University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Department of Public Policy e-News

No. 6 – March 2008

In this issue:


Hot Topic - Shriver Peaceworker Fellows Contribute to Department and Community
Many Peace Corps volunteers who enroll in the Shriver Peaceworker Program after completing their missions abroad choose to study public policy at UMBC. Peaceworker Fellows work part-time in community service positions while pursuing graduate degrees at area universities. Since the program was established at UMBC in 1994, 100 returned volunteers have pursued graduate degrees, including 16 in UMBC’s Department of Public Policy. Currently, five Peaceworker Fellows are public policy students.

The Peaceworker Program benefits the students and the community. While most returned volunteers are from outside of the Baltimore region, more than half settle in the area after completing their studies and remain engaged in public service careers. Go here to learn about some of our public policy alumni from the Peaceworker Program.

Faculty
Dave Marcotte, public policy associate professor and graduate program director, has been appointed deputy director of the Maryland Institute for Policy Analysis and Research (MIPAR). MIPAR, UMBC's premier public policy research center, links University resources with policy makers in the state and region. MIPAR conducts opinion research, policy analyses, and program evaluations on a wide range of topics for federal agencies, private foundations, and state and local governments.

UMBC professor of political science and public policy George LaNoue received the 2008 UMBC Woolston Award for outstanding service to the Department of Athletics and dedication to improving the student-athlete experience.

Emeritus professor of sociology Ben Kleinberg died February 4, 2008 at his home in Columbia, Maryland. He was 74. Professor Kleinberg joined the UMBC Department of Sociology in 1969. He also taught urban policy, social theory and policy science classes, and was instrumental in establishing the Policy Sciences Program (now the Department of Public Policy) in 1974. He is survived by his wife, a son and daughter-in law, a daughter and son-in-law, four grandchildren; and many friends and students.

Students
Ph.D. student Evan Perlman is on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students. As the Southeast regional coordinator, Evan works with student leaders in eight states to promote the interests of graduate and professional degree seeking students on issues such as international student regulations, student loans, higher education funding, tax policy, education policy, and student rights.

Tara Ebersole, a Ph.D. student, was part of a team at the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) that won the 2008 Bellwether Award in instructional programs and services. The Bellwether Awards are presented at the annual Community College Futures Assembly, sponsored by the Florida Institute of Higher Education. Tara, who is an associate professor of biology and vice president of instruction at CCBC, successfully defended her dissertation on post secondary assessment in December.

New Publications
Vicino, Thomas J. (March 2008). “The Quest to Confront Suburban Decline: Political Realities and Lessons.” Urban Affairs Review. 43, 553. Thomas Vicino (Ph.D., 2006) is an assistant professor of urban affairs at the University of Texas at Arlington. His article examines efforts to revitalize Baltimore County's older suburbs.

Upcoming Events
March 20 - "Electricity 101: Understanding Maryland's Electricity Market," with Tim Brennan, UMBC professor of public policy and economics and Peter Van Doren, Cato Institute. Sponsored by the Maryland Public Policy Institute.
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., The Maryland Inn, Annapolis, MD
Go here for registration information.

March 25 - "Climate Change and Energy Policy," with Chris Flavin, President of the Worldwatch Institute
4:00 p.m., Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery, UMBC campus
Directions and parking

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Subscribe to this newsletter by e-mailing editor Anne V. Roland (policyforum@umbc.edu).
Visit the Public Policy home page for more information about our program, research and activities.

 

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