Have You Checked Out ASPA's Webinar Archives?

What happens once an ASPA webinar is over? Far from disappearing into an abyss, we archive the program for future on-demand viewing. More, we are proud to say our archives are an incredibly robust catalog of expertise and information reflecting the diversity of our field. Containing KeepingCurrent webinars, BookTalk programs and career path development resources dating back to 2015, there are almost 300 hours of professional expertise and guidance in these archives.

But how can you best find the program you need?

Historically, members have needed to view these archives by program date. Now, these archives also can be viewed by category, providing you with a more efficient way to easily access programming of interest. Categories include:

• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility
• Good Governance and Human Resources
• International Public Administration
• Performance Management
• Public Administration in the Classroom
• Public Finance and Budgeting
• Professional Development/Career Learning

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 Student and New Professional series programming.



KeepingCurrent: The Integration of Immigrants in Virginia
June 4 | 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. EDT

Presenters:
Saltanat Liebert, Associate Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University
Grant Rissler, Affiliate Faculty, Virginia Commonwealth University

Are you curious about how immigrants integrate in the United States and what barriers they face in their integration journey? Make sure you attend this webinar! Our presenters will provide findings from a study that examined the integration of immigrants in Virginia: where they settle, what languages they speak, which countries they come from and what barriers to integration they face. You'll also hear about some policy recommendations that would facilitate a speedier integration of immigrants. After all, well-integrated immigrants enable states to reap benefits in the form of higher tax revenues to public coffers, and happier, productive and more engaged new members of the society.




From the Archives
BookTalk: Human Resource Essentials for Public Service: People, Process, Performance
Tough issues face human resource managers. With the specter of Schedule F hanging over federal jobs, the time to understand why good government requires job protections is now. And there are no easy answers for the right blend of remote versus in-person work; or how employees can find meaningfulness in their jobs; or how to forestall workplace violence; or how to ensure equitable processes. Listen to this webinar via our online archives now. (Members only)

Have You Used Our App Yet?

In case you missed it, ASPA has launched a new mobile app, available all year long!

Visit any app or play store (or click here) to download your version (search for "ASPA"), log in with your ASPA login information to see all of your details—and all of the features in the app—and start connecting with folks now!

Is it time to renew your membership? Do it in the app! Click on your profile image in the upper-left-hand corner and follow the prompts to select your membership type and Sections.

Questions? Contact us for assistance and we'll be happy to help get you started!

We will continue to roll out new features in the weeks and months ahead, so look for announcements and more details soon!

New Member Orientation May 30!

ASPA will be holding a New Member Orientation next Thursday, May 30 at 1 p.m., via Zoom. If you have joined ASPA recently and need guidance for how to make the most of your membership (or have been a member for a while and need a refresher!), join us for this hour-long session and learn everything you could want to know and more!

We will cover:

• An overview of the ASPA website so you know where everything lives (including that webinar archive we mentioned above!)
• The member-exclusive resources you can access at any time
• Ways to network and get involved throughout the organization
• Chapter and Section highlights
• Upcoming webinars and other events on the calendar

We will allow plenty of time for questions, so bring yours with you, meet some fellow new members and learn how to make the most of this community!

We will record the session and post it to our website afterward for those who cannot join us live.

Join ASPA's Newest Section: SHLACIPA!

In case you missed it, ASPA has a new subject-matter Section: The Section on Hispanic, Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Public Administration (SHLACIPA)!

As is the case with all ASPA Sections, SHLACIPA intends to provide a networking platform for scholars and practitioners interested in issues and policies in Latin America, the Caribbean and Iberia, and encourage collaborative work between U.S. and international practitioners and researchers. The Section also will work to promote ASPA's goals and activities in these regions and facilitate cooperation between universities there and in the United States, among other objectives.

In short: If you are interested in looking closely at public administration through a Hispanic/Latin American/Caribbean/Iberian lens, join this group today and start learning from each other to strengthen this part of our field.

Those joining ASPA or renewing their membership can add this Section to their membership as they join/renew other groups. If you are mid-membership and will not be renewing your membership until later this year, contact us to add this Section to your membership now. If you want to know more about this Section, contact inaugural Chair Abraham Benavides.

Cost to join: $15 for students and new professionals; $30 for everyone else.

2024 Annual Conference Plenary Videos Posted

Select 2024 Annual Conference plenary videos now are posted to the Annual Conference website.

We continue to make our way through the myriad resources this year's conference produced and will provide announcements as new media are provided.

In case you missed it, we have posted a photo gallery of this year's highlights via Flickr, available online here, no password required.

Did you give a concurrent session presentation at the conference? This is your final chance to send us a copy of your slides in PDF format. We will be posting what has been shared to our website shortly.

2024 "Best Places to Work" List Released

Based on research conducted by the Partnership for Public Service and Boston Consulting Group, the most recent rankings for this annual rating of government workplaces were released earlier this month. The overall score for all federal agencies is 65.7 out of 100, a 2.3 increase that reverses the general trend of declining scores since 2020.

According to Federal News Network, "Before this year’s results, there had been several consecutive years of declining scores in the Best Places to Work series. The Partnership even called the 2022 rankings a “warning signal” for agency leaders." Quoting Partnership for Public Service President Max Stier, the article continues: "This is not about happy employees. This is about better-performing organizations and better mission achievement."

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) remains at the top of the list of large agencies (for 12 years running); the Government Accountability Office is—again—in first place among medium-sized agencies; and the National Indian Gaming Commission took first place for small agencies.

The point of the list is not only to categorize current agency environments for employees, but also compare that data over time so agencies can continue to make their environments as appealing to current and future employees as possible. New this year, according to the Partnership, "[O]ne’s connection to mission has emerged as the most important driver of engagement and satisfaction for the first time in the history of the rankings. In past years, leadership was the leading driver of employee engagement, and it remains a critical component of a well-functioning workforce."

The Washington Post provides a user-friendly analysis of the report here. Access the complete information from the Partnership for Public Service online here.

OMB-OIRA Wants to Hear from You!

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is looking to engage with more of the public about the rulemaking process. Federal regulations set the rules of the road that affect our lives in myriad ways—from providing access to affordable medicine to reducing children’s exposure to harmful toxins. A critical part of designing regulations that work is hearing from the public. Greater public participation leads to a more responsive and effective Federal Government that better addresses the needs of the American people. OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) is taking new steps to make it easier for interested members of the public to voice their views in the federal rulemaking process. As a part of this effort, OIRA is reaching out to educational institutions that teach undergraduate and graduate students about public policy and public administration to offer an exciting learning opportunity.

In a one-hour seminar this fall, OIRA will provide an overview demystifying their office and the federal rulemaking process, illustrate success with case studies of regulations that have been improved through public comment, provide tips on how to write an effective comment and answer your questions. OIRA is currently targeting the first round of engagement for fall semester 2024.

ASPA held a webinar on this topic this week; the recording will be in our webinar archives shortly. If you are interested in learning more from OIRA, please contact [email protected]. All formal requests for engagement will need to go through standard agency internal clearance process and availability cannot be confirmed until that process is complete.

Read and Download Public Integrity’s 25th Anniversary Article Collection

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Public Integrity (PI), the leadership team has put together a collection of 30 papers spanning the journal’s history and authorship on innovative, interesting and diverse topics—papers well worth visiting or revisiting. The collection is available open to the public to read and download for the remainder of 2024.

After 25 years, PI continues to be proud to be a journal of the American Society for Public Administration and to represent students, scholars and professionals in the community. We hope you will enjoy reading this collection of papers and celebrating PI’s anniversary with the journal team, ASPA and T&F in 2024.

Public Administration Today Highlight



Public Administration Today features white papers, research and blogs from across the profession. If you're interested in more—especially your own curated news feed in your inbox every week—visit the website, create an account and check off your interest areas so you can stay up to date about the latest research being released!

How a Simple Board Game Changed a City Council for the Better
Via the National League of Cities: Are you tired of your council meetings or retreats feeling dry and procedural? Do you wish you could inspire more cohesion and agreement at public town hall meetings? Try playing a board game. That’s what Councilmember Anne Barrington of the Town of Parker, CO, did.

Tips, Resources and the Fun Stuff

Here Are Three Common Recycling Myths You Should Discard
Can you recycle pizza boxes? Is all paper recyclable? How clean do your recyclables have to be?

Six Essential Questions About Wills, Answered
In this post, you’ll find answers to six essential questions you may have about making a will, regardless of your age or net worth.

Eight Red Flags for Renters—and How to Detect Them
Hunting for a new apartment? Be on the lookout for these warning signs that something is amiss.

Disagreements Are Healthy. How to Stop Making Them Toxic.
Plan ahead. Actively listen. And discuss how to move forward.

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

• Pete Buttigieg’s View from the Middle Seat
• New Rules to Overhaul Electric Grids Could Boost Wind and Solar Power
• NASA Names First Head of AI
• Feds Open the Door to $2 Billion in Northeast Corridor Rail Improvements
• A Water War Is Brewing Between the U.S. and Mexico. Here’s Why.
• The Best Way to Do Infrastructure Projects
• Labor Department Debuts Website for Migrant Workers in Six New Languages
• Should the Federal Government Regulate Artificial Intelligence?

• IRS Chief Pleads for Another Funding Boost to Skeptical Lawmakers
• VA Improperly Approved Nearly $11 Million in Bonuses for Execs, Watchdog Finds
• Supreme Court Rejects Broad Challenge to Consumer Watchdog CFPB
• White House Procurement Office Marks 50 Years
• Microchip Companies Need Federal Grant Money. They’re Rolling Out Child Care to Get It.
• Biden Will Choose a New Leader for Bank Regulator with "Toxic" Culture

• OPM’s Retirement Backlog Continued a Four-Month Downward Trend in April
• Report Finds Toxic Culture Permeates FDIC, Chairman Faces Resignation Calls
• Federal CISO to Leave Post
• With Pressure Mounting, DeJoy Agrees to Pause Consolidations at Dozens of USPS Facilities
• Social Security Chief Martin O’Malley Races to Rebuild Troubled Agency
• State Department Warns of Significant Risks Due to Ongoing Budget Pressures
• Governance Experts Launch a Group to Oppose Schedule F

• Federal Documents Don’t Provide Enough Checkboxes for All AAPI Ethnicities. That May Be About to Change.
• 70 Years Later, One in Three Black People Say Integration Didn’t Help Black Students
• Cyber Workforce Efforts Need to Address Diversity "Head on," ex-White House Official Says
• Rethinking the Glass Ceiling

Members in the News

"Invisible" No More: States Move to Hire People with Disabilities
and
With the Rise of AI, Workforce Planning Is Critical. But Many Governments Don’t Do It.
By Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene

Celebrating Public Service—and Public Servants
By Bob Lavigna

UNO Appoints Dr. Yu-Che Chen as Interim Director of Public Administration School
Chen is an ASPA life member and directs UNO's Digital Governance and Analytics Lab.

Tell Me Something Good...

Need some good news in your world? Check this out:

In Photos: Extreme Solar Storm Brings Spectacular Northern Lights
Stargazers had a treat earlier this month as an extreme solar storm, the strongest in two decades, caused fantastic auras to be seen across large swaths of Europe and North America and as far south as Florida in the United States.
(Photo credit: CJ Gunther, EPA-EFT/Shutterstock via The Washington Post)

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:

• NAPA 2024 Social Equity Leadership Conference
  University of Connecticut | June 20-22
  Theme: Achieving Diversity, Equity Inclusion and Access in an Increasingly Divided World
  Registration is open
  
  
• Sixth World Conference on Remedies to Racial and Social Inequality
  Sponsored by the Roy Wilkins Center, University of Minnesota
  Cape Town, South Africa | September 3-5
  Registration is open
  
  
• 2024 SECOPA
  Theme: "Transforming Public and Nonprofit Governance: Shaping Sustainable Communities for Tomorrow"
  University of Memphis | September 18-21
  Call for Proposals; Registration is open
  
  
• ABFM 36th Annual Conference
  Theme: "Health Care and Public Finance"
  Cleveland State University | September 26-28
  
  
• Northeast Conference on Public Administration
  Co-hosted by Pace University and Baruch College, CUNY
  New York | November 1-2

• IBM Center for The Business of Government Challenge Grant Competition
  IBM Center for The Business of Government is pleased to hold a Challenge Grant competition to learn of real-world examples of where government organizations have implemented strategies and capabilities that have improved their mission resilience to be “future ready” and prepared to respond to disruptive events. They are interested in case studies within five key domain areas: emergency preparedness and response, cybersecurity, supply chain, climate sustainability, and workforce development. Case studies can be international, U.S. federal, state or local. They would like to learn about examples that were piloted or implemented between 2022 and 2024. The Challenge Grant will provide $1,000 for the winners of the competition to produce essays for publication. All proposals must be submitted by June 7. Click here for more information.
  
  
• ABFM Awards Call for Nominations
  The Association for Budgeting and Financial Management (ABFM) has opened its Call for Nominations for its annual awards program. Awards include the Curro Student Paper, Wildavsky, Howard, Posner, Best Book and Scholarly Engagement awards. All nominations are due June 28. Click here for more information.
  
  
• Call for Chapters: Burned Out
  IntechOpen has issued a call for chapter proposals for an upcoming open access book entitled Burned Out: Exploring the Causes, Consequences, and Solutions of Workplace Stress in Public Service Organizations. Public service occupations are among the most stressful workplaces in the world. Public servants are expected to address society's most difficult and demanding problems—including pandemics, terrorism, natural disasters and a host of complex social issues. These problems expose employees to high physical dangers, deep emotional toils and often constant media, political and citizen criticism for their efforts. This book aims to do a deep dive into not only the types of stress (i.e., work, organizational and environmental demands) that are endemic in a variety of public service workplaces, but also the effects of stress on an assortment of outcomes (i.e., performance, commitment, motivation, happiness and physical and emotional wellbeing) and potential mitigation strategies. This book also will leverage the findings of research drawn from a diversity of methodologies, including quantitative and qualitative research designs. If your research fits this topic, join the project and submit a chapter proposal for consideration. You must register your interest in this project by June 12.
  
  
• Call for Papers: Public Works Management and Policy
  Public Works Management and Policy (PWMP) seeks novel manuscripts that connect core public administration theory (including policy and management) with modern challenges in the realm of public works. This includes relevant research from all subfields of public administration, including budgeting and finance, human resource management, performance management, policy change, policy analysis and so on, provided that it 1) connects to a core body of public administration or policy theory, and 2) is aligned substantively with the public works management focus of the journal. Recent developments in technology and governance lead to a broadening interpretation of public works management that includes traditional, novel and hybrid foci. For example, papers might examine core public management or policy challenges surrounding: transportation infrastructure, including: roads, bridges, ports, airports, rail, intermodal shipping, parks and recreation and others; utilities, including: water, sewer, waste management, telephone, cellular and internet availability and connectivity; economic development, including: industrial parks, urban redevelopment such as tax increment finance districts, or higher education capacity building; capital construction projects such as schools, libraries, prisons and jails, government offices and military installations. Each of these topics is germane to PWMP’s focus, and when addressing core conceptual questions, is welcome to be submitted for consideration. Articles we are especially interested in publishing are those that address salient and timely questions about current and emerging problems, those that examine new and innovative forms of infrastructure and their use, adaptations of existing infrastructure to new uses, and the integration of infrastructure with the softer side of government—how it is used and how it affects governance for the better or for the worse. Click here for more information.
  
  
• Book Announcement: Democracy's Hidden Heroes
  Written by David Campbell (University of California, Davis), this release tells the story of the local public managers and nonprofit directors who work where bureaucratic hierarchies and community networks meet and often collide. These “hidden heroes” struggle to align universal rules and compliance demands with the unique circumstances facing their organizations and communities. Retailing for $24.95 via Temple Press, use promotion code POSP24 for a discount.
  
  

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!)

• Public Administration: Managing Expectations in the Public Space
  By Lisa Saye
  
  
• The Humpty Dumpty Problem—Part Two
  By Burden S. Lundgren
  
  
• Why Mention Sex, Race or Gender? Because…
  By Thomas Poulin