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Political Science
PO Box 1510
Pembroke, NC 28372
Phone: 910.521.6363
Fax: 910.521.6446
Email: ps@uncp.edu
Location: Oxendine Science Building, Room 1300
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summer 2005 newsletter
A Newsletter
For UNCP Political Science & Public
Administration Alumni
| Summer 2005 | Vol.
7 No.1 |
POLITICAL SCIENCE TODAY AT
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT PEMBROKE
From the Chair
Another year and another newsletter. I am pleased to share news of our department with our alumni and hope that our excitement about the activities of our students and faculty is shared by you!
This year has seen a record enrollment for both undergraduate and the graduate MPA program. Our graduate course enrollment was over 280 for the spring semester while undergraduate enrollments topped 500. In addition, our faculty continues to grow with the addition of Dr. Kevin Freeman (Ph.D. University of Alabama) to our staff. A specialist in comparative politics and international relations, Dr. Freeman is presently conducting research on transboundary water resources. He is also an outstanding young teacher whom the students have taken to very quickly.
This year has seen
the creation of a new undergraduate advisement program and Dr. Mike
Hawthorne has been named the Department Director
of Undergraduate Advisement. Dr. Andreas Broscheid has created
a new Constitutional Law curriculum that divides the old Constitutional
Law course into two courses. Dr. Elizabeth Normandy and Dr. Freeman have redesigned the comparative and international
relations curriculum, Dr. William Albrecht, Dr. Dan Barbee and Dr. Nick Giannatasio do an excellent job with the public administration
program, Dr Thompson’s Honors College continues to grow, Dr. Alex Chen works hard developing new international opportunities
for our programs and for the university, and all of our faculty continue
to publish and be professionally active.
Our international programs are prospering. We are proud that our first
eight students from the Chinese University of Mining and Technology have
graduated from the MPA program (three in the fall and five in the spring).
We were thrilled that they were able to travel to UNCP and participate
in graduation ceremonies. We will begin a graduate teaching exchange with
the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth South Africa
next year. We will also develop an undergraduate teaching and a student
exchange program with NMMU. In fact, I will travel to South Africa to
begin these programs in July.
As I never tire of saying, we have a very creative and exciting department. I hope all of you can feel just a little proud of what you hear about us these days.
We are a very different
department and university (UNCP’s enrollment is now over 5,200)
than some of you remember. Your department is, I am happy to say, leading
the way as UNCP experiences great and positive changes. We have decided
to feature in this newsletter a couple of news releases featuring your
old department just to give you a flavor of what things are like now.
As always we include some news items about you, our alumni, but we would
like to have more of those. So keep us posted on your professional and
personal development.
As always, we hope to hear from all of you. Enjoy your summer!
The following news stories taken from the UNCP Newswire highlight PSPA activities that should be of interest to our alumni.
Emergency Management track added to UNCP’s MPA program (University Newswire April 7, 2005)
The spring semester of 2005 marked another milestone in the development of the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
An emergency management
concentration was added to the already innovative and successful program.
The program has experienced rapid enrollment growth, and already offers
concentrations in law enforcement and health care administration. In the
fall semester, the program had more students enrolled (115) than it has
alumni (113).
Dr. Robert Schneider Dr. Daniel Barbee
In an era marked by natural disasters and terrorism, the new program is a timely one, said Dr. Robert Schneider, chair of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration.
“A concentration
in emergency management gives the MPA program national appeal and fills
a need in the region,” Dr. Schneider said. “It places UNCP
among the leading institutions that are providing higher education preparation
in this important field.”
The purpose of the graduate concentration in emergency management is to
provide professional training for public administrators. It also provides
pre-employment or in-service training for students in the field of emergency
management.
The emergency management concentration is designed to improve the abilities
of public administrators to prepare for, respond to, plan for recovery
from and mitigate natural and man-made disasters.
“The program
vaults UNCP into the position of an emergent leader in the field of emergency
management,” Dr. Schneider said. “This has to do with the
unique features of the region and the creation of an innovative concentration
that is one of fewer than 30 programs in institutions of higher education.”
UNCP is located in a region characterized by extensive emergency management
involvement as a result of the various challenges presented by exposure
to hurricanes and other natural hazards. The region is also a possible
target for domestic and foreign terrorism.
Emergency preparedness and response, as well as hazard mitigation is a
critical function for all local governments in the region. The new concentration
will have as its lead professors two individuals with strong backgrounds
in emergency management.
Dr. Daniel Barbee currently serves as a consultant for the U.S. Department
of Homeland Security and participates in its community preparedness exercises
across the country.
Dr. Schneider is nationally and internationally recognized for several
recent publications in the field. Professor Schneider was an invited participant
in the Federal Emergency Management Administration’s (FEMA) Emergency
Management Institute’s efforts to develop national criteria for
higher education programs in emergency management.
Dr. Schneider expects the new concentration to be popular.
“Emergency management is a developing discipline and, naturally,
it is important to all communities that must be prepared to deal with
the impact of natural disasters,” he said. “The threat of
terrorism related violence has increased interest in emergency management,
and the capacities that need to be developed are much the same for a major
natural disaster as they might be for a terrorist bombing.”
Emergency management training for public administration is something of
a natural development for the MPA program, said Dr. Barbee.
“Most local administrators are likely to have responsibilities as
a participant in the coordinated emergency planning and response system
in their community,” Dr. Barbee said. “Training in emergency
management is important not only for emergency responders, but also for
planners, city managers, human resource directors and finance directors,
as well as traditional disciplines such as law enforcement, fire, EMS,
information technology, public works, public health, community services
and others.”
The emergency management professional also needs training in public administration,
Dr. Barbee said.
“There is a natural affinity between public administration and emergency
management, Dr. Barbee said. “Emergency managers are public administrators
who manage human and financial resources, deal with other officials and
organizations, and who must design and implement solutions to public problems.”
At present, there are 29 universities offering degree programs or concentrations
in emergency management. Of these, nine are programs in public administration
that emphasize the public management component. Many more programs are
being developed across the nation.
UNCP’s new concentration will consist of a 12-hour sequence of courses
within the MPA degree curriculum. In addition to “Introduction to
Emergency Management” and “Hazard Mitigation Principles and
Planning,” students will be able to choose from a list of courses
that include: “Technical Applications in Emergency Management,”
“The Social Dimensions of Disaster” and “Private
and Public Sector Continuity Planning.”
The MPA program, including this concentration, is available online as
well as in traditional evening and daytime formats.
For more information, contact the MPA Program Director Nicholas Giannatasio
at 910.521.6637 or by email at nicholas.giannatasio@uncp.edu
Three from Chinese university receive UNCP degrees (University Newswire January 14, 2005)
Two-and-a-half years ago, The University of North Carolina at Pembroke embarked on an historic mission to China.
Grads – From left: Cui Lan, Wu Gang and Wang Yan Qui picked
up master’s degrees from UNCP Dec. 11.
The plan – to
offer UNCP’s Master’s of
Public Administration program to students of the prestigious Chinese
University of Mining and Technology (CUMT) – paid dividends in several
ways on both sides of the globe.
The first three CUMT students traveled to the U.S. to receive their diplomas
at Winter Commencement on December 11, 2004. CUMT placed three of its
administrators into the management training program.
Wu Gang heads CUMT’s international languages and communication center;
Cui Lan is deputy director for the computer science and enterprise management
program; and Wang Yan Qui is office director of the electronics design
program.
“We were very
excited to see our teachers again,” Gang said. “They were
very kind and gave us much scholarly wisdom and expertise.”
Holding class on the other side of the globe presented an interesting
challenge for UNCP’s professors0
“In all, eight of our professors traveled to CUMT, which is located
in Xushou, a city of more than 9 million,” said Dr. Robert Schneider,
chair of UNCP Political Science and Public Administration Department.
“We did two-weeks of extensive face-to-face teaching and then completed
course requirements online.”
“Our professors delivered an inspired performance,” Dr. Schneider
said. “They regard it as a professionally valuable experience and
good for our University.”
The new graduates from CUMT said the program offers valuable training
for managers.
“We had cutting-edge management training,” Gang said. “Before,
I tried to solve the problem; now I listen.”
Chinese delegation – From left: Cui Lan, Wang Yan Qui,
UNCP’s Dr. Robert Schneider, Wu Gang and Yin Xinping
Language was an obstacle
at first, but the Chinese students learned quickly that English was less
a problem than “technical management language,” Gang said.
“The professors motivated us and encouraged us to answer questions,”
he said. “After two years, we express ourselves clearly.”
The Chinese hunger for all things American including management methodology,
Dr. Schneider said.
“They are eager to soak up everything,” he said. “This
is a developing opportunity for U.S. institutions of higher education.”
Yin Xinping, executive dean of CUMT’s College of Adult Education,
said the relationship with UNCP holds great potential for the future.
First, he offered greetings and appreciation for UNCP’s hospitality.
“It is a great honor to be here, and we have received a good reception
from Chancellor Meadors and the faculty,” Dean Yin said. “This
program enhances the friendship between individuals and our institutions.”
“CUMT is a prestigious university in China that is the most famous
school for mining and technology training,” Yin said. “Our
students learned a lot from the eight professors who participated in this
program. We are old friends now.”
“This is an excellent cooperation,” the dean said. “We
are seeking the possibility of further cooperation in the future.”
A growing university of 23,000 students, CUMT is planning a public administration
program of its own, Dean Yin said. There are 19 colleges within the university
and a second campus in Beijing.
For UNCP, the experience in China was invaluable as the University seeks
greater international experience for its students and faculty. UNCP is
in negotiations to offer its MPA program at a second Chinese university.
“We have a great MPA program for our region and state, but now we
have an outstanding global program as well,” Dr. Schneider said.
For more information about international programs at UNCP, please contact
Dr. Alex Chen at 910.775.4095 or email alex.chen@uncp.edu. For information about the Master of Public Administration program, please
call 910.521.6637 or email amelia.elk@uncp.edu.
Outstanding Senior Award
Kenneth Creque, Jr. of Fayetteville, NC is the recipient of the Outstanding Senior Award this year. We wish you the best.
Alumni News
William
Flagler (B.A. and MPA) is newly employed
in the Budget Office (Management and Financial Services) in Loudoun County
Virginia.
Bradley Peterson (B.A.) has landed a job with the Social
Security Administration as a Claims Representative. In a recent note.
Bradley says “I really appreciate the challenges you provided me
while I was there. You helped me to remain focused while at the same time
pushing me to perform to the best of my ability.”
Junfeng Wang (MPA) is near completion of her Ph.D. at
UNC-Charlotte.
Greg Icard (B.A.) is currently employed as a Constituent
Liaison in the office of Congressman Robin Hayes (NC-8).
Elizabeth Jacobs (B.A.) has just completed her first
year as a law student at UNC-Chapel Hill. She reports enjoying it very
much and expresses her “thanks for the great preparation”
received at UNCP.
The Department of Political Science and Public Administration is pleased to CONGRATULATE the following graduating seniors:
December
11, 2004
Brandi F. Cutler Cara
A. Glick
Nadean D. Hafner Gregory
R. Icard
Lewis T. Polley
May
7, 2005
Kenneth A. Creque, Jr. Norlan W. Graves
Brandon Knight Thomas
O. Mann
Andrea J. Miyagi Kimberly
M. Robinson
Please congratulate the following MPA Graduates:
May
7, 2005
Stephen L. Britt
Brenda Duarte
Mary B. Harrelson T. Chris Harrelson
Sherry A. Hunt
Kareem Hyman
Fang Jin
Tosha Kinlaw
Misty L. Locklear Qingli Meng
Andrea Royster Tonghui
Su
Ron Sutphin, Jr. Jamaal
Vaughn
Chris Zemalkowski
Send Us Your Alumni Note!
We want to hear from more of our alumni! Drop us a note and share your professional and personal news with classmates. Be sure to include: name, return address, e-mail address if you would like classmates to be able to contact you, and any news you’d like to share.
Send Alumni Notes
to:
Ms. Effie Locklear
Dept. Political Science and Public Administration
P.O. Box 1510
Pembroke, NC 28372-1510
Electronic Submission
of Alumni Note:
effie.locklear@uncp.edu or pspa@uncp.edu
Let’s see if we can’t have a whole lot more about alumni in our next newsletter!
Meet the PSPA Faculty and Staff
If you would like to be a partner in the department’s efforts to serve today’s students, please contribute to the political science fund. Your check, made payable to the UNCP FOUNDATION INC. should also carry the notation POLITICAL SCIENCE FUND. You will receive a receipt for tax purposes. NOTE: For CHANCELLOR’S CLUB MEMBERS, or future members, any and all monies designated to the political science fund will count toward the $1,000 per year club membership requirement. Thank you for your generosity.
Money contributed to the political science fund will be used to:
- Help fund student travel for academic competitions (e.g. Model UN) or academic conferences
- Provide stipends for students serving as research assistants
- Purchase computer software or materials for a department resource center
- Support student learning and scholarly activities
- Help, where needed and possible, defray cost of student publications.
-------------------Detach Here-----------------------------
POLITICAL SCIENCE FUND
Name ___________________________
Date ______________________
Class ______________
Address ____________________________________
Amount:
$25
$50
$75
$100
Other
Make check payable to: UNCP FOUNDATION INC/political science fund
Mail To: UNCP FOUNDATION INC
UNC PEMBROKE
P.O. BOX 1510
PEMBROKE, NC 28372-1510
Updated: Monday, June 30, 2008
- Coming soon!
© The University of North Carolina at Pembroke
PO Box 1510 Pembroke, NC 28372-1510 • 910.521.6000