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The MPA Online Newsletter |
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Faculty Notes Faculty Spotlight
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From the Director This fall we are initiating a newsletter for MPA students and alumni to help keep everyone informed about the program and activities of its faculty, students and alumni. We hope you like the new addition and welcome your comments and suggestions. A number of changes have occurred this past year related to the MPA faculty. First, Professor Fry retired at the end of Spring 2003. As some of you may know, he served as MPA Director twice during his career at USC and was a highly regarded member of the public administration faculty and University community. He and his wife have built a house near the beach in Horry County and will be living there in retirement. Professor Saundra Schneider left the University this past summer along with her husband, Professor Jacoby, and joined the faculty of Michigan State University. She had served as MPA Director for ten years. She was succeeded by Professor Charlie Tyer as the new MPA Director. With the change in leadership, some other changes include: Professor Jim Douglas assumed the duties of Director of Internships and Professors Steve Hays and Charlie Tyer will be working on placements for graduates. We
welcome a new addition to the public administration faculty this fall. She
is Jessica Sowa.
During August and September, Professors Graham and Tyer engaged in some research for the Governor’s MAP (Management, Accountability and Performance) Commission, conducting a study of the Budget and Control Board for the Committee on Organization. Ann Bowman. State and Local Government: The Essentials, 2nd edition (Houghton Mifflin, 2002), co-author. James Douglas. “State Budgeting and Finance,” in Charlie Tyer, ed., South Carolina Government: An Introduction (USC, Institute for Public Service & Policy Research, 2002). Steven Hays. “Labour Management Relations and New Public Management: The American Experience,” The Economics and Labour Relations Review, 2002. Robert Oldendick. Public Opinion: Measuring the American Mind, 2nd edition (Wadsworth, 2002), co-author. Charlie Tyer. Editor, South Carolina Government: An Introduction (USC, Institute for Public Service & Policy Research, 2002). Neal Woods. “Dimensions of State Environmental Policies: Air Pollution Regulation in the American States,” Policy Studies Review (2002), co-author. The Department of Government and International Studies changed it’s name this fall to the Department of Political Science. Spring semester students should see a new designation in course listings to reflect this change—Poli instead of Gint. This year, 2003-2004, the MPA Program is engaging in a self-study as a part of its reaccreditation by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Public Administration. You may be asked to complete some surveys and otherwise assist in this project. A report is due in August, 2004 and next year (2005) a site visit team with come to the campus to interview faculty and students. Currently, there are two civic education initiatives underway in the department. One is the West Forum on Politics and Policy, headed by Professors Blease Graham and Robert Angel. It is named after former Gov. John West who has been affiliated with the department for over 20 years. The broad objectives of the Forum are to promote values of informed democratic involvement by students and the public and advance understanding of the political process. The other initiative is co-sponsored by the department and the Institute for Public Service & Policy Research. It is the SC Civic Education Project and is headed by Professor Charlie Tyer. It has produced two volumes on SC government thus far, and sponsored three summer institutes for SC social studies teachers to encourage the teaching of SC government in middle and high school. The project seeks to expand public and student awareness of SC government through instructional initiatives and publications. Another summer institute for SC social studies teachers will be offered in the June of 2004. An online course for teachers is being worked on as well for the spring, 2004. Congratulations to the following MPA graduates in the academic year of 2002-2003. Graduating in the Fall of 2002: Bree Amerson, Frans Coetzee, Brittany Doleac, Don Lanier, Gloria Loungeway, Maria Lovett and Eunice Low. Graduating in the Spring of 2003: Christy Blomquist, Jennifer Carter, Wayne Curtin, Natalie Guthrie, Devon Harris-Kelly, Erin Jenkins, Mandy Londo, Shannon Long, Mindy Sanders, Robyn Rogers, Mona Sawiris and Tanieka Ward. Graduating in Summer 2002: Dawn Darby. Here are a few interesting
notes on a few of our alumni and where they are
Other MPA graduates doing interesting things in as well as outside of South Carolina include: Nick Bowden who is working at the World Bank in Washington DC; Jennifer Carter, working at the U. S. EPA in Washington , DC; Carrie Herndon, also in the DC area working for the Department of Health and Human Services; Suzanne Pavlisko Benin, working for the Town of Mt. Pleasant, SC as a planner; Holly Hembree Richardson, working for the City of Georgetown, SC; Jeff Molinari, Assistant City Administrator, City of Goose Creek, SC; Sam Bennett, City Manager, City of Clinton, SC; and Caroline Agardy, Director of Human Resources for the SC Budget and Control Board. These are just a small sampling of USC MPA graduates who are contributing to SC and the world. Attention Alumni!!! We need to hear from you. Let us know about events in your life, career, etc. and we'll include that in our online newsletter to share with your colleagues around the state, country and world. Photos are welcome.
This first spotlight edition of the MPA Online Newsletter is on Professor Steve Hays. Most of you who read this probably had Professor Hays as a professor in a course in the MPA program. An engaging and popular USC professor, Hays is highly regarded for his teaching, research and service contributions to the public administration community. Let's learn more about what's he has been doing lately in his own words. [PS, more to follow at the conclusion.] Human Resource Management Best Practices: Applying Research Findings to Practical Problems One of the most gratifying aspects of teaching and researching within the field of Public Administration (PA) is that the connections to the "real world" are often direct, and can lead to improvements in citizens’ lives. A recent example of the relevancy of PA to practical problem solving is the Human Resource Management (HRM) BEST PRACTICES project. The genesis of this research program occurred when I was contacted by
the Annie E. Casey Foundation. This Foundation is the fourth largest
As a means to begin fashioning solutions to these overwhelming problems, the Casey Foundation asked me to undertake a search for HRM "Best Practices" that might be copied in other jurisdictions and transported to the wider human services community. This request prompted an extensive review of the public management literature in an attempt to identify agencies that have been relatively successful at one or more of the major HR functions that affects worker recruitment and retention. Thus, the entire array of HR techniques being utilized in state and local agencies throughout the United States was scrutinized in order to identify the most promising instances of innovative responses to the human services staffing crisis. To date, over 100 public agencies (primarily county social service offices) have surfaced as potential candidates for further study. All of these jurisdictions completed questionnaires concerning their recruitment, training, incentive, compensation, promotion, and retention procedures. Using this database, one dozen locations were selected for site visits by Professor Hays and representatives of the Casey Foundation. Some of the findings thus far challenge accepted verities of public sector HRM and offer tantalizing promise for the future. For example, the accepted notion that "merit pay doesn’t work" is contradicted by the Hamilton County, OH (Cincinnati) human service agency. Within a unionized setting, several classes of employees (MSWs, caseworkers, intake counselors, investigators) have been evaluated and compensated under a merit pay system for over three years. The success of the program is demonstrated by the fact that the public employee unions have not tried to extricate themselves from the merit pay arrangement that was originally negotiated, and instead express widespread support for differential salary adjustments based on demonstrated performance. Another facet of the Hamilton County program is the existence of a skill-based pay program in which employees are systematically rewarded for acquiring new competencies and/or meeting additional certification standards. An additional site visit to Lansing, MI produced evidence of two remarkably successful programs that help both to recruit and retain good workers under even the most trying circumstances. On the recruitment side, the State maintains a Centrally Coordinated Hiring Pool (CCHP) that is constantly recruiting and training new workers, whether or not a specific vacancy has been declared. Workers who successfully complete the training program are instantly available for assignment to newly vacant positions, or to fill in for workers on maternity or other types of extended leave. By quickly filling these gaps in service delivery, the CCHP helps county and state agencies avoid the extra caseloads that usually occur when a vacancy occurs and there is a lengthy delay in recruiting a replacement. As a result, overall job satisfaction is higher, stress levels of incumbent workers are lower, and attrition has been significantly reduced. The State of Michigan also maintains an on-line "Performance Architect" that enables workers to receive immediate feedback on their performance from superiors, and to also access several developmental tools (on-line short courses, relevant readings, instructor based classes, etc.) that can provide them with the requisite skills to receive higher ratings and even to qualify for promotions. In essence, employee development has become an instantaneous and universally available resource for every worker. A third – but by no means final – example of an HRM Best Practice is found in Mecklenburg County (Charlotte) NC. The County Department of Social Services (DSS) utilizes an amazing variety of techniques to maintain high worker morale and reinforce the message that its workers are valued and respected professionals. In addition to a number of employee recognition measures, the County maintains a job progression program in which entry-level workers (many of whom are former welfare recipients) can work their way up the career ladder through various training and development programs. The County also goes to extreme measures to improve working conditions, ranging from vast improvements in physical facilities to ensuring that workers in dangerous or stressful settings (e.g., child abuse caseworkers) have immediate access to back-up (the provision of cell phones, on-line communications to police agencies, palm pilots, etc.). This short account of HRM Best Practices just brushes the surface of what is going on in the real world of public management. Other jurisdictions that demonstrate impressive accomplishments are: Maricopa County, AZ (Phoenix), where broadbanding and an extremely high level of investment in employee development are evident; Sacramento County, CA, where worker committees are aggressively used to study HR problems and recommend solutions to the County Board of Governors; and the State of South Carolina, which has achieved an enviable record of HRM decentralization, coupled with the use of a consultative model for the delivery of personnel management services to line agencies. (End of spotlight)
An added benefit for those of you who have read this entire newsletter, Professor Hays has long had a secret life. Yes, we have discovered it. Every summer he returns to his summer "cottage" to write and rejuvenate for the following year in order to contribute to the PA program at USC. Here is a first time exclusive look at his "summer home" never before seen on TV.
You know we are joking, of course, that's just the MPA
Program's retreat facility in the mountains of NC used each summer to plan
the following year's course offerings. To see more, stay tuned to
this online newsletter. And, don't forget to email Professor Hays with
your reactions to this first newsletter and his contributions to your
career as a graduate of the USC MPA Program. LET US KNOW WHAT YOU’VE BEEN UP TO One of the most challenging aspects of the MPA Program is maintaining contact with the hundreds of individuals who are among our alumni and friends. To help us in this regard, and to provide past classmates with updates on your lives, we would greatly appreciate it if you would take a few seconds to provide personal and/or professional feedback. And, with the advantages of on-line technology, it couldn’t easier to give us a quick snapshot of what you’ve been up to recently. Please take a moment to write us at the following email address: Any news concerning job changes, career accomplishments, families, and geographical relocations will help us to enlarge our next account of ALUMNI ACTIVITIES and to share in your achievements. Please be sure to include an email address and/or street address in your communications, and tell us what year you graduated. And, photos are encouraged!! THANKS!!
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The University of South Carolina
Professor Sowa
just completed her PhD in Public Administration at the Maxwell School of
Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. Prior to her
doctoral studies, Professor Sowa received a BA in Political Science and a
BA in English from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a MPA
from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Her research and teaching
interests include public administration theory, public and nonprofit
management, organizational theory, and the implementation of social
policy.
working
now. We’ll be getting more feedback and will focus in each newsletter on a
few of our graduates. Pictured here is Dr. Fred Carter, Chief of Staff to
Gov. Mark Sanford and President of Francis Marion University. Dr. Carter
is an MPA, as well as a Ph. D. graduate, of USC. He has lectured often to
various classes at USC. He has been a long-time supporter of the USC
MPA program and its graduates.
philanthropic organization in the United States, and is exclusively
focused on improving the lives of indigent and abused children, and
upgrading the quality of life in deprived neighborhoods. For the most
part, the services that are provided to these client groups come from
"street-level bureaucrats" – primarily social workers, health care
providers, and teachers – who are poorly paid and work under some of the
most depressing and demanding conditions in government service. Due to
recent welfare "reforms" (such as Welfare to Work), and to continuing
budget pressures, problems that had always existed within this group of
workers (turnover, poor morale, burnout) have grown to crisis proportions
in the past few years. In a typical human service department, worker
attrition averages over 40% per year among such groups as welfare
eligibility caseworkers and child abuse investigators. Moreover, the
recruitment and retention of replacement employees to ameliorate the
exodus has become a daunting challenge, one that very few human service
agencies have effectively addressed.