Hobby School of Public Affairs

As the Texas Legislature is poised to pass an education savings account program and Houston ISD remains under state-appointed leadership, education policy expert?Robert Pondiscio?will discuss the state of public education and the future of classrooms on?Thursday,?March 27,?from?4 to 5:30 p.m. in the?Space City Room?at the?Student Center South.? The?lecture, sponsored by the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Center on Ethics and Leadership, is free and open to the University of Houston and surrounding communities. Register at https://bit.ly/4c1oQcm.

The Elizabeth D. Rockwell Center on Ethics and Leadership and the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts present an evening with conceptual artist and political activist Nadya Tolokonnikova on Thursday, April 17 at?6 p.m. in the Rockwell Pavilion at M.D. Anderson Library at the University of Houston. Tolokonnikova is the creator of Pussy Riot, a global feminist protest-art movement. She will sit with Patricia Restrepo, assistant curator and exhibitions manager at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, to discuss her multidisciplinary practice, experience as a political prisoner in Russia and art censorship’s impact on culture. The artist talk is free and open to the campus and surrounding communities. Register at https://bit.ly/41zdVSw.

Chinwe Nwaeze applied to be a Harris Fellow in 2024 because of her passion for public policy and government and interest in learning how local governments impact communities. The political science major brought internship experience, leadership skills and volunteerism to her position on the policy team at the office of Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis. The Hobby School is accepting applications from UH students interested in careers in public service through April 4. Harris Fellows work paid full-time roles during the summer in Harris County offices, contributing to constituent services, research, policy analysis, and special projects as assigned. Apply today at bit.ly/3DSlwPS.

The upcoming Civic Leadership Boot Camp features speakers and panelists with expertise and leadership experience across sectors. Meet those behind the anticipated interactive workshops, breakout sessions and activities designed to focus on various aspects of civic leadership, from communications strategies to ethical leadership and decision-making. Sign up for the training and networking opportunity at?https://lnkd.in/gznZDw3h.

Congratulations to?Fatimah El-Ibrahim and Tonya Le, Master of Public Administration candidates, for their standout papers. Kathleen P. Rubinstein, a long-term MPA instructor, sponsors the awards. The student scholars will be recognized at the 2025 Public Officials of the Year Awards on March 21, where five outstanding leaders will be honored for exemplifying the highest standards in public service and serving as examples for emerging professionals like El-Ibrahim and Le. See more about the paper awards and the annual luncheon at uh.edu/hobby/mpa/poy/.

The latest Hobby Headlines feature the Civic Leadership Boot Camp on March 28, showcasing engaging training and best practices for the University and nearby communities with dynamic speakers from government, business and public affairs. On March 27, explore education issues impacting K-12 classrooms with policy expert Robert Pondiscio at the next?Elizabeth D. Rockwell lecture, "What's Next for Public Education?" The community celebrates local leaders at the March 21 Public Officials of the Year Awards hosted by the Master of Public Administration program. See the work faculty and students have been sharing, including alumni visits to the Certified Public Manager classes, a lecture on why Americans work so hard, The Texas Tribune symposium featuring collaborative research on the state's metros areas, the Center for Public Policy's mini-conference on the latest research methods, summer internship opportunities, and much more! Read it here at https://bit.ly/4idNuZG.

Mark your calendars for the upcoming Sociology in Action Lecture with Mary Nell Trautner speaking on the power of prison education at 3 p.m., Thursday, March 20, in the Rockwell Pavilion. The Elizabeth D. Rockwell Center is partnering with the UH Department of Sociology to support this annual lecture. The University at Buffalo professor will speak on the transformative change associated with prison education relative to reshaping universities, communities and societies. The lecture is free and open to the entire UH community. More?information at https://lnkd.in/gnX44T8q.

Elevate your leadership skills at the spring Civic Leadership Boot Camp?on Friday, March 28, from 1 to 6 p.m. The boot camp is open to UH and nearby community leaders for a half-day workshop designed to strengthen individual civic leadership across roles and issues. It will use interactive panels, breakout sessions and activities designed to elevate professionalism and build confidence and skills among participants. Registration is free but required, and spacing is limited. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/gznZDw3h.

The Hobby School’s Chris Bronk authored an issue brief examining the pooling of government data and the security risks it poses for AI solutions. As a foreign service officer with the U.S. Foreign Service, Bronk was part of the office’s digital data transition, where he witnessed the benefits of interagency information-sharing and its vulnerabilities.

The Texas Metropolitan Blueprint, a collaborative research report from the Hobby School, LBJ School and George W. Bush Institute identifying policy recommendations for the state's metro areas, headlined a recent daylong symposium organized by The Texas Tribune at the University of Houston-Dowtown. Hobby School research authors Maria Perez Argüelles and Pablo M. Pinto discussed some challenges Texans face during weather events, including vulnerabilities in service delivery after disasters, and a path forward by outlining strategies in the report findings to strengthen the 26 metros, which make up 90% of the state's population. For the report and panel highlights, visit https://bit.ly/3Du3845.