|
ASPA 2020 Annual Conference Cancelled
As many of our members know, ASPA has cancelled its 2020 Annual Conference. Our National Council's unanimous decision was based, of course, on the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic, as well as government guidance issued by the State of California and City of Anaheim.
We value our members' and attendees’ health and safety above all other considerations. To hold this event during this pandemic would have been irresponsible. Members and attendees should all be aware that ASPA will always champion your health and safety above all considerations; this case was no exception.
Taking this course of action required tremendous behind-the-scenes work, the vast majority of which we could not share publicly, on the part of ASPA's executive leadership team. It is obvious this was the only choice. Having the professional ASPA team guide the National Council through the process made all the difference. We could not have weathered this initial storm without Bill Shields and the rest of the staff. Please be sure to thank them, whether you were attending the conference or not, for their service on behalf of all of our members.
We appreciate your patience as we have worked through this crisis—and will continue to do in the coming weeks. ASPA is who and what it is because of you. Your actions and support advance excellence in public service.
If you were registered to attend and did not receive last week's email with information about next steps regarding your registration, please contact us.
Back to Top
Conference Program Book Released
Despite the fact that ASPA's annual conference needed to be cancelled, ASPA has published its 2020 conference program book and released it publicly to serve as a special resource for the profession. Typically a resource most valued by our attendees, this year, we are encouraging individuals from across the profession to review the panels, speakers and sessions showcased in this book and use them to supplement your work.
Practitioners, six topical tracks focused our conference this year: global public administration, governance, infrastructure, leadership and management, public finance and social equity. Where your work touches these topics, take a look at the research to have been presented in Anaheim and see if there are scholars or reports that could be useful to your work.
Academicians, this book will provide you with an excellent display of others who are working in your area—or in overlapping fields—with whom you may want to partner, or review work for insights that are useful to your purposes.
This PDF file is searchable, so download the file and make the most of valuable key words, names in the discipline and other features to search, annotate, comment and more. (If you want to reach out to someone featured in the book and need help in doing so, contact us and we’ll be happy to assist!)
Happy Reading!
Back to Top
Education in a Time of Social Distancing
Social distancing may be making us more busy, not less, as the days fill up with "normal work," watching news reports and, of course, taking care of family members. When the stress builds and you need something to distract you (besides Netflix and Hulu), now's a great time to take a look at ASPA's webinar archives!
Including our BookTalk from earlier this month, featuring Kathy Newcomer and Charlie Johnson, we have more than 140 hours of recordings from the past five years of digital programming, providing a wealth of public administration education.
A few topics that may seem helpful, especially right now, include:
ASPA's webinar platform will be live again at the end of April. Keep an eye on your inbox for news about new (free!) e-learning opportunities (available to our members in our archives if you can't join us live) headed your way.
Back to Top
Public Administration Review 80:2 Released
Amidst the challenges of the past month, printing presses have rolled on, including for ASPA's premier journal, Public Administration Review (PAR). The second edition of the year, 80:2, has been released and is available online for digital perusing.
The bad news... If you are an ASPA member who is used to receiving your copy of PAR by mail, there's a good chance you will miss your paper edition unless it is sent to your home address (or, you are one of those still heading to campus every day). Fear not: You, too, can access the digital copy! Start by clicking here to access ASPA's members-only link and then, once on the PAR site, either scroll down to find the edition listed on the main page, or click here to load the edition directly.
Articles in this edition that may be of particular note right now include:
And, of course, ASPA members have access to the entire PAR archive at any time, so make the most of it to continue your research interests, even while social distancing!
Back to Top
Your ASPA Family is Here for You
The coronavirus is creating any number of confusing and anxiety-ridden situations right now. Please know that during this time (as always!), your ASPA family is here for you, keeping you connected to the public administration community and helping you find the resources you need—as hopefully this newsletter demonstrates!
ASPA members renew their membership every day, all the time, which means for several hundred of you, your membership will be expiring next week. Rest assured: Your member benefits will not disappear overnight!
In the face of these unprecedented times, ASPA is very happy to be flexible with those of you who need extended grace periods to renew your memberships. We know how important it is that you continue to have access to your ASPA networks, whether that means your Chapters and Sections, resource communities, e-learning platforms or other programs. If you need assistance, please reach out and we will be happy to work with you.
The ASPA community has a proud history of standing strong together. These times may be unprecedented, but our support for the public service is not and we stand ready to help you weather this storm.
Stay safe and healthy, and make sure you let us know how we can help!
Back to Top
In Memoriam: ASPA Past President Bradley Patterson
Bradley Patterson, Jr. of Bethesda, Maryland passed away on Thursday, March 19, 2020 at the age of 98. Patterson was born to Helen Gilman and Bradley Hawkes Patterson, Sr. on December 5, 1921 in Wellesley, Massachusetts. He married his soulmate, Shirley Jane DoBos, at Rockefeller Chapel on the University of Chicago campus on December 26, 1943. They were married for 67 years until her death in 2011. He is survived by daughter Dawn Marie Capron, and three sons, Bruce DoBos, Glenn Gilman and Brian Braese, as well as 10 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Patterson received his bachelor's degree in 1942 and his master's degree in 1943, both from the University of Chicago. He served in the Department of State (1945-1954) and as deputy secretary to the cabinet under President Eisenhower (1954-1960). In 1960, he won the Arthur S. Flemming Award as one of the 10 outstanding young men in federal service. During the Kennedy Administration, he became the first executive secretary of the Peace Corps under Sargent Shriver (1961-1962). He served as national security assistant at the Treasury Department (1962-1966), graduating from the National War College in 1966. He was executive director of the presidential National Advisory Commission on the Selective Service (1966-1967).
In 1969, Patterson returned to the White House to serve as executive assistant to Leonard Garment under President Nixon. During his tenure, he helped implement President Nixon's policy of Indian self-determination. He was instrumental in returning Blue Lake to the Taos Pueblo, restoring fishing rights to the Yakima and passing the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. He personally intervened in the AIM takeover of the BIA building, the occupation of Alcatraz and the standoff at Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.
Beginning in 1974, Patterson served as staff aide to First Lady Betty Ford and was President Ford's assistant director of the Office of Presidential Personnel (1975-1976). He joined the Brookings Institution as a senior staff member of their Center for Public Policy Education (1977-1988); was elected president of ASPA (1984-1985); and was a member of the American Political Science Association and associate of the Center for the Study of the Presidency. For more than 30 years he also was a member of the Potomac Corral of the Westerners. In 2004, he was awarded the University of Chicago National Alumni Association's Professional Achievement Citation.
Click here to read the full obituary.
Back to Top
Some Helpful Resources
News digests, Twitter feeds, blogs and other channels have been replete with new resources being developing right now to stay informed and combat the coronavirus. Below is a short list ASPA has found in the past week; please contact us with any you have found helpful and we will make sure to share them around!
GovExec Daily Podcasts
Two specifically have caught attention:
Your Covid-19 Emails Answered
Katherine McIntere Peters and Tom Shoop teamed up to answer readers' questions about the current federal climate.
Contractors and the Coronavirus Guidance
Nextgov's Frank Konkel and GovExecs Courtney Buble covered the guidance the White House released over the weekend and joined the podcast to examine it.
Coronavirus Response Resources Guide for Government Leaders
The novel coronavirus has tested the durability of federal, state and local governments around the country and the world. This list of resources is meant to connect leaders with useful tools to aid in response efforts.
Remote Work and the Coronavirus
A data-based look at which communities are most able and which are most vulnerable to take advantage of the shift to remote work.
Procurement in the Age of Coronavirus
Sponsored by NIGP: The Institute for Public Procurement, this (free) webinar will look at this important government function in the age of social distancing.
Ten Tips for Feds Who Can't Telework
Crucial information for federal employees who, for whatever reason, have to go into the office.
I Spent a Year in Space, and I Have Tips on Isolation to Share
Tips from Scott Kelly for how to stay sane in an incredibly enclosed environment. (This may be of particular help to students stuck in small studio apartments...)
15 Ways to Get Your Mojo Back
GovLoop author Michael Hackmer offers 15 ways to get out of the coronavirus funk and find ways to be resilient. Sleep, exercise, visualizations and—of all things!—being nice to each other are on this list, as well as more.
Back to Top
Coronavirus in the News
While you can find our usual assortment of news headlines from the past several weeks below, here are some specific to the coronavirus that are particularly noteworthy.
Trump to Delay Deadline to Acquire Real ID Due to Coronavirus
Telework During a Coronavirus Outbreak? Not Usually an Option for Classified Federal Workers
Coronavirus Threatens to Blow Big Holes in State Budgets
As Ridership and Revenues Plunge, Transit Agencies Seek Financial Aid
Fed Unveils Major Expansion of Market Intervention
The Pandemic Reminds Us Why Governors Still Matter
TSA Screeners Begin Staying Home en Masse after Agency Loosens Leave Rules
2020 Census Hiring Suspended Until at Least April 1 Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
Pandemic Could Pull Policies from the Edges to a Central Narrative
Hoping That Insurance Expansion Will Help Tamp Outbreak, Nine States Reopen Marketplaces
Court Cites Coronavirus in Blocking Trump Administration's Food Stamp Cuts
The Coronavirus's Harsher Reality for the Most Vulnerable
Not Everybody Can Work from Home
In the South, Covid-19 Could Find Fertile Ground
How the Federal Tech Community Is Coping with COVID-19
OPM Revises Hiring and Onboarding Policies Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
Back to Top
(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 the past few weeks. If you have not seen these yet, make sure you read them now!
Infrastructure
Public Finance
Public Service/Governance/Leadership
Social Equity
Back to Top
|