In This Issue:

• Schedule F Repealed, Other Executive Actions Taken
• Who’s On the Main Stage at #ASPA2021?
• E-Learning at Your Fingertips
• ASPA Partners with CPS HR to Help Members Build Employee Engagement
• Restitution, Not Resolution for Flint
• Chapters and Sections: File Your Information Forms!
• Next Chapter/Section Leadership Networking Call Next Week
• Public Integrity Special Issue Announced
• Tips and Resources
• Coronavirus in the News
• (Otherwise) in the News
• Members in the News
• Around Public Administration
• PA TIMES Online

Schedule F Repealed, Other Executive Actions Taken

During his first week in office, President Biden repealed a range of Trump administration executive actions including Executive Order 13957, which created Schedule F. This new classification in the career civil service would have stripped those affected of their civil service protections, leaving them vulnerable to at-will firing. ASPA and good governance groups from across the profession welcomed this news.

While some find fault with how difficult it can be to remove a civil servant from their position, addressing this challenge through executive order, as Schedule F attempted, would have created more problems than it would have solved, including the ability for future administrations to re-adjust the civil service without legislative branch oversight. Now, with this executive order repealed, Congress can—and should!—consider how to strengthen the civil service from a variety of angles.

Pending legislation, sponsored by Representatives Connolly (D-Va.) and Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), that would make it impossible for any administration to create a similar class of civil servants, remains in the House of Representatives. Future action remains unknown at this time.

The president also repealed a number of other executive actions last week, resulting in restoring collective bargaining rights; restoring the ability for federal agencies and contractors to engage in diversity and inclusion training; ensuring government procurement is spent on American companies as much as possible; creating a federal minimum wage of $15 per hour for contractors; re-instating LGBTQ discrimination protections; and more. All of these will require more action by individual agencies to fully implement them.

Biden finished the week with an unprecedented move to shore up confidence in the federal workforce: Issuing a video via the White House YouTube channel thanking civil servants and encouraging teamwork in the days ahead. View the video here.

Review our news items later in this newsletter to learn more about these executive actions.

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Who’s On the Main Stage at #ASPA2021?

ASPA's 2021 Annual Conference is 10 weeks away! While session acceptance notifications are being released (these take time—please be patient!), planning everything else this conference will offer is underway and we are happy to provide you with a picture of what you can expect when you attend this year's digital event!

This April, participants will join more than 1,300 peers and colleagues through our digital conference platform to attend more than 150 panels across seven days and enjoy ample opportunity to network with each other through multiple forms: chats, business meetings, visits to the exhibit hall, cruising through attendee profiles and more! No matter your reason for attending—or your level of participation—we'll have something for you, and archived content means you can access sessions long after they're over.

There has never been a more important time for public administrators and scholars to gather together and problem-solve. We need to restore the integrity of our republic and institutions abroad. Recent months have provided the public sector around the world with serious crises to solve and tested our abilities to do so: COVID-19, protests against social injustices and economic decline have all become top priorities—not to mention the constitutional, political, policy and management crises associated with the recent U.S. election.

Meanwhile, long-standing challenges like climate change, transportation, infrastructure, water quality and global unrest have continued to simmer, requiring attention with much more limited resources. What does our future look like and how do we begin to recover and work toward a post-COVID-19 world? ASPA's 2021 Annual Conference will delve into the most pressing topics affecting our profession and provide space for new solutions. (Click here to find out more about our conference theme and tracks.)

While our panels and workshops will provide in-depth details on all of these topics, our plenaries and presidential panels will elevate the conversation and invite participants to look at the big picture from across the profession and around the world. Speakers will focus on the events from the past 12 months especially and provide reflections on what needs to happen next. Be prepared to be inspired! Just a few of our speakers will include:

• Secretary Leon Panetta
  Secretary Leon Panetta began his long and distinguished public service career in 1964 as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and, upon discharge, went to work in Washington as a legislative assistant to U.S. Senate Minority Whip Tom Kuchel of California. That was just the start. From 16 years in Congress to several agency director roles and Cabinet-level positions, he has served his country for decades. And, in between, founded The Panetta Institute for Public Policy!
  
  His remarks will not only reflect on our recent turmoil, but also provide insights from his long career of service, education and mentorship. Make sure you are in the audience for this plenary!
  
  
• Mariko Silver
  Mariko Silver is president and CEO of the Henry Luce Foundation. During the Obama administration, she served as acting assistant secretary and deputy assistant secretary for international policy at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), where she conceptualized, initiated and led development and implementation for the first DHS strategic plan for international engagement. She also served as policy advisor for innovation, higher education and economic development to Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, overseeing the Arizona Department of Commerce and guiding policy implementation at the Arizona Economic Resource Organization, Science Foundation Arizona and the Arizona Board of Regents.
  
  Silver believes structure within government matters as an expression of our country's values. Her address will look at how shifts in structure affect everything an organization is working to accomplish—positive and negative. This lecture will provide take-aways for all of us as we work to advance excellence in public service.
  
  
• Terryl Ross
  Terryl Ross is assistant dean for diversity, equity and inclusion for the University of Washington College of the Environment and has more than 30 years of experience related to equity and social justice. He specializes in examining the intersectionality of race, changing demographics, emerging trends, higher education and new media. He believes the 21st century will be a time of scarcity and reduction, resulting in a struggle between those who want to bring people together and those who want to divide people—a prediction already playing out. However, he also believes people are ready to come together in a new way to build learning communities and proactively make social justice a reality in America.
  
  Make sure you plan to hear this address and get excited for what the future can hold.
  
  
• Don Moynihan
  Donald Moynihan will provide the 2021 Donald C. Stone lecture, focusing on administrative burdens. The last decade has seen new interest in the study of the frictions people encounter in their interactions with public services—obtaining a driver's license, accessing the social safety net, pursuing basic rights such as voting and more. Such burdens can have big effects, reinforce patterns of inequality and deliberately be used in ways that make programs less accessible and frustrate the public. Moynihan argues that such burdens present a challenge to the public administration profession to demonstrate relevance and rigor in a topic that the public cares about and matters to policy outcomes.
  
  You’ve followed him on social media and read his research in numerous journals. Now, hear Don Moynihan live!
  
  
• Jason DeParle
  A reporter for The New York Times, Jason DeParle has written extensively about poverty and immigration. His book, American Dream: Three Women, Ten Kids, and a Nation’s Drive to End Welfare was a New York Times Notable Book and won the Helen Bernstein Award from the New York City Library. He was an Emerson Fellow at New America. He is a recipient of the George Polk Award and is a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
  
  We are thrilled that DeParle is able to join us for this year’s conference and share his valuable insights on this important area of public policy.

E-Learning at Your Fingertips

ASPA staff work tirelessly to keep your skills up to date and the information flowing all year long through our e-learning program. Visit our website to see more details about upcoming KeepingCurrent, BookTalk and Students and New Professionals series programming. Members, visit our webinar archives to catch up on what you have missed!


KeepingCurrent: COVID-19 and Policy Implications for Selected Middle East and North Africa
January 28 | 1 p.m. ET
Presenters:
Wa’ed Alshoubaki, University of Jordan, Jordan
Ahmed Fayed, Nile University and Economic Research Forum
Mohammed Makkaoui, Ecole Nationale de Commerce et de Gestion Tangier, Morocco
Aziza Zemrani, Moderator, University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley

COVID-19 is a global health crisis and each country has reacted to the pandemic with different interventions at different times, often resulting in chaotic policy responses, varying degrees of health vulnerability and economic ramifications. While health and science experts work diligently on vaccines and antivirals, government officials and administrators must move to balance the ethical, economic and health considerations to protect their citizens and residents. Good governance, transparency and accountability are needed now more than ever. This webinar will focus on Middle Eastern and North African countries, especially Morocco, Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia.




KeepingCurrent: Getting Serious About Intergovernmental Data Sharing in Times of COVID-19
February 2 | 1 p.m. ET
Presenters:
John Kamensky, Moderator, The IBM Center for The Business of Government
Carlos Rivero, Commonwealth of Virginia
Michael Schnuerle, Open Mobility Foundation
Jane Wiseman, Institute for Excellence in Government

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated clearly the importance and value of being able to share data quickly between levels of government, but sharing data does not come easy. In a recent report, Harvard's Jane Wiseman identifies common challenges that serve as barriers to more effective data sharing and offers a series of case studies of successful sharing that resulted in real value for users. Carlos Rivero will share how his state has undertaken a multiyear commitment to sharing data and how that turned out to be a propitious investment in advance of the pandemic. Michael Schnuerle will share how his city leveraged common data standards developed by a nonprofit to better manage "micro-mobility" in the city. Presenters will offer insights and recommendations that may be helpful in guiding your city, state or federal agency on ways they could undertake data sharing initiatives that improve service delivery, in order to help government leaders make better decisions about resource allocation, and operate more seamlessly in serving the public.




From the Webinar Archives
Held in September 2020 but timely in light of current events, give a listen to this BookTalk focusing on Don Kettl's book, The Divided States of America. An innovative system of power sharing that balanced national and state interests, federalism was the pragmatic compromise that brought the colonies together to form the United States. Yet even beyond the question of slavery, inequality was built into the system because federalism. by its very nature, means many aspects of an American’s life depends on where they live. Over time, these inequalities have created vast divisions between the states and have made federalism fundamentally unstable. Listen in to this insightful discussion and learn more about federalism's impact on inequality in the United States.



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ASPA Partners with CPS HR to Help Members Build Employee Engagement

Public sector organizations across the nation are facing enormous challenges, including maintaining performance and services despite COVID-19. To succeed in this difficult environment, government needs talented, committed and engaged employees.

Decades of research, including in the public sector, have shown that a high level of employee engagement drives productivity, organizational performance, strategic goal achievement, employee retention, and customer service and satisfaction. Highly engaged employees believe in their organization’s purpose and find their work meaningful and rewarding. As a result, they are highly motivated to help achieve their organization’s mission. This is especially important now, as public sector organizations experience first-hand the demand to do more with less—and even more with even less.

To meet this challenge, ASPA is partnering with the CPS HR Consulting Institute for Public Sector Employee Engagement to provide ASPA members and public sector organizations across the country with the tools and resources needed to understand, measure and improve employee engagement.

The Institute will survey your employees to enable you to understand the level of engagement in your workforce and what influences your employees’ engagement. CPS HR also will provide recommendations to help you create a more engaged workforce, thereby improving performance and service delivery.

The Institute has helped government organizations across the country measure and improve engagement. According to one government leader, "We selected the CPS HR Institute because of its holistic approach to engagement. Not just conducting the survey but also analyzing the results and helping us decide how to take action to improve engagement."

To learn more about how you can improve performance and service delivery by improving employee engagement, visit the CPC HR website or contact ASPA.

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Restitution, Not Resolution for Flint

As we reported last summer, the people of Flint, Michigan recently were awarded an unprecedented settlement from the State of Michigan, mostly to the children who were affected by lead poisoning starting in 2014.

Further recognition of the damage done came last week when the former governor of Michigan, Rick Snyder, and eight other state officials were charged for their alleged roles in the crisis. All told, the group faces 42 counts ranging from perjury to misconduct in office to involuntary manslaughter. Snyder himself is facing two counts of willful neglect, each of which could carry fines and prison time.

Unfortunately, these legal proceedings come too late as Flint residents not only continue to suffer the harmful effects of lead poisoning—some of which can take years to fully materialize—but also significant distrust of government, leading them to be wary of COVID treatments and the vaccine, and leaving the community and others nearby open to more health challenges now and in the future.

As RouteFifty reports, "The problem with Flint's water began when a state-appointed emergency manager decided to leave Detroit's water system. In 2014, while awaiting the construction of a new regional system, officials rebooted the city's old treatment plant and used the Flint River as a water source. But the plant did not get the resources to properly treat the water. Most seriously, the water did not receive corrosion control, as required by federal law, causing pipes to break down. Brown water coming out of taps: that was corroded iron, or rust. Despite escalating concerns from residents, boil-water advisories and other red flags... it took large-scale organizing for a year and a half before the city returned to Detroit's water system." By then, the damage had been done.

However, Flint's challenges go deeper than this, including contributing factors like a state emergency manager law that places political authority in one person's hands, despite failed legislative efforts to broaden authority and provide for more oversight. A lack of political and legal transparency at the governor's level also has been cited by scholars and activists.

While challenges such as this are not singular to Flint, the level of health challenges and resulting public distrust are, and there are no easy fixes available.

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Chapters and Sections: File Your Information Forms!

Chapter and Section leaders, this is a friendly reminder that we have sent you annual information forms for completion by March 5, 2021. We will issue multiple reminders between now and the deadline, but the sooner you send us your information, the fewer reminders you will receive!

ASPA uses these forms for two purposes: first, to satisfy IRS requirements as we file your 990s later this year; second, to help us know more about your activities and how we can support and assist you in the new year and beyond.

Please complete your form and send them to ASPA staff by March 5. If you did not receive an information form and need one, let us know and we can resend it.

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Next Chapter/Section Leadership Networking Call Next Week

Chapter and Section leaders: Looking to connect with each other? Your next opportunity to do so is next Thursday, February 4!

After a successful launch in 2020, ASPA is continuing its networking-based conference call program that brings together Chapter and Section leaders to learn from each other, ask questions of ASPA staff and share successes and lessons learned. Calls generally take place on the first Thursday of each month, at 11 a.m. ET.

Want to hear from your fellow leaders about tips for connecting with your group during COVID? Interested in partnering with other leaders to host group events? Or maybe you need some tips for transitioning leaders? That is exactly what this call is for! Join us to ask your questions, get helpful feedback from your fellow leaders and listen in on the conversation! (And, of course, we will provide a handful of national office updates for your convenience!)

Register now via the link below and we will look forward to seeing you on February 4!



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Public Integrity: Special Issue Announced

Public Integrity soon will feature a special issue on the power of popular culture to inform social equity in public administration. Edited by Sean McCandless (University of Illinois Springfield) and Nicole M. Elias (John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY), the special issue comes at a time in which pop culture is inherently intertwined in public administration. This special issue is an attempt to bring these culture topics and applications into the mainstream scholarship of the discipline.

As a starting point, this collection presents seven manuscripts and two reviews that speak to different forms and analyses of pop culture's messages about and for social equity in public administration. Topics covered range from police brutality to racism and white supremacy, from sexual orientation and gender identity to the role of the media, and more. This special issue posits further empirical and theoretical directions for understanding the dynamic relationship of pop culture and public administration. The pieces can be viewed here, and include:

• Introduction to the Special Issue: Popular Culture, Social Equity, and Public Administration
  By Sean McCandless and Nicole M. Elias
• Popular Culture Informing Public Administration: Messages and Prospects for Social Equity
  By Sean McCandless and Nicole M. Elias
• Social Equity and Popular Culture: Gender and Gender Identity on TV
  By Erin L. Borry
• Lesbian Police Officers: A Review of Television Portrayals and Their Lived Experiences
  By Roddrick Colin and Lauren Moton
• Celebrity Everyday Maker: Public Policy and the Discourse of Celebrity Surrounding Kim Kardiashian
  By Courtney Jensen
• Taking the Social Justice Fight to the Cloud: Social Media and Body Positivity
  By Staci M. Zavattaro
• Social Dreaming for Social Justice: Power and Resistance in Chaos Walking
  By Jeannine M. Love and Charity Fox
• Putting “Perspectives” in Perspective: Literary Fiction, Empathy and Diversity in the Public Affairs Classroom
  By Lori A. Brainard
• Book Review: S.H.I.E.L.D. – The Complete Collection & Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – The Coulson Protocols
  By Aaron Smith-Walter and Ronald Pannell III
• Music Review: Hip Hop as Political Theory: Exploring Democracy in J. Cole’s BRACKETS
  By Anthony M. Starke and Adam Croft

Tips and Resources

Here are a range of resources posted online recently that you should check out!

Beware of COVID-19 Vaccine Scammers, FTC Warns
The Federal Trade Commission expects some opportunists to attempt to bilk the public as COVID-19 vaccines are made available. FTC outlined ways crooks may target victims, including: "You likely will not need to pay anything out of pocket to get the vaccine during this public health emergency," "You can’t pay to put your name on a list to get the vaccine," "You can’t pay to get early access to the vaccine," and others.

Agencies Outline How Feds Will Repay Payroll Taxes That Have Been Deferred
Federal payroll processors have begun announcing plans for how they will recoup federal employees’ Social Security taxes deferred as part of a controversial Trump administration program between last September and December.

Why You Should Turn Off Your Camera During Zoom Meetings
It's not just to hide clutter anymore. Leaving your camera off during your next virtual meeting could help save the planet, too.

Three Steps to Fight Online Disinformation and Extremism
The long-term solution recommended by experts is rarely discussed by pundits and politicians.

How to Outsmart Your COVID-19 Fears and Boost Your Mood in 2021
Releasing negative emotions is the first step in preventing stress overload.

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Coronavirus in the News
While you can find our usual assortment of news headlines from the past several weeks below, here are stories specific to the coronavirus that are noteworthy.

Infrastructure

• Our Next Supply Chain Nightmare in the COVID-19 Response
• Biden Inherits A Vaccine Supply Unlikely to Grow Before April
• Biden's Wave of COVID-19 Executive Orders Relies on Data to Implement

• SBA Relaunches COVID Loan Program As Watchdog Warns About Possible Fraud
• Biden Calls for $350 Billion in State and Local Aid As Part of Massive Stimulus

• Biden COVID-Relief Plan Offers More Leave for Frontline Feds
• White House Directs Agencies to Revise Their Pandemic Plans

• Black Americans Are Getting COVID Vaccines at Lower Rates Than White Americans
• Essential Workers Worry As COVID Vaccine Rules Change

(Otherwise) in the News

Today's headlines contain plenty of news coverage of some of our nation's most pressing public administration challenges. ASPA has curated some of the most important stories from recent weeks. If you have not seen these yet, make sure you read them now!

Infrastructure

• NSA Cyber Directorate Touts Election, Pandemic Security Work in 2020 Review
• The SolarWinds Cyberattack and the Need for Hyper-Vigilance
• Biden-Harris Admin Proposes $10 Billion in New IT and Cyber Funding for Federal Agencies
• HHS Names First Ever Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer

• GSA to Remove Almost All Drones from Contract Offerings Over China Concerns
• Continuing Job Losses Put Spotlight on Economic Relief
• Biden Pauses Construction on the Border Wall
• Biden Orders Agencies to Buy More American-Made Products and Publicly Post Exemptions
• OMB Memo Lays Out Agency Performance Metric Challenges for Biden Administration

• OPM Details Core Values Behind Coming Security Clearance Reforms with New Policy Doctrine
• Joint Chiefs Affirm Election Results, Condemn 'Assault on Our Constitutional Process'
• New House Bill Would Block Future Administrations from Using Schedule F, or Anything Else Like It
• Trump’s 11th-hour Assault on the Civil Service by Stripping Job Protections Runs Out of Time
• Biden Issues Sweeping Ethics Plan for Appointees
• Biden Confronts a Budget Office Broken by Trump
• Union Leaders Report Slow Movement to Implement Biden Workforce Order

• Black Ambassadors Association Calls for Diversity Reforms At State and USAID
• Biden Will Form a Council Dedicated to Policy That Affects Women and Girls

Welcome New ASPA Members!
Click here to view the most recent new ASPA members!

Around Public Administration

Here are the most recent updates from across the profession. Did we miss you? Send us your news and we'll include it in the next round!

Upcoming Events:

• South Florida Chapter Best Practices Conference
  Online
  February 19, 2021
  Theme: Placing Humanity in Public Administration
  Highlighting the current best practices in and around the study and practice of public policy and administration, this is the Chapter's 15th annual conference, taking place virtually this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All ASPA members are invited to join the Chapter for this event. Find more details online.
  
  
• 2021 COMPA Conference
  Online
  February 25-28, 2021
  The Call for Papers is online; proposals are due by January 15, 2021. Registration is open; early-bird registration expires January 15, 2021. Click here for more information.
  
  
• Hampton Roads, Virginia Chapter Annual Research Symposium
  Online
  March 18, 2021, 8:30 a.m. - Noon
  The Chapter will be exploring how public and nonprofit agencies seek to identify the evolving needs and expectations of the communities they serve in a dynamic political, economic and social environment. All papers are due by January 23, 2021; send proposals and any questions to Tom Poulin.
  
  
• ASPA Georgia Chapter 22nd Annual Conference and Annual Meeting
  Online (hosted by Savannah State University)
  March 26-27, 2021
  Theme: "A Salute to Public Service: People, Policies and Programs Making a Difference"
  
  
• 2021 ASPA Annual Conference
  Online, April 9-15
  Theme: "Picking Up the Pieces: Pandemic, Protests and the Future of Public Service"
  Registration is now open!
  
  
• NISPAcee Annual Conference 2021
  Ljubljana, Slovenia
  May 20-22, 2021
  Theme: "Citizens' Engagement and Empowerment—The Era of Collaborative Innovation in Governance"
  The steering committee continues to evaluate the COVID-19 situation to determine if it will be safe to have attendees in Slovenia in May. If not, the conference will be postponed to October 2021.
  
  
• 2021 PA Theory Annual Conference
  Portland, Oregon
  June 3-6
  Theme: "Administrative (Dys)function and Dedication: Contradictions in Public Service Values"
  
  

• Arthur S. Flemming Awards Commission Opens Nomination Period
  The George Washington University and the Arthur S. Flemming Awards Commission are accepting nominations for the 2020 Arthur S. Flemming awards. Presented annually across five categories, these awards honor outstanding federal employees. Recognized by the president of the United States, agency heads, and the private sector, the winners are selected from all areas of the federal service. The awards recognize outstanding service, attract and recruit talent to public service and work to retain the best of the best in government service. Agencies are encouraged to nominate outstanding public servants with three to 15 years of experience in the Federal Government. All nominations are due January 31. Contact [email protected].
  Click here for more details and to view the nomination form.
  
  
• South Florida Chapter Now Accepting Scholarship Nominations
  The South Florida Chapter annually awards five scholarships to excellent students. The application period has opened for each. Details are as follows:
  
  The Dewey W. Knight Jr. Scholarship application deadline is January 31, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. Applicants are competing for a scholarship up to $750, and no less than $500. Students must be currently enrolled and seeking a degree from a College or University in South Florida. Click here for more information.
  
  The Natasha Seijas “Women in Public Service” Scholarship application deadline is January 31, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. Applicants are competing for a scholarship up to $1,000 and no less than $500. Student must be female. Click here for more information.
  
  The Dr. Ray DeArrigunaga Memorial Scholarship application deadline is January 31, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. Applicants are competing for a scholarship up to $1,000 and no less than $500. Students must be currently enrolled and seeking a degree from a college or university in South Florida. Click here for more information.
  
  The Girls in Government Scholarship application deadline is March 1, 2021. Applicants must submit via email a 700-word article or 2 1/2 to 3-minute video explaining, "Why Women in Local Government and How Can Agencies Increase the Number of Women in Leadership Positions?" Click here for more information.
  
  Meek Foundation Scholarship Award application is due on March 1, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. Applicants are competing for scholarships up to $1,000 and no less than $500. Click here for more information.
  
  
• NCL All-America City Award Application Period Opens
  The National Civic League (NCL) is accepting applications for the 2021 All-America City award, themed "Building Equitable and Resilient communities." Since 1949, the NCL has designated more than 500 communities as All-America Cities for their outstanding civic accomplishments. The Award, bestowed annually on 10 communities, recognizes their work in using inclusive civic engagement to address critical issues and create stronger connections among residents, businesses and nonprofit and government leaders. Finalists are announced in March and invited to assemble a community team to present their program at the virtual All-America City Event, June 4-6. The All-America City Award shines a spotlight on the incredible work taking place in communities across the country. By celebrating the best in local innovation, civic engagement and cross-sector collaboration, the All-America City Awards remind us of the potential within every community to tackle tough issues and create real change. All applications are due February 10.
  Find application details online here.
  
  
• SPCM Now Accepting Scholarship Nominations
  The Section on Procurement and Contract Management (SPCM) is now accepting student nominations for its three available scholarships of $150 each. These scholarships will help defray the costs of attending ASPA’s Annual Conference, which will be awarded during the SPCM board meeting during the 2021 Annual Conference. Applicants must submit their proof of enrollment in a college or university; a current resume or CV; and a completed application. The deadline for all submissions is February 12, 2021, delivered to Roslyn Alic-Batson.
  
  
• SICA Gould Scholarship Call for Nominations
  SICA is now accepting nominations for its 2021 David Gould Scholarship, providing one or two students with a stipend to defray registration costs for ASPA's 2021 Annual Conference. To nominate a graduate student, send a letter of nomination by a faculty member and the student's CV to Kim Moloney, SICA Chair. The deadline for sending nominations is February 12, 2021.
  
  
• SICA Call for Nominations: 2021 Fred Riggs Award
  The Section for International and Comparative Administration (SICA) is seeking nominations for the 2021 Fred Riggs Award for Lifetime Achievement in International and Comparative Public Administration. The Fred Riggs Award was established by SICA in 1985 to recognize scholars who made significant and widely recognized contributions to the conceptual, theoretical and/or operational progress in the fields of international, comparative and/or development administration. This award is named in honor of Fred W. Riggs, a pioneer in these fields and a founder of SICA. The award is made annually at the SICA business meeting held in conjunction with the ASPA Annual Conference. Each letter of nomination should indicate in some depth the person's intellectual achievements and relevant qualifications for the award and include the nominee's CV and other supporting documents. There should be at least two letters of recommendation with at least one letter from a SICA member. The deadline for all nominations is February 12; the awardee will be announced by March 15 and the award will be offered online during ASPA's 2021 Annual Conference. All nomination materials should be sent directly to Kim Moloney, SICA and Riggs Award Chair.
  
  
• SPOD Now Accepting Scholarship Nominations
  The Section on Professional and Organizational Development (SPOD) is now accepting student nominations for its two available scholarships of $250 each. These scholarships are designed to facilitate learning to advance students’ academic work and interests in finding solutions to public organizational challenges., and to introduce students to SPOD’s work and encourage their long-term involvement in the Section’s activities. Candidates must be pursuing a master's or a doctoral degree from an accredited school in the United States; have submitted at least one proposal to present at the 2021 ASPA National Conference; and be willing to assuming an active role in SPOD’s ongoing activities in the coming year. To nominate a graduate student for a SPOD scholarship, send a letter of nomination by a faculty member and the student’s CV to SPOD Chair Carol Rusaw. The deadline for sending nominations is February 15, 2021.
  
  
• ASPA Georgia Chapter 22nd Annual Meeting Call for Papers
  The 22nd Annual ASPA Georgia Chapter Academic Conference and Annual Meeting, March 26-27, welcomes innovative proposals that reflect best practices, rethinking of current practices, represent benchmarks, lessons learned with a focus on the future of the field. The overall program will result in a diverse array of presenters and perspectives, including those within a diversity of disciplines, various levels of experience, and institutional and organizational affiliations. The theme for the conference is, "A Salute to Public Service: People, Policies, and Programs Making a Difference," shedding light on best practices and confronting challenges, success stories and solutions involving people, policies and programs in public and nonprofit organizations. Nine tracks will provide for robust dialogue on topics including public service, social equity, infrastructure, security and emergency management, nonprofit leadership, public finance and more. All proposals are due February 17, 2021.
  Click here for more information.
  
  
• The Marc Holzer Public Performance Symposium, Public Performance Conference
  As an addendum to ASPA's Annual Conference, taking place digitally April 9-15, ASPA's Section on Public Performance Management (SPPM) and the National Center for Public Performance are seeking proposals, papers and fully formed panels for the Marc Holzer Public Performance Symposium, under the theme, "International Best Practices: Establishing Generally Accepted Performance Principles." Symposium co-chairs are Prajapati Trivedi (The Commonwealth) and Marc Fudge (University of California, San Bernardino and Chair, ASPA Section on Public Performance Management). The symposium will convene two parallel tracks: one of invited participants presenting best practice panels on performance improvement practices across the globe and a second based on open submissions presenting independent perspectives on best practices. The critiques and products of both dialogues will help comprise a published set of guidelines, with an expected Fall 2021 publication date. Proposals are open to participants from all facets of the public performance community and related networks. All panelists must register; fees are: $0 for SPPM members; $25 for other ASPA members; $50 for all others. (Registration for this symposium is separate from the ASPA Annual Conference.) All proposals are due March 1, 2021 to Elaine Yi Lu, Performance Conference Program Co-Chair, John Jay College, City University of New York; and Aroon Manoharan, Performance Conference Program Co-Chair, University of Massachusetts—Boston.
  
  
• Sustainability Issues Call for Papers for Special Issue
  The journal, Sustainability, has issued a call for papers for a special issue: "Building Smart and Sustainable Cities: Emerging Technologies and Innovation for Digital-Era Governance and Long-Term Impacts." Although cities around the world already are implementing an array of initiatives in an attempt to become smarter, there is still no consensus among researchers and practitioners about what should be included or not in the conceptualization of "smartness." However, it seems to be clear now that smart cities are not only about harnessing the potential of new data and emergent information technologies, but also that many other components are essential to achieve some of the promises in terms of better services and improved quality of life. No matter what definition scholars and practitioners use, smart city success should involve being sustainable in the medium- and long-term. This special issue attempts to address a research need in terms of studies focusing on the (ecological, economic, social, and political) sustainability of smart cities. Manuscripts will be accepted until March 1, 2021.
  Find the call online here.
  
  
• Journal of the Social Sciences Call for Articles
  The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences has issued a call for articles for a special issue on "Social and Economic Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic." The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare and exacerbated many of the structural inequalities in the United States. Within a few months of the first documented community transmission, nearly one quarter of the workforce filed for unemployment benefits, with low income workers and those with less flexibility in scheduling and the ability to work remotely disproportionately experiencing job loss. Meanwhile, workers deemed essential, from health care providers, to supermarket employees, to delivery workers, bore the brunt of exposure to infection, while others sheltered in place under state and local orders. These unequal labor market experiences may have exacerbated existing inequalities in material hardship, household economic insecurity and poverty, but the impacts of the pandemic may have also exposed previously economically secure groups to insecurity. In this issue, we invite original research contributions pertaining to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on socioeconomic inequality in the United States and in particular how pre-existing inequalities may have mediated the impact of the pandemic and in turn been exacerbated by the current crisis. We particularly are interested in studies that focus on how institutions, ranging from the health care system, corrections and criminal justice, childcare policies, social safety net programs, and labor market policies have either mitigated or exacerbated the impact of the pandemic on social and economic outcomes as well as studies that focus on the likely longer-term impacts of the pandemic on inequality in the United States. All proposals are due no later than 5 p.m. EST on March 10, 2021.
  Click here to submit an abstract and contact [email protected] for more information.
  
  
• 2021 Annual E-PARCC Teaching Case and Simulation Competition
  The Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration (PARCC) at the Syracuse University Maxwell School is sponsoring its 15th annual E-PARCC competition to further stimulate the creation of effective and innovative teaching cases and simulations. E-PARCC, a project of the "Collaborative Governance Initiative," provides free online resources for those who teach conflict and collaboration around the world. More than 3,000 visitors per month from more than 40 different countries take advantage of E-PARCC teaching materials. The E-PARCC competition now consists of two tracks: (1) collaborative problem solving, collaborative governance, and network governance and analysis, and (2) collaborative methods in international development. All entries are due by March 15.
  Find more information online here.
  
  
• Journal of Emergency Management Special Issue: Analysis of Pre- and Post-Disaster Response and Recovery Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
  The Journal of Emergency Management (JEM) Editorial Review Board invites the submission of original research papers, brief communications, case studies, etc. supporting a special issue: “Analysis of Pre and Post Disaster Response and Recovery due to the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic.” As we transcend this global pandemic, the goal is to bring together a complete and comprehensive accounting of the event and its post mortem. This may include a pre-disaster assessment of the state of preparation as well as any post-disaster response, preparedness, mitigation and recovery. We expect this to be a comprehensive look at what went wrong and just as important, what went right. Manuscripts will be accepted for review immediately and will continue (tentatively) through the first quarter of 2021.
  Find the Call for Proposals online here.
  
  
• Call for Chapter Proposals
  Antoinette Christophe is issuing a Call for Chapter Proposals for a new book, The Underserved: African Americans Challenges in the Catch-22s of Disasters, Pandemics Environmental Injustice and Beyond. The proposed book is written from the perspective of the experiences of the underserved African American communities. Various authors will share their perspectives through scholarly research and, to a lesser extent, life experiences. The book will cover well-known environmental justice issues, catastrophic disaster events, the COVID-19 pandemic, health disparities, social inequalities, policies and laws and more. The focus will be on how the underserved African American population experiences these occurrences. The perspective and lens from which the authors will view these issues are health disparities, human behavior, socioeconomic standing, urban planning, artificial intelligence/technology, disaster response and preparedness and more. African American lives also are impacted by socioeconomic status resulting from little or no education, low income and occupations without benefits. This social standing come s with inequities that emanates from the lack of access to resources (i.e., healthcare, homeownership, disaster response, etc.). These influences will be considered.
  Contact Antoinette Christophe for more information.
  
  

PA TIMES Online

Here's a selection of current pieces on PA TIMES Online, covering a range of issues within the profession. We accept individual articles on a rolling basis; if you have a piece you think would fit our publication, submit it to [email protected] for consideration. (Please review our submission guidelines in advance!)

• Decreased Food Access: Another Challenge of the Coronavirus Pandemic
  By Brittany Keegan
  
  
• The Growth of E-Commerce Markets in India During COVID-19
  By Pooja Paswan
  
  
• Philanthropy in the Context of Biden’s Administration
  By Sharif Shamroukh