by Taylor Bryant
The University of West Georgia’s Department of Political Science and Planning hosted the 16th Annual Conference for the American Society for Public Administration Georgia Chapter on March 28, 2014. The conference had an estimated 70 participants including academic researchers, government managers and graduate students attended the conference.
“The conference at UWG was one of the best,” says Dr. William Baker, interim director for the A.L. Burruss Institute of Public Service and Research. “The two MPA students who accompanied me were very impressed with the organization, the features, the Nursing building and the campus in general. I, too, was impressed and we all had a great day at UWG’s campus.”
Dr. Jane McCandless, dean of UWG’s College of Social Sciences, welcomed the attendees at the lunch meeting, and Clark Bonilla, the guest speaker, presented a job market guide for Master of Public Administration students. After the lunch and keynote speech, panel sessions convened in the Nursing Building, where five UWG MPA students presented their papers in the panel sessions. The final event was the dinner and chapter annual business meeting. The chapter presented the 2014 Public Service Award to Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. In Mayor Reed’s absence, Jalal Slade, strategic planning director of City of Atlanta, received the award and made a speech about Mayor Reed’s service performance and vision.
“This was my first time attending and presenting at any conference of this type, and it was a rewarding experience,” says Chris Jackson, who also attended the conference. “I met a number of MPA students at UWG, and everyone was extremely nice and helpful.”
ASPA is the largest academic and professional association in the discipline of public administration and policy. The Georgia Chapter has more than 200 members including university faculty members, government managers and non-profit organization practitioners. ASPA holds annual conferences, rotating among the member institutions that have MPA programs in the state. On average, about 100 faculty and MPA students attend the conferences. Registration is open to ASPA members and non-members.
