UPCOMING EVENTS at ASPA Conference, March 20-24, Miami, Florida.

I. SPAE Section Annual Meeting—8:30 AM to 9:30 AM on Sunday, March 22, in the Brickell Center Room.

Our annual meeting will consider the future direction of SPAE and what projects and priorities we would like to engage. The torch will pass from Larkin Dudley, current chair to Mark Bradbury, Chair Elect.

II. SPAE Workshop—Monday, March 23, 11:30 AM

An EXCITING PANEL- Our FIRST SPAE workshop focuses on assessing training and teaching and will include outcomes assessment for the MPA, two case studies of assessment—Brigham Young University and Florida Tech, and an assessment of an in-service federal managers program. PLEASE COME and support SPAE.

SPAE Workshop: ASSESSMENT of TRAINING and TEACHING

Larkin Dudley, Convener;
Kathryn Newcomer, "Outcomes Assessment for the MPA;"
Larry Walters, "Case Study of MPA Assessment--Brigham Young University;"
Norman Chlosta, “An integrated model approach to program assessment for the MPA and allied degrees at Florida Tech;"
Sydney Smith-Heimbrock, "Assessing the effectiveness of in-service public manager training in preparing federal managers to govern by network"

PANELISTS:
1) Kathryn Newcomer is Associate Director, The Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration, Geroge Washington University, and wrote the MPA Outcomes Assessment paper for NASPAA.
2) Larry Walters is Professor of public policy analysis and management, Romney Institute, Brigham Young University and has taught program evaluation.
3) Norman Chlosta is Director, Patuxent Site and Assistant Professor of Management, Florida Institute of Technology
4) Sydney Smith-Heimbrock is Deputy Associate Director, Division for Human Capital Leadership and Merit System Accountability
5) Larkin Dudley is Associate Professor at Virginia Tech, Chair of SPAE, and has taught program evaluation.

III. Panel, Sunday, March 22 from 1:30-3 p.m."Understanding Excellence in Public Administration"

Panel presentation on the MPA from the Taskforce on the MPA ,chaired by Nicholas Henry, should be an exciting and fruitful discussion. The panel is co-sponsored by SPAE and panelists include Nicholas Henry, Chair; Mark Bradbury; Larkin Dudley; Charles Goodsell; and Harvey White. The report was featured in the PA Times and will be published in the Journal of Public Affairs Education, probably in the second or third issue of 2009.