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Today, on the 23rd anniversary of September 11, the American Society for Public Administration remembers those who were impacted by the terrorist attacks of that day: those who died in the planes, towers, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania; first responders who ran into danger; public administrators everywhere who served their communities; and families who lost loved ones on that day and in the months and years that followed.
We honor your lives, leadership, service and sacrifice. Thank you.
ASPA 2025 Annual Conference Call for Proposals Closes Friday!
ASPA's 2025 Annual Conference, the premier public service gathering of the year, will take place in Washington, DC, March 28 - April 1. The theme guiding the gathering, "Not Robots Yet: Keeping Public Servants in Public Service," speaks to the challenges and changes the public sector is facing right now and how we all can address them.
The Call for Proposals closes this Friday, September 13, at midnight. Submit yours by the deadline.
Like all professions and fields, public service operates in an environment where the only constant is change. Technological change has been especially fast paced, heralding the fourth industrial revolution and substantially shifting our field—in delivering public services, building smart cities, forecasting threats to the public good, anticipating emergencies for better preparedness, recruiting and managing the “best and brightest,” conducting high quality research and teaching the next generation of public service professionals.
Each passing day brings new digital tools. Some are introduced without a hitch and increase efficiency and outreach. Others gum up the works and pose new problems for service delivery. Some take humans out of the equation, relegating them to an oversight, behind-the-scenes role to ensure the tools behave as planned. Others still need humans, but perhaps fewer than before. All of them enable new forms of interaction, yet also can alienate some groups systematically. Above all, they require a different mindset for how we approach “serving the public.” ASPA’s 2025 Annual Conference will dive deep into how our profession can embrace today’s tools as enablers without being dominated by them.
The conference will take place at a time of immense challenge for public service. Tools are a critical example and there are others. Elections taking place in the United States and abroad. Recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions. Global shifts in governance and democratic norms. Cross-national cooperation. All are transforming how leaders and policymakers exercise their powers and how public administrators conduct their work. In building an effective and responsive public sector, we must cope with fundamental changes to how we serve the public good. That is why we not only invite proposals related to the conference theme, but also those examining these shifts and their impacts, both known and unknown.
This year’s conference will look at all aspects of these challenges: ethics, accountability, trust, human resources management, equity, diversity, fairness, economic impact, service delivery—plus the technology itself and best practices that are developing and evolving as their use grows. Six tracks will shape these conversations:
- Good Governance and Service Delivery
- Social Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
- Ethics, Trust and Accountability
- The Tools
- Human Resources Management
- Public Service around the World
ASPA is seeking proposals for sessions, individual papers or topics and workshops that will delve into this theme and its related tracks. These proposals will form the bulk of the sessions presented during the conference and provide attendees with learning objectives throughout the event.
Click here for more details and the link to submit a proposal.
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 Hauptmann Lecture—Administrative Burdens: A Framework for Improving Government
September 12 | 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. EDT
Presenter:
Donald Moynihan, J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Professor of Public Policy, Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan
The lecture series pays tribute to late public administration scholar Dr. Jerzy Hauptmann, who taught at Park University for 52 years and served on the ASPA National Council in the 1960s. Administrative burdens are the everyday frictions that people encounter when they engage with public services. Governments are increasingly interested in ways to identify and reduce these burdens. Moynihan will discuss how research on burdens can inform and improve policy implementation.
BookTalk: Collaborative Governance Primer: An Antidote to Solving Complex Public Problems
September 17 | 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. EDT
Presenters:
James Agbodzakey, Author and Professor, University of North Texas at Dallas
Peter Haruna, Moderator, Professor, Texas A&M International University, Laredo
Drawing on local government examples across the United States, author James Agbodzakey will share how this book accentuates the growing utilization of bottom-up approaches in addressing complex societal concerns, with a particular emphasis on public health issues such as HIV/AIDS and the COVID-19 pandemic. The book looks at collaborative governance questions from a variety of perspectives.
KeepingCurrent: Leadership and No-Blame Problem Solving: A Civics Workshop
September 19 | 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. EDT
Presenter:
Michelle Currey, Facilitator, The Citizens Campaign
As citizens, you know you have the right to vote and the right to protest—but you probably don’t know that you have new 21st century rights and powers that let you get in the game of government problem solving. This leadership training program teaches you how to solve problems in your community and across the country, empowering you and your fellow citizens to get results on the issues you care about. You don’t have to sit on the sidelines waiting to react. You can become a “citizen leader” on the frontlines of government decisionmaking. This isn’t the civics your parents and grandparents studied. It’s active, practitioner-informed leadership training, employing a powerful no-blame approach. Attendees will leave this 90-minute training with a certificate demonstrating knowledge and skills gained during this hands-on workshop.
From the Archives
KeepingCurrent: Using Performance Data to Improve the Customer Experience
Improving Americans’ experience with government services has been a focal point for more than a decade. Today, federal initiatives are guided by a presidential executive order that directs agencies to develop “customer experience” strategies and plans to make services they provide more like the simple, seamless and secure services people see in their personal, online and in-person services in the private sector. The goal is to organize around the customer, not around the delivery programs. This webinar, sponsored by ASPA's Center for Accountability and Performance, looked at how the federal government uses performance measurement to improve the customer experience. (Members only)
Students and New Professionals: Effective Networking for the Classroom, Breakroom and Beyond
Truly effective networking is integrated into your daily life. Yes, happy hours, coffees and lunches are helpful and you should always have business cards in your pocket—but that’s only part of this process. Networking also means staying connected with former colleagues and friends; checking in with acquaintances periodically to keep your name on their radar; building relationships with new contacts; understanding social cues and boundaries; and making plans for socializing in general, whether you “need” anything or not. Networking, done best, is a daily habit and yields important, regular returns. Our speakers provided tips, insights and networking habits you can adjust to fit your needs. (Members only)
In Memoriam: Alfred M. Zuck
ASPA life member Alfred M. Zuck, 89, passed away last month in Ashburn, Virginia.
Zuck joined ASPA in 1958, shortly after finishing his MPA at Syracuse and as he was beginning his career in federal government. He contributed to the Society and its members throughout his life, including as an active member of the National Capital Area Chapter, attending numerous annual conferences and other events.
Zuck enjoyed a distinguished 25-year career at the U.S. Department of Labor, working his way up to assistant secretary for administration and management and briefly serving as acting secretary in 1981. Prior to his time there, he served briefly at the Presidential Commission on Youth Opportunities in the 1960s. He retired from the Department of Labor in 1983, briefly serving at the Environmental Protection Agency shortly thereafter, before moving on to become NASPAA's executive director until 1996. He ended his career as distinguished adjunct professor of public administration at American University, teaching there until 2004.
Zuck was the recipient of numerous professional accolades including the Presidential Distinguished Executive Rank Award; the Distinguished Career Service Award; and the William A. Jump Memorial Award. NASPAA's Public Courage Award is named in his honor. He authored a number of journal articles, as well as a short book, The Study of Administration Revisited, reflecting on ASPA's Centennial Agendas Project, with James Carroll.
Zuck grew up in Pennsylvania and graduated from Franklin & Marshall College with his bachelor's degree; he received his MPA from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. He was a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.
Zuck is survived by his wife of 67 years, Geraldine; daughter, Susan Z. Madden (husband James); son, David A. Zuck (wife Rebecca); and three grandchildren. Click here to read his obituary.
ASPA Student and New Professionals Webinar Series Planned for Fall/Winter
ASPA is planning a series of webinars geared toward our student and new professionals for this fall, taking place each month between now and February 2025. These events—free for all to attend!—will help students and recent graduates with career development skills and strategies.
The following webinars will be scheduled shortly; full details will be added to our website as soon as they're available.
Coming up later this month:
Study Skills, Time Management and Work/Life Balance
September 25
Speaker: Brad Aeon, Time Management Researcher
Register online now!
In the works:
ASPA Resources for Students
Mental Health and Wellbeing
Financial Literacy
Effective Communication and Conflict Resolution
Future Planning for a Career in Public Service
These events are geared toward students and recent graduates but anyone may attend. As is the case with ASPA's entire webinar program, all events are free for live participation; members automatically receive access to our webinar archive to view the programs after the events have concluded. Keep reading this newsletter (and other ASPA emails!) and register for any of the events that are of interest as links are provided.
We look forward to seeing our student and new professional members online for these webinars!
The 13 Keys Makes the News... Again
As we all gear up for any election cycle that includes the presidency, one topic routinely comes up: Allan Lichtman's 13 Keys to the White House. The New York times recently produced a short video about Lichtman and the keys (the photo to the right comes from that video), providing readers with a very quick, accessible version of his method—which has not been wrong since he created it.
If you'd like a more in-depth look at the keys, check out this webinar we hosted with Lichtman last fall, spending much more time discussing each of the them and the variables involved.
ASPA Celebrates 85th Anniversary All Year
In case you have missed it so far, ASPA is celebrating our 85th anniversary all year long! No small feat for any nonprofit association, it is a real cause for celebration for ASPA and we hope you'll join us.
Our field has faced enormous change and challenge since our founding in 1939. Yet we have remained steadfast in our mission of advancing excellence in public service. Indeed, we have an important story to tell. We are an association on strong financial footing, conducting a robust program of in-person and virtual events that matter. We are home to the top-rated journal in our field. We are redefining membership in a way that attracts a growing number of practitioners. And, we make tangible investments in the development of our student and new professional members.
We do all of this with a small but dedicated staff committed to excellence. As you interact with our staff and volunteer leaders throughout this year, we ask you to think about the resources it takes to provide those connections and invite you to participate in our 85-for-85 campaign.
Please consider making a special donation in some denomination of $85 to honor our history and accomplishments... and position ASPA well for the next 85 years.
Make your donation on our website any time (log in information is required; contact us for your details) and know that not only are you supporting ASPA now, but also that you will be on the front lines ensuring that ASPA will be sending messages like this one to future generations of professionals dedicated to the public good.
Use our website now or contact us for help setting up your donation. Monthly payment plans are available!
Thank you for celebrating our 85th anniversary and supporting the future of public service.
FIU Research Workshop: Cyberinfrastructure Methods and Security in Public Policy and Administration
FIU will be hosting a two-part research workshop, including during ASPA's 2025 Annual Conference, bringing together public policy and administration students and scholars to explore cyberinfrastructure methods and cybersecurity questions. Cyberinfrastructure refers to the digital infrastructure based upon distributed computer, information and communication technology. High performance computing (HPC) has enabled new algorithms based on AI techniques (including machine learning methods) that can analyze big administrative data to answer questions that had previously been unapproachable. At the same time, security concerns have escalated across public agencies, especially in the post-COVID era. Workshop planners invite public policy and administration researchers who are broadly interested in using data science and machine learning methods; employing HPCs to manipulate large data sets (especially administrative); using natural language processing (NLP) methods; and examining cybersecurity topics.
This workshop is open to all public policy and administration scholars; sponsorships are available for scholars who are affiliated with American institutions (educational, research, nonprofit or government organizations). Organizers will select applications that have a close relationship with the above four themes. Scholars should be willing to attend events associated with the workshop. Those affiliated with non-American entities are welcome to participate, but will not be eligible for funding support.
The workshop will include two events:
(i) Virtual Learning Workshop (January 31, by Zoom, 10.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. EST): Participants will present research questions and methods, along with any preliminary analyses. We will discuss the papers in peer groups, facilitated by instructors.
(ii) ASPA 2025 Conference Workshop (March 30, Washington, DC): Participants will present their final papers. We plan to have a special issue in Public Administration Quarterly related to these papers, but participants are free to submit to any journal in the field. Acknowledgement of funding is expected with the journal papers.
Application Process: Please submit the Qualtrics application available here. Applications received by October 1, 2024 will receive priority consideration. Organizers will announce selected applicants by October 31, 2024. The FIU faculty in charge are Sukumar Ganapati, Shaoming Cheng and Howard Frank.
The workshop is organized as a part of the National Science Foundation sponsored “Advanced Cyber Infrastructure Training in Policy Informatics” (Award #1924154). Consistent with the project, the research workshop’s objective is to increase public administration and policy scholars’ capacity with cyberinfrastructure skills. Hence, the project will cover the ASPA 2025 Conference registration costs and include a $300 gift card payment for participation in the workshop and conference panel. If there are multiple authors, funding will be given to one presenting co-author. Contact Sukumar Ganapati with questions.
Celebrating Excellence in Public Service: ASPA Bay Area Chapter Recognizes 2024 Award Nominees
ASPA's San Francisco Bay Area Chapter recently held a virtual event to honor outstanding public service professionals in our community. This event, part of the Chapter's annual Public Service Recognition Awards, celebrated individuals who have demonstrated exceptional dedication, leadership and innovation in public administration.
Established in 2020, these awards acknowledge the extraordinary contributions of public and nonprofit professionals and underscore the Chapter's commitment to promoting excellence in public administration and fostering the next generation of public service leaders. Each awardee received a Certificate of Public Service Recognition and a $100 gift card as a token of the Chapter's appreciation for their unwavering commitment to enhancing the quality of life in our community.
Award Categories and Honorees:
Rising Star Award. Presented to a public professional, teacher or researcher, 35 years of age or younger, who has made noteworthy contributions to effective government or academia in the initial stages of a promising career.
Antonio Renteria: Civil Rights and DEI Coordinator, Mendocino County. Renteria's swift progression from a VISTA volunteer to his current role showcases his remarkable dedication and potential in public service. His work in diversity, equity and inclusion makes him a standout young professional.
Colleen Courtney: Chief of Staff, County of Monterey. Courtney has a distinguished career marked by effective political campaign management, legislative work and emergency management. Her commitment to community-driven initiatives and innovative problem solving makes her an ideal recipient of the Rising Star Award.
Dedication to Service Award. Presented to an individual for especially meritorious service in the field of public administration over the course of a lifetime.
Tracy Lamb and Officer Bill Hernandez: Monarch Justice Center, Napa County. Together, Lamb and Hernandez established the Monarch Justice Center, providing crucial support to victims of domestic violence and ensuring sustained services through strong community partnerships.
Kathy Marsh: Retired Bureau Director, Children and Family Services, Contra Costa County. Marsh's 30-year career in child welfare has been transformative, significantly improving services and outcomes for vulnerable children and families in Contra Costa County.
Mary L. Adams: County Supervisor, Monterey County. Adams's career spans significant roles including CEO of United Way and lobbyist for the American Cancer Society. Her tireless efforts in public health advocacy and community service exemplify lifelong dedication to public service.
Administrator of the Year Award. Presented to a non-elected professional administrator who has consistently demonstrated excellence in public management over a sustained period of time.
Doug Bilse: Principal Transportation Engineer, Monterey County. Bilse's innovative approach to transportation engineering and his dedication to community engagement have led to significant improvements in local infrastructure and public trust.
Distinguished Public Service Award. The Excellence in Public Service Award was established to recognize public service practitioners in the Chapter’s region whose distinguished careers are characterized by: exemplary efforts to uphold legal and ethical standards; sustained work to advance the quality of life for those in the Bay Area region; and responsible, democratic and expert accomplishments in public affairs.
Randy Ishii: Director of Public Works, Monterey County. Ishii's strategic vision and leadership have resulted in groundbreaking public-private partnerships and proactive community planning, significantly enhancing public services and infrastructure.
Public Integrity: New Article Collection Available
Public Integrity and publisher Taylor & Francis are pleased to announce that a new special issue, "Qualitative Methods as Liberatory Tools" is available now in front of the paywall to read and download for a limited time!
Guest Editors Staci M. Zavattaro and Ashley E. Nickels bring together papers designed to expand knowledge in public administration and policy and break out of potentially hegemonic strongholds. The authors in the collection explore topics such as power dynamics, social equity, advocacy and activism, and narrative dominance. The articles also can introduce readers to potentially new-to-them methods such as diary design, Afrofuturism and critical discourse analysis.
Public Integrity Seeks New Associate Editors
With rising numbers of article submissions, Public Integrity is looking for additional associate editors to join its team. Primarily, PI’s associate editors work closely with Editor in Chief Sue Neal to manage the review process for journal submissions. Additionally, associate editors have the opportunity to participate in journal strategy and represent the journal at conferences. PI welcomes academics at all levels of their professional journey for consideration as possible associate editors. This is an excellent opportunity to provide service and stay abreast of the latest research in the field of public ethics and integrity.
If you are interested in being considered for this opportunity, please send your CV and write a short email outlining your experience with academic publishing to Sue Neal.
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!
A Day in the Life of a City Manager: How Daily Operations Can Be Improved with GovTech
Via GovPilot: Known as the backbone of municipal administration, city managers are responsible for ensuring that the daily operations of their local government run smoothly and efficiently. The role of city manager is multifaceted, requiring a balance of leadership, strategic planning and effective communication. A typical day for a city manager cannot be predicted, as this role handles unexpected crises and simultaneous challenges.
Tips, Resources and the Fun Stuff
Supreme Court Refuses to Allow Biden’s Student Loan Repayment Plan—for Now
The Biden administration plan, known as Save, offers lower monthly student loan payments and a faster path to loan cancellation for millions of borrowers.
Where Does Biden’s Student Loan Debt Plan Stand? Here’s What to Know.
The Supreme Court refused to allow a key part of President Biden’s student debt plan to move forward. Here’s what’s left of it, and who could still benefit.
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
Public Finance
Public Service
Social Equity
Members in the News
College Students Are Back on Campus and Continuing Their Calls for Divestment from War
An interview with ASPA member Toddy El, University of Colorado Denver
Cities Are Increasingly Embracing Violence Interventions Programs to Control Deadly Violence
By Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene
A Management Agenda for 2025 and Beyond: Pivoting from Outcomes to Results
By Don Kettl
Tell Me Something Good...
Oakland’s New School Buses Don’t Just Reduce Pollution—They Double As Giant Batteries
The wheels on this bus do indeed go round and round. Its wipers swish. And its horn beeps. Hidden in its innards, though, is something special—a motor that doesn’t vroom but pairs with a burgeoning technology that could help the grid proliferate with renewable energy.
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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:
Calls for proposals, calls for nominations and other updates:
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Call for Papers—Financial Accountability and Management
Financial Accountability and Management Journal seeks to gather scholarly perspectives from different countries and sectors on key questions related to changing modes of coordination between public sector organizations and their implications for public sector accounting, audit, budgeting and financial management practices and processes. This special issue seeks articles that focus on advancing our theoretical and empirical understanding of these crucial, yet under-researched themes, such as vertical funding allocations to local governments, financial sustainability and resilience implications of the reassignment of public services and tasks in vertical settings, the administrative burden caused by vertical settings in the public sector, and etc. A workshop will be held at Cardiff University, Wales, UK, on July 7-8, 2025, hosted by the Public Sector Accounting, Finance and Taxation Research Group (PACCFINTAX) at Cardiff Business School. Authors wishing to present at the workshop should submit a paper proposal (maximum two pages in length) to Dennis De Widt by January 31, 2025. The deadline for submission of full papers via the journal’s online platform is October 31, 2025. Click here for more information.
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Call for Papers—SDGs: International Journal of Public Administration
International Journal of Public Administration seeks manuscripts that intend to deepen the various dimensions relevant to sustainable development goals (SDGs), strictly linked to sustainability and digital transformation, and the relationship between social, economic and environmental value. In this view, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by the United Nations in 2015, constitutes a global governance plan of action proposing a roadmap for national, regional and local governments, as well as private sector organizations, to navigate the major social, environmental and economic challenges. These are resumed in 17 SDGs, which affect five critical areas, including people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership. The key principle behind submissions should be a mind-blowing and provoking approach able to stimulate the needed changes in the evolutionary landscape of the public sector widely intended, and about the way(s) through public value can be created in the coming years under the polar star represented by the UN SDGs and relating it to the two main areas of sustainability and digitalization. All proposals are due November 1. Click here for more information.
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Call for Papers—Smart Government: International Journal of Public Administration
International Journal of Public Administration seeks manuscripts that address the pressing need for advancing theoretical frameworks with sound empirical studies that investigate the research gaps in algorithmic bureaucracy across diverse administrative contexts and regimes. The objective is to motivate finer-grained theoretical models and empirical analyses examining bureaucracy and digital reforms in the AI and smart government era. We aim to explore the bidirectional relationship between bureaucracy and AI implementation across various institutional contexts using international and comparative perspectives. This special issue welcomes studies that provide clarity in either direction to contribute to strong theoretical and empirical research on bureaucracy and AI reforms. Proposals are due November 15.
Click here for more information.
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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.
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ABFM Announces Annual Award Honorees
Congratulations to ABFM's 2024 award honorees, who will receive their awards this fall at the Section's 2024 conference. Bob Bland will receive the Aaron Wildavsky Award; Marilyn Rubin will receive the Paul Posner Pracademic Award; Shayne Kavanagh will receive the S. Kenneth Howard Award; Peter Jones will receive the Scholarly Engagement Award; Luis Navarro will receive the Michael Curro Award; and George M. Guess and James D. Savage will receive the Best Book Award.
Click here 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!)
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