UNO PhD Annual Report 2017

SCHOOL OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

2016-2017 ANNUAL REPORT

PHD IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AT OMAHA

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHD CHAIR Welcome! We are an established Carnegie Doctoral program on a growing campus that is committed to rigorous scholarship and democratic engagement.

Our PhD graduates typically complete their degree with at least two publications and substantive teaching experience in person and online.

Throughout this annual report we share our philosophy to empower students to establish a strong intellectual identity. We also showcase our esteemed faculty, and offer a helpful admissions checklist when you’re ready to apply.

We have a robust record of placing our graduates in the academy or in senior level positions in the public and nonprofit sectors. We hope you will consider joining us in Omaha!

Angela Eikenberry, PhD Doctoral Program Chair School of Public Administration University of Nebraska at Omaha

MISSION:

The UNO PhD in Public Administration creates a supportive, collaborative, and rigorous environment for students to develop their intellectual identities and a comprehensive understanding of the field and a range of research traditions.

VISION:

Our students and alumni will make significant contributions to theory, policy, research, and practice towards enhancing a democratic society.

VALUES:

Intellectual openness, collaboration, diversity, and excellence.

PhD Program History

In May of 1994, the Board of Trustees of University of Nebraska approved a PhD program for the School of Public Administration with classes to begin in the Fall semester of 1995. Since that time, we have been providing graduates with the ability to achieve scholarly distinction in higher education or leadership positions in public and nonprofit management.

globe. Intellectual identity, academic rigor and democratic purpose are central to the program’s success. Students experience a culture of openness, coupled with opportunities to conduct research with faculty, funding to attend academic conferences, and chances to teach undergraduate courses online and in person.

The PhD program emphasizes both the empirical and normative dimensions of the field. It recognizes multiple ways of knowing by teaching interpretive, critical and post-traditional approaches in addition to more traditional positivist knowledge development. Students learn to translate knowledge to solve organizational challenges, community problems, and societal needs in the U.S. and across the

As a result of the commitment of our faculty, our PhD graduates are well prepared for the job market and well trained to become independent academics. Most of our graduates leave with at least two publications. One of our 2015 graduates, Can Chen, now a budget and finance faculty member at Florida International University, had eight publications when he graduated.

Rooted in History,

Forming the Future

Typically, by their third year, students are assigned to teach at the undergraduate level. The courses they teach support the Emergency Management undergraduate program, the Bachelor of Multidisciplinary Studies concentrations in public administration and nonprofit management, as well as the campus-wide nonprofit management minor.

The majority of SPA PhD graduates are in academic positions. Our graduates have been placed at VA Tech, Rutgers, SUNY Albany and a host of other universities. They also teach in China, Thailand, and Estonia.

Many are already full professors and some have taken leadership positions in universities, including Ma Jun who is Vice President at Sun-Yat-Sen University in China and Deniz Leuenberger who is Chief of Staff to the President at Bridgewater State University. Our graduates in the field of government and nonprofit management include Rich Swayze who has been a top-level administrator at the FAA, Deb Anderson who is a senior administrator at Project Harmony, and Catherine Humphries-Brown who is the Associate Vice President of Research and Evaluation at the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation.

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WHO ARE WE? We are a powerhouse of social innovators, thinkers, and scholars ready to take on today’s challenges in the public and nonprofit fields.

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The School of Public Administration is made up of nationally-ranked and accredited graduate degrees that are a force to be reckoned with.

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Powerful programs. Unforgettable reputation.

We are the School of Public Administration.

PHD PROGRAM OVERVIEW

We foster a culture of openness where the process of knowledge creation among students is a common enterprise. As our students move through the PhD program, they have opportunities to teach and to work hand-in-hand with faculty. When they graduate, they are prepared to understand and help solve public problems whether as an academic or as a scholar.

Structure of the Curriculum The doctoral program curriculum is comprised of academic course work, field exams, a dissertation proposal and finally, the doctoral dissertation. By the numbers, there are four core seminars, three advanced research courses, four specialization courses, and a formal teaching workshop, plus field exams and dissertation work.

Impressive Program, Stellar Students

Specializations The faculty offer six areas of specialization. Doctoral students choose two courses (6 hours) in each of two areas, for a total of 12 credit hours. The area of specialization includes a seminar or proseminar and second course drawn from the graduate curriculum of Public Administration or a related academic unit in the university system. The six specialization areas are: • Public Administration Theory • Public Aviation & Transportation • Public Budgeting & Finance • Public Policy • Urban Management • Information & Technology Management

Along with the many demands of earning a PhD in Public Administration, students maintain their academic integrity while working on cutting-edge research in the field, volunteering their time in professional organizations, and advancing the work of the field.

• In 2015-2016, seven students became doctoral candidates by completing their field exams successfully • We welcomed 10 new doctoral students into the 2016 cohort, and nine in 2017 • Student research was shared at 15 national and international conferences • Students had six professional/technical reports, 15 peer reviewed articles, and two book chapters published • Students participated in five professional organizations and served as reviewers for three academic journals • Cumulatively, students served on 13 nonprofit and three university committees

Excellent Placements Graduates of the PhD in Public Administration Program include practitioners, leaders, and faculty locally and abroad.

Recent placements include the following institutions: California State University, Fullerton Florida International University James Madison University Rutgers University Sun Yat Sen University (People’s Republic of China) Tennessee State University University at Albany - SUNY

Apply Today apply.unomaha.edu Application deadline for Graduate Assistantships and Financial Aid: February 1 Application deadline for all others: June 1

STUDENT CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

Our PhD students’ learning extends far beyond the walls of the classroom. Just in the past year, our students have presented at the following 15 national conferences.

Conference Lineup • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) ASPA International Young Scholars Workshop Association for Budgeting and Financial Management (ABFM) Association for Research on Nonprofit Organization and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU) Conference of Minority Public Administrators (COMPA) Engagement Scholarship Consortium (ESC) Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) International City/County Management Association (ICMA) International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) International Society for Third-Sector Research (ISTR) Public Administration Theory Network (PATNET) RFK National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice Dual Status Youth Symposium Social Innovation Research Conference (SIRC) Western Social Science Association (WSSA)

UNO Student Invited to Doctoral Fellows Program Abhishek Bhati, was invited to a highly select group of PhD students from around the world with the Center for Social Impact Strategy at the University of Pennsylvania. Bhati’s work detailed “The Determinants of Success in Online Giving.”

Best Paper Award Sungho Park received the best paper award at the Western Social Science Association (WSSA) Conference in San Francisco in April 2017.

WHAT STUDENTS AND ALUMNI ARE SAYING ABOUT OUR PROGRAM: The program was formulated in such a way that within the classes I was also able to pursue and acquire a comprehensive knowledge base in my particular areas of interest - intergovernmental networks, organizational culture, street-level bureaucracy, and qualitative research.

The program served as the basis for an academic career; it improved my critical thinking, problem solving, and research capabilities and served as a catalyst to advance my career.

Every day in my role as an administrator in higher education I use my doctoral education. Not a day goes by that there is not an opportunity for the direct application of what I learned in the doctoral program. I deal daily with issues pertaining to human resource management, financial management and budgeting, leadership, supervision, advancing the organizational culture, and strategic planning, to name just a few areas relevant areas addressed in the doctoral program.

--Kyle Meier, graduated in 2007 Associate Professor & Senior Associate Dean, School of Allied Health Professions, University of Nebraska Medical Center

It was an opportunity to build on my experience in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors and further my expertise in designing and conducting high-quality research. I use my doctoral education daily in my work, as I promote positive change in the public and nonprofit sectors based on understanding and awareness. The many opportunities I was given as a doctoral student enhanced my ability to perform a diversity of roles—from a researcher and evaluator, to a facilitator and manager.

--Catherine Brown, graduated in 2014 Director of Data and Research, Nebraska Children and Families Foundation

I have been consistently motivated to participate in research projects and community service. Working with faculty members and colleagues in the program has been a great chance for me to develop substantial knowledge and experiences with public budgeting and financial management issues.

One advantage of being a member of this Ph.D. program is that students can enjoy several opportunities to develop teaching experiences. My competencies in teaching are growing due to huge support from the program. I believe it will help me to stake out a competitive position in the job market.

--Sungho Park, third year doctoral student

The program cultivates my interests in public policy, information management, and relevant areas. It also provides opportunities to attend academic conferences and collaborate with faculty members in doing projects. What’s always touching me is the friendliness of people at the program.

From them, I learned how to be nicer to others.

--Xian Gao, third year doctoral student

The program has been very helpful for my intellectual growth by providing numerous methodological tools to understand and conduct multi-disciplinary research. One of the major contributions of the program has been in understanding the importance of theory in high-quality research. Further, I met some great people and have thoroughly enjoyed my four years in Omaha.

--Abhishek Bhati, fourth year doctoral student

PHD STUDENT PUBLICATIONS Bharath, D. M. N. (2017). Should executive directors be voting members of their boards? Survey Results. Report.

Nonprofit Association of the Midlands, Omaha, NE. Bharath, D. M. N. (2015). The University’s role in civic engagement: A feasibility study of UNO’s MPA Program as a pipeline for nonprofit board members. Civic Engagement Participation Grant, Report. University of Nebraska at Omaha Service Learning Academy, Omaha, NE. Bhati, A. (2017). Book review of The Palgrave Handbook of Global Philanthropy. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations. 28(2), 864-866.

Bhati, A. (2017). Sandakphu trek: Attempt at saving the Himalayas. Down to Earth, March 2017.

Bhati, A., & Eikenberry, A. M. (2016). Faces of the needy: The portrayal of destitute children in the fundraising campaigns of NGOs in India. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 21(1), 31-42.

Bhati, A., & Eikenberry, A. M. (2016). Omaha Gives!

2015 Evaluation. Report submitted to Omaha Community Foundation.

Bhati, A., Brown, C. H., & Eikenberry, A. M. (2015). Omaha Gives! 2014 Evaluation. Report submitted to Omaha Community Foundation.

Bhati, A. (2015). Pollution and garbage greet tourists on Himalayan treks. Down to Earth, August 2015.

Bryan, T. K., & Bharath, Del, M. N. (2015). An Evaluation of the Omaha Community Foundation’s Nonprofit Capacity Building Initiative: Cohort 4. Report. Omaha Community Foundation, Omaha, NE. Bryan, T. K., & Bharath, D. M. N. (2015). An evaluation of the Omaha Community Foundation’s nonprofit capacity building initiative: Alumni assessment. Report. Omaha Community Foundation, Omaha, NE. Chen, Y. C., & Frecks, L. (2014). Advancing Korean Knowledge/Creative Economy: Assessment and recommendations. Prepared for the Republic of Korea’s (South Korea’s) Ministryof Science, ICT, and Future Planning, December 2014.

Cho, B. S. & Yun, S. (2017). Citizen participation for open government: A typology of civic hacking. Korean Policy Studies Review. Forthcoming. [Korean] Cho, B. S. (2014). Promoting tourism through state events: Lessons from South Korea. PA Times online, August 29th,, 2014.

Cho, B. S. (2013). A sketch of sustainability in U.S. city budgets. PA Times online, April 15th, 2013.

Eikenberry, A. M., & Bhati, A. (2014). Omaha Gives!

2013 Evaluation. Report submitted to Omaha Community Foundation.

Bhati, A. (2013). On wrong trek. Down to Earth, January 2013.

Frecks, L. (2017). Civic hacking: Citizens creating new digital government interfaces. In M. Ahn & Y. Chen (Eds.) Routledge Handbook on Information Technology in Government. New York, NY: Routledge Press.

Bryan, T. K., & Bharath, D. M. N. (2016). An evaluation of the Omaha Community Foundation’s nonprofit capacity building program: Year 2, Cohort 4. Report. Omaha Community Foundation, Omaha, NE.

Gao, X. (2017). Networked co-production of 311 services: Investigating use of Twitter in five U.S. cities. International Journal of Public Administration. Published Online. http:// www.tandfonline.com/eprint/U5JaWn5UutGgrZKd6rrG/full

Bryan, T. K., & Bharath, D. M. N. (2016). Nonprofit needs assessment: Focus group interviews report.” Report. Omaha Community Foundation, Omaha, NE.

Gao, X. (2014). Chinese college students’ political efficacy and its influencing factors in the information age: A sample survey of CUMT. Politics, Culture and Socialization, 5(1), 34-44.

Gao, X., Song, Y., & Zhu, X. (2013). Integration and coordination: Advancing China’s fragmented e-government to holistic governance. Government Information Quarterly, 30(2), 173-181.

Gao, X., & Song, Y. (2012). Literature review of the domestic and foreign research on local e-government. Proceedings of Annual Conference of China Public Administration Association, December 2012.

Kim, J., Chen, C., & Ebdon, C. (Revise and Resubmit).

Have the GASB Statement No. 34 Infrastructure reporting standards improved state highway infrastructure quality? A panel data analysis. Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting, & Financial management.

Kim, J., Maher, C. S. and Lee, J. (Forthcoming). Performance information use and severe cutback decisions during a period of fiscal crisis. Public Money & Management.

Jeong, M. G., Bae, S., Moon, S. J., & Park, S. (2013).

Collaboration and the choice of local economic development program. Korean Journal of Policy Analysis and Evaluation, 23(1), 195-222. [Korean]

Kim, J., McDonald III, B. D. and Lee, J. (2016). The nexus of state and local capacity in vertical policy diffusion. The American Review of Public Administration. Advance online publication.

Jeong, M. G., & Park, S. (2013). An exploratory analysis of local capacity building programs and their effects: Focusing on Jecheon Sustainable Development Committee. The Korean Journal of Public Administration, 22(1), 91-127.

[Korean]

Kim, J., Eikenberry, A., Maher, C. S., Grant, F. (2014). The costs, benefits and challenge of implementing sustainable transportation options at University of Nebraska at Omaha.

UNO Sustainable Transportation Study Report, Unpublished Manuscript, University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Kim, J., & Ebdon, C. (Forthcoming). Have the GASB No. 34 Infrastructure reporting requirements affected state highway spending? Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting, & Financial management.

Maher, C., Deller, S., Stallmann, J., & Park, S. (Forthcoming).

The effects of tax and expenditure limits on state fiscal reserves. Public Policy & Administration.

Maher, C., Deller, S., Stallmann, J., & Park, S. (2016). The impact of tax and expenditure Limits on municipal credit ratings. The American Review of Public Administration, 46(5), 592-613.

Maher, C., Park, S., & Harrold, J. (2016). The effects of tax and expenditure limits on municipal pension and OPEB funding during the Great Recession. Public Finance & Management, 16(2), 121-146.

McGuffey, M. & Starke, A. (In Press). Toward a just food system. In A. Bryce Hoflund, John Jones and Michelle C. Pautz (Eds.), The Intersection of Food and Public Health: Examining Current Challenges and Solutions in Policy and Politics. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

Park, J. H., Park, S., Maher, C. (Forthcoming). The effects of tax and expenditure limitations (TELs) on municipal fiscal outcomes during a period of fiscal distress. Public Finance & Management.

Reed, C., Cervantes, A. & Starke, A. (2017). Listening to the voice of Latinos in Omaha: Their experiences and ideas for improving access to health care. Omaha, NE: University of Nebraska Omaha.

Smith-Howell, D., Starke, A., Shenouda, K. (2016).

Community engagement landscape analysis. Omaha, NE: University of Nebraska Omaha.

Song, Y., & Gao, X. (2012). From fragmentation to holistic governance: Rational choice for Chinese e-government.

Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on E-Business and E-Government (ICEE 2012), May 2012.

Song, Y., & Gao, X. (2012). Literature review of China’s governing online. E-government, 2, 62-66.

Starke. A. (R&R). Otherness: A new racial discourse for public administration. Administrative Theory & Praxis.

Starke, A., Shenouda, K & Smith-Howell, D. (R&R).

Conceptualizing community engagement: Starting a campuswide dialogue. Metropolitan Universities Journal.

Stuva, D. Jr., Ringle, J. L., Thompson, R. W., Chmelka, B., Juliano, N. & Bohn, K. (2016). In-Home family services: Providing lasting results to crisis hotline callers. The American Journal of Family Therapy.

Wright, E. M., Spohn, R., Chenane, J., & Juliano, N. (2016).

Interagency collaboration: The case for Crossover Youth.

Submitted for publication.

2017-2018 SPA FACULTY Professors

Robert Blair, Master of Science in Urban Studies Program Chair Carol Ebdon, Regents/Foundation Professor, NAPA Fellow Angela Eikenberry, PhD Program Chair, David C. Scott Diamond Alumni

Professor of Public Affairs Mary Hamilton, Senior Executive in Residence Craig Maher, Master of Public Administration Program Chair Gary Marshall, Public Administration Theory Christine Reed, Faculty Fellow NU Daugherty Water for Food Institute Scott Tarry, Director of the Aviation Institute and NASA Space Grant Ethel Williams, Director of the School of Public Administration, NAPA Fellow

Associate Professors

Yu-Che Chen, Director of the Global Digital Governance Lab A. Bryce Hoflund, Health Care Policy and Food Policy Jooho Lee, Associate Director of the Global Digital Governance Lab Patrick O’Neil, Director of the Emergency Services Program

Assistant Professors

Jodi Benenson, Policy and Nonprofit Management DeeDee Bennett, Emergency Services Program Tara Bryan, Nonprofit Management Christopher Goodman, Local Public Finance and Urban Policy Hans Louis-Charles, Emergency Services Program Rebecca Lutte, Aviation Institute

Instructional Faculty

Lowell “Skip” Bailey, Aviation Institute Tyler Davis, Emergency Services Program Ryan Guthridge, Aviation Institute Joe Mancuso, Emergency Services Program Ellen Freeman-Wakefield, Professional Programs Scott Vlasek, Aviation Institute Eduardo Zendejas, Tribal Management and Emergency Services Jordan Zendejas, Tribal Management and Emergency Services

402.554.2625 | spa.unomaha.edu | facebook.com/unospa The University of Nebraska does not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation in its programs, activities, or employment.