NKU Master of Public Administration (MPA)

Check out what our students, alumni and faculty have been up to over the last few months in the MPA Fall 2024 newsletter. https://lnkd.in/g2fAZbca If you are an alumni and did not receive the newsletter in your inbox, update your contact info at https://lnkd.in/gySwzFVH to receive it (and other alumni information and invites) in the future!

This semester has been a whirlwind! Despite all of the teaching, service, and other activities, our NKU MPA faculty have still made time to further their research programs and share their work. Today, we want to recognize Dr. Shamima Ahmed and Dr. Darrin Wilson for presenting some of their research at the Southeastern Conference of Public Administration (SECoPA), which took place in Memphis. Dr. Ahmed moderated a panel on the accountability and sustainability of nonprofit organizations and, as part of the panel, she presented her own research on nonprofit transparency and accountability. Dr. Wilson moderated a panel on citizen actors and customers, and he presented his exploratory research of citizen academies, which?are organized by local governments to inform and engage citizens. Kudos to both of our colleagues! ??

The NKU MPA program is hiring a Graduate Assistant (GA) for the Spring 2025 semester. A GA position is a great option for those interested in pursuing the MPA degree but tuition and other costs may be a factor. ? Our GA will help recruit new MPA students, manage the Public Administrators Student Society (PASS), write the MPA student blog, conduct research with MPA faculty, and work on special projects. ? This position is 18 hours per week and pays $15 per hour with a tuition waiver for six credit hours each fall and spring semester. The work schedule is flexible. ? If you are interested, please apply here by Monday, December 9. Please reach out to MPA Coordinator, Missy Gish at [email protected] if you have any questions. ? https://lnkd.in/gMpvfpsB

Have you thought about earning an MPA at NKU? This could be you in Spring 2027! It is not too late to apply for the Spring 2025 semester, which begins on Monday, January 13. Core course options for the Spring semester include: Foundations of Public Service; Human Resource Management; Budgeting Techniques & Applications; Organizational Behavior & Theory; and Public Policy. Elective course options include: Research Acquisition & Management; Grant Research, Writing & Management; Executive Management & Public Leadership; and Geographic Information Systems. The application process includes submitting: ? online application ? 300-400 word essay ? 2 letters of recommendation ? official transcripts ? writing sample Please contact Missy Gish at [email protected] with any questions and feel free to share with co-workers and friends!

Belated congratulations to Lavonya Leonard (NKU MPA 2006) on being selected for the WE Lead Program! WE Lead is a 10-month leadership development program for women, organized and led by the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber. It helps participants invest in themselves "by tapping into multiple angles of growth, including engaging with other women, developing strategic goals and executing on their aspirations." Lavonya is part of the leadership team at Bethany House Services, currently serving as Housing Director. This nonprofit organization has a mission of empowering homeless and at-risk families with solutions to achieve housing stability and long-term self-sufficiency. Previously, she worked for other nonprofits focusing on housing and youth services including Preservation of Affordable Housing and Lighthouse Youth Services.

Eric Seibel (NKU MPA 2008), Assistant Chief of Point Pleasant Fire Protection District, was interviewed for an LINK nky article on fire departments in Northern Kentucky struggling to recruit and retain firefighters. According to the article, NKY fire departments are not only competing with each other but also with the City of Cincinnati and other local governments in Ohio, which offer better pay and benefits. "The problem with the Northern Kentucky region is we’re running paid departments on a volunteer infrastructure that was built in the mid-1900s,” Eric said. To help move past this, there are plans for the Point Pleasant Fire Department (located in Erlanger) to merge with the Hebron Fire Department, early in 2025. This merger will enable the two departments to combine resources and to reduce administrative costs. For example, Point Pleasant’s fire chief is retiring, so Hebron’s fire chief will lead the merged department, and Eric will serve as the assistant chief. You can read the full story at this link:? https://lnkd.in/gzxirkRu.

Another successful resume-building session in the books! This semester, most of our MPA Capstone students participated in-person, while a few online students joined remotely. No matter the format, it was an informative, interesting, and fun evening. As always, many thanks to our MPA Advisory Board members for leading this session (top photo, sitting left to right): Juliana Baquero McGuinn, Director, North Central Area Health Education Center; T.J. White, Executive Director, Center for Local Government; and Tim Haizlip, Vice President, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. We appreciate you!

If anyone needs additional inspiration to vote this year, check out the LOCAL 12, WKRC-TV story about Jennifer Holladay (NKU MPA 2015)! Jennifer, who is blind, faces challenges when it comes to voting, but she overcomes them with her focus, planning, and persistence as well as some assistance from others. Jennifer scheduled her trip to the polling station via RIDE A WAV in Kentucky, which provides accessible transportation that includes "door-through-door" assistance. The service allowed her to bring Lulu, her seeing-eye dog, which helped with navigating long lines and waiting for an accessible voting machine. Poll workers also helped, along the way. After it was all said and done, Jennifer proudly wore her "I Voted" sticker on her jacket. She said that voting is "one of the most important things that we can do." Indeed! ??? You can watch, listen to, and/or read the full story here: https://lnkd.in/gD7CRqkH.

Jeniece Jones (MPA 1996, JD 2002) has been named the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Caracole, which is "Greater Cincinnati’s nonprofit devoted to positively changing lives in the fight against HIV/AIDS." She will be joining another NKU MPA alumna at Caracole -- Rina Saperstein, who is the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO). Jeniece is coming back to Greater Cincinnati after serving as Executive Director of the Public Justice Center (PJC), which is based in Baltimore, Maryland. Prior to PJC, she had served as Executive Director of two nonprofit organizations in our region dedicated to equity and justice: Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) and Community Shares of Greater Cincinnati. In addition, she served as an adjunct/part-time instructor in our MPA program, teaching a few of our nonprofit management classes over the years. And she was selected for our Outstanding MPA Alumna Award in 2016. Congrats, Jeniece, and welcome home!

An excellent piece on the 44-year public-service career of Newport City Manager Tom Fromme (NKU MPA 2001) by LINK Media, LLC! Congrats again, Tom, and enjoy your well-earned and well-deserved retirement.