or commercial
presentation software packages such as Lotus Freelance
Graphics. Original videotaping and editing are part of this assistance package available
from NIRD.
To harness the potential of distance learning, the University has installed two
distinctly different interactive video teleconferencing classrooms. The first room to come
online (1994) is housed in the library. It utilizes compressed video technology to give twoway audio and video interactively. This system, known as IVN (Interactive Video Network),
can readily connect to any of the 13 campuses of the UM system as well as to Baltimore
area community colleges. By utilizing
the UM System's video modems, IVN can
economically connect via commercial long-distance carriers to any video teleconferencing
system in the world. The second UB facility (1995 start-up) was developed by Bell Atlantic
and is part of the Maryland Interactive Distance Learning Network. This system uses fullmotion video, as opposed to compressed video. Though currently limited to central
Maryland, this system does provide a more robust video service to the more than 30 other
participating installations in this area. NIRD is able to provide classroom support as well
as training for both of these facilities to interested MPA faculty and students.
The University also features satellite downlink capabilities enabling ready access to
programs, speakers, conferences and information via commercial satellite. It is anticipated
that the IVN classroom will be connected to the satellite downlink. MPA faculty and students
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will then be able both to receive a conference via satellite and respond via land-line
communications using the IVN.
B.
DESCRIBE THE TYPE AND METHODS OF COORDINATION BETWEEN THE LIBRARY AND YOUR
FACULTY IN THE AREAS OF ACQUISITION, INSTRUCTION, AND RESEARCH.
To build and maintain the public administration journal and monograph collections,
the library relies on input from faculty, students, and library staff. Liaisons are appointed by
both the library and the MPA Department to insure that the journal and monograph needs of
the department are met to the maximum extent permitted by the Library's budget limitations.
The Library also subscribes to a major automated book selection service, Baker &
Taylor, to provide notice of recent and upcoming publications. The automated profile
dictating which monographs will be presented for Library consideration is determined by
consultation with MPA faculty.
A more informal process is also in place by which faculty can send bibliographies or
publisher's flyers to the library liaison for additions to the collections. New journal
selections and back-run decisions are made through the same type of cooperative
input. C.
PROVIDE INFORMATION ON THE ADEQUACY OF THE LIBRARY COLLECTION
RELEVANT TO THE MASTER'S PROGRAM BEING REVIEWED, SUCH AS SIZE OF COLLECTION
RELEVANT TO PUBLIC POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION, LIST OF USEFUL JOURNALS, ETC.
The Langsdale Library and the Law
Library have more than 300,000 bound
volumes. Of this number approximately 10,300 deal specifically with public administration or
public policy issues (Library of Congress J-KF). Circulation for the public administration
collection is approximately 1,000 volumes per year. In addition, the Library maintains a
strong selection of journals relevant to the field.
The journal collection consists of
approximately 875 titles, of which 213 deal generally with public administration (Library of
Congress J-KF).
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Since 1974, the Library has been a partial U.S. Government Documents depository.
The Langsdale library selects approximately 25% of
available U.S. Government
publications. This collection today totals nearly 200,000 documents, providing coverage of
Congress, the budget, the Presidency, and numerous governmental agencies and activities
as overseen by GAO, CBO, and Congressional committees. Also, since 1981 the Library
has been a Maryland-state documents depository. These collections are tailored to the
needs of the University, listed in the main catalog, and made available for general circulation.
Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the MPA curriculum offered at the
University, there is considerable overlap with other subjects in the collections. For example,
because the University's business programs mesh with the public administration program,
the Library has a particularly strong management collection. Because of the Library's state
and federal documents collection, Langsdale has a particularly strong base of demographic
and statistical information.
The Langsdale Library has chosen to augment its domestic statistical data collection
with such sources as the Congressional Information Service's American Statistics Index and
the Statistical Reference Index.
Researchers at Langsdale can access most of the
documents cited in The Statistical Reference Index (SRI) through an accompanying fiche
set which the library purchases.
The option of creating customized data sets is also
available at the Library when using the U.S. Census Bureau's CD collection covering the
1990 Census of Population and Housing.
The Langsdale collection is supplemented by the University of Baltimore Law library,
directly across the street from the graduate/undergraduate library, and open to all MPA
students. The Law Library collection consists of 120,000 volumes as well as extensive
serials holdings. This library is also a state and federal documents depository and offers
privately-produced sets such as the CIS Index and Serial Set Index as finding aids.
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For research of a more historical nature, the University's archives collection contains
primary research materials from many local government agencies. Collections range from
the WMAR-TV news film collection to the records of such agencies as the Baltimore City
Department of Planning and the Baltimore Economic Development Corp. The Library's
archives unit is in the process of developing World Wide Web access to a portion of its
materials.
While the collections of the University of Baltimore libraries are a powerful research
resource in their own right, the faculty and students of the MPA program also have ready
access to materials not located on campus. The University of Baltimore is a member of the
University of Maryland System. This allows online searching of books and monographs,
periodical holdings, and government documents in the thirteen member libraries of the
system through the online catalog (Victor). This catalog also allows patrons to request
books, monographs, and government documents electronically from other campuses in the
system. Delivery time is usually less than six days. In addition, periodical materials can be
faxed or shipped from other campuses through the interlibrary loan services of Langsdale's
Information Access Services Department. These services provide access to well over a
million book/monograph/document items and several thousand periodicals. Periodical
articles may also be ordered directly by the patron from the Uncover Company and UMI
Corporation, when their databases (e.g., ABI/Inform) are utilized within the UMS Victor
online catalog. These items can be faxed directly to the patron for a fee. The Library also
provides access to the OCLC online system which provides interlibrary loan access to more
than 24-million titles in over 13,000 libraries in North America, Europe, and Asia. Most
materials can be delivered within two weeks of the request.
The Library has good working relationships with a number of libraries in the
Baltimore area. Patrons with valid identification cards may borrow from all UMS libraries,
including the University of Baltimore Law School, the University of Maryland Law School, the
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University of Maryland Health Sciences Library, the University of Maryland-Baltimore County,
Morgan State University, Coppin State University, and the University of Maryland College
Park. UB patrons may also borrow from the Maryland Institute College of Art Library.
In addition, UB patrons may use a number of private and non-UMS libraries in the
area, although borrowing must be done through the interlibrary loan services. These
institutions include the Enoch Pratt Free Library, and with some restrictions, Johns Hopkins
University, and the Social Security Library of the U.S. Social Security Administration.
Because of the University's downtown location, University faculty and students can
take advantage of the various governmental libraries ranging from the Federal Reserve
Bank in the Inner Harbor to various Baltimore City Agencies and the State Office Building
just four blocks away. The University is also on the North-South axis of the city that links
many of its educational institutions, notably Towson State University, Johns Hopkins, Loyola
and the Enoch Pratt Central Library. Due to Baltimore's close proximity to Washington DC,
faculty and students can also gain access to the libraries of various federal agencies.
The following selected journal sources relevant to the MPA program are held at the
University of Baltimore libraries:
Academy of Management Executive
Academy of Management Journal
Academy of Management Review
Administration and Society
Administrative Management
Administrative Science Quarterly
Advanced Management
American Bankers Association Journal
American Economic Review
American Import-Export Management Journal
American Journal of Economics and Sociology
American Journal of Political Science
American Political Science Review
American Politics Quarterly
American Review of Public Administration
Annals of the American Academy of Political & Social Science
Bell Journal of Economics and Management Science
Business Management Journal
Business and Society
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California Management Review
Canadian Journal of Economics
Canadian Journal of Political Science
Cost and Management Economic Journal (London)
Economic Policy Issues
Economics and Business Bulletin
Economist
Ethics
Evaluation Review
Factory Management
Federal Management
Frontiers of Health Service Management
Health Care Management Review
Human Resources Management
Industrial Management Review
Information Management
Journal of Accounting and Economics
Journal of the American Institute of Planners
Journal of the American Planning Association
Journal of Economics and Business
Journal of Financial Economics
Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law
Journal of Industrial Economics
Journal of Management
Journal of Management Studies
Journal of Policy Analysis and Management
Journal of Political Economy
Journal of Politics
Journal of State Government
Law and Society Review
Management
National Civic Review
National Journal
National Municipal Review
National Tax Journal
New England Journal of Business and Economics
New England Journal of Medicine
Personnel Administration and Public Personnel Review
Philosophy and Public Affairs
Policy Review
Policy Sciences
Policy Studies Journal
Policy Studies Review
Political Quarterly
Political Research Quarterly
Political Science Quarterly
Politics & Society
Polity
Public Administration Quarterly
Public Administration Review
Public Budgeting and Finance
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Public Choice
Public Finance-Quarterly
Public Management
Public Manager
Public Personnel Management
Public Policy
Publius: The Journal of Federalism
Regulation
Review of Economics and Statistics
Review of Politics
Review of Public Personnel Administration
Risk Management
Social Science Journal
Social Science Quarterly
State and Local Government Review
Urban Affairs Quarterly
Urban Studies
Washington Monthly
As part of the 1996 survey of program alumni, former students were questioned
about the adequacy of the service provided through Langsdale Library. Most alumni
indicated that the services were either “very satisfactory” (48.6 percent) or “adequate” (46.2
percent).
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8.3
SUPPORT PERSONNEL
A.
DESCRIBE THE SECRETARIAL AND CLERICAL ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE TO THE PROGRAM
FACULTY AND ADMINISTRATION.
The MPA Program has one full-time secretary.
She has an array of support
equipment, including microcomputers, typewriters, calculators, etc. Her duties include typing
manuscripts, exams, syllabi, correspondence, and special administrative projects. In
addition, she assists the MPA Program Director in notifying students regarding the status of
their applications, supplying them with appropriate information, and maintaining student files.
If necessary, the MPA Program can rely upon the assistance of other secretaries within the
College of Liberal Arts.
The Schaefer Center for Public Policy also has a full-time administrative assistant.
Upon occasion, she (and the grants administrator for the Schaefer Center for Public Policy)
has assisted the MPA program with projects. For example, the MPA program relied on the
expertise of the Schaefer Center staff in producing the survey instrument used to assess the
opinions of the alumni.
8.4
INSTRUCTIONAL EQUIPMENT
DESCRIBE THE FOLLOWING EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE TO FACULTY AND STUDENTS FOR COURSE
WORK AND RESEARCH:
A.
COMPUTER FACILITIES AND SERVICES.
Students and faculty in the MPA Program at the University of Baltimore have access
to a variety of computing resources, ranging from microcomputers to mainframes and from
locally networked services to wide-area networked services.
For student use especially, the University's computing service, Computing and
Information Systems (CIS), supports six general-purpose computing labs and two librarybased centers. Located conveniently around campus, these facilities contain nearly 100
Windows/DOS systems, most of which are 486-100Mhz/Pentium class machines. In
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addition, two of the facilities offer students access to Silicon Graphics (SGI) workstations.
The thirty-six SGI systems are particularly suited to browsing the World-Wide Web. The
microcomputers and workstations in these labs, as well as the microcomputers in faculty
offices, are connected to UBNET, an Ethernet local-area network. By way of UBNET, users
gain access to a broad selection of computing software located on file servers, to printer
servers, to an e-mail server, and to Internet services, including full graphical access to the
Web.
CIS provides mainframe computing in the form of a DEC VAX running under VMS
and another running under Ultrix-32. These systems offer a standard library of language
compilers, which permit users to write their own programs, as well as a library of packaged
software--including statistical analysis packages, software for simulation and modeling,
database management systems, and graphics and spreadsheet packages. Students and
faculty may access the VAXs by way of any microcomputer connected to UBNET or by way
of dial-up modem. The University maintains two banks of modems, one for communications
up to 14.4 kbs, the other for communications up to 2400 baud. Using these modems,
members of the University community working away from the campus may also access email and the Internet.
The staff of Computing and Information Systems is available to assist students and
faculty in the use of the software and hardware. Monitors are on duty at all times in the
central facility, located in the Business Center. They help users with the various software
located on the network and with rudimentary problems of using the systems.
Faculty in Public Administration have in their offices Intel, Windows/DOS-based
systems. Each system is connected to the University's LAN and has access to file servers,
print servers, and the Web. All of these systems are supported by the University's CIS.
Those faculty who wish to incorporate information technology in their teaching also
have access to state-of-the-art facilities in the new Business Center.
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caserooms, seminar rooms, and labs are linked by high-speed digital networks, which tie
together an array of sophisticated information technology and facilitate communication within
the building, around the campus, and ultimately worldwide via the Internet. Every caseroom
is equipped with its own VCR and document camera. In addition, it is linked by two fiberoptic networks to central AV services. One network distributes analog AV from an array of
equipment, including a satellite receiver, various video cassette players, tape players, and a
laser disk. The other distributes digital AV from a digital video server. Both the local
equipment and the remote are controlled by a Silicon Graphics workstation, which is situated
in the instructor's podium in the caseroom. Display is by way of a three-gun overhead
projector.
The University offers the faculty two types of distance- learning facilities. On the third
floor of the Business Center is a Bell-Atlantic interactive-video classroom. Faculty and
students located at UB may be connected to as many as three other sites around the state
and carry on classes with live video and audio of superb clarity. Additional technology in the
classroom allows the instructor to exhibit documents, video, and computer displays directly
to participants at the remote sites. On the fourth floor of the Langsdale Library is a
University of Maryland System interactive-video classroom. It offers similar amenities. It also
offers the potential of more simultaneously connected sites but at the cost of slightly reduced
quality in the video and audio.
As part of the 1996 survey, program alumni were asked to rate the computer facilities
provided by the University. Twenty-one percent of those responding indicated that the
facilities were “very satisfactory” while 50 percent indicated that the facilities were adequate.
B.
VISUAL AID DEVICES, AUDIO VIDEO FACILITIES, TAPES AND FILMS.
The University of Baltimore has a centralized Multi-Media Center. The Multi-Media
Center provides a complete range of equipment, including overhead projectors, slide
projectors, film projectors, cassettes and reel-to-reel recorders, and VCR's. This equipment
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can be reserved for teaching and instructional use. In addition, the Dean’s Office also has
some multimedia technology available for use by faculty. The Bell Atlantic and IVN rooms
also have extensive multimedia facilities that can be reserved by faculty. The School of
Public Affairs has also purchased some equipment for specialized presentations such as an
ELMO unit for instructing computer software in real-time. Finally, the new School of
Business building offers up-to-date instructional equipment for faculty when available.
The College's Graphics Lab is equipped with typesetting capabilities, as well as basic
graphic production equipment, including cameras, color key developers, a waxer, and
microcomputers with graphic capabilities. The Media Lab contains video recorders and
cameras, a video editing system, a portable lighting unit, numerous film projectors and
mobile VCR monitor carts.
The College also has a collection of tapes and films which are available for
classroom use. These are usually "classical" types of films. The MPA Program also has
access to films held by other University of Maryland colleges and universities through the
VICTOR system of electronic access.
In sum, the University and College's visual aid devices and audio facilities have been
more than adequate to meet the needs of the faculty and students in the MPA program.
They allow students to enrich their understanding and abilities in terms of the program’s
emphases on being to engage adroitly in marshaling evidence, making arguments and
persuading others. These skills, as our mission statement suggests, are critical to public
managers working the “seams of government” in contemporary public administration.
8.5
FACULTY OFFICES
A.
DESCRIBE THE ADEQUACY OF OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE TO THE NUCLEUS FACULTY
PRIMARILY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PROGRAM. INCLUDE THE PERCENTAGE OF THESE
FACULTY WHO HAVE PRIVATE OFFICE SPACE.
MPA faculty members moved into new offices in August, 1995. The new offices are
located in the St. Paul Street Building. All members of the MPA faculty have single, private
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offices for research and advising purposes. Advising faculty - as well as Professors
Gawthrop and Durant - are located on the first floor of the building. The remainder of the
faculty and the Schaefer Center for Public Policy are located on the third floor of the building.
All faculty have personal computers in their offices.
B.
DESCRIBE THE PROVISIONS MADE FOR PART-TIME FACULTY OFFICE SPACE.
The MPA adjunct faculty share an office with the other adjunct faculty of the CLA.
Adjunct faculty members are also able to use offices vacated by Dr. Florestano if needed.
8.6
CLASSROOMS
A.
DESCRIBE THE ADEQUACY OF TOTAL OVERALL CLASSROOM SPACE AND TYPES OF
CLASSROOMS AVAILABLE FOR THE PROGRAM'S COURSES.
The MPA Program shares general assignment of classrooms with other CLA
departments. In the Academic Center, there are two classrooms, which seat approximately
20 students, available for each time period in which the University offers classes. In
addition, the Academic Center has one former Science Laboratory converted into a
classroom and three lecture rooms, available for instruction. As the Merrick School of
Business has moved to its new facility, the CLA also has 17 former business school
classrooms in Charles Hall. In addition, for instructors teaching in a distance format, the
University has two specialized classrooms equipped for distance technologies. Finally, when
not in use for business classes, CLA classes are also scheduled in the new Business
Center.
Classroom assignments are based on the needs of the instructor, and on student
demand. For example, statistics classes are held in former accounting classrooms which
give students the opportunity to “spread out” when needing to reference tables or analyze
complex problems. In sum, the overall classroom space available to the MPA Program is
adequate. However, classrooms are no longer in close proximity to faculty offices.
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Alumni were also questioned about the quality of classrooms provided by the
University. Twenty-seven percent of the former students indicated that the classrooms were
“very satisfactory” while 69.2 percent of alumni indicated that the classrooms were
“adequate”.
8.7
MEETING AREA
A.
DESCRIBE ANY MEETING AREAS ON CAMPUS WHICH ARE AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS AND
FACULTY TO MEET INFORMALLY FOR DISCUSSION OF COURSE PROJECTS, INTERNSHIP
EXPERIENCES, OR OTHER PROGRAM MATTERS.
Faculty members generally use their single, private offices for meeting with students
to discuss course assignments, internship experiences, and other program matters. The St.
Paul Street building has one large meeting area (the “Boardroom”) shared with Institutional
Development where some impromptu gatherings are being held. The University has a
number of other places, including the faculty lounge (used for MPA Student Association
meetings) and Poe's Public House where students and faculty meet informally as well as for
special lectures and MPA Award Ceremonies.
9.0
OFF-CAMPUS PROGRAMS (STANDARD 9.0)
Does not apply.
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APPENDIX A
SEIZING THE MOMENT:
OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT, CURRICULUM REFORM,
AND MPA EDUCATION
Robert F. Durant
School of Public Affairs
Division of Government and Public Administration
University of Baltimore
1420 North Charles Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21201-5779
ABSTRACT
This article reviews a recent exercise in developing an outcomes-based capstone course for the
MPA program at the University of Baltimore. Chronicled is the way a reversible logic approach to
designing that course led ineluctably into a full-scale, outcomes-based, strategic planning exercise
for the program as a whole. In the process, the department was able to craft a performance-based
curriculum that attacked an "entitlement ethic" among students, that made the faculty more
accountable for its actions in the classroom, that streamlined course offerings and content in
mission-related ways, and that introduced a "continuous process improvement" ethic driven by
constant feedback from the capstone course.
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INTRODUCTION
"Outcomes assessment," "performance-based measurement," and "accountability" are the
catchwords and phrases of our time in public education in general, and in graduate professional
education programs in particular. Certainly, Masters of Public Administration (MPA) programs have
not been immune from these trends, as the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and
Administration's (NASPAA) recent focus on outcomes will attest. Some view such emphases as
passing fads. Others view them as nuisances to be tolerated, to be done quickly, and to be done
with tokenism. Still others view them as appropriate obligations, but ones which probably drive out
more important program development concerns.
This essay chronicles how coping with outcomes assessment mandates can be turned into a
creative exercise in curriculum reform, student assessment, and departmental strategic planning. Its
analytical focus is a recent outcomes-based exercise in curriculum reform in the MPA program in the
Department of Government and Public Administration at the University of Baltimore. Recounted are
the logic, tactics, and substance of this effort as it evolved in the Department during the 1993-94 and
1994-95 academic years.
The essay's purposes are threefold. First, it demonstrates how creating an outcomes-based
capstone course became a catalyst for fundamentally reevaluating what the student "product" of the
program was to be, what was taught in core courses, when and how it was taught, and who would
teach it. Second, the essay recounts how a "reversible logic" approach to curriculum design
informed program deliberations, helped to overcome the natural resistance to change that typically
plagues strategic planning efforts, and helped advance an ethic of "continuous process
improvement" in the program. Finally, the essay describes the substance of the outcomes-based
capstone course that drove these efforts.
FISCAL CRISES, OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT, AND
CURRICULAR REFORM
The MPA program at the University of Baltimore (UB) was established in 1975. Today, it is
one of three NASPAA-approved programs in the state of Maryland. With an overwhelmingly parttime and in-service student population of predominantly state and local government employees, the
program has grown from 113 students in 1975 to a peak of over 250 students in 1980 (an open
admissions policy ended in 1981) to a range of 130-150 students over the past four years in a
consciously crafted down-sizing to improve student quality.
The MPA student body is quite diverse in terms of socio-demographic, educational, and
experiential characteristics. More precisely, on the eve of curriculum review in 1993, fully 41 percent
of the program's students were African-Americans, while nearly 59 percent were female. Of these
students, most were street-level, supervisory, or mid-level bureaucrats, although presently enrolled
and graduated students include county executives and other high-level government managers.
Recent enrollments also indicate that an increasing number of students are coming from non-social
science backgrounds (e.g., nursing).
Over the years, the number of core MPA faculty has risen from a single full-time instructor in
1975 (supplemented by adjunct faculty) to 8 faculty in 1983 to a cadre of 11 in 1994. Moreover,
today's faculty brings a diversity of talents, interests, and pracademic experiences to the classroom,
and includes two members of the National Academy of Public Administration, a former editor-in-chief
of the Public Administration Review, and two former Presidents of ASPA.() Many of the faculty are
also involved in significant applied research for state and local governments in Maryland by virtue of
their affiliation with UB's William Donald Schaefer Center for Public Policy.
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Just as the size, composition, and diversity of many elements of the MPA program at UB
have ebbed, flowed, and reached a working equilibrium over the years, so too has the political
context of higher education in Maryland. Prior to the 1987 election of Governor William Donald
Schaefer, funding for higher education in Maryland was widely regarded as inadequate to meet
burgeoning demands for services by the state's citizenry, to attract and retain top quality faculty
across academic fields, and to attain recognition as a world-class system.
Upon taking office, Schaefer launched a campaign to increase funding levels for higher
education in Maryland. So successful was this effort that a 20 percent increase in funding occurred
by the end of his first term. In return, however, Schaefer demanded that higher education in
Maryland be reorganized to eliminate overlap and duplication, to make it more accountable for its
spending choices, and to foster integrated planning for the state. To lead this effort, the state
legislature created the University of Maryland System Board of Regents and the Maryland Higher
Education Commission.
Neither spending increases nor reorganization proposals directly affecting the MPA program
at UB were long-lived, however. As state revenue shortfalls spiraled in the early 1990s, and with
higher education the single largest discretionary spending item in the state budget, both the
Governor and the state legislature began to rethink, retarget, and effectively roll back the financial
gains made by the University System during Schaefer's first term. Concomitantly, a proposal to
merge the University of Baltimore with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County was never
consummated.
What did survive, however, was both gubernatorial and legislative enthusiasm for holding
programs and faculty members more accountable for their actions. As in other states faced with
fiscal stress, a sustained and persistent effort was mounted by the legislature to have system units
and programs demonstrate the centrality of their missions to overall system goals, to show the costeffectiveness of their operations, and to develop outcome measures capable of charting the
academic progress of their students.
Concern about student outcome assessment was not new to the MPA faculty at UB. For
several years, some had questioned the validity and utility of the written comprehensive exam as an
exit experience for MPA candidates. To one faculty member, the idea of an exit experience was
itself of little merit on both pedagogical and practical grounds. Students, because of their part-time
status as full-time employees, often take five to six years to complete their degrees. During that
period, changes in teaching assignments, approaches, and course content made it impossible to
test students fairly.
Other critics maintained that some kind of exit experience was necessary. Students, they
argued, had to demonstrate that they could integrate, reflect upon, and apply what they had learned
in their course work. The MPA written exam, however, was not up to the task in three significant
ways. First, the questions used on the MPA exam were themselves written in ways that did not force
the student to integrate materials from the core courses. Rather, they were geared toward individual
courses (e.g., a budgeting question, an organization theory question, a general PA question, etc.).
In turn, such an approach led students quite rationally to study for particular subject matter questions
rather than for course work integration.
Second, these critics charged that the written exam approach was fundamentally flawed. By
requiring students to memorize and then regurgitate reams of information (theories, concepts, and
associated scholars) culled from their course work without asking them to apply it in concrete
problem solving contexts, we were testing skills and knowledge more relevant to Ph.D. students
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than to public managers in the trenches. As one faculty member put it, by testing their ability to cite
the literature and evolution of the field, "we were (wittingly or unwittingly) trying to create little Ph.Ds"
rather than public managers.
That faculty would take this approach, these critics argued, was understandable. After all,
most faculty had been put through the same process as graduate students. Moreover, a written
exam was a straightforward and well-understood exercise requiring little investment of faculty time
and resources. Unfortunately, however, the process--in effect--left it up to the students, rather than
to the faculty or to the program, to integrate the curriculum. Too, little relationship existed between
this exercise and what public managers actually do.
Finally, these critics contended that the written exam was too widely perceived as a ritual with
consequences only if one fell egregiously short of faculty expectations. Too often, an "awfulness
test" was being applied in grading, "data dumping" was occurring, and the students had concluded
that the test was more "hoop jumping" than serious assessment of one's skills, knowledge, or
values. As a result, a widespread "entitlement ethic" was reinforced among students: "If I passed
the course work and I paid tuition for all these years, I'm entitled to the degree."
One obvious option, of course, was to reconfigure the MPA comprehensive exam to require
integration of materials, to raise grading standards, and to write more demanding questions.
Indeed, the faculty ultimately decided to try this approach. Simultaneously, however, the department
also decided to run a parallel outcomes-based capstone course during the 1994-1995 academic
year. Once completed, the relative merits of the two exercises would be assessed. At that point, the
faculty would either drop both exercises as inadequate or select one as the program's exit
experience.
THE ANATOMY OF A REFORM EFFORT
With the Chancellor's accountability efforts heating up, with the Governor and the Maryland
General Assembly repeatedly turning to higher education for spending cuts, and with a NASPAA
self-study year only two academic years away, the department head appointed a three-person
faculty committee in the Spring of 1992 to examine the MPA exit experience and to make
recommendations to the faculty. The MPA Exam Committee (referred to hereafter as the MEC)
agreed that membership should be extended to the president of the MPA Student Association, as
well as to members of the MPA Advisory Board. Students were also encouraged to take part directly
in two "town hall" meetings on the subject. Those who could not attend were urged to write directly
to any faculty or student member of the committee to express their opinions, concerns, and
suggestions.
Into the Bog
In charging the MEC, the department head enunciated five inviolable constraints on the
committee's work product. First, whatever exit experience the MEC devised could not add additional
hours to the curriculum that might depress enrollments. In effect, this "no-net-gain" in course hours
policy meant that adding a capstone course meant making cuts in other areas of the core
curriculum. Second, the exercise could not impose unreasonable time and resource requirements
upon department members. Third, faculty responsibility for the exit exercise had to be equitably
shared. Thus, the exit experience could not be "owned" by any particular faculty member, could not
be beyond the capacity of any faculty member to teach, or be too onerous to be attractive for anyone
to instruct. Fourth, any exit experience had to be consistent with guidelines imposed by NASPAA.
Finally, students "caught" in the transition to a new system would have to be treated fairly--i.e., in
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ways that adequately took into account the requirements for graduation stipulated in the UB
catalogue for the year they entered the MPA program.
Ultimately, the MEC dismissed a variety of faculty and student suggestions for outcomes
assessments as insufficiently broad, nuanced, or implementable to comprehensively and realistically
assess student competencies in a real-world setting or simulation. These included: a team-taught
seminar revisiting the issues taught in the core curriculum; a research paper on a particular topic; a
rotating topic each semester taught by different faculty members; and no exit experience at all.
Instead, the Committee settled on a semester-long capstone course that would simulate agency
problem solving in ways assessing the list of core literacies identified in Exhibit I. These literacies
were determined by examining NASPAA-identified competencies, by reviewing studies conducted by
public management scholars, and by mining the perspectives of current faculty, present and former
in-service students, and the department's MPA Advisory Board. ()
Members of the Committee quickly realized that they were doing more than developing how
a capstone course would run if they took the charge seriously to create a meaningful outcomesbased experience, especially within the context of a "no-net-gain" constraint. But even without the
latter constraint, any capstone course devoted to true outcomes assessment would have major
consequences for the substance, teaching approaches, and testing which transpired in all the core
courses. Obviously, whatever skills, knowledge, and values "assessed" after students completed
the core curriculum would have to be routinely provided, honed, and tested during that course work.
EXHIBIT I
Managerial Competencies
Meta-Skills
Written and Oral
Communication
Problem Solving
Interpersonal Skills
Creative Thinking
Managing Diverse
Workforce
Creative Thinking
Tolerance for Ambiguity
Decisiveness
Leadership
Conflict Management
Self-Direction
Negotiating
Flexibility in the
Face of Change
Planning and Evaluation
Financial Management
Human Resources
Client Orientation
Understanding of
Societal Institutions
Team Building
Information Resources Management
Understanding Intraorganizational
Dynamics
Technical Competencies
Working the Seams of
Government
Ethical and Legal Sensitivity
Micro-Skills for Subfields
Evidence, Arguments, and Persuasion
Express Facts and Ideas
Succinctly and in
Organized Ways
Define and Frame
Problems Cogently
Take a Long-Term
Strategic View of
Socio-Economic and
Understand the
Critical Self and
Logic, Assumptions, Organizational
and Ethics of Decision
Reflection
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External Political Forces
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Sensitive to Issues of Cultural
Diversity
Spot Environmental Opportunities
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Political Trends
Analytical Techniques
Skills for Setting Goals,
Institutionalizing Purpose,
Dealing with Intrabureaucratic Conflict, and Protecting Against Bureaucratic
Imperialism
Open to Change and
New Information
Skills for Organizational
Development
Know How to Apply Organizational
`Levers' for Cultural Change
Effectively Deal with Facility with Coaching,
Dealing with Third Party
Move Organization Toward OutcomesPressures (e.g., Deadlines,
Mentoring, and Challenging Providers of Services
Based Performance Measurement (when
Unexpected Obstacles)
Subordinates
in Non-hierarchical Setapplicable)
tings (e.g., state and
local government agencies,
contractors, nonprofits)
Ability to Develop Networks and Coalitions
for Action both Within
and Across Organizations
Negotiating Skills with
Colleagues and Clients
Predicated on ExpertiseBased Solutions to
Mutually Defined Problems
Monitoring Skills to
Measure and Evaluate
Progress and Outcomes of
Operational Plans
Committed to Quality
Devise Internal Control
Mechanisms to Ensure the
Internal Integrity (Legal,
Ethical, Financial, etc.)
of Organizational Operations and Programs
Understand the Unique
Role of Public Managers in
a Democratic Society as Per
the Values Associated with
the Managerial, Political,
Legal, and Marketized
Traditions of Public
Administration
Understand the Impact of
Emerging Technologies on
Agency Operations, and
Seek to Relate These
Developments to Strategic
Thinking and Program
Effectiveness
Understand when Decentralization
to Empower Employees is Appropriate
In addition, fairness required that students be alerted to these heightened performance
expectations as soon as they entered the program. Only then could existing student cultures begin
to change, could students understand why they were taking the core courses they were taking, and
could they be able to hold faculty accountable for providing the skills, knowledge, and values tested
in the capstone course. To accomplish these ends, some on the Committee argued for both a
capstone course at the end of the program and a one to two day-long orientation for entering
students. The orientation proposal, while eventually recommended to the full faculty, failed to
generate sufficient support until it was subsequently reintroduced by proponents to help overcome a
stalemate on other matters among public management faculty (see below).
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Backward Mapping: Beginning at the End
The central issue in the MEC's deliberations was one faced by any program considering an
outcomes based evaluation of its students: how does one identify the kinds of knowledge, skills, and
values to evaluate in any capstone course? To answer this question, the MEC implicitly adapted a
"backward mapping" analytical approach culled from the policy implementation literature. As
described by Richard Elmore() as a tool for public policy design, backward mapping requires
analysts, first, to identify the kinds of behavioral outcomes they wish to see. Next, they determine
what kinds of parameters or contingencies affect the realization of these outcomes, and who or what
can affect these parameters or contingencies. Finally, they determine how resources can be
targeted to allow these actors to make decisions which advance the outcomes selected.
Thus, backward mapping required the MEC to start by identifying what the "behavioral
outcome" or student "product" of the program would look like. More precisely, what skills,
knowledge bases, and values should our students have to function in today's blame rich and credit
poor public service? After identifying these skills, the MEC had to determine if, where, and in what
manner to teach these skills in the core curriculum. If they were taught already, the Committee had
to examine how much overlap or repetitiveness existed (e.g., in readings and topics) in the teaching
of these components across the curriculum.
To be sure, some repetitiveness--as well as the diverse perspectives afforded by different
professors covering the same material--can benefit students immeasurably. Thus, the issue for the
MEC was not merely to find redundancy and to eliminate it. Rather, backward mapping required the
Committee to evaluate duplication along two dimensions: opportunity costs and value-addedness.
Was redundancy preventing the program from imparting other knowledge, skills, or values deemed
critical for managerial success? In each instance of repetition, what value was added to the
student's professional development? If the answers to these questions were "yes" and "none,"
respectively, curriculum "slack" existed that could be put to better use. Thus, in all cases, the
burden of proof for retaining redundancy fell on proponents to demonstrate value-addedness rather
than on opponents to justify cuts. At the other extreme, if certain knowledge, skill, and value bases
deemed vital were not being taught in the curriculum, the MEC's next step was to determine what
factors (or parameters) were precluding their introduction (e.g., resources, faculty skills, oversight, or
resistance), how tractable these factors were, and if and how they might be overcome.
As is probably evident, the backward mapping approach to curriculum development can be a
threatening process for faculty. Applying it, for example, can reveal that students need certain skills
that existing faculty presently do not have (e.g., skills in MIS or operations research), are unwilling to
teach, have no time to teach, or will have to add courses to include. At the same time, backward
mapping can also reveal significant amounts of non-value-added repetition in topical coverage
across the curriculum. And alas, eliminating non-value-added redundancy and taking a holistic,
rather than a particularistic, look at the curriculum is often perceived as violating norms of academic
freedom in the classroom.
Consequently, curricular design or redesign is typically approached more gingerly by taking
an approach with striking similarities to what policy implementation scholars term "forward mapping"
(see reference #2). As portrayed by Elmore, a forward mapping approach to policy design starts
with decision makers identifying an intention, aspiration, or goal. Then, they identify the assemblyline structure of actors, institutions, or processes which have a legitimate stake in contributing to
these ends. Forward mapping concludes with participants trying to anticipate where, how, and when
efforts can be directed to ensure that each of these contributions are made.
The status quo, compartmentalized, and turf-reinforcing aspects of forward mapping are
striking in the way this approach is usually practiced in academic settings. Faculty members
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typically start by listing the courses in the core curriculum (the status quo). This immediately
prompts faculty to think in terms of the impact of reform on "their" courses. With each respecting
each other's course "ownership" in an implicit quid pro quo arrangement, faculty members then look
for obvious gaps in the scope, metes, and bounds of the existing curriculum, either add or lament
why they cannot add a new course to cover any missing areas, and then run to the dean looking for
new positions to fill their unmet needs. Diminished, in the process, is an important sense of
collective responsibility for the kind and quality of student the program certifies as professionally
competent.
This is not to suggest that forward mapping should be avoided in a curriculum review
exercise geared toward outcomes assessment. Nor is it to imply that backward mapping alone is a
sufficient approach. Rather, both must be done iteratively in order for a complete picture of a
program's student "product" to emerge. Relatedly, both must be pursued if faculty are to determine
accurately where and how that student can acquire the requisite skills, knowledge, and values
identified. Finally, both forward and backward mapping are necessary for determining how an exit
experience can best assess students on these qualities, as well as for determining where likely
resistance or obstacles to change may arise. For simplicity, Elmore (1985) refers to deliberations
combining both these perspectives as exercises in "reversible logic."
A House Divided
But how is this exercise in reversible logic to be organized in order to identify what to test in
the capstone course? MEC members decided that convening the faculty as a whole to conduct the
exercise would be too unwieldy to make progress. Consequently, the MEC decided to break the
curriculum into three clusters of existing courses: public management, analytical techniques, and PA
and Democracy. Faculty teaching courses in these clusters were assigned to each group, asked to
identify the kinds of skills, knowledge, and values that students taking their cluster of courses should
be able to demonstrate in the capstone, and to determine how these might be best assessed.
To ensure against the turf problems noted above, each cluster was assured that existing
courses and course content did not exist anymore. They were to rebuild courses and course
content from the ground up once they agreed on the literacies to be taught, with existing course
hours the maximum they had to play with. Indeed, under the "no net gain" rule, it was preferable for
them to find hours to cut in order to add the necessary hours for the capstone course. It did not
matter which course(s) offered the skills, knowledge, and value bases sought, as long as they were
covered somewhere in the curriculum. Finally, to put the exercise in a more positive light, the MEC
portrayed it as a way for faculty to figure out how to do things related to their areas of expertise that
were presently precluded by time or resource limitations.
The clusters were given four months to report back to the general faculty with their
recommendations. At that "meeting of the whole," the clusters presented, defended, and received
suggestions from the other clusters. They then reconvened to revisit the issues raised in their
"dialogue" with the department before issuing a final proposal.
As Exhibit II portrays for the public management and the PA and Democracy clusters, one of
the most significant benefits of the cluster reports was the overlap in course content revealed by
placing them side-by-side. Most striking throughout the curriculum was a decided tendency to focus
on the "politics of" the subfields (e.g., budgeting, personnel, policy analysis). This would not have
been a problem were it not that these diagnostic and strategic skills represented only a small
fraction of the competencies listed previously in Exhibit I.
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Comparing and contrasting the cluster reports also revealed that faculty members did not
share a clear vision of what the program's student "product" should be. Indeed, two widely distinct
models were culled from the exercise. Some wanted students to become more strategically and
entrepreneurially grounded in order to "work the seams of government" in an era of fiscal stress,
cutback management, reinventing government, diverse work forces, and marketized public
administration. As such, they wished to produce MPA graduates well-versed in, and capable of
strategically and creatively using, such techniques as strategic planning, managerial control
functions, revenue and expenditure forecasting, productivity measurement, reengineering
government bureaucracies, and total quality management.
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EXHIBIT II
Comparison of Cluster Reports
(Public Management and PA and Democracy)
Public Management Cluster
Scope
Public Management's Relationship to:
Operation of Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches of Government; Clientele Groups; the Political
System; Other Governmental Jurisdictions; Society-at-Large.
Focus
What Responsibilities Does Public Management Assume in:
The Policy Process; Accountability; the Democratic Process; Defining Itself as a Profession.
Functions
How Public Management is Affected and Effected By:
Organizational Design; Budgetary Decisions; Personnel Procedures.
Methods What are the Basic Methods Needed to Assess Past Performance, Monitor Present Responsibilities, and Plan for the
Future:
Historical-Descriptive; Statistical; Analytical; Normative.
Public Administration and Democracy Cluster
Statement of
Purpose
Students leaving this cluster should understand that (1) a fundamental dilemma of the contemporary
administrative state is how best to reconcile bureaucracy with democracy; (2) the quest to reconcile
bureaucracy and democracy has created an accountability system (the administrative orthodoxy) that produces
individual rationality, collective irrationality, and the ascendancy of particularistic rather than majoritarian
interests in society; (3) this quest gets caught up in a battle for control of the bureaucracy among the chief
executive, the legislature, and the courts that sorely complicates the job of the public manager; and thus (4) a
strategic, entrepreneurially-based, and constitutionally grounded application of expertise in service to the
values we cherish in a democracy is the appropriate role of public managers.
Rationale Each student completing this cluster of courses should obtain skills necessary for appreciating, anticipating, and dealing
strategically with "Running a Constitution" (Rohr, 1986). As such, students should be able to demonstrate
skills relating to how these will affect their decisions and actions, and how best to deal with them in ethically
and constitutionally valued ways.
Skills
Students should be able to do the following:
Force-field analysis of the power setting of a public organization; Ascertain the political economy of a public
organization; Perform an implementation structure analysis; Develop political strategies based on these
analyses; Scenario writing; Forward and backward implementation analysis; Searches of the federal register,
legislative histories, court cases; Take an administrative situation, analyze it, and make recommendations
concerning the legal/constitutional/due process and ethical implications of alternative courses of action;
Operationalize strategic information management to support and inform strategic planning and implementation
exercises; Qualitative and quantitative decision heuristics such as nominal group techniques, brainstorming,
devil's advocate, delphi, etc..
Others, while not opposed to these techniques, were less sanguine about elements of the
pedagogical approach outlined by proponents. Some among the skeptics argued that, as
presented, these techniques smacked too much of a misguided "one-best-way," "principles," or
generic approach to management, an approach more suited to business schools than to public
administration programs. Others worried that such techniques might be taught without placing them
in the context of the discipline's historical evolution. And still others worried that traditional
constitutional, legal, and democratic values (e.g., equity, responsiveness, accountability, etc.) would
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be lost in our rush to educate more "entrepreneurial" public managers. To borrow John Rohr's (1)
terminology, students were "running a constitution," not a business. (1)
Meanwhile, faculty in the Analytical cluster were grappling with similar issues. To be sure,
the cluster evidenced little overlap with the others in terms of identified literacies. However,
consensus eluded members about how knowledgeable and skillful graduates should be, about how
these skills and knowledge bases could be taught most effectively, and about how best to save
course hours in the process. To what extent did students completing this cluster of courses need to
know the "pen and pencil" mathematics of various statistical techniques, as opposed to merely
knowing their logic? How much philosophy of science did an MPA graduate need? Should
graduates be "practitioners," as opposed to "critical consumers," of sophisticated decision analytical
techniques? To what extent were traditional social science research techniques in the curriculum
eclipsing in emphasis more managerially salient decision analytical techniques (e.g., PERT, CPM,
benefit/cost analysis, information resource management)? Could room be made in the core
curriculum to do both, with pedagogical integrity, and in ways amenable to testing in the capstone
course?
In effect, the faculty had reached the most difficult aspect of any serious effort at curriculum
reform and outcomes assessment in an MPA program: what is public management, what literacies
and philosophical groundings do public managers need to have to do the public's business
effectively, and how can we provide these skill, knowledge, and value bases most effectively?
Arguably, it is not until this question is dealt with in terms of a program's market niche that it can
seriously design outcomes-based experiences testing student progress toward desired goals. What
is more, answering this question necessarily requires a program to do what many excoriate public
agencies for not doing--viz., strategic planning.
Forward Mapping: Restarting from the Middle
One way to approach strategic planning is to charge a committee, first, with designing a
mission statement for a program, and then to operationalize it in course work. In UB's case, the
committee's task--implicit or explicit--would then be to answer one fundamental question: "What
should employers expect in the way of knowledge, skills, and values when they hire or promote
someone with an MPA degree from the University of Baltimore?" Unfortunately, the natural tendency
is for most forward mapping exercises of this kind to create a mission statement that resembles
more accurately a "treaty" among faculty members. Most distressingly, that treaty typically ratifies
what is rather than what could be. Moreover, the exercise aborts too often before getting to the
operationalization phase of the process.
To try to circumvent, or at least attenuate, these dynamics, the approach taken at UB was to
allow the mission statement to emerge from the process of identifying skills, knowledge bases, and
values during the backward mapping exercises in the clusters. Indeed, the terms "strategic
planning" and "mission statement" were not introduced into the general faculty discussion until late
in the deliberations. In effect, by beginning with the identification of generic skills or literacies, the
exercise caused participants to think about the program as a whole, rather than about particular
courses. In turn, the personal stakes of the reform effort were decidedly more difficult to discern,
and thus could not derail the effort before it had a chance to gain momentum. Moreover, whenever
turf consciousness did emerge in subsequent rounds of the exercise, the mission statement was
used strategically to remind members that the general faculty had already committed to ensuring
that students acquire these literacies throughout the core curriculum. The only question remaining
was what this commitment meant for the "new" core courses that emerged from the backward
mapping exercise.
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This is not to suggest, however, that progress came easily. Over the next six months, some
deadlines slipped away because of principled disagreements. Others slipped, quite frankly, because
of strategic gaming by some who hoped that the exercise would "just go away"--as others had.
Nonetheless, both the PA and Democracy and the Analytical clusters reached agreements, first, in
principle, and then in terms of particulars, over outstanding issues. With these in hand, and without
waiting for the Public Management cluster to complete its now overdue work, the department head
charged a five-person MPA Mission Committee with using the clusters' work product as grist for a
mission statement.
Thus, with literacies identified, reversible logic dictated a return to forward mapping. More
precisely, the Committee was charged with doing three things in the mission statement: (1) making
the document as inclusive of faculty talents and interests as possible, (2) reconciling the principled
disagreements over student "product" that developed during backward mapping, and (3) maintaining
pedagogical integrity as a framework for subsequent program development. For the reader's
convenience, the ultimate product of these deliberations (as approved by the faculty) is presented in
Exhibit III.
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EXHIBIT III
Mission Statement
The MPA program at the University of Baltimore is dedicated to providing pre-service and in-service students with the
substantive knowledge, skills, and values needed for effective public administration in the 1990s and beyond. In this challenging era, we
feel that graduates of our program should be able to apply and persuasively communicate to citizens and elected officials a sense of
public interest-oriented expertise geared toward solving public policy problems. We feel that they should be able to do so in ethically
grounded, politically strategic, and customer-sensitive ways that can help inform, shape, and serve evolving national, state, and local
priorities. Finally, we feel that they must also be able to reflect critically upon the role of public administration in a democratic society, upon
the specific roles that they and their organizations play in running our Constitution, and upon the civic educational roles and
responsibilities open to them as public servants.
We believe very strongly that the emergence of such trends as third-party government, cutback management, and technological
innovation require a fundamental rethinking of the duties, obligations, roles, and skills of contemporary public administrators. As such, we
feel that students must understand the forces propelling these changes, demonstrate their ability to apply effectively the latest
management tools associated with these trends, and critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of these techniques. We also
believe, however, that fully appreciating and critically evaluating these trends, techniques, and philosophies can only come if students are
well-grounded in the historical development, tools, and values of public administration, its subfields, and its leading scholars and
practitioners.
To these ends, we feel that our students should be able to demonstrate their mastery of six general sets of literacies before
leaving the program: organizational, policy and decision analytic, political, legal-ethical, communication, and historical. They are given
opportunities to demonstrate this mastery in three ways: (1) in individual core courses; (2) in courses dealing with areas of specialization
tailored to student interests; and (3) in a problem-solving, outcome-based, capstone course that requires them to integrate knowledge,
skills, and values culled from the core curriculum in an agency simulation exercise graded by a three-person faculty review committee.
The obvious and principled compromises culled from the Analytical and PA and Democracy
clusters meant that the program would strive to produce students capable of exercising "publicinterest-oriented expertise," in entrepreneurial ways, informed by the discipline's historical evolution,
and with fidelity to principles of a constitutional democracy. Moreover, it was generally agreed that
the core curriculum be designed to produce "critical consumers" of, rather than "specialists" in,
statistical and decision analytical techniques. Students would acquire advanced and specialized
skills, knowledge, and values in their areas of concentration, the specifics of which would be
developed by relevant faculty members in a subsequent reversible logic exercise (currently in
progress).
Taking the generic skills identified by the clusters in the backward mapping exercise, the
Committee identified various "literacies" upon which the faculty appeared to agree. MPA candidates
would henceforth have to demonstrate threshold levels of competency in the capstone course in six
areas. These were: organizational dynamics, policy and decision analytical techniques, strategic
political thinking, legal-ethical sensitivity, communication and information management skills, and
historical context.
The backward mapping aspects of the curricular review also showed a consensus among
faculty that the emergence of such trends as third-party government, cutback management, and
technological innovations required a fundamental rethinking of the duties, obligations, roles, and
skills of contemporary public managers. These had to be part of a student's grounding within the six
literacy areas. Most critically, however, students had to demonstrate their understanding of how
these new developments fit into the historical development, approaches, and values described
and/or espoused by public administration scholars and practitioners over the years.
Reform: Round One
While certainly laudable, this mission statement bumped quickly into the department head's
"no-net-gain" constraints, the department's resource limitations, and faculty expertise. To deal with
these constraints, the mission statement now was kicked back to the individual clusters to inform a
second round of backward mapping exercises. In the case of the Analytical cluster, little additional
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effort was necessary to convert this agenda into a reality in the curriculum. As Exhibit IV--comparing
UB's pre- and post-reform core curriculum--partially demonstrates, this cluster's deliberations
resulted in a serious revamping of courses.
By now aware that the "politics of" policy analysis was covered extensively in the
bureaucratic politics course, the cluster dropped this emphasis from its "old" and overcrowded policy
analysis course. Relabeled "Analytical Techniques in Public Administration," this revamped course
was designed to give additional and more in-depth emphasis to decision analytical techniques. It
did so by using the three to four weeks saved by dropping a large segment of the "politics of"
component from the old course. The cluster also decided to cut back somewhat on the amount of
"pen-and-pencil" exercises in the Statistical Applications course. This saved two to three weeks in
the course, time that could be devoted to taking students beyond bivariate regression analysis to the
logic of multiple regression techniques.
EXHIBIT IV
Curriculum Comparison
PRE-REVIEW
Public Management
POST-REVIEW
Public Management
Applied Research Methods and Evaluation
Statistical Applications in Public Administration
Administrative Law and Regulation
Legal and Ethical Environment of Public Administration
Public Personnel and Human Resource Management
Public Personnel and Human Resource Management
Public Budgeting and Fiscal Administration
Public Budgeting and Fiscal Administration
Bureaucracy and the Political Process
Public Administration and Democracy
Public Organization Theory
Public Organization Theory
Public Policy Analysis and Evaluation
Analytical Techniques in Public Administration
Public Program Evaluation
Public Administration and Public Finance
Quantitative Analysis in Public Administration
[Combined into Public Budgeting]
[Now in Analytical Techniques]
Information Resource Management in Public Administration
Problem Solving Seminar in Public Administration (Capstone)
Likewise, with information resource management (IRM) viewed as a critical skill for public
managers that was neglected in UB's program, a new course was added to the core curriculum
(Management Information Systems). It was offset by "dropping" Administrative Law, a move made
possible by shifting its critical components into a revised "Legal and Ethical Environment of PA"
course. Moreover, consonant with the Chancellor's emphases, the IRM course was staffed partially
by UB administrative staff, by a new faculty slot shared with the Criminal Justice program, and by a
faculty member acquired from another department eliminated by consolidation at the University.
Finally, the Analytical cluster joined with the PA and Democracy faculty to recommend that
the Public Management cluster introduce forecasting skills into the two budgeting courses in the
core curriculum. Ultimately, the department decided to combine the two budget courses into one
entitled, "Public Budgeting and Fiscal Administration," thus freeing-up an additional three credit
hours for the capstone course. This was made possible, again, by moving most of the "politics of
the budgetary process" into the bureaucratic politics course, thus freeing up three to four weeks
from each class for hands-on revenue and expenditure forecasting techniques. Faculty presently
teaching the courses who didn't have these forecasting skills were offered in-service technical
training or team-teaching arrangements with those who did.
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Reform: Round Two
Without question, however, the content of the Public Management course was the most
difficult issue the faculty had to resolve. Some teaching the course saw it as a general introduction
to the metes and bounds of the discipline, with each week dedicated to a separate subfield (e.g.,
budgeting, personnel, bureaucratic politics). They also saw the course as a vehicle for professional
development, personal and interpersonal skill assessment, and identifying written and oral
communication deficiencies among students. However, other faculty members felt that a proseminar of this kind was an unwise use of three credit hours in an already overtaxed core
curriculum.
Using the mission statement as a constant "touchstone" during deliberations, these critics
argued that too much redundancy existed between the content and readings of this and other
courses (and most especially, of the bureaucratic politics course). Applying "value added" criteria,
they argued that this redundancy was unjustifiable because it meant dropping from the curriculum
other key skills, knowledge, and value bases identified in the mission statement. Still, these critics
did concede that the professional development, assessment center, and disciplinary socialization
components of the pro-seminar format could not be ignored.
To overcome this impasse, and to "jump start" deliberations that had stalled in the Public
Management cluster, the department head convened a meeting to review overlap and duplication.
Invited were faculty who taught the Public Management course, as well as those who taught courses
with substantial overlap with the topic. Ultimately, this expanded group saw the outlines of a
compromise in a long-bantered-about idea raised originally, but unsuccessfully, by the MPA Review
Committee: a formal orientation for new students each Fall.
As conceptualized earlier by the MEC, the orientation was envisioned as a day- to day-anda-half-long "bookend" to the capstone course (see above). Resurrecting that idea, those seeking to
refocus the Public Management course proposed that the orientation be used partially to introduce
students to the profession, to professional values, and to professional associations. Covered as
well would be the logic of the core curriculum (i.e., why students were taking the courses they were
required to take); an introduction to the University library, computer, and multimedia facilities; and a
recitation of faculty expectations for performance across the curriculum. Finally, the orientation
would also include the filming of students as they participated in skill assessment centers. These
films would then be "revisited" in the capstone course to assess qualitatively the "value added" to
students' communication skills during their matriculation in the MPA program. Unfortunately,
resource shortfalls later forced a shorter orientation wherein filming was dropped temporarily from
the agenda.
When combined with the commitments noted earlier to ground the teaching of contemporary
management skills within the historical development and values of the discipline, the orientation idea
helped to advance deliberations immensely. Helpful, as well, was a subsequent commitment to
study the possibility of introducing a number of non-credit "professional development" seminars for
students. Indeed, a sufficient consensus emerged among faculty teaching the Public Management
course to begin revamping its contents in the more skill-based and strategic direction discussed
above.
THE CAPSTONE COURSE:
THE ARCHIMEDEAN POINT OF LEVERAGE
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But what of the "capstone course" that had literally served as the archimedean point of
leverage for strategic planning in the department? Modeled to an extent on an approach taken in
several business schools across the country, the capstone was designed to test the kinds of skills,
knowledge, and values identified by the clusters as operationalizing the department's mission
statement. Thus, the first capstone course--offered in the Fall 1994 semester--created a situation in
which students were organized as members of the Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ) at the
Environmental Protection Agency.
The primary group project for the semester was to assess statistically whether environmental
expenditures by the federal government between 1983 and 1991 were allocated in a discriminatory
fashion on the basis of race or income. At the end of the semester, students had to formally present
and defend the results of, and the conclusions derived from, their analyses before a three-member
Faculty Review Board (FRB). Separate analyses were conducted at the congressional district,
state, EPA regional, and national levels. The following semester (Winter 1995), students were
asked to perform the same analyses on different states, with their goal redefined to justify the
existence of the OEJ in the face of a proposal to eliminate the agency by conservative Republican
and Democratic members of the House of Representatives.
At the same time, students had to respond individually to a series of public management
problems culled from each course cluster and assigned at different points during the semester.
These, too, were subject to defense before the FRB (see Exhibit V). Each of these problems had to
be "validated" by the faculty as agency situations that students completing their course cluster
should be able to answer. Finally, students had to complete successfully a number of on-line "quick
response" assignments using Internet.
To enroll in the capstone course, students had to be certified by the MPA director as having
completed all courses in the core curriculum. To "pass" the capstone course, students in the Fall
1994 session had to attain a "B" or better in each of three individual exercises and the group project.
Students receiving less than a B in any component of the capstone course were not required to
retake the entire class the following semester. Instead, students with deficiencies had to work with
faculty teaching in the failed area(s) until they met acceptable standards of performance. The
department informed students that this work would stretch into as many semesters as necessary to
reach acceptable performance levels. What is more, it could involve retaking of courses.
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EXHIBIT V
Individual Problems (Fall 1994)
TO:
OEE STAFF
FROM: OEE DIRECTOR
RE:
RESPONSE TO BROWNER INITIATIVES
EPA Administrator Browner today announced that two of her primary priorities at the agency are: (1) enhancing the
representation of minorities and women in mid-level management positions, and (2) delayering the bureaucracy to
increase the worker/manager ratio at the agency from an average of 5:1 to 11:1. In a three- to four-page memo to the
Administrator, discuss what kinds of problems she can expect in implementing these two priorities from a managerial,
political, and legal perspective. Attach a suggested reading list for the Administrator (no less than five or more than ten
articles) that would be of use to her in understanding these points, telling in a capsule summary why each would be
useful to her.
TO:
STAFF MEMBERS
FROM: OEE DIRECTOR
RE:
RESPONSE TO PRESIDENT CLINTON'S EXECUTIVE ORDER
Attached is a summary of President Clinton's Executive Order on Environmental Justice (EOEJ). Please consider the
tasks assigned to us by the EOEJ, and assess our capacity to carry out these functions given our present circumstances
within EPA (political, organizational, and legal capacity as appropriate). Since we can't do all of these, which should be
given priority and why? Also, please submit along with your report a list of things I should read (no less than five and no
more than ten articles), as well as a capsule summary of why they will be useful to me in addressing this issue.
TO:
FROM:
RE:
OEE STAFF MEMBERS
OEE DIRECTOR
DECENTRALIZATION AND APPOINTMENT PROCESS
The Administrator is currently pondering three options. Option one is to decentralize OEE's responsibilities to the
Offices of Enforcement in EPA's ten regional offices. The second option is to decentralize OEE's responsibilities to the
separate program offices in the regions (e.g., the Air and Radiation offices, the Water offices, the Toxics offices). The
third option is to set up "stand alone" OEE offices in the ten regions. I need your assessments of the advantages and
disadvantages of each approach. In addressing each option, you should also consider Washington OEE's relationship to
whatever structure is considered. Finally, please submit along with your report a list of things I should read as
background material before writing our response (no less than five and no more than ten articles), as well as a capsule
summary of why they will be useful to me in addressing this issue.
TO:
OEE STAFF
FROM: OEE DIRECTOR
RE:
RESPONSE TO ADMINISTRATOR BROWNER'S `DISINVESTMENT' AND `COMMON SENSE
‘INITIATIVES FOR THE FY96 BUDGET CYCLE
As you know, the Administrator has asked all program offices to submit budget requests for FY96 that reflect her
priorities for the agency: multi-media regulation, environmental justice, `good science' as a mechanism for shifting EPA
resources to the most serious threats facing public health and the environment, and strong enforcement.
We have been asked to review all program budgets to ensure that environmental justice is fostered within these
programs. Please find attached a "cross-walked" summary of EPA's hazardous waste program provided to us by the
Office of Planning and Program Evaluation. As you will see, this summary provides: (a) an overview and evaluation of
the hazardous waste program as it exists today, and (b) trend analyses of hazardous waste funding (1980-1992) and staff
needs and work year lapses (1991-1993).
As you also know, Administrator Browner wants to `disinvest' in hazardous waste management programs by five
percent overall, a move reflecting the Science Advisory Board's conclusion that the risks posed by hazardous waste sites
are considerably lower than other pollution sources (see attached list of risk-ranked hazards). Given the lack of attention
to environmental justice issues in prior budgets, I have concluded that the aggregate hazardous waste budget would
have to be increased by five to ten percent to begin making inroads in this area.
Thus, we've got a big problem! We've got to: (1) "help" these various program offices to "disinvest" in ways consonant
with the Administrator's priorities (and her five percent cut), and (2) shift five percent of existing resources to programs
and activities that will foster environmental justice initiatives. Moreover, I think we have to make recommendations that
reflect our needs, concepts of "fair share" and "historical bases," and political savvy.
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I need three things from you: (1) an assessment of how well Administrator Browner's priorities have been reflected in
past EPA budgets; (2) a revised budget supported by LOTUS spreadsheet documentation that meets these needs; and
(3) a narrative summary (two pages) of the logic underlying your budget and a political strategy (e.g., likely opposition,
strength of opposition, arguments, tactics, coalition building, etc.) for selling it to the Administrator (2-3 pages).
Fourteen (out of eighteen eligible) students participated in the first capstone, taking this
option rather than the written MPA exam. Students were given this choice during both semesters to
ensure that those entering the program under different UB catalogue requirements were treated
fairly. In order to avoid strategic behavior by the students in selecting these options based on
graders or perceptions of workload, students were not told the nature of the exercises involved, who
the instructor (i.e., the agency head) would be, or who would constitute the Faculty Review Board
(FRB) members. Once students selected either option, they could not ever switch back to the other.
Finally, students who took the capstone course were also encouraged to critique the experience in
writing in order that their comments might better inform the faculty's year-end review of both types of
exit experiences.
Also addressed were three additional concerns expressed by faculty and students about the
capstone course. These involved the potential for students to receive uneven workloads during the
exercise, for weaker students to "free ride" unfairly on the work of others, and for students to selfselect into groups that might then enjoy an unfair advantage over the others. To eliminate selfselection in group formation and to more equitably allocate workload in the group projects, each of
the students was randomly assigned a state. Each student was then responsible for collecting and
initially analyzing data by congressional district for the explanatory model (i.e., the regression model)
their group developed and tested.
Perceived as even more pernicious, the free-rider problem was addressed in four primary
ways. First, each student had to provide the agency head (i.e., the instructor) with copies of the
"work product" they brought to group discussions. Moreover, this work product had to be handed in
at the beginning of each session. This afforded the FRB a basis for assessing individual effort and
work quality at the end of the semester. In addition, each group had to submit minutes of each of its
meetings to the agency head. Second, statistical analyses done at the state, EPA region, and
national levels had to be performed initially and individually by each student. The agency head then
collected their computer analyses and interpretations as work product at the beginning of class
sessions. Third, the class exercise was designed with "drop dead" deadlines established by the
students in a critical path exercise. If a student failed to deliver work product by these deadlines, the
group was not penalized. Instead, laggards were reorganized into new groups to work with each
other. Finally, the entire course weighted individual performance decidedly more heavily (75%) than
group work, with students required to rate the group performance of their colleagues during the
semester.
To participate in any agency simulation exercise dealing with a particular policy area,
students must have a basic familiarity with the organization in question, its programs, its political
environment, and its problems and prospects. Thus, the capstone course actually began
approximately 10 weeks before the beginning of the Fall 1994 and Winter 1995 semesters.
Students picked up packets of materials and a reading list in mid-July and mid-December,
respectively, to familiarize themselves with these issues and to be ready to "hit the ground running"
the first night of class. Those who failed to pick up materials on time were denied admission to the
course. As the course progressed, several of the Internet exercises also allowed students to
familiarize themselves even more with the agency. Most salient on the Internet were presidential
transition reports conducted by the General Accounting Office, EPA strategic planning documents,
and Vice President Gore's National Performance Review.
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Importantly, the group analytical exercise involving the multivariate testing of the "race"
versus "class" hypotheses was more than just a test of students' data and computer skills. In
building their multivariate model, students had to derive alternative hypotheses from the full panoply
of core courses in the program (see Exhibit VI). Likewise, each of the three individual problems
required students to integrate and apply concepts, theories, skills, and values presented in the core
curriculum (see Exhibit V).
EXHIBIT VI
Environmental Justice Hypotheses
1.
The Fair Share Hypothesis
EPA regions receive a fair share of environmental funding based on historical patterns of spending. The logic is
that regardless of the merits of each region's request for funding, there will be a tendency to distribute resources
so that no one region's budget is either cut or enhanced significantly from the previous year's budget.
2.
The Distributive Equity Hypothesis
Federal aid is almost always inversely related to the level of state income--less wealthy states receive
significantly less federal aid than wealthier states.
3.
The Pork Barrel Politics Hypothesis
Electorally motivated legislators tilt the balance of environmental expenditures to benefit their districts or states.
4.
The Racial Disparity Hypothesis
People of color are systematically discriminated against (i.e., they receive fewer resources for environmental
protection than do whites).
5.
The Class Hypothesis
Low income citizens receive fewer environmental dollars than higher income citizens--regardless of race.
6.
The Risk Reduction Hypothesis
Resources are allocated on the basis of objective need.
7.
The Judicial Hypothesis
Environmental expenditures are driven to a great extent by the courts. Certain federal court circuits are more
environmentally oriented than others. States/regions in these circuits will get more resources than those in
more business-oriented circuits.
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As students worked through each step of these exercises, the agency head responded in
memo format to each draft handed in by students. This review involved complimenting work product
when it merited praise, giving direction and guidance to students when necessary, and appraising
students about the quality of their work in comparison to their colleagues' efforts. As such, the role
of the agency head was less one of "instructing" students than of "coaching" them, and of
determining whether their work was of sufficient quality to defend before the FRB. Students
understood, however, that permission to defend did not guarantee that the Board would find their
work acceptable.
The formal presentation and defense before the FRB took place in the University's hightechnology-laden Interactive Video Room (the IVAN room). Each group was allocated one hour,
with no more than twenty minutes allocated for presenting their findings and recommendations.
Following this presentation, the FRB conducted a spirited Question & Answer session in which
members critiqued, asked for further clarification of, and probed the assumptions underlying the
students' analyses and arguments. The sessions concluded with faculty interrogating students
about individual work product and responses to the public management problems assigned.
Prior to the defense, the FRB had one week to review each student's work product for the
semester, as well as to peruse a formal executive summary (with supporting statistical
documentation) of each group's arguments. Each group also had to decide how to allocate
presentation time among its members, how to structure the contents of the presentation, and how
much advantage they wanted to take of the IVAN room's multi-media presentation capabilities.
Once all students in the program have been exposed to this technology, multi-media presentations
will be mandatory. All presentations were taped in case grading issues arose later.
With each presentation and defense fresh in their minds, FRB members met the same day to
compare, contrast, and grade individual performances. The members decided that six of the
fourteen students in the Fall 1994 capstone needed to do additional work to meet departmental
standards in at least one aspect of the course. The agency head notified students of these
decisions and made explicit what each would need to do to complete the course successfully. Each
of the students completed the additional work to the satisfaction of the FRB before the end of the
Fall semester. Five students in the Spring 1995 capstone had to continue working into the next
semester, with two required to retake the Statistical Applications course.
Subsequently, the FRB chose two students as the outstanding performers in each of the two
capstone courses taught during the 1994-1995 academic year. Their names were placed on a
plaque hung prominently in the departmental office to demonstrate symbolically that individual
excellence would be recognized and rewarded. Later, the best overall performer in the capstone
courses for the 1994-1995 academic year was awarded a certificate and $100.
Consonant with the Department's commitment to outcomes assessment, many of the
critiques and suggestions offered by students evaluating the Fall 1994 capstone course were used
to revamp the Spring 1995 session. In addition, comments from both sessions helped to identify
additional shortcomings in the program's core curriculum. In terms of the former, the number of
individual exercises was pared from three to two problems, the data collection and analysis
exercises were reduced to three years, and the exercise shifted to the OEJ trying to justify its
continued existence in light of statistical and substantive analyzes of different aspects of the
Republican Party's "Contract with America."
The latter change was designed to counter student complaints that the Fall 1994 capstone
was premised too heavily on "academic" issues rather than on "real world" problems. Moreover, to
dispel further these perceptions, the 1995-96 academic year capstone courses are structured
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UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE
around real-life problems in reforming Maryland's welfare system. This focus should be especially
persuasive to students given the Schaefer Center for Public Policy's leadership in the state in
evaluating that system under a $6 million grant from the Maryland Department of Human Resources.
Students will, in fact, directly participate in that effort.
Regarding programmatic shortcomings, students identified various factors in the curriculum
that hindered the capstone from becoming a truly outcomes-based exercise. These set the
Department toward remedying inconsistencies in course content in particular offerings, toward
requiring more computer-based exercises in courses other than the data and methods sequence,
and toward working to improve library resources for data-gathering assignments. Thus, as
designed, the capstone course is already, and quite effectively, holding the program accountable to
its stated mission.
CONCLUSION
This essay has reviewed a recent exercise in developing an outcomes-based capstone
course for the MPA program at the University of Baltimore. Chronicled was the way a reversible
logic approach to designing that course led ineluctably into a full-scale, outcomes-based, strategic
planning exercise for the program as a whole. In the process, the department was able to craft a
performance-based curriculum that attacked an "entitlement ethic" among students, that made the
faculty more accountable for its actions in the classroom, that streamlined course offerings and
content in mission-related ways, and that introduced a "continuous process improvement" ethic
driven by constant feedback from the capstone course.
This essay's purpose, however, has not been to hold up UB's MPA program as an exemplar,
as the "one best way" to approach MPA education, or as completely successful in realizing its
outcome assessment goals. No doubt, other programs are much further along in their curriculum
development, have already introduced many of the curriculum changes that UB is just beginning to
introduce, and have been more creative in their efforts. Moreover, there no doubt exist a variety of
equally valid--and superior--mission statements, models of student outcomes, and methods for
assessing student, faculty, and program performance. Clearly, MPA faculties must tailor their
programs to meet their own particular strengths, weaknesses, values, resources, and markets.
Rather, this essay has offered for consideration a strategic approach to continuous MPA
program renewal in an era of fiscal stress in higher education. Arguably, this is an approach that
could benefit programs regardless of their level of curricular development, of the nature of their
faculty's expertise, or of the market niche they either occupy or wish to occupy. As such, this essay
has tried to explore how programs can make a virtue out of necessity as legislative calls for
productivity, accountability, and outcomes assessment continue apace in higher education during
the 1990s and beyond.
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REFERENCES
iiiii
i.
Faculty members include: Lawrence Downey, Robert F. Durant, Patricia
Florestano, Louis C. Gawthrop, Don Haynes, Lenneal Henderson, Ronald
Lippincott, Dan Martin, Richard Swaim, Larry W. Thomas, and Laura WilsonGentry. Carl Stenberg joined the faculty as Dean of the College of Liberal Arts in
1995.
i.
For an excellent overview of literacies, see Van Wart, Montgomery, Cayer, N.
Joseph, and Cook, Steve. Hardbook of Training and Development for the
Public Sector: A Comprehensive Resource, Jossey-Bass Publishers, San
Francisco, California, 1993.
i.
Elmore, Richard F. "Backward Mapping: Implementation Research and Policy
Decisions." Political Science Quarterly 94 (1979):601-616.
Elmore, Richard F. "Forward and Backward Mapping: Reversible Logic in the
Analysis of Public Policy," in Kenneth Hanf and Theo. A.J. Toonen (eds.).
Policy Implementation in Federal and Unitary Systems: Questions of
Analysis and Design, Martinus Nijhoff, Dordrecht, 1985, pp. 33-70.
i.
Rohr, John A. To Run a Constitution, University Press of Kansas, Lawrence,
Kansas, 1986.
i.
Moe, Ronald C. and Gilmour, Robert S. "Rediscovering Principles of Public
Administration: The Neglected Foundation of Public Law." Public
Administration Review 55 (March/April 1995):135-146.
APPENDIX B
RESULTS OF THE ALUMNI QUESTIONNAIRE
HOW USEFUL WAS THE MPA DEGREE IN OBTAINING OR ADVANCING IN YOUR CURRENT POSITION?
Response
Number
Percent
Very Useful
70
35.0
Useful
73
36.5
Not very useful
36
18.0
Not at all useful
21
10.5
Total
200
100
Missing responses: 13
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WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THE MPA PROGRAM TO OTHERS?
Response
Number
Percent
Yes
182
93.9
No
12
6.1
Total
198
100.0
Missing Responses: 15
HOW MUCH DID THE MPA PROGRAM IMPROVE YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF: (PERCENTAGES)
Area
Not at all
A little
Somewhat
Noticeabl
y
A Great
Deal
Total
Number
Management of People
2.0
7.8
33.7
38.5
18.0
205
Decisionmaking
1.0
5.8
29.6
43.2
20.4
206
Critical analysis of managerial
problems
1.4
7.7
25.6
40.1
25.1
207
Management of financial resources
4.8
9.2
35.7
32.9
17.4
207
Ethical Issues in Management
3.4
9.7
32.4
33.3
20.7
207
Organizational dynamics
0.5
0.5
15.5
44.2
39.3
206
Role of managers in a democratic
society
0.5
7.3
30.7
35.1
26.3
205
Use of information resources in
public management
3.4
13.2
28.8
37.6
17.1
205
Evolution of public management as
a profession
0.5
8.2
15.5
38.2
37.7
207
Innovations in public management
0.5
9.2
30.9
37.2
22.2
207
Strategic thinking
3.4
6.8
32.9
41.1
15.9
207
Communication skills
1.0
10.1
38.6
33.8
16.4
207
Knowledge of governmental
institutions and processes
0.5
0.5
12.1
43.7
43.2
206
IN RETROSPECT, WHAT ARE YOUR OPINIONS ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF ATTENTION GIVEN TO THE
FOLLOWING AREAS IN THE UB MPA PROGRAM? (PERCENTAGES)
Area
Management of People
1: Too
Little
10.7
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3: About
Right
25.7
53.9
218
4
5: Too
Much
9.2
0.5
Total
Number
206
UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE
Decisionmaking
6.8
21.8
59.2
11.2
1.0
206
Critical analysis of
managerial problems
9.7
25.2
52.4
11.7
1.0
206
Management of financial
resources
15.2
28.9
47.5
7.4
1.0
204
Ethical Issues in
Management
6.4
24.6
53.2
15.3
0.5
203
Organizational dynamics
2.9
8.8
68.1
16.7
3.4
204
Role of managers in a
democratic society
2.9
19.0
64.9
11.2
2.0
205
Use of information resources
in public management
14.6
31.7
41.0
11.7
1.0
205
Evolution of public
management as a profession
1.9
10.2
57.3
23.3
7.3
206
Innovations in public
management
8.9
31.2
49.5
9.4
1.0
202
Strategic thinking
13.2
40.0
38.5
6.8
1.5
205
Communication skills
8.8
28.8
50.2
10.7
1.5
205
Knowledge of governmental
institutions and processes
0.0
6.3
71.2
18.5
3.9
205
Role of government in a
democratic society
0.0
7.8
70.9
17.0
4.4
206
HOW IMPORTANT ARE THE FOLLOWING SKILLS TO YOUR CURRENT POSITION: (PERCENTAGES)
Skill
Not at all
important
Somewhat Important
Very Important
Total Number
Communicating orally
1.0
4.4
94.6
205
Communicating in writing
1.0
4.9
94.1
205
Thinking creatively
8.3
27.0
64.7
204
Acting decisively
2.0
16.6
81.5
205
Working self-directed
1.0
9.3
89.8
205
Having a client orientation
3.4
21.5
75.1
205
Acting in an ethically
sensitive manner
3.4
22.1
74.5
204
Understanding information
resources
3.4
30.7
65.4
205
Solving problems
1.0
12.7
85.9
205
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Managing a diverse
workforce
18.7
33.0
48.3
203
Acting as a leader
6.4
23.0
70.6
204
Negotiating
11.8
28.4
59.8
204
Managing financial
resources
24.5
36.3
39.2
204
Understanding social
institutions
22.4
44.9
32.7
205
Tolerating ambiguity
12.4
38.6
49.0
202
Having technical
competencies
6.4
36.3
57.4
204
Having interpersonal skills
0.5
10.8
88.7
204
Managing conflict
3.4
29.6
67.0
203
Flexibility in dealing with
different situations
1.5
13.2
85.4
205
Working in teams
9.3
25.9
64.9
205
Understanding human
resource problems and
issues
7.3
30.7
62.0
205
HOW MUCH DID THE MPA PROGRAM IMPROVE YOUR SKILLS IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
(PERCENTAGES)
Skill
Did not improve at
all
Somewhat improved
Improved a
Great Deal
Total Number
Communicating orally
17.7
61.7
20.6
209
Communicating in writing
10.0
45.0
45.0
209
Thinking creatively
12.0
56.3
31.7
208
Acting decisively
20.2
54.3
25.5
208
Working self-directed
24.5
42.8
32.7
208
Having a client orientation
40.1
44.4
15.5
207
Acting in an ethically sensitive
manner
23.7
53.1
23.2
207
Understanding information resources
31.7
45.7
22.6
208
Solving problems
19.7
49.0
31.3
208
Managing a diverse workforce
17.7
61.7
20.6
209
Acting as a leader
25.5
47.1
27.4
208
Negotiating
39.0
42.9
18.0
205
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UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE
Managing financial resources
25.6
54.1
20.3
207
Understanding social institutions
10.6
50.2
39.1
207
Tolerating ambiguity
30.6
50.0
19.4
206
Having technical competencies
28.0
46.4
24.9
207
Having interpersonal skills
24.6
52.7
22.7
207
Managing conflict
25.4
48.3
26.3
209
Flexibility in dealing with different
situations
15.9
54.8
29.3
208
Working in teams
23.0
49.8
27.3
209
Understanding human resource
problems and issues
10.1
56.5
33.3
207
HOW WOULD YOU RATE THE ADEQUACY OF PROGRAM FACILITIES USING THE FOLLOWING SCALE?
(PERCENTAGES)
Support Facility
Very Satisfactory
Adequate
Unsatisfactory
Total Number
Library
48.6
46.2
5.3
208
Computer
21.2
50.0
28.8
198
Classrooms
27.4
69.2
3.4
208
Advising
36.2
49.8
11.3
207
WE WOULD LIKE YOU TO RESPOND TO THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE
IN THE MPA PROGRAM: (PERCENTAGES)
Statement
Strongly
Agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
I was treated fairly while in the UB MPA
Program.
57.9
35.9
The UB MPA Program was responsive to
my needs as an individual.
42.9
40.5
Total
Number
3.8
1.0
1.4
209
14.1
2.0
0.5
205
APPENDIX C
FALL 1995 CAPSTONE EXERCISES
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SELECTED
LITERACIES
TESTED
ENVIRONMENTA
L JUSTICE
GROUP
PROJECT: EPA
PROJECT #1:
DOWNSIZING
PROJECT #2:
CLINTON'S
EXECUTIVE ORDER
PROJECT #3:
DECENTRALIZATION
PROJECT #4:
BUDGET
FORECASTING
Organizational
Analyses Focusing on
Capacity Assessment
Relative to Existing
Resources
Student Assesses
the Pros and Cons
of Various
Structural Options
Budget Forecasting
Analysis of How Well
Budgets Reflected
New Priorities; How to
Deal With An Across
the Board Cut While
Meeting Priorities
_____________
_____________
____________
Same
Same
Same
ProblemSolving
Building Model &
Testing
Alternative
Explanations for
Distribution of
Environmental
Grant Money
Examining the
Impact of
Downsizing on
the Agency's
Affirmative Action
Goals
Negotiating
Working with
Team Members to
Develop the Model
Analyze the
Likely Arguments
that Would Arise
as You Try to
Reconcile These
Values
Written & Oral
Communicatio
n
Managing
Diversity
Workforce
Individual Data
Analysis and
Interpretation;
Presentation to
Team Members;
Written Memos to
Faculty Directors
______________
Internal Process
of Memo Writing,
OEE Director
Reaction and
Rewriting
Student has to
Analyze How to
Deal With
Moral/Personnel
Problems
Related to
Reconciling
Competing
Values
Sensitivity Analysis of
EPA Staff Based
_____________
Analyses of Possible
Impact of Cuts on
Diversity
Leadership
Team Building
Exercises; Task
Setting Among
Members; Setting
Deadlines
Student Has to
Analyze How to
Deal With
Moral/Personnel
Problems
Related to
Reconciling
Competing
Values
Experience in Setting
Criteria and Analyzing
Politics and Legality of
Resetting Priorities
Literature on the
Issues That
Leaders Must Deal
With Restructuring
Narrative Summary of
Force Field Analysis
Leading to Political
Study for Selling It To
Browner
In The Face of
Change
Timetables and
Work Product
Reworking
Making Decisions
Related to
Reengineering
and its Impact on
Competing
Democratic
Values
Analysis of What
Cannot Be Foreseen
in Reallocation of
Priorities
Exercise Shows
How Ambiguous In
Outcomes
Approach
Restructuring
Efforts Are
Budget Reprioritizing
and Forecasting to
Meet Goals In A
Dynamic Environment
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Client
Orientation
Testing Racial
Hypothesis;
Preparing
Presentation for 3
Member Faculty
Review Board,
Determining
Clients for Grant
Funding;
Determining How
Clients for Grants
Funding; Testing
Class Hypothesis,
Determining How
Money is Allocated
In TQM Sense,
Student Shows
How Internal
Customer
Relations are
Affected
Setting Priorities
Relative to the Likely
Response of EPA
Constituencies
Analysis of the
Effects on EPA
Clienteles of these
Alternatives
Assess Internal and
External Sources of
Opportunity to and
Support for Change.
Makes
Recommendation for
Dealing With It
Understanding
Interorganizati
onal Dynamics
Testing the Pork
Barrel Politics &
Risk Reduction
Hypothesis
Students Assess
Organizational
Behavior
Implications
Reconciling
Values
Analyses of the Real
Politic of Programs
Protection By Existing
Constituency
Analysis of
Organizational
Behavior
Capabilities of the
Alternatives
Assess Internal and
External Sources of
Opportunity to and
Support for Change.
Makes
Recommendation for
Dealing With It
Conflict
Management
Group Dynamics;
Issues of
Workload
Equitability
Reconciling
Competing
Values are the
Likely Conflicts
That Will Arise
Given AA
Examines How
Existing Budgets,
Accounts, and
Oversight Make
Change Difficult
Conflicts - Internal
and External -that Each
Approach Might
Engender
Assess Internal and
External Sources of
Opportunity to and
Support for Change.
Makes
Recommendation for
Dealing With It
Planning &
Evaluation
Work
Assignments;
Setting Deadlines;
Motivating Team
Implementation
Exercise using
"Reversible
Logic" to Identify
Likely Problems
Literature on Strategic
Planning is Reviewed
for Exercise
Technical
Capacities
Multivariate
Statistical Analysis
(Multiple
Regression) of
Model Developed
Implementation
Analysis:
Scenario Writing
Budget and Staff
Analysis is Done
Relative to EO Goals
Interpersonal
Skills
Work
Assignments;
Setting Deadline;
Motivating Team
Analyzing and
Dealing With
Political Conflicts
Understanding
Institutions
Building the
Statistical Models
Hypothesis
Focus On
Intraorganization
al Behavior
Financial
Management
Testing the "Risk
Reduction" the
"Distributive
Equity" and the
Fair Share
Hypothesis
____________
NASPAA SELF-STUDY REPORT-VOLUME 1
_____________
Applies Political
Economy of Public
Organizations to
Concrete Proposal
for Restructuring
_____________
_____________
Understanding and
Reporting Political,
Organizational, and
Legal Obstacles to
Priority Setting
Literature on
Organization
Theory, OP, and
OB are Reviewed
Analyses of Budget
and Staff Capacity
223
Literature Review of
Planning Changed in
Organizations
Lotus Spreadsheet
Analyses for
Forecasting;
Implementation
Scenario- Writing
______________
Understanding of the
Political Economy of
Public Organization is
Exhibited
_____________
Lotus Spreadsheet
and Forecasting
UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE
Team-Building
Team Building
Exercises; Task
Setting Among
Members; Setting
Deadlines; Group
Dynamics; Issues
of Workload
Equitability
Analyzes
Possibilities for
Applying
Participative
Skills Need for
Downsizing
Human
Resources
_______________
Legal Issues
Involved in
Personnel
Management,
Downsizing, and
Affirmative Action
Analyzes of Budget
and Staff Capacities
Literature on
Reactions and
Impacts of
Restructuring
Staffing Capacity
Assessment Linked to
New Priorities
Creative
Thinking
Developing
Testing and
Presenting the
Model
Reconciling
Competing
Ethical, Legal
and Management
Values
Force Field
Analysis/Organization
al Diagnosis
Creating
Implementation
Scenarios of
Alternative
Proposals
Student "Reinvents"
EPA Financially
Tolerance for
Ambiguity
Problem
Definitions and
Model Building
Exercises Over the
Semester
Review Literature
on Dealing With
Employee
Anxiety During
Downsizing
Self-Direction
Individual Data
Collection
Exercises for
Statistical
Analysis; Writing
Individual Sections
of Final Report;
Setting Deadlines;
Massaging Data
Sets
Student Works
on This Exercise
and Reads to
Faculty Critique
Monitoring
Skills
Multi Variate Data
Analysis;
Recommendations
for Future
Monitoring of
Situation in Final
Report
Ethical & Legal
Sensitivity
Collecting and
Testing
"Racial" and
"Class"
Hypothesis;
Analyzes the
Ethical, Legal,
and Humane
Implications
of`Downsizing
and AA
Express Facts
in a Organized
Way
Presentation/Defe
nding of Findings
to Team and to 3
Member Faculty
Review Board
Interactive
Memorandum
Writing Exercise
With Constant
Revision and
Elaboration of
Facts in A
Concise Way
_____________
NASPAA SELF-STUDY REPORT-VOLUME 1
_____________
_____________
Literature
Reviews of Participtive
Planning in Priority
Setting
_____________
____________
_____________
Same
Same
Same
_____________
_____________
Assesses Capacity In
Terns of
Environmental Justice
Values
Same
224
Opportunities/
Obstacles
Afforded By Each
Proposal Are
Evaluated
Same
Some Students
Developed OutcomeBased Measures for
Reallocating
Resources
Legal and Ethical
Obstacles to
Downsizing Public
Organizations Were
Analyzed
Same
UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE
Diagnosing
Internal &
External
Political
Forces
Building Multiple
Regression
Models; Collecting
and Analyzing
Data for Pork
Barrel, Risk
Reduction, Class,
and Distributive
Equity Hypothesis
In Addition to
Internal Forces
Noted Above,
Student Access
How Courts,
Interest Groups,
Employee Unions
Might Affect
Implementation
Define and
Frame
Problems
Cogently
Building Models,
Presenting and
Defending
Findings and
Recommendations to 3 Person
Faculty Review
Board
Less Applicable
Since Student Is
Given a Problem
Already Framed
Know How to
Apply Levers
for Change
Recommendations
on How to Alter
Problems
Identified From
Data Analysis
Concerning Race
vs. Class
Hypotheses
Student
Assesses
Obstacles to
Change and
Ways to
Overcome Them
Spot
Environmental
Opportunities
Recommendations
on How to Alter
Problems
Identified From
Data Analysis
Concerning Race
vs. Class
Hypothesis
_____________
Sensitive to
Issues of
Cultural
Diversity
Developing and
Testing the
"Class", "Racial
Diversity", and
"Fair Share"
Hypothesis
Exercise Focuses
Our Affirmative
Action Remedies
From Legal,
Manage-rial and
Political
Prospective
OutcomesBased
Performance
Measures
Model is Federal
Environmental
Expenditures Per
Congressional
District. Student
Critiques the
Validity of this
Measure as an
Outcome Variable
Student Takes
EPA Existing
Structures,
Staffing, and
Managerial
Composition and
Ensures
Monitoring of
Progress Toward
Browner's Goal
NASPAA SELF-STUDY REPORT-VOLUME 1
Same
Same
Same
Same
Same
Same
Same
Same
Analysis of Budget
and Staffing Capacity,
Incor-porates
Recommen-dation
Relating to Strategies
(Political and Legal)
for Increasing These
or Betting Using Them
Analysis of Budget
and Staffing Capacity,
Incor-porates
Recommen-dation
Relating to Strategies
(Political and Legal)
for Increasing These
or Betting Using Them
Analysis of How EO
Reallocation May
Affect Other Units in
An Organization
_____________
225
Selecting
Alternative
Depends Mainly
on How it is
Marketed and
Developed to
Assuage
Opposition or
Marshall Support
Force Field Analysis of
Real
Politick Facing A
"Reinvented" EPA
_____________
Asks Student to
Focus on How
Much Structural
Change Really
Can Affect Policy
Outcomes; Review
of Literature
Literature on Diversity
Issues Involved in
Downsizing
Some Students Linked
Outcomes-Based
Performance
Measures Getting New
Resources for New
Priority
UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE