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Faculty Archives

Combined Degree Program with UMB School of Medicine

Posted on October 21, 2008 2:42 PM |Permalink

The Department of Public Policy has two joint degrees with the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) School of Medicine, the MD/MPP and the MD/Ph.D. in Public Policy. These joint degrees provide opportunities for students at the UMB School of Medicine to expand their knowledge and skills into the field of public policy. For more information, contact Sally Helms, UMBC Administrator of Academic Affairs (helms@umbc.edu; 410-455-3202).

New Policy Brief on the Educational Success of Immigrant Children

Posted on April 2, 2009 3:22 PM |Permalink

A new Policy Brief, Family Separation and the Educational Success of Immigrant Children, discusses the challenges that Latin American immigrant children face, and how schools can help immigrant students adapt and succeed.

Nancy Miller receives grant to study health care disparities

Posted on August 10, 2009 11:49 AM |Permalink

The Maryland Institute for Policy Analysis and Research (MIPAR) and the Hilltop Institute have been awarded a major research grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research. The three-year study will examine health care disparities in access and utilization among individuals with disabilities. Nancy Miller (Public Policy) is the principal investigator and project leader. Annette Snyder (Hilltop) and Adele Kirk (Public Policy) are co-investigators.

New research on gambling in Maryland

Posted on June 21, 2011 2:26 PM |Permalink

Maryland’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) has released Gambling Prevalence in Maryland: A Baseline Analysis, prepared by a team from the Maryland Institute for Policy Analysis and Research (MIPAR). The team was led by Dr. Judith Shinogle, along with Dr. Donald F. Norris (Public Policy) and Dr. DoHwan Park (Mathematics and Statistics).

The survey of gambling habits and pathological gambling behaviors found that although gambling is largely a positive activity for Marylanders, 3.4% of Maryland adults experience problem or pathological gambling. The baseline study, mandated by a 2007 law that authorized video lottery terminals, provides a snapshot of the State’s gambling behaviors prior to the implementation of slot machine gambling.

In “Who Pays for the Maryland Lottery? Evidence From Point of Sale Data” Dr. Robert Carpenter (Economics), Dr. Donald F. Norris (Public Policy) and Ph.D student Evan Perlman used innovative GIS mapping of lottery terminal and census track data to explore the relationship between race, income, and lottery sales. Their findings show “the voluntary tax collected by the Maryland lottery comes disproportionately from census tracts populated by African Americans and low-income residents,” specifically those “with less than a high-school education, and people age 65 and older.” The article appears in The Journal of Gambling Business and Economics, Vol. 4, No. 1 (31-52).

George LaNoue elected vice chair of the Maryland State Advisory Committee on Civil Rights

Posted on July 15, 2011 9:56 AM |Permalink

Dr. George La Noue, Professor of Public Policy and Professor of Political Science, has been elected vice chair of the Maryland State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is an independent, bipartisan agency charged with monitoring federal civil rights enforcement.

Welcome Dr. Eric Zeemering

Posted on July 15, 2011 11:51 AM |Permalink

Dr. Eric Zeemering has joined the Department of Public Policy as an assistant professor. He previously taught at San Francisco State University, where he was an assistant professor in the Department of Public Administration. He received his Ph.D. from Indiana University. His research investigates the development of voluntary collaboration among units of local government, and how administrative and elected officials negotiate, implement and evaluate interlocal agreements. He has also been studying the implementation of sustainability initiatives in local government. Dr. Zeemering will teach courses in the public management concentration.

Students, faculty win APHA Honorable Mention

Posted on December 23, 2011 10:07 AM |Permalink

Public Policy faculty Dr. Nancy Miller and Dr. Adele Kirk, along with Dr. Michael Kaiser (Ph.D., 2010) and Ph.D. student Lucas Glos, received honorable mention for their paper, "Potential and realized access among middle-aged and older adults with disabilities," presented at the 2011 American Public Health Association annual meeting.

Eric Zeemering receives IBM Business of Government grant

Posted on January 10, 2012 11:25 AM |Permalink

Eric Zeemering has received a research award from the IBM Center for the Business of Government. Through this grant Dr. Zeemering and colleague Daryl Delabbio will develop, “A County Manager’s Guide to Local Government Service Collaboration.” The IBM Center’s goal for the highly competitive award is “to help public sector executives and managers address real-world problems by supporting leading researchers who produce empirical evidence to inform the debates about whether particular management approaches will improve government performance.”

Marv Mandell receives Charles Woolston Award

Posted on February 7, 2012 3:34 PM |Permalink

Public Policy Professor Marvin Mandell received the UMBC Athletics Department’s Dr. Charles Woolston Award at the Athletic Hall of Fame Ceremony on February 4, 2012. The Athletics Department gives the award to an individual who provides outstanding service to the department and strives to improve the student-athlete experience. Dr. Mandell has served as the university’s NCAA Faculty Representative for the past nine years.

Eric Zeemering talks about Baltimore's "strong mayor" system on WYPR

Posted on June 27, 2012 12:22 PM |Permalink

Sheilah Kast of WYPR's Maryland Morning interviewed Dr. Eric Zeemering on June 27 about Baltimore's "strong mayor" form of government, and how that system compares to others around the country. Go to story

Professors release study on economic impacts of Maryland Dream Act

Posted on October 12, 2012 12:24 PM |Permalink

Two UMBC professors have released the results of a cost-benefit analysis of the Maryland Dream Act, which is subject to a referendum vote in the November 6 election. The Dream Act would allow undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition at public universities in Maryland if they meet certain conditions. The estimates from a cost-benefit analysis prepared by Dr. Marvin Mandell (Public Policy) and Dr. T. H. Gindling (Economics) suggest that the net economic effect of the Maryland Dream Act will be positive, and the benefits will be substantial. The estimated total net economic benefits of each annual cohort of students who take advantage of the Dream Act are approximately $66 million in 2011 dollars. That estimate includes increased lifetime earning for students, as well as higher income and property tax payments to federal, state and local governments, and public savings from lower rates of incarceration.

The study, "Private and Government Fiscal Costs of the Maryland Dream Act," has received extensive press coverage, and was the basis for editorials in the Washington Post and Baltimore Sun. A summary of the press coverage can be found here.

Eric Zeemering receives APSA award

Posted on November 28, 2012 3:45 PM |Permalink

Public Policy assistant professor Eric Zeemering has been named the 2012 recipient of both the Clarence Stone Young Scholar Award and the Norton Long Developing Scholar Award from the Urban Politics Section of the American Political Science Association, in recognition of his scholarship, teaching and public service.

Tim Brennan receives Distinguished Service Award

Posted on December 18, 2012 10:31 AM |Permalink

Timothy J. Brennan (Public Policy) was named 2013 recipient of the Public Utility Research Center (PURC) Distinguished Service Award for his contributions to the understanding of regulatory economics and finance. The Award recognizes the cumulative impact of an individual’s research and policy analyses on both the academic community and regulatory policymakers. Dr. Brennan received the award at the Annual PURC Conference on February 13, 2013 at the University of Florida.

Don Norris receives UAA recognition

Posted on February 20, 2013 2:50 PM |Permalink

Professor and Department Chair Donald F. Norris has been named an inaugural honoree of the new Urban Affairs Association (UAA) Service Honor Roll. This award recognizes the contributions of Dr. Norris to the association and the field of urban studies. The UAA credits honorees with contributing to the current breadth and richness of the discipline. Dr. Norris will be recognized at an award luncheon for Honor Roll inductees on April 5 at the UAA conference in San Francisco.

Video: John Rennie Short on his new book, Stress Testing the USA

Posted on May 31, 2013 3:10 PM |Permalink

Watch a video of Public Policy Professor John Rennie Short discussing his new book, Stress Testing the USA. In the book, Dr. Short analyzes four serious traumas the United States experienced at the start of the 21st century: the invasion of Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, the financial meltdown, and the BP oil spill. “For every event there was a small group of people who new exactly what was happening,” says Short, “we just didn’t listen to them. So the point of the book is we should be more careful and more attentive to alternative, dissident voices.” Click here to watch the video.