NEWS FROM ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

News from the School of Public Policy
The Maryland School of Public Policy has received a major gift to establish a program in Philanthropy and Non-profit Management. The $500,000 gift helps the School strengthen its programs in this important area of study by adding an academic and service component focused on philanthropy and nonprofit management for both undergraduate and graduate students.

The funds will support a Professor of the Practice in Philanthropy and Non-profit Management, to which Robert T. Grimm, Jr. has been appointed. He comes to the university from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), where he served as director of research and policy development and senior counselor to the CEO. Grimm previously taught at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, where he continues to teach in the executive education program. His research has been featured on NPR, CNN, and Fox News, and in numerous national newspapers.

The Maryland School of Public Policy will hold its Fall Open House for prospective students on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009, 6-8:30 p.m. in the Atrium of Van Munching Hall

Irina Bokova, a Foreign Policy Fellow at the School in the spring of 1989, has just been elected Director-General of UNESCO. Bokova is a first-rate Bulgarian diplomatic/political figure who has served as Senator, Ambassador, and (briefly) Foreign Minister.

Washington, D.C. comes out on top in a Wall Street Journal look at which U.S. city will be the youth magnets after the recession ... Six experts in fields ranging from demographics to economics were asked which cities will emerge as the hottest, hippest destinations for professionals in their twenties when the economy improves. They looked at job possibilities, affordability, and quality of life. Washington tied first with Seattle. "I think it's just on the cusp of becoming a cool place to live." Dr. Rachel Franklin, senior lecturer at the University of Maryland [School of Public Policy], an expert on the migration of young people in the U.S., was one of the panelists used in the article. She ranked Washington as her first choice as the next youth magnet city. “What we see changing now, I think, is that the federal government is still able to hire. So, we have money when a lot of corporations don’t have any money. But we’ve also seen this sort of new blooming enthusiasm for public service.” (NBC 4)

Donald Kettl, a widely sought after expert on reshaping government, will bring his vision and leadership to the University of Maryland as the new dean of the School of Public Policy, which he says is uniquely suited to help government and future leaders cope with the current round of unprecedented problems. He assumed the post in June. Kettl testified before the U.S. House Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on April 22, 2009. "Using the term 'the federal personnel system' is a stretch. The prime instinct of most federal agencies is that, if they can find a way to break out of the existing system, they'll do so ... We must lower the procedural barriers to recruiting the best workers into federal service. Making the federal government an attractive place to work requires, as a first step, making it easier for superior candidates to enter federal service," Kettl said.

Catherine McArdle Kelleher, the College Park Professor at the University of Maryland and a senior fellow at the Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland (CISSM), was awarded the 2009 Hubert H. Humphrey award for public service by the American Political Science Association in September. In its award citation, the association acknowledged Kelleher's many contributions to government and academia, as well as her "advancement of political science."

Jack A. Meyer has been appointed Professor of the Practice in the Maryland School of Public Policy and the School of Public Health. He teaches graduate courses on health policy, which include a course on health care quality and safety issues. Meyer is also a principal with Health Management Associates in the Washington, D.C. office, conducting health care research, policy analysis and strategic planning for clients.

Matthias Ruth (Roy F. Weston Chair in Natural Economics and Director, Center for Integrative Environmental Research) was featured in the History Channel's new special on America's infrastructure crisis, "The Crumbling of America."

Susan Schwab returned to the Maryland School of Public Policy after serving as U.S. Trade Representative. The School of Public Policy is pleased to announce the establishment of the Susan C. Schwab Endowed Fellowship Fund in recognition of Ambassador Schwab's outstanding contributions to the School and in the area of trade policy. The fund will provide financial support for graduate students pursuing a Master of Public Policy degree at the School, with a preference for students interested in international trade policy.