story
dr guy d whitten was awarded the 2019 distinguished achievement award for graduate mentoring dr whitten is currently the acting department head of the political science department at texas a&m university dr whittens primary research and teaching interests are mass political economy comparative politics and political methodology the 2019 distinguished achievement awards will be formally presented at 1:30 pm on monday april 29 during ceremonies in rudder theatre on the texas a&m university campus in recognition of their achievements each recipient will receive a cash gift an engraved watch and a commemorative plaque the recipients will be honored at an awards ceremony on april 29 at 1:30 pm in rudder theatre during the 2019 distinguished day programming on sept 1 2022 the department of political science became part of the bush school of government & public service
dr roblyer has been awarded the 2019 partners in learning award of excellence as part of the accountability climate and equity (ace) awards he is currently a lecturer at texas a&m university department of political science teaching classes for students with diverse majors from engineering to sociology he received the award during the 2019 ace awards ceremony on wednesday april 10th at 11:30 am in the bethancourt ballroom (msc 2300 a&b) the ace awards acknowledge and honor students faculty and staff in honor of their demonstrated commitment to the texas a&m core value of respect by promoting respectful treatment of others affirming and encouraging individuals to take pride in their social and cultural identities and including all in their definition of the aggie family dwight a roblyer awarded the 2019 partners in learning award of excellence on april 10th in the bethancourt ballroom on sept 1 2022 the department of political science became part of the bush school of government & public service
prof diego von vacano has been invited to duke kunshan university in china to give a keynote and participate in a workshop on comparative political theory on april 20 2019 he is an associate professor in the political science department at texas a&m university and was the recipient of a 2018 texas a&m chancellor and board of regents ‘nationally and internationally recognized faculty award dr von vacanos teaching and research interests are in political theory political philosophy and the history of political thought he works mainly in comparative political theory (modern latin american and european political thought); latinx thought; and immigration race & ethnicity his other academic interests include genomics and race as well as gas/oil industries for development prof diego von vacano will be in duke kunshan university in china to give a keynote and participate in a workshop on comparative political theory on april 20 2019 on sept 1 2022 the department of political science became part of the bush school of government & public service
dr susan dynarski will present inequality in education: what have we learned and how can we fix it at an education policy workshop hosted by the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy at the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university the event will be held at the george h w bush library & museum on texas a&ms campus at 5:30 pm with a reception immediately following the lecture is open to the public but reservations are strongly recommended by monday april 22 those wishing to attend can register on the events web page or by calling (979) 845-1927 dynarski is a professor of public policy education and economics at the university of michigan where she holds appointments at the gerald r ford school of public policy school of education department of economics and institute for social research she also serves as co-director of the education policy initiative and the michigan education data center her research focuses on inequality in education the effectiveness of charter schools the optimal design of financial aid and the effect of high school reforms the mosbacher institutes education policy workshops feature noted academics who are invited to discuss their current research the workshops are designed to increase understanding of the research underlying current education policy and how those policies can affect the nations economic future
by hannah falcon ‘21 two college of liberal arts academic advisors rachel nemets of the department of political science and valerie wilson of the department of communication have been elected into executive positions for the texas academic advising network (texaan) after their annual conference in march nemets began serving in her new position as president elect and wilson began her two-year term as vice president of technology texaan offers academic advisors from 151 different universities a chance to gather and learn from each other through webinars and an annual conference nemets and wilson have both presented research at the conference in past years rachel nemets its a professional organization for all academic advisors wilson said a lot of advisors here at texas a&m are part of this organization its a chance for people across texas to come together and talk about advising techniques new information in the discipline and be able to network with each other nemets joined texaan two years ago while she was in graduate school she said texaan is what inspired her to become an academic advisor during my last year of grad school i had to figure out what i wanted to do after i graduated nemets said when i presented at texaan and saw what the organization does and what other advisers do it motivated me to become an advisor at the annual conference members of texaan vote on open executive board positions they choose a new president-elect every year to serve in a three-year term the first year is spent as president-elect then as the active president and finally as past president for a year in her new position nemets said she wants to implement a mentoring program that matches new advisors with experienced advisors the executive board are the ones who plan out the conferences each year nemets said this position as president-elect then president and then past president will give me leadership skills to develop what i may want to do later on in my career wilson chose to run for vice president of technology because she wanted to help texaan improve and grow as an organization i really wanted to be more involved wilson said texaan is an excellent organization for academic advisors it helps us develop professionally and get to know other advisors in our state wilsons role entails managing and improving the texaan website and other digital member services she chose to run for this role because she loves to help people and is tech savvy its getting to be a pretty big organization so that means that we have to manage all our members and manage our website in a pretty professional way wilson said what i do as vice president of technology is manage access to our online items for our executive board nemets said she is nervous about the new challenge of serving as an executive board member for texaan but mostly excited for the new opportunities i try to do what i tell my students: get outside of your comfort zone and do new things because you never know whats out there until you try nemets said if i dont try new things i never know what opportunities will come my way on sept 1 2022 the department of political science became part of the bush school of government & public service
the bush school of government and public service in conjunction with texas a&ms department of history will debut an award-winning film written by texas a&m professor elizabeth cobbs and featuring mark cuban the film is about robotics and the future of employment at a time when artificial intelligence is on the rise the event will take place on april 15 and includes a screening of cyberwork and the american dream as well as a panel discussion the film has a diverse cast and voices like mark cuban andrew mcafee garry kasparov and new york times columnist thomas friedman among other notable scholars and inventors those interested in registering for the event can visit https://wwweventbritecom/e/cyberwork-and-the-american-dream-documentary-screening-panel-tickets-55664632414 cyberwork and the american dream has won several awards including the 2018 humanitarian award for outstanding achievement at indiefest critical selection at the 2019 irvine international film festival and the 2018 best documentary feature at the los angeles film awards the panel discussion following the film debut will be moderated by elizabeth cobbs professor and melbern g glasscock chair in american history and the films writer and producer other panelists will be jonathan coopersmith professor in the department of history; tracy hammond from the department of computer science; justin bullock professor in the bush school of government and public service; and dr soner tarim founder of harmony schools
bush school of government and public service students denise wornig and mariam chikhladze were selected as delegates from the womens international league for peace and freedom (wilpf) to be a part of the 63rd united nations commission on the status of women (csw) the students were able to engage with politicians attend panels and workshops and advocate for wilpfs three core ideas: women peace and security; disarmament; and human rights the commission on the status of women is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women the commission has an annual two-week session where representatives of united nations member states civil society organizations and un entities gather at the un headquarters in new york to discuss emerging issues that affect gender equality and the empowerment of women the conferences theme this year was social protection systems access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls wornig said she was able to use her knowledge from the bush school to partake in various discussions and learn about a wide range of topics about women such as gender budgeting and what her home country of austria does to include women in policy decisions being selected by the womens international league for peace and freedom to attend the 63rd united nations commission on the status of women is a great honor for me it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get to know the structures of the un in great detail and experience and be a part of a global policy-shaping process wornig said about her experience wornig added that studying in the program on women peace and security at the bush school with dr valerie hudson prepared her to combine theory with practice wornig said the commission showed her how important it is to have a gender-based approach in any type of work: governmental nongovernmental and the private sector chikhladze said the un session on the status of women was an excellent learning and networking opportunity csw is the biggest gathering of hundreds of organizations from all over the world working on womens empowerment and gender equality issues listening to the reports about pressing issues that women face all around the world was educational and a rewarding experience for her chikhladze plans to use her csw experience to implement policy reforms that will provide social services tailored to the needs of women and girls particularly in her home country of georgia chikhladze said she had the opportunity to choose among 500 events that were running during the week-long csw this unique platform enabled her to network with women leaders from different countries working on gender issues participating in csw 2019 broadened my understanding of the issues prevailing in different parts of the world and exposed me to progressive approaches and policy solutions that proved to be successful in achieving womens empowerment and gender equality chikhladze said
dr guy d whitten was awarded the 2019 distinguished achievement award for graduate mentoring dr whitten is currently the acting department head of the political science department at texas a&m university dr whittens primary research and teaching interests are mass political economy comparative politics and political methodology the 2019 distinguished achievement awards will be formally presented at 1:30 pm on monday april 29 during ceremonies in rudder theatre on the texas a&m university campus in recognition of their achievements each recipient will receive a cash gift an engraved watch and a commemorative plaque the recipients will be honored at an awards ceremony april 29 at 1:30 pm in rudder theatre during the 2019 distinguished day programming
by alix p 18 few aggies know of matthew gaines former slave-turned-senator who was a tireless advocate for the historic land grant act that established texas a&m university but sophomore political science student and president of the matthew gaines task force erica pauls knows of his poignant place in history and she is wasting no time in advocating for his recognition when you think of texas a&ms founding story there is no one who really comes to mind as a key person for that event pauls said people know sul ross saved the university and general rudder re-created it but i think its important to know that matthew gaines is largely responsible for the creation of texas a&m university why ‘we are the aggies as president of the matthew gaines task force pauls seeks to raise both funds and awareness for honoring the contribution of gaines by establishing a statue of him on the texas a&m campus gaines was a slave in fredericksburg texas until the 1863 emancipation during his time in slavery he smuggled books and taught himself to read by candlelight he was elected as a texas state senator in 1869one of only three men to serve as the first african americans in texas senate gaines was known as a passionate and persuasive speaker during his service in the 12th 13th and 14th legislatures coming from a background of slavery and being denied an education he championed the rights for education and african americans in public life and specifically to have education available to the public gaines unwaveringly supported the morrill actthe land-grant college act that would allow for the creation of a public university he was instrumental in the passing of this bill because of it the first public school system for all texans was created in 1871: the agricultural and mechanical college of texas renamed texas a&m university in 1963 matthew gaines is a primary reason ‘we are the aggies pauls said he played an instrumental role in the founding of our university so we want to honor him and give credit where credit is due legacy of leadership pauls is certainly following in the footsteps of gainess leadership she became the president of the matthew gaines task force by taking the initiative and asking for itand her proven dedication granted her the position she desires to honor the story of gaines as someone who deserves recognition and believes now is the time in history where everyone can be recognized serving as the president of the task force is only one avenue of leadership that pauls is pursuing she chose to study political science to learn how to be a leader and learn how other people lead; she chose to become the president of the task force in order to put her in a position that was new and uncomfortable and experience different types of leadership in different contexts i am already seeing my liberal arts education as useful in all realms of my life from studying the philosophy of leadership in political science to public speaking and learning how to work with different kinds of people pauls said but learning to value the art of communication and understanding other peoplethat has been the most valuable thing even more pauls is leading by living out her belief that it is invaluable to recognize a person of colors significant contribution to texas a&ms history especially in this time in our society this initiative shows that someone like mea person of colorcontributed in a big way to the past recognition gives hope for the future that you can do the same she said the goal of the task force is to raise $350 000 by 2020 through endowments for the statue and a scholarship honoring the legacy of gaines pauls believes its imperative to know that the initiative to honor gains has been going on for many yearssince 1996and will not give up until its accomplished we dont want to be a part of ignoring great strides in history pauls said recognizing people like matthew gaines honors the victories of the past and allows it to happen again in the future learn more about the matthew gaines task force and how you can be a part on sept 1 2022 the department of political science became part of the bush school of government & public service
the program on women peace and security (wps) at texas a&m universitys bush school of government and public service has seen a steady increase in student interest since the program was established in 2015 having grown from five students initially to fourteen this year wps is administered by the schools department of international affairs and is directed by dr valerie m hudson holder of the george h w bush chair and an expert on international security and foreign policy analysis as well as gender and security in 2009 foreign policy named hudson one of the top 100 most influential global thinkers the program on women peace and security has created a locus for gender analysis in international affairs through teaching research and outreach the programs foundational course women and nations makes the connection between the security of women and the security of a country the compton foundation provided the programs inaugural funding and its research arm the womanstats project was funded by the us department of defense from 2014 to 2018 wps students and dr hudson recently held an afternoon tea to introduce the wps area of study to students interested in joining the program for the coming academic year and explained the benefits which include receiving a paid membership to women in international security (wise) dr hudson also announced a series of upcoming events sponsored by the wps program including films and speakers coming to the bush school to talk about the intersection of gender and national security the women war and peace 20 film series will take place in march and there will be a speaker in april from the center of bioethics and culture international surrogacy to talk about surrogacy as a transnational human rights issue the wps students will have a luncheon with valerie plame in april as well each student electing to join the wps academic concentration may choose to be a part of a wps-dedicated capstone project focusing on timely issues for the state departments office of global womens issues ((ogwi) this years capstone team will make a presentation to the ogwi usaid and usip about using womens economic empowerment as a way to stabilize security the students will also be presenting to the white house as a part of a new national security presidential directive to empower women in national security students choosing the wps concentration can participate in research linked to relevant issues as well emily jensen a second-year student works for the womanstats program where she collects data on womens security issues jensen is working on a research paper tracking female migration in the wake of abnormal sex ratios when cultures select against having girl babies this affects marriage markets which in turn affects female migration more than male migration dr hudson discussed the programs academic research and event arms to emphasize the work each is doing to empower women for a more secure world bush school students can choose the wps concentration through the mpia degree program
texas a&m bush school students tiffany easter patsy taggart rachel shallow and maria peurach placed in the semifinals in a national cybersecurity competition in washington dc the atlantic councils cyber 9/12 strategy challenge charges the students with developing policy recommendations tackling a fictional cyber catastrophe several bush school students have participated in previous competitions at the university of texas in austin texas and columbia university in new york brian rabaey miranda lindsey tiffany easter and patsy taggart placed in the semi-finals for a similar competition at columbia university tiffany easter second-year master of public affairs student said we as a team are grateful for the opportunity to come to dc and compete on behalf of the bush school were excited to apply what weve learned through our coursework capstones and personal research and join the conversation of how the us can better prepare and respond to cyber incidents were especially thankful to our faculty advisory dr andrew ross and the department of international affairs for making the trip possible! easter reported that one judge at the competition told the students you all made texas a&m proud dean mark welsh made similar comments about the team we are so proud of our incredible bush school cyber team! congratulations to the students who represented us in dc for the national cyber competition!
drs kent portney and bryce hannibal of istpp and mathew kurian of united nations university recently published a paper they coauthored that addresses water reuse goals established by the united nations the authors utilize theory from an agency-based modeling approach to examine thoroughly the united nations water directive on sustainable development goal (sdg) 63 this sdg seeks to minimize pollution dumping and hazardous material in water while increasing the reuse and recycling of water by 2030 their analysis also discusses the efficacy of the wastewater reuse effectiveness index as a tool for institutions to measure change in water reuse patterns kurian portney and hannibal propose an approach to water reuse that focuses on how well researchers understand the myriad of variables that influence the effectiveness of water reuse strategies independent of variance in geographic conditions and institutional change they also argue that accounting for synergies between food water and energy are necessary to ensure coordination between relevant stakeholders in efforts to reuse water they conclude their paper by highlighting that future research needs to focus on decision-making processes for leaders in relation to potential future outcomes as well as what leaders choose to believe or ignore kurian mathew christopher scott v ratna reddy graham alabaster adelaide nardocci kent e portney rizaldi boer and bryce hannibal 2019 one swallow does not make a summer: siloes trade-offs and synergies in the water-energy-food nexus frontiers of environmental science 7 (32): 1-17 https://doiorg/103389/fenvs201900032
dwight a roblyer class of 1984 will be the keynote speaker for the campus aggie muster ceremony on april 22 in reed arena after receiving his undergraduate degree in physics and a minor in psychology roblyer served as an officer of the united states air force until 2011 during this time he earned his masters degree in space operations from the air force institute of technology in 1993 and a phd in political science from a&m in 2009 when he completed his time in the air force roblyer returned to a&m in 2013 to become a lecturer in the department of political science teaching classes for students with diverse majors from engineering to sociology he serves on the a&m honor council was a 2017 fish camp namesake and most recently received one of the eight honoring excellence awards through the office of residence life in 2018 dwight a roblyer class of 1984 will be the keynote speaker for the campus aggie muster ceremony on april 22 in reed arena on sept 1 2022 the department of political science became part of the bush school of government & public service
on thursday april 4 steven simon who served on the national security council in the clinton and obama administrations will deliver remarks at the annenberg presidential conference center on texas a&ms west campus simon will cover the current us policy in syria and the implications for syrias future the lecture will begin at 5:30 pm in hagler auditorium registration is open at txag/1klotvf this event is presented by the department of international affairs and the scowcroft institute of international affairs at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university simon served as senior director for the middle east and north africa on the national security council during the obama administration and as senior director for counterterrorism in the clinton administration he has held appointments with a variety of research institutions including the council on foreign relations the international institute for strategic studies the rand corporation and the middle east institute simon is the author or coauthor of a number of books including the age of sacred terror the next attack the pragmatic superpower: winning the cold war in the middle east and our separate ways: the struggle for the future of the us-israel alliance his op-eds and articles have appeared in the new york times washington post wall street journal foreign affairs and other outlets simon is currently the john j mccloy 16 visiting professor in history at amherst college
on monday march 25 former special agent robert booth will deliver remarks at the annenberg presidential conference center in the george h w bush presidential library and museum on texas a&m universitys campus this event hosted by the scowcroft institute of international affairs at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university is free and open to the public event details and registration can be found at bushtamuedu/events booth former spy hunter will discuss the meaning of counterintelligence and counterespionage including economic espionage versus military and diplomatic espionage he will also talk on the threats spies pose to our national security from the state departments perspective the talk is based on his own experiences from two state department espionage cases involving felix bloch and kendall myers and their impact on us national security booth is the former deputy director of the state departments office of counterintelligence for twenty-eight years he worked in the state departments bureau of diplomatic security and in the office of counterintelligence as a special agent booth also authored state department counterintelligence: leaks spies and lies in which he wrote about his experiences as an insider in three counterespionage cases and numerous unauthorized disclosure investigations one experience involves a us citizen serving as a spy for fidel castro
on march 21 ambassador ryan crocker will give a lecture starting at 5:30 pm in hagler auditorium in the annenberg presidential conference center on texas a&m universitys west campus the department of international affairs the scowcroft institute of international affairs and the albritton center for grand strategy at the bush school of government & public service at texas a&m invites the public to attend this event registration can be found at txag/crocker crocker will speak on us policy in afghanistan including the future of the democratically elected afghan government and the american announcement of negotiations with the taliban aimed at a ceasefire and withdrawal of troops crocker served in the us foreign service as ambassador to afghanistan (2011-12) iraq (2007-2009) pakistan (2004-2007) syria (1998-2001) and lebanon (1990-1991) in 2004 president george w bush conferred on him the rank of career ambassador the highest in the foreign service he is the former dean of the bush school of government & public service at texas a&m university and is a member of the council on foreign relations the american academy of diplomacy and the council of american ambassadors he has received numerous awards throughout his career including the secretary of states distinguished service award and the presidential medal of freedom the nations highest civilian award
tiffany easter designed a bush 41 sweatshirt that raised $3 409 in donations to a local nonprofit that provides services for victims of domestic assault phoebes home personally received the donations from bush school students easter a second-year master of public service and administration (mpsa) student worked with a local business to produce the sweatshirts that she designed four hundred two bush sweatshirts were sold to faculty staff students and even family members of students phoebes home is a part of twin city missions domestic violence services program twin city provides services such as shelter counseling case management legal advocacy safety planning and career assistance to victims of domestic violence and dating violence phoebes home provides twenty-four-hour emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence as well as meals laundry facilities toiletries transportation and recreational activities george h w bush said there could be no definition of a successful life that does not include service to others bush school students honor the memory of bush through acts of public service like helping womens shelters
drs kent portney and bryce hannibal published a paper with bassel daher doctoral candidate in the department of biological and agricultural engineering at texas a&m university and dr rabi mohtar dean of the faculty of agricultural and food sciences at the american university of beirut titled toward creating an environment of cooperation between water energy and food stakeholders in san antonio in science of the total environment the authors analyze existing levels of cooperation between regulators of food energy and water in the greater area of san antonio tx this region one of the fastest growing in the united states also has expanding energy and agriculture sectors this growth is straining available food energy and water resources the efficient allocation of these resources can be constrained or enhanced by communication and coordination between stakeholders responsible for making decisions about food energy and water systems to identify the frequency and nature of communications among the nexus stakeholders the authors surveyed public water officials in the san antonio region they collected information on stakeholder concerns communication and participation in engagement forums the authors used social network analysis to delineate which types of agencies communicate and how often they find that while there is little communication among water regulators there is a very low level of dialogue between water agencies and agencies responsible for food and energy they also find that there are increased levels of communication among water regulators that participate in stakeholder engagement activities the authors recommend that more research be done on the medium and quality of communication that corresponds with higher levels of coordination between regulatory authorities daher bassel bryce hannibal kent e portney and rabi h mohtar 2019 toward creating an environment of cooperation between water energy and food stakeholders in san antonio science of the total environment 651: 2913–2926
on tuesday march 19 ambassador ronald neumann will deliver a lecture on american diplomacy in the presidential orientation theater at the george h w bush presidential library and museum on the texas a&m campus a reception will start at 5:30 pm followed by neumanns remarks at 6:00 pm this free event is open to the public and is hosted by the scowcroft institute of international affairs in the bush school of government & public service at texas a&m university to register for the event please visit: txag/neumann he will speak about diplomacys role in politics in different regions specifically american diplomacy in the current geopolitical climate this will include discussing the differences between diplomacy and policy and why professionalism is needed neumann will also speculate on how americas current posture measures up to diplomacys standards and he will discuss the practices of other major powers neumann dedicated his career to public service including serving as an army infantry officer in vietnam; ambassador to algeria bahrain and afghanistan; career member of the senior foreign service; and deputy assistant secretary of state he is the author of memoirs monographs articles and editorials with his writings focusing on afghanistan stabilization and bahrain neumann received many awards throughout his service including the army outstanding civilian service medal and the american foreign service associations award for lifetime contributions to american diplomacy he currently serves as president of the american academy of diplomacy
on monday april 8 former cia operative valerie plame wilson will deliver remarks on her experience as a covert operations officer in the annenberg presidential conference center at texas a&m university there will be a 5:30 pm reception followed by the lecture titled valerie plame: my life as a spy at 6:00 pm event registration can be found at txag/plame the scowcroft institute of international affairs at the bush school of government & public service is hosting this public event wilson will speak on her recruitment by the cia the work she did while in the agency and the details of her identity being compromised which forced her exit from covert operations she will also discuss how and why her identity was leaked and what she took away from the betrayal as a covert operations officer wilson worked to protect us national security and managed top-secret programs designed to prevent terrorists and rogue nation-states from acquiring nuclear weapons in 2003 a source from the white house told a columnist about her identity bringing an end to her covert career in 2007 wilson wrote an autobiography fair game: my life as a spy my betrayal by the white house in which she published the intimate details of the scandal that revealed her identity she also coauthored the fictional spy thrillers blowback and burned wilson continues to serve in intelligence as a board member of a cyber security company global data sentinel and a predictive behavioral analytics agency starling trust she also serves on the boards of numerous nonprofit organizations
this years bank of america program on volunteerism on march 26 will serve as a celebration of service volunteerism and philanthropy in texas by highlighting the work of innovative nonprofits statewide efforts to support volunteerism and exemplary corporate citizens that support service and community engagement the evening will begin with a reflection from neil bush on his familys commitment to service following neil bush cecilia abbott first lady of texas will discuss her focus on texanthropy and increasing volunteerism and philanthropy across the state mrs abbott believes that we are called to service and her top priority as first lady is to promote volunteerism and service to others through her texanthropy initiative the bank of america event will then feature a moderated discussion between three leaders from the public nonprofit and corporate sectors that are currently operating in texas the participants will discuss their approach to supporting volunteerism and philanthropy in texas and beyond the panel members are the following• larry james ceo citysquare in dallas has served as ceo since 1994 and leads an innovative nonprofit organization that fights the causes and effects of poverty through service advocacy and friendship• elizabeth darling ceo onestar foundation has a broad background in public policy community development and social service delivery at the local state and federal levels onestar foundation works so that every texas community engages partners and volunteers to address local needs• david oneil region bank president central texas region wells fargo has served for twenty-five years as a bank executive he is engaged in numerous community service activities and has served as a leader in philanthropy in bryan/college station and now as regional president in austin texas the panel is moderated by director of the center for nonprofits and philanthropy and bush school professor william brown
on tuesday march 5 robert kaplan best-selling author and former foreign correspondent for the atlantic will deliver a lecture on modern geopolitics at the annenberg presidential conference center on the texas a&m university campus the talk titled geopolitics in 2019: a granular tour of the world during a new age of empire is free and open to the public sign-in will open at 5:30 pm and kaplan will begin his talk at 6:00 pm registration is open at bushtamuedu/events the event is presented by the scowcroft institute of international affairs at the bush school of government & public service at texas a&m kaplan is the best-selling author of eighteen books on foreign affairs and travel including balkan ghosts and the return of marco polos world he reported on foreign affairs for the atlantic for thirty years previously held the national security chair at the united states naval academy and was a member of the pentagons defense policy board he is now a member of the us navys executive panel a senior fellow at the center for a new american security and a managing director at eurasia group the worlds premier political risk consultancy
on february 27 a distinguished group of panelists gathered to discuss the future of free trade in north america the main speaker was dr jaime serra puche the lead negotiator of the north american free trade agreement (nafta) for mexico following his remarks drayton mclane jr chairman of the mclane group; douglas george acting consul general of the consulate general of canada; jeffrey jones former senator and undersecretary of agribusiness development in mexico; and matthew rooney managing director of the bush institute-smu economic growth initiative joined him on stage for further discussion and questions moderated by dr raymond robertson director of the mosbacher institute the event was cohosted by the mosbacher institute for trade economics & public policy and the mays business school center for international business studies the evening began with a video of president george h w bush speaking to a 1998 bush school class praising nafta and giving jaime serra puche enormous credit for its successful adoption a common thread throughout the evenings commentary was the importance of free trade support for the successes achieved by nafta and the benefits to all three countries of regional cooperation in a competitive global economy dr serras presentation included a number of graphs indicating the complementary nature of north american economic data and showing how many of the three countries economic indicators tend to rise and fall together the symposium also focused on the united states-mexico-canada agreement (usmca) which may replace nafta with some differences of opinion as to its strengths and weaknesses the consensus of the panel was that usmca is a step backwardsnot forwardsfrom nafta and is unfortunately marked by economic protectionism however it was made clear that no free trade agreement among the countries would be the worst possible outcome and that the usmca should be ratified the panelists agreed that the tendency to blame trade deficits on free trade is inaccurate and that the united states trade deficit cannot be decreased by increasing tariffs they said a more effective step would be reducing the federal debt before the symposium dr serra met with a group of bush school students to discuss their questions on free trade and the future of nafta this event touched on the cruciality of free trade and the importance of being neighborly on a global scale dr serra also stressed that the united states mexico and canada should all be on the same side of the negotiating table because a strong regional economy is in the best interest of everyone dr gregory gause iii head of the bush schools international affairs department dr jaime serra puche lead nafta negotiator for mexico douglas george acting consul general of the consulate general of canada drayton mclane jr chairman of the mclane group jeffrey jones former senator and undersecretary of agribusiness development of mexico matthew rooney managing director of the bush institute-smu economic growth initiative
as part of a project funded by the national science foundation istpps dr bryce hannibal and his colleagues dr sierra woodruff and matthew malecha from the college of architecture at texas a&m university are researching the ways in which organizational networks affect the integration of hazard mitigation plans the underlying expectation is that integrated planning and response actions lead to preventive response and recovery measures that are more efficient and effective the researchers surveyed decision makers and professionals selected from key agencies and stakeholders involved with various aspects of risk mitigation planning and response pertaining to infrastructure systems a total of 198 individuals from 109 organizations and 160 unique departments participated in the survey by combining the participants responses with an analysis of disaster and hazard mitigation plans from thirteen texas counties affected by hurricane harvey in 2017 the researchers mapped the extent of collaboration and gaps in the planning process from this they identified well-established networks among some key organizations that is stakeholders from organizations listed in the various plans indicated in their survey responses that they collaborated with these networks as part of their job functions however hannibal woodruff and malecha also found prominent gapssome organizations listed in the plans had little contact with other organizations identified in the plans they will be conducting additional research to address which types of organizations tend to be on the outside of or on the inside of planning networks and where there might be opportunities for increased collaboration in developing and executing disaster and hazard mitigation plans hannibal bryce 2019 the intersection of social and planning networks: a post-harvey study paper presented at the 13th international academic association of planning law and property rights conference college station tx february 22 paper coauthored with sierra woodruff and matthew malecha
dr john schuessler has put american grand strategy front and center since arriving at the bush school of government and public service schuessler is currently researching how we can think more systematically about the united states as an offshore balancer in the grand strategy realm as director of the center for grand strategy schuessler has also been instrumental in hosting events on behalf of the bush schools albritton center for grand strategy (cgs) including a recent one featuring georgetown universitys elizabeth saunders on expanding presidential power in april cgs will cohost with the texas a&m university libraries a symposium on the berlin airlift schuessler arrived in college station in 2016 drawn to the bush schools unique focus on public service the illinois native received his masters and phd from the university of chicago his research interests include security studies american grand strategy and diplomatic and military history he currently is associate professor in the department of international affairs and co-academic director of the albritton center for grand strategy former bush school professor josh shifrinson is working on a project with schuessler about how insular states those that are surrounded by water expand abroad the two professors plan to generate a series of articles from the project when asked about the bush school schuessler said what i like most about the bush school is how devoted the students and faculty are to improving public life and improving public policy and genuinely committing to a life of service
two bush school of government and public service students taking part in the atlantic councils sixth annual cyber 9/12 strategy challenge were charged with developing policy recommendations tackling a fictional cyber catastrophe second-year master of international affairs (mia) candidate patsy taggart placed in the semi-finals at a columbia university atlantic council competition taggart and second-year mia candidate rachel shallow placed well on a team representing the bush school in a regional cyber competition at the university of texas at austin in november 2018 the atlantic council aims to help navigate the economic and political changes defining the twenty-first century by informing and galvanizing an influential network of global leaders to create a more secure and prosperous world now entering its sixth year the cyber 9/12 strategy challenge is a one-of-a-kind competition designed to provide students across academic disciplines with a deeper understanding of the policy challenges associated with cyber crises and conflict part interactive learning experience and part competitive exercise it challenges teams to respond to a realistic evolving cyberattack and analyze the threat it poses to national international and private sector interests bush school faculty member dr andrew ross supervised the teams one of the teams allowed shallow and taggart to engage in a mission to assess and mitigate cyberattacks on critical infrastructure and private industry in the austin simulation participants were given fictional news articles and government reports to help build the situation each round of the competition got progressively harder as both students were questioned about their decisions much like real life the bureaucratic obstacles were the hardest part of responding to a simulated cyberattack shallow said it was a phenomenal experience you have to not only know the material but also understand it said shallow shallow added that the competition provided insight into the inner workings of the department of defense department of homeland security and office of the director of national intelligence because there were employees from these agencies at the competition the texas a&m cybersecurity center provided financial support to the students participating in the competition the austin team consisted of maria peurach rachel shallow miranda lindsey and patsy taggart bush school students brian rabaey miranda lindsey tiffany easter and patsy taggart placed in the semi-finals for a similar competition at columbia university patsy taggart rachel shallow maria peurach and tiffany easter will participate in the next phase of the atlantic council competition in march in washington dc
the center for nonprofits & philanthropy at the bush school of government and public service hosted a lunch and learn session with mr pierce bush ceo of big brothers big sisters lone star (bbbs) pierce bush grandson of president george h w bush and barbara pierce bush reflected on his grandparents legacy and his own life experiences he was only two years old when his grandfather became the 41st president of the united states he spoke of the many memories he has of their time together after president and mrs bush returned to private life in 2009 pierce bush began his own public service journey with bbbs as a volunteer mentor to his little brother jaylyn after completing his undergraduate degree he entered the field of private equity and was appointed to the bbbs board of directors in early 2012 later that same year he joined bbbs as full-time staff focusing on increasing the organizations revenue pierce bush became the ceo of bbbs in august 2015 and instituted a grand vision for his team to chase afterto provide every child in texas who needs and wants one with an adult mentor he spoke of his little brother jaylyn in a heartfelt way along with reflecting on the variety of events theyve attended he was also clear on how much he has learned from jaylyn he commented just like many of the adult volunteers in our program i too have received so much in return from the relationship i have with jaylyn many bush school students said it was one of their favorite events since arriving here jennifer peak nonprofit management student commented pierce was raw; his candid honesty allowed him to laugh at this own jokes and even tear up when talking about his grandparents the attendees thoroughly enjoyed the session and could feel the passion pierce bush has for continuing the bush family legacy and his work in youth mentoring
president george h w bush garnered public admiration over the course of his public service career and his personal staffers shared their stories of the inner workings of the bush white house and bushs style of leadership andy card former secretary of transportation under george h w bush and jean becker chief of staff after bush left office told texas a&m bush school of government and public service students faculty and staff what bush was like in the white house and in his personal life card who also served as white house chief of staff for george w bush recalled a story about how george h w bush comforted the family of a fallen soldier card spoke about how bush knew what it meant to go to war and the human impact it had on americans becker shared the more personal side of president bush and told a story about a prank on roger clemens clemens was visiting the white house and when he touched an object on the oval office desk a recording of bush saying not to touch anything sprung out of it the prank scared clemens but did not scare him away for good the george h w bush presidential library and museum george h w bush presidential library foundation and the scowcroft institute of international affairs hosted the event on presidents day to honor bush in the wake of his recent passing
istpps dr kent portney presented research on governance of the food-energy-water nexus with a focus on the metropolitan san antonio area and the edwards-trinity aquifer system at the texas a&m law schools 10th annual energy law symposium additionally portney discussed how nexus-related challenges increase inefficiencies in allocating and protecting water food and other pertinent common pool resources portney analyzed responses to a survey administered to decision makers in agencies with legal jurisdiction over water in the san antonio area the questionnaire asked respondents about the substance and frequency of contacts and interactions with other water decision makers and decision makers at sixteen energy and twelve food/agriculture agencies survey results suggest that while there are fifty-eight independent government agencies and organizations with legal authority over water in the metropolitan san antonio region there is little nexus governance in the metropolitan san antonio region additionally there is a significant difference in governance practices between water and energy as well as agriculture and energy and fragmentation in nexus decision-making processes is currently the status quo portney concludes that future research needs to determine whether the structure of nexus resource governance is driven by the nature of nexus-related problems or if institutional structures and formal relations between governing agencies inhibits collaboration portney kent 2019 governing the water-energy nexus in the metropolitan san antonio region paper presented at the texas a&m law schools 10th annual energy symposium fort worth tx february 22
in californias solar rooftop experience: a report card the authors take a broad look at the costs and benefits to california rooftop solar adopters affected electric utility companies the government and the environment because of lower carbon emissions using data from academic and industry sources they calculate how much would have been spent on a rooftop solar system for a typical high-consumption residence in 2010 based on the fixed cost of the equipment tax credits and monthly solar savings while allowing that californias energy policies have resulted in a significant increase in the electricity produced by rooftop solar systems the authors argue that californias success came at a very high cost according to their calculations to pass a simple cost-benefit test the environmental cost of a ton of carbon dioxide would have to be almost twenty-four times larger than current damage estimates the authors assert that there are less expensive ways to achieve the same results and recommend a carbon tax as the most cost-effective method for reducing carbon emissions the takeaway is a publication of the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy at the bush school of government & public service at texas a&m university
professor diego von vacano organized the inaugural ‘yale soccer conference at the yale school of management on february 9-10 2019 he was co-founder with students thairo arruda and joao lacombe the conference was made up of a variety of panels and speakers on many issues related to the global soccer industry themes included sustained commercialization political and legal issues as well as economic impact speakers included world cup winner mario kempes texas a&m graduate fernando palomo of espn charlie stillitano ceo of relevent inc legendary broadcaster andres cantor of telemundo and marta plana board member of fc barcelona benno ruwe of bayern munich presented on the german clubs partnership with texas a&m plans are underway to hold the conference with a&m involvement in the next edition on sept 1 2022 the department of political science became part of the bush school of government & public service
founder and chief elevation officer of activateelevate zillah fluker gave a talk at the bush school of government and public service on thursday february 21 entitled winning relationships such relationships work toward building diversity and benefit the workplace the event is part of the bush school diversity and inclusion committees efforts to celebrate black history month the diversity and inclusion committee is a student-led organization that is part of the student government association its purpose is to provide both a forum for and community of students to discuss issues relating to diversity and inclusion the committee hosted a bingo night on the main campus at texas a&m where students could participate in black history month trivia texas a&m will be having a series of events throughout the month that bush school students are encouraged to attend dr frank ashley senior associate dean for academic affairs who teaches the course managing diversity in public and nonprofit organizations states public servants must have a good understanding of diversity and inclusion because of the diversity of the individuals who may be served by their organizations
on february 13 the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy hosted american economist anne o krueger at a conversations in public policy event focused on the economic impact of president trumps trade policy the lecture attended by about 400 guests was co-hosted by the texas a&m department of economics and the private enterprise research center dr krueger is the senior research professor of international economics at the school for advanced international studies at johns hopkins university and was previously the first deputy managing director of the international monetary fund she also worked at the world bank as vice president of economics and research as well as at a number of prestigious universities her impressive list of publications on economic development international trade and finance and economic policy reform are widely consulted and cited during dr kruegers remarks she credited open trade and the general agreement on tariffs and trade (gatt) as one of the reasons behind the rise in economic development during the post wwii period she also spoke about the positive economic impact of world integration the crucial benefits of multilateralism and the importance of the world trade organization (wto) for promoting and regulating trade she criticized the current administrations move towards bilateralism and increased reliance on tariffs as being counter-productive to their stated goals during the conversation portion of the evening moderated by dr raymond robertson professor krueger elaborated on the usefulness of the wtos role in providing a venue for resolving international trade disputes and noted that the united states has won more disputes there than it has lost she denounced president trumps refusal to approve new wto appellate judges as contributing to future world instability she also explained that tariffs do not cure trade deficits due to macroeconomic reasons before the public lecture dr krueger met with a group of fourteen bush school students within the international development and economic policy program to discuss their questions on international economicsincluding the argentine debt crisis and the economic success of south korea the mosbacher institute is very appreciative of all the time dr krueger was willing to give to the bush school during her visit
on monday feb 18 ambassador edward p djerejian who served under president george hw bush will visit texas a&m university to share his insights on the former presidents foreign policy the event will begin with a reception at 5:30 pm followed by ambassador djerejians remarks at 6 pm in hagler auditorium in the annenberg presidential conference center at texas a&m this event hosted by the scowcroft institute of international affairs in texas a&ms bush school of government and public service is free and open to the public reservations can be made at bushtamuedu/events djerejians presentation will focus on president bushs foreign policy including underscoring coalition building the middle east china and the fall of the berlin wall djerejian currently serves as founding director of rice universitys baker institute for public policy he held the position of assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs under president george hw bush and he is the former us ambassador to syria and israel in addition to president bush ambassador djerejian also worked under presidents ronald reagan and bill clinton during his more than 30 years of public service
some recent editorials have suggested that the national debt which this week surpassed $22 trillion is nothing more than a political football to carry only when its politically convenient but according to dr raymond robertson an economist at texas a&m university bush school of government & public service there are plenty of reasons why ever-increasing us government debt is a real policy issue that should urgently concern americans he highlights a couple of them in two more reasons why the federal debt matters published in the latest takeaway robertson argues that the us federal debt threatens national security and is associated with a higher trade deficit in addition to other possible serious consequences he points out the significant amount of leverage that china gains by holding so much us debt the article also includes graphs illustrating how us debt and trade deficits tend to rise and fall together robertson explains why addressing the us federal debt would be a far more effective way in the long-term to strengthen us trade than imposing tariffs which can only temporarily improve the trade balance before the exchange rate rises and cancels out the effect of the tariffs the takeaway is a publication of the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy at the bush school at texas a&m university
on thursday february 28 professor david shambaugh will give a lecture on the relationship of the us and china over the forty years since the establishment of diplomatic relations there will be a reception at 5:30 pm followed by the lecture at 6 pm at the hagler auditorium in the annenberg presidential conference center on texas a&m universitys campus the scowcroft institute of international affairs in the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university is sponsoring this event which the public is invited to attend register to attend at bushtamuedu/events professor shambaugh will delve into the accomplishments born from the us and china relationship and the severe strain and increasing competition experienced today shambaugh will share what these difficulties could mean for future relations between the worlds two primary powers professor david shambaugh serves as the founding director of the china policy program in the elliott school of international affairs at george washington university where he is also the gaston sigur professor of asian studies political science & international affairs he serves on numerous editorial boards; has been a consultant to governments universities corporations and others; and is a life member of the council on foreign relations us asia-pacific council and other public policy and scholarly organizations professor shambaugh is also the author of more than thirty books including his most recent books chinas future and the china reader: rising power both published in 2016
drs bryce hannibal and kent portney recently published an article titled correlates of food-energy-water nexus awareness among the american public in social science quarterly hannibal and portney examine public awareness of the food-energy-water nexus and identify predictors explaining awareness and public interest the data used for the analysis comes from a nationally representative survey administered in 2015 in which respondents were asked twenty-nine questions intended to extract their potential awareness of food-energy-water nexus elements the survey had a 61 percent response rate with 1 463 total responses drs hannibal and portney treated respondents nexus awareness as the dependent variable for their study and focused on respondents educational attainment level individual demographics environmental concerns and a series of other characteristics as explanatory variables analysis of the responses suggests demographic characteristics show little relationship to overall nexus awareness the study shows that people often make connections among food energy and water in the context of concerns about wasting these resources results also suggest that when the elements of the nexus are discussed in the context of wasting resources people are able to identify stronger connections among resources and may make decisions supporting a more efficient and sustainable use of food energy and water the authors conclude that researchers need to focus more on the food-energy-water nexus and on why some people exhibit greater awareness of the nexus than others do hannibal bryce and kent portney 2019 correlates of food-energy-water nexus awareness among the american public social sciences quarterly 100 (3): 762–778 doi: 101111/ssqu12590
jasen castillo academic director of the albritton center for grand strategy was quoted in an article titled trumps decision to nuke a key us-russia treaty fuels a simmering global arms race published in mother jones magazine on february 5 2019 you can find the article online here
researchers from the scowcroft institute of international affairs at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university in collaboration with researchers from baylor college of medicine are conducting the largest study in over half a century on the prevalence of neglected tropical diseases in the southern united states neglected tropical diseases (ntds) also known as diseases of poverty affect one billion people globally although commonly thought of as a problem of the developing world an estimated 12 million americans are living with at least one ntd and most of these individuals are concentrated in the south the american south possesses a specific combination of risk factors that create a breeding ground for various ntds inadequate housing and poor sanitation are major factors related to infection with ntds and these factors are significant problems in many impoverished areas of the southern united states dr christine crudo blackburn an assistant research scientist with the scowcroft institute is leading the study to determine the prevalence of toxocariasis hookworm and ascariasis as well as the social and environmental factors that allow for their existence in the southern us dr rojelio mejia assistant professor in the department of pediatrics and director of the laboratory of clinical parasitology and diagnostics at baylor college of medicine led a 2017 study on the prevalence of hookworm in lowndes county alabama he oversees the laboratory testing of all collected samples for this study because ntds in the united states exist in areas of extreme poverty blackburn and mejia focused their research on rural areas of the southern united states with median family incomes of under $25 000to date the study contains participating communities from three southern states and is in the process of enrolling additional communities from four other states once completed the study will provide a more accurate picture of the problem of ntds in the united states
dr elizabeth saunders associate professor in the security studies program at georgetown universitys school of foreign service spoke to a full house at the bush library on wednesday evening january 30 2019 saunders lecture based on her article the unconstrained presidency published in the october/november 2018 issue of foreign affairs discussed the gradual erosion of the limitations on us executive power in the decades since world war ii and how that relatively unchecked power has become more visible in the actions of recent administrations saunders also talked about the significance of the 2018 midterm elections and resulting changes in congress and identified some legislative measures that could help restrain the growing footprint of presidential power however saunders noted even the increasing public pushback against the current administration serves as a warning sign that the traditional constraint system remains broken and any significant solution to the problem will be difficult to secure in todays polarized political climate the bryan-college station eagle article on the event can be found here event details the unconstrained presidency elizabeth saunders associate professor school of foreign servicegeorgetown university wednesday january 30 20195:30 pm george hw bush presidential library and museum conference center the albritton center for grand strategy presents a lecture by dr elizabeth n saunders on her article published in foreign affairs titled the unconstrained presidency discussing the recent trend of increasing presidential power in the united states dr elizabeth n saunders is an associate professor in the security studies program at georgetown universitys school of foreign service and a non-resident senior fellow at the brookings institution
texas a&m bush school of government and public service student alex lam takes his next step toward a career in federal government with a two-year appointment to the presidential management fellows (pmf) program which offers advanced degree candidates a pathway into a career in public service the prestigious presidential management fellows program is a flagship leadership development program aimed at training the next generation of public servants the pmf is highly competitive; only 500 to 800 applicants are accepted each year from the more than 8 500 who apply the pmf also offers help in the full-time career application process and provides graduates of the program help in finding higher-tier positions within federal agencies pmf bush school alumni currently serve in the departments of treasury state and usaid lam is a second-year bush school master of international affairs student who wants to work at the department of state or usaid on issues in the middle east for his two-year pmf stint he is specifically interested in helping the future of this crucial area of the world and how it influences american foreign policy lam said his long-term career goal is to make policy in innovative ways that promote american interests and values i am only able to become a finalist for the pmf program because of the valuable lessons in leadership academic subjects and public service ive gained at the bush school im honored to have been selected and intend to use this opportunity to start my career in public service and continue the public service legacy of president george h w bush on behalf of the american people lam said i am very pleased and so proud that alex has been named a presidential management fellow said bush school dean mark welsh the schools goal is to prepare and encourage our students to pursue a career in public service and i congratulate alex for his dedication to serving the american people welsh added
on january 29 2019 the albritton center for grand strategy hosted a roundtable discussion with andrew roberts british historian and acclaimed biographer of winston churchill and several bush school students the group discussed lessons learned from churchills experience as a wartime leader topics ranged from the gallipoli campaign in world war i to churchills approach to alliances
an essay by dr john schuessler cgs academic director titled democracy war and american grand strategy was published in the texas national security review on january 29 2019 the essay originally published as part of a roundtable in taxing wars: the american way of war finance and decline of democracy (oxford university press 2018) by sarah kreps can be read online here
istpp director kent portney published a paper with bush school alumnus lindsey aldaco-manner and istpp fellow rabi mohtar titled analysis of four governance factors on efforts of water governing agencies to increase water reuse in the san antonio region in science of the total environment growing urban areas particularly those in drier climates face conflicting demands for scarce water resources in such areas some water planning agencies are looking to water reuse as a way to increase supply their efforts are often complicated by the multitude of local regional and state organizations that govern the availability uses and quality of the water resources to identify key ways that governance contributes to an increase in water reuse the authors studied the efforts of water agencies and organizations in two san antonio regions to meet water reuse goals established by the texas water development board (twdb) factors of particular interest involved the relationship between agency and organization efforts to increase water reuse and their familiarity with twdb water supply strategies and their frequency of communication with twdb the researchers also looked at the relationship between the type of water agency or organization and their level of efforts to increase water reuse using data from a survey of water governing agencies and organizations in the two regions of san antonio the authors find that about 58% of do not communicate with state water planners yet those agencies that communicate more often with twdb report more efforts to increase water reuse this result is statistically significant and points to a strong need to find ways to increase communication taken together all four factors listed above account for almost 30% of agency water reuse efforts aldaco-manner lindsey rabi mohtar and kent e portney 2019 analysis of four governance factors on efforts of water governing agencies to increase water reuse in the san antonio region science of the total environment 647: 1498–1507 doi: 101016/jscitoenv201807366
dr arnold vedlitz dr bryce hannibal and ms carol goldsmith of the institute for science technology and public policy (istpp) are partnering with other texas a&m researchers to identify and examine how the dynamics of planning policies flood control infrastructures and the social networks in which these efforts operate affect the capacity of urban communities to quickly recover from major flooding the national science foundations (nsf) critical resilient interdependent infrastructure systems and processes (crisp) program has awarded a $2 million grant to support this research which will focus on harris county texas and the flooding caused by hurricane harvey dr vedlitz co-principal investigator on the project and professor and holder of the bob bullock chair in government and public policy at the bush school of government and public service will lead the istpp research team in an in-depth examination of planning and decision-making processes and the social network interactions that occur across the local and regional stakeholder groups involved in these efforts as dr vedlitz points out these interactions affect both the planning for and response to natural disasters the effectiveness of these interactions create the planning physical infrastructure and resource networks for responding to disasters which in turn affect the quality of actual responses once a disaster occurs the teams goal is to model how inter-organizational dynamics and decision-making processes in human systems affect the management of interdependent flood protection emergency response and transportation infrastructure systems using data collected from a series of surveys of key stakeholders dr hannibal istpp assistant research scientist will develop comprehensive maps of the social network structure of the stakeholder groups the team will analyze the structure of these networks identifying core clusters of groups that have frequent communications and which of these clusters are connected to other clusters and by analyzing the time series of network maps dr hannibal explains well be able to identify events and practices that encourage the integration of these networks and their hazard mitigation plans along with circumstances that tend to lead to conflicting plans or gaps in the plans ms goldsmith senior research associate and assistant director of the institute will lead the administration of grant activities for the institute she will coordinate development and implementation of the surveys and provide general research support to the lead investigators insights gained from the project will be shared with a broad spectrum of planners policy makers community organizations and other relevant groups to help them make evidence-based decisions to improve the resilience of their communities dr ali mostafavi of tees and the zachry department of civil engineering is the lead principal investigator of the project other co-principal investigators on the team include dr phillip berke professor in the department of landscape architecture and urban planning and director of the institute for sustainable communities; dr sierra woodruff assistant professor in the department of landscape architecture and urban planning; and dr bjorn birgisson professor in the department of civil engineering
as washington debates president trumps new tariffs and renegotiated nafta noted economist dr anne krueger will discuss the economic impact of these trade policies at the texas a&m bush school of government and public service on wednesday feb 13 the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy will feature dr krueger at its spring conversation in public policy following dr kruegers remarks dr raymond robertson a bush school economics professor and mosbacher institute director will further explore the topic with dr krueger in an on-stage conversation the event which is cohosted by the texas a&m department of economics and the private enterprise research center will be held at the annenberg presidential conference center on the texas a&m university campus a reception will begin at 5 pm with dr krueger speaking at 5:30 pm the lecture is open to the public but reservations are strongly recommended by monday feb 11 dr krueger was first deputy managing director of the international monetary fund from 2001 to 2006 and is now the senior research professor of international economics at the school for advanced international studies johns hopkins university her impressive career includes working at the world bank as vice president of economics and research as well as at a number of prestigious universities her extensive list of publications on economic development international trade and finance and economic policy reform are widely consulted and cited
the albritton center for grand strategy at texas a&m universitys bush school of government and public service is hosting dr elizabeth n saunders from the school of foreign service at georgetown university saunders will present a lecture on her foreign affairs article the unconstrained presidency which discusses the recent trend of increasing presidential power in the united states the event will take place on wednesday january 30 2019 from 5:30 to 6:30 pm in the orientation theater at the george h w bush presidential library and museum conference center elizabeth n saunders is an associate professor in the security studies program at georgetown universitys school of foreign service saunders specializes in the domestic politics of international relations and united states foreign policy specifically the role of leaders the presidency and the politics of using force saunders has work published in foreign affairs international studies quarterly and journal of conflict resolution she is a nonresident senior fellow at the brookings institution
seven graduate students from the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university will have the opportunity for direct engagement with state government in the spring semester bush school professor dr ann bowman will guide students as they work for members or committees during the 86th session of the texas legislature which convenes january 8 2019 the students responsibilities include researching policy issues and drafting and analyzing bills as they assist legislators serving the people of texas the legislative process is fascinating and important and this capstone puts students in the thick of the action dr bowman said a legislative bill starts as an idea and travels a long complex path before it emerges as law about 6 000 bills are introduced during a typical legislative session in texas and only about 20% of them are enacted capstone students spend the fall semester learning about legislative bodies in general and the texas house and senate in particular students are required to take two classes during the semester on top of their legislative work since 2011 five sets of bush school students have participated in this capstone which occurs every other year some students have stayed in their positions beyond the legislative session others have found employment in state agencies or with interest groups after the session ends when the semester comes to a close students submit a research report on a relevant issue in previous years the texas legislative capstones have studied the legislative redistricting process the texas rainy day fund and the professionalization of state legislatures
dr frank ashley teaches students about diversity in nonprofit organizations and how diversity not only includes racial and sexual differences it also includes differences in ability sexual orientation religion culture immigration status and other areas ashley is the senior associate dean for academic affairs and senior professor at the bush school of government and public service ashley said he enjoys being a devils advocate in his courses because he wants to ensure that his students will leave the class knowing how to defend their various positions they may take on a subject he tackles tough issues like culture race and religion and enjoys challenging his students points of view dean ashley frequently expresses he has hope for the future of the state country and world because of bush school students desire to enter public service and to make a difference when i go home every day i know our world is going to be okay ashley said he also said the thing that gets me excited about this place is the passion that i see in every student that i interact with for serving others his favorite part of teaching is interacting with students and he feels he is called to be at the bush school ashley believes every student would benefit from enrolling in a class in diversity and stressed the importance of diversity in the current political climate in america leaders of organizations need to understand the role that diversity and inclusion plans in allowing each member to feel they are accepted and a contributing member before coming to the bush school ashley previously worked at the college board in new york where he was senior vice president of membership and higher education engagement and for seven years at the texas a&m university system as vice chancellor along with teaching the managing diversity course as senior associate dean ashley oversees graduate education and research activities other responsibilities include strategic planning faculty affairs student affairs program development diversity assessment communications and external relations student services and extended education programs in the bush school the bush school would like its strategic growth to result in a more diverse population and ashleys team is tasked with drawing a diverse population to the bush school ashley is currently researching issues facing university chief diversity officers and their concerns over the next five to ten years his previous research analyzed concerns minority faculty members have at universities with low percentages of minority staff members
bush school students recently participated in a day designed to celebrate philanthropic efforts in the local community the bush school chapter of the association for fundraising professionals held the local national philanthropy day highlighting charitable work in the local community one of more than 100 similar events held throughout north america in 2018 bush students taking part in the celebration wrote thank you notes to recent bush school donors the day also recognized several philanthropic activities conducted at the school during the fall semester the celebration was jointly hosted by the schools association for fundraising professionals (afp) and the center for nonprofits and philanthropy afp recruited volunteers to help from several bush school student organizations including the public service organization bush school ambassadors public service leadership program and committee for global philanthropy afp is a new student organization and this celebration reflected 18 months of organizing and building alliances culminating in afp several bush school students were recognized for their unique philanthropic initiatives tiffany easter a member of the 2019 class created a sweatshirt sale in november to raise funds for phoebes home which provides services to victims of domestic violence and dating violence the funds were to help phoebes home provide holiday gifts to those it serves gandy osburn and cannon tate also 2019 students designed a christmas card campaign that allowed students to write cards for adults with autism at the autism services of southwest louisiana both students will deliver the cards at the end of the semester as part of the celebration the students listed their personal philanthropic activities and their own definition of philanthropy: helping those less fortunate than themselves serving something bigger than themselves empowering others and providing hope like their peers the students posted a picture on facebook to demonstrate their commitment to philanthropy and to advertise their new organization
bush school dean mark welsh announced that christi voelkel has joined the bush school staff as assistant dean for strategic and developmental planning a graduate of texas a&m university voelkel also holds a masters degree from the university of oklahoma and has more than eighteen years experience in marketing and communications including advocacy public and media relations strategic planning and community and development relations in both the public and nonprofit sectors voelkel comes to the bush school from the george h w bush presidential foundation where she served as senior director of programming and communications she was responsible for strategic planning and execution of all foundation events and communications efforts as well as for facilitating collaborations with other related entities including the bush school and other texas a&m affiliates she also worked directly with the former presidents office on initiatives events and media on behalf of president bush she served as the lead for the highly successful deep from the heart: one america appeal event featuring all five of the former presidents which raised more than $43 million in support of hurricane relief she was also a leader in the planning and execution of the texas a&m and bush foundation roles in the funeral of mrs barbara p bush voelkels wide-ranging experience included the creation of the lily voelkel foundation which supported deaf and blind individuals and their families in addition to fundraising she also developed the organizations website donation portal marketing and giving plans while at texas a&m galveston voelkel established the first of its kind development communications manager position working with the universitys leadership to support strategic initiatives for the university as assistant dean voelkel will be responsible for planning and implementing the schools strategic and long-range goals incorporating the vision of dean welsh the faculty and staff and other administrative units she will also coordinate and support the schools alumni and donor relations activities and will develop outreach initiatives that reflect the schools academic and service goals voelkel said she looks forward to working with the faculty the administration staff and students to advance the bush school i am honored to join the team at the bush school i look forward to supporting the strategic alignment of the faculty and staff to pursue the distinctions of best in class in education and example amongst public service institutions voelkel said i passionately support the timeless creed of president george h w bushthat to engage in a cause greater than oneself makes better the lives of others this sounds simple but is life-changing; and the bush schools faculty staff students and graduates are a positive reminder that the spirit of our great nation is alive and well i am delighted to have christi as a member of our bush school leadership team said dean welsh her experience in the private public and nonprofit sectors will be invaluable as we continue to develop plans and resources to support the schools mission
adm (ret) james stavridis natos 16th supreme allied commander europe and 15th commander of the us european command warned students faculty and members of the community about a range of challenges facing the united states while advising that american grand strategy not neglect soft factors like gender or humanitarian aid to countries suffering from war or natural disasters stavridis was speaking at texas a&m university to help launch the new albritton center for grand strategy at the bush school of government and public service texas a&m board of regents member robert l albritton for whom the albritton center is named kicked off the evening by stressing the importance of giving back and how his funding of the cgs will help make sure america stays great albrittons family members have been donors to the bush school for a long time and he noted this is a family accomplishment on 9/11 stavridis was just a short distance away from where one of the hijacked planes hit the pentagon he used this as an example of how walls will not keep us safe stavridis covered modern challenges like global narcotics the so-called islamic state putins hybrid warfare climate change and pandemics in a sweeping discussion of where the united states can improve its grand strategy despite these challenges stavridis ended on an optimistic note telling the audience that americans need to listen to each other better in order to bridge the gaps among them and solve important problems the new albritton center for grand strategy will support research that takes a fresh look at americas grand strategic choices foster dialogue between scholars and practitioners and help train a new generation of public servants who will be grand strategic innovators dr john schuessler and dr jasen castillo are the academic directors of the center
sly mata wants to create a better environment for students in higher education and he is using the bush school of government and public services community as an example to do just that mata graduated from the bush school in 2011 with a master of public service and administration he is now pursuing a phd in higher education leadership and policy studies mata worked as an assistant director of diversity and inclusion and then associate director at cornell university following his graduation from the bush school he said the bush school community allowed him to be successful at the prestigious ivy league university to achieve his goal of improving the campus environment and public policy for people of color women and all students he feels the need to diversify his skills mata is therefore attending the university of houston for his phd and is studying affordability tuition deregulation mental health and trauma within students after his education is complete he would like to stay in higher education but most notably wants to have an impact wherever he is i just want to know what im doing is making a difference for students mata said mata expressed gratitude for his support system at the bush school dr lori taylor and dr dominic bearfield serve as mentors to the doctoral candidate regarding dr bearfield who no longer works at the university mata said that man is my lifeline his peers have served to prop him up throughout the years as well public service has played a big role in matas career he said being a good public servant is important for university administrators and faculty public service has always stayed with me mata said being a person of his word is also something mata holds in high esteem as well as commitment and loyalty to what students and parents need in order to make sure students have a good experience at college
on behalf of the entire bush school former student network we send our thoughts and heartfelt condolences to the entire bush family on the passing of president george h w bush we were blessed to have president bush an extraordinary public servant as the patriarch and namesake of our bush school family and we are grateful for the immeasurable impact that he had and continues to have on the bush school and on the lives of all of the former students while president bush will certainly be remembered as one of the most experienced public servants in us history as a celebrated world war ii combat pilot congressman pioneering diplomat director of the cia vice president and ultimately president many of us will remember him through our fond memories of him at the bush school whether it was a brief smile and hello as he walked his dogs around the pond time spent with him in the classroom watching him skydive to celebrate his birthday or the opportunity to share time with him and mrs bush in their residence at the bush school in college station president bush will hold a special place in the hearts of many former students though we will miss seeing his smile and hearing his witty sarcasm and feisty jokes we will strive to honor his memory and legacy by being public servants in every aspect of our lives president bush will always be a point of light for every former student reminding us of the power of service and guiding us as we work to make a difference in the world every day of our lives he truly was a great man who will influence generations to come with his integrity honor compassion and humble brilliance his life is a testament that reinforces the six core values of texas a&m university which we all aspire to embody everyday: excellence integrity leadership loyalty respect and selfless service our thoughts today are with him and the entire bush familypresident shannon dubberly class of 2004 & 2007vice president taylor g smith class of 2010 & 2013secretary robby stephany smith class of 2014treasurer david fujimoto class of 2017 lt col (ret)
im so sorry to announce that george hw bush the 41st president of the united states passed away on 30 november at his home in houston his unparalleled legacy of public service will continue to inspire all of us at the bush school as will his personal example as a husband father grandfather and great grandfather he was absolutely committed to making the bush school of government and public service a place where men and women who were called to serve their fellow citizens came to prepare themselves for the challenge since the first class entered these halls the school has reflected his passion for public service as a noble calling his commitment to making that vision a reality undergirds all we do at the school today we seek to inculcate in our students his life-long values of service to others the importance of education and his dedication to excellence from its very beginning president bush was an active participant in the schools activities as he forged a strong connection with our students and faculty sharing his broad experience and expertise freely and enriching the experience for each of them his visits to the campus were the highlight of the academic year as was his unassuming manner which put students at ease in talking with and learning from him all of us associated with the bush school now mourn the loss of this remarkable man who served our nation so proudly and with such incredible honor we will strive to be worthy of his devotion to the school and will honor his lifes work by continuing to pass on to our students the principled leadership and professional values he demonstrated throughout his life we send our deepest sympathy to the entire bush family and all those who knew and loved him
retired four-star navy admiral and former nato commander james stavridis spoke wednesday night of the possibilities of global unrest terrorism global warming and potential international pandemics to underscore the importance of the bush schools creation of the albritton center for grand strategy read the full article from the eagle online
dr kenneth anderson taylor is clear on what he hopes to accomplish at the bush school his focus is advancing the schools mission of developing principled leaders for public service born and raised on the south side of chicago without a father until his mother remarried when he was nearly a teenager dr taylor is sure that experience contributed to his desire to assist youth as an adult when an undergraduate student all i knew is i wanted to help children that grow up like i did this led him to work toward becoming a social worker and he realized that goal when he went to work for big brothers big sisters in 1996 in reflecting on his twelve-year career with this nonprofit the largest youth mentoring organization in the world he believes it provided an avenue to helping children in similar situations and he could not have thought of a more satisfying profession at the time after progressing to the position of ceo of big brothers big sisters in austin texas dr taylor began to think about his next journey i knew i wanted to do something different but i also didnt want my experience in the nonprofit sector to go waste it didnt take long for him to decide on higher education he had always admired several of his former professors who helped guide him and also knew (if he made it) higher education potentially provided the opportunity to advocate for public service as a career option for students just like anyone else attempting to plot out a new career dr taylor identified the best nonprofit programs in higher education and the bush school immediately made it to the top of his list my path here wasnt easy over the course of several years i taught at an hbcu (a historically black college/university) a two-year college and a small teaching university in western kentucky since landing at the bush school as an assistant professor of the practice working with students who already have the intent to serve others in some capacity has made his arrival that much more special according to dr taylor his original thought of wanting to advocate to students for careers in public service as a viable profession is nothing compared to already being in such an environment in addition to spending time with students and encouraging them in the public service direction his interactions with students are focused on sharpening their hard skills and deepening their personal leadership capacity as for his tips to students in terms of what subsector they should considering pursuing he first advises them to reflect on to what extent they are willing to put others needs ahead of their own public service isnt for everyone so this is a fair question for students to routinely consider from there he compares public service to donors who give to charitable causes they have personally been affected by and advises students to reflect on their life experiences when deciding where to work in the public or nonprofit sector he believes students can never go wrong seeking advice from those they desire to emulate dr taylor is trained as a leadership behaviorist and conducted his dissertation research exclusively within nonprofits his transition out of the nonprofit sector into academia coincided with what many researchers coined the nonprofit leadership deficitwhich raises questions about where tomorrows nonprofit talent will come from follow-up studies regarding this issue have now indicated talent already exists at nonprofits but there is a lack of leadership development within the nonprofit sector and employees simply dont hang around long enough to advance in their careers having investigated the link between leader behavior within nonprofit organizations and employee job satisfaction dr taylors research supports the idea that nonprofit leaders who employ good leadership behaviors tend to fend off turnover because of dissatisfaction with pay and opportunities for promotion which are two areas commonly cited as reasons nonprofit employees move on dr taylors primary faculty responsibilities encompass supervising capstone seminars and teaching grant management and leadership theory courses he is currently developing a series of online continuing education leadership courses for nonprofit professionals whether students who take his courses or those he advises his goal is to challenge them with real-world scenarios with the hope that this enriches their educational experience and comes in handy when they work with or lead others dr taylor was recently appointed a faculty fellow within the college of architectures center for health systems & design has been a diversity fellowship reviewer for tamus office of graduate and professional studies and is the advisor for the nu delta delta undergraduate chapter of omega psi phi fraternity inc the organization he pledged as an undergraduate student and is now a proud lifetime member of more personally dr taylor is an admirer of art and learned to quilt from his mother enjoys hunting for antiques and is a self-proclaimed classic car guy
please join us for the kick-off event launching the new bush school center for grand strategy the event will feature a talk by admiral james stavridis natos 16th supreme allied commander europe and 15th commander of the us european command (2009-2013) head of us southern command (2006-2009) dean of the fletcher school of law and diplomacy at tufts university chief international security analyst for nbc news operating executive consultant event details center for grand strategy kick-off event the future of us grand strategy november 28 2018 | 6:15 pm annenberg presidential conference center1002 george bush drive westcollege station tx 77843 please join us for the kick-off event launching the new bush school center for grand strategy the event will feature a talk by admiral james stavridis natos 16th supreme allied commander europe and 15th commander of the us european command (2009-2013) head of us southern command (2006-2009) dean of the fletcher school of law and diplomacy at tufts university chief international security analyst for nbc news operating executive consultant speaker biography adm james stavridis usn (ret) natos 16th supreme allied commander europe and 15th commander of the us european command (2009-2013); head of us southern command (2006-2009); dean of the fletcher school of law and diplomacy at tufts university (2013-2018); chief international security analyst for nbc news; operating executive the carlyle group; chair board of counselors of mclarty global associates florida native jim stavridis attended the us naval academy at annapolis and spent 37 years in the navy rising to the rank of 4-star admiral among his many commands were four years as the 16th supreme allied commander at nato where he oversaw operations in afghanistan libya syria the balkans and piracy off the coast of africa he also commanded us southern command in miami charged with military operations through latin america for nearly three years he was the longest serving combatant commander in recent us history following his military career he served for five years as the 12th dean of the fletcher school of law and diplomacy at tufts university in the course of his career in the navy he served as senior military assistant to the secretary of the navy and the secretary of defense he led the navys premier operational think tank for innovation deep blue immediately after the 9/11 attacks he won the battenberg cup for commanding the top ship in the atlantic fleet and the navy league john paul jones award for inspirational leadership along with more than 50 us and international medals and decorations including 28 from foreign nations he also commanded a destroyer squadron and a carrier strike group both in combat in 2016 he was vetted for vice president by secretary hillary clinton and subsequently invited to trump tower to discuss a cabinet position with president donald trump he earned a phd from the fletcher school at tufts winning the gullion prize as outstanding student in his class in 1983 as well as academic honors from the national and naval war colleges as a distinguished student he speaks spanish and french admiral stavridis has published eight books on leadership the oceans maritime affairs and latin america as well as hundreds of articles in leading journals an active user of social networks he has tens of thousands of connections on the social networks his ted talk on 21st century security in 2012 has had over 800 000 views he tweeted the end of combat operations in the libyan nato intervention his memoir of the nato years the accidental admiral was released in october 2014 and he had two books out in 2017: the leaders bookshelf: 50 books that make us better leaders in march and sea power: the history and geopolitics of the oceans in june admiral stavridis is also the chair of the board of the us naval institute the professional association of the nations sea services: navy marine corps coast guard and merchant marine he is a monthly columnist for time magazine and chief international security analyst for nbc news he is happily married to laura and they have two daughters – one working at google and the other a registered nurse and former naval officer both married to physicians
the texas a&m university system board of regents recently approved the naming of the albritton center for grand strategy (cgs) at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university a 1971 graduate of texas a&m university mr albritton was appointed to the board of regents in 2015 by governor greg abbott he served in the united states air force prior to beginning a distinguished career that included founding a number of diversified businesses including albritton energy albritton partners and mayfair investments where he is currently chairman and ceo the center was established as an intellectual hub for the critical examination of american grand strategy including supporting research that will take a fresh look at americas grand strategic choices two of its primary goals are to foster dialogue between scholars and practitioners in the field and to help train a new generation of public servants to be grand strategic innovators bush school dean mark welsh noted that this center will provide a unique opportunity for scholars practitioners and students to study the concepts involved in grand strategy research and implementation grand strategy as a concept is a way of looking at the plans policies and resource allocation decisions that define a nations effort to use the political military diplomatic and economic instruments of power to advance its national interest welsh said this new center at the bush school gives our students a unique opportunity to study this academic discipline with our own faculty as well as experts from around the nation and the world it also gives our two superb academic directors the chance to advance their own research and support the development of other grand strategy scholars a greater bench is this field of study clearly benefits our nation over time the centers academic programs will be directed by two members of the bush schools department of international affairs associate professor jasen castillo is the evelyn and ed f kruse 49 faculty fellow prior to joining the bush school castillo worked in the department of defenses planning office and was an analyst at the rand corporation where his research focused on military strategy nuclear deterrence and wmd terrorism associate professor john schuessler previously taught at the air war college his research emphases include democracy and war as well as american grand strategy the center will be officially launched on november 28 with a presentation by admiral james stavridis natos 16th supreme allied commander europe and 15th commander of the us european command (2009-2013) head of us southern command (2006-2009) and former dean of the fletcher school of law and diplomacy at tufts university
former bush school of government and public service student chris hill conducted research on global democratic erosion that helped land him a job at usaid he worked as a scowcroft institute fellow and created a database for the findings as a part of his position at the bush school hill earned the scowcroft summer fellowship immediately following his capstone work bush school students are required to participate in a capstone projectan integrative team-based applied research project that is a program requirement the projects fully prepare students to supervise conduct and evaluate large-scale public policy research and culminate in a formal written report and oral presentation to the client hill and his colleagues created the democratic erosion event dataset webpage over the summer as a part of the democratic erosion collaborative course taught around the world hill individually presented at the washington dc biannual usaid center of excellence for democracy rights and governance partners forum he was offered the opportunity to network with partners to display the database and website he also presented with dr jessica gottlieb at the democratic erosion conference at brown university in august i began the fellowship by continuing to work on our capstone reports we werent able to include everything that we hoped to in the two reports due to time constraints so i focused on that in addition to some copy editing afterwards the bulk of my work related to the construction of our website this was new work but it was highlighting materials that the capstone team put together during the spring semester (eg putting the database online) hill said hills experiences have launched his career in washington he used the skills and ongoing research in collaboration with usaid to land a job in the nations capital he works at a usaid office of transition initiatives on a program implementing the 2016 peace agreement between the government of colombia and the revolutionary armed forces of colombia (farc) given the professional development opportunities that the fellowship provided me im very grateful to both the scowcroft institute of international affairs and dr gottlieb for the opportunity to serve in this role and i would encourage current bush school students to consider the fellowship as they make their post-graduation plans hill said
dr arnold vedlitz is part of a multidisciplinary engineering research team that recently received the engineering genesis award for multidisciplinary research the award was presented during a meeting of the texas engineering experiment station (tees) external advisory board vedlitz holds the bob bullock chair in government and public policy at the bush school and is also division head for the science technology and public policy division at the texas engineering experiment station the award is presented to tees researchers who have secured significant research grants of $1 million or more working with colleagues in other colleges at texas a&m dr ali mostafavidarani from the department of civil engineering was the principal investigator on the project which received a $2 million grant from the national science foundation for a study of human-infrastructure resilience to urban flooding in addition to vedlitz the research team included co-pis philip berke and sierra woodruff from the college of architectures department of landscape architecture and urban planning and bjorn birgission also from the department of civil engineering this award is recognition of how important multidisciplinary research is to advancing our knowledge in so many areas vedlitz said bush school scholars bring expertise in policy research to a project that enables engineers and scholars from other disciplines to fully understand and appreciate the policy implications of the work they are doing he added
dr bryce hannibal istpp assistant research scientist and dr arnold vedlitz director emeritus and distinguished istpp research scholar published their study on organization food waste in environmental science and policy using istpps nationally representative survey on the water-energy-food nexus the authors analyze how peoples understanding of nexus connections influences their concern about organizational food waste and how this concern in turn affects their support for policies to reduce such waste the water-energy-food nexus refers to how these limited resources interconnect using one of resource inherently affects the other resources for example food production requires both water and energy so when food is thrown out the inputs of water and energy are also wasted thereby increasing inefficiencies in the nexus these lost resources could have been put to other uses the researchers measured nexus awareness through two indices based on questions that indicate whether people recognize the ways in which water and energy connect to food production hannibal and vedlitz then used the awareness indices to model their influence on peoples expressed levels of concern for food wasted by grocery stores restaurants and cafeterias they also analyzed the effect of nexus awareness on peoples expressed support for waste reduction policies their results show that the more aware someone is of the food-water and the food-energy nexus the greater that persons concern is for organizational food waste and the more they support policies to address that food waste hannibal bryce and arnold vedlitz 2018 throwing it out: introducing a nexus perspective in examining citizen perceptions of organizational food waste in the us environmental science & policy 88: 63-71 doi: 101016/jenvsci201806012
texas a&m university bush school of government and public service students tiffany easter and keri weinman captured a moment of political civility this week in a now-viral facebook post when us senator ted cruz had a chance meeting with defeated senate opponent us representative beto orourke at george bush intercontinental airport the students were on the same flight to washington dc as orourke and cruz and saw the two meeting for the first time since the election it was such a unique opportunity and one that people all around us took note of easter said senator cruz came up to the gate and took a seat and then we noticed congressman orourke sitting nearby one of the passengers went over to introduce himself to congressman orourke and then before we knew it orourke was making his way to senator cruz he shook his hand and congratulated him on his re-election they wished each other luck and talked about the way to help and move forward orourke and cruz then shook hands with easter and weinman and asked who they were and what they were doing we of course told them that we were students at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m and that like our friends and classmates we had followed the election closely easter said keri and i thanked them for engaging with us and encouraging and inspiring so many people to be involved in the election process this year the texas senate race was one of the most contested and most watched in the nation easter said in a facebook post today we literally watched them come together this is america this is good this is wholesome this is why i love and do what i do the humility yall im in awe it was definitely an inspiring encounter that reminded us that at the end of the day were all americans and we have to find ways to come together said easter https://wwwcnncom/2018/11/15/politics/beto-orourke-ted-cruz-airport-encounter/indexhtml
bush school student yashwant prakash vyas was awarded the eppright outstanding international student award the award is presented annually to one international student who excels in academics leadership service and participation in extracurricular activities vyas is a master of public service and administration student at the bush school and is heavily involved in extracurricular activities at the university level prior to his studies at the bush school he earned his bachelors degree in electrical engineering from texas a&m university receiving this award means additional responsibility with every honor comes the added responsibility of continuing to live up to that honor through actions i now represent the group of outstanding international students who have come before me and who will come after me bestowing this honor is an appreciation of the work i have done but i now have a conscious responsibility toward fellow recipients and the institution that has bestowed the honorthe conscious responsibility of continuing to re-earn this honor through my work vyas said vyas was born and raised in a small indian town and he transferred to texas a&m to finish his undergraduate education after applying to a few universities he settled on texas a&m as his final choice because of the highly ranked electrical engineering program and because texas a&m had more to offer its students than just professional training vyas initially chose the engineering path so that he could one day help connect underdeveloped communities to technology however as a volunteer and leader he realized his true passion lay in serving his fellow global citizens educational and life needs so he chose to continue his education at the bush school in addition to fueling my passion my education at the bush school and other professional experiences at texas a&m have reinforced my leadership and service philosophies vyas said in the last two years of my graduate studies i have had an opportunity to learn from and work with some incredible individuals mentors supervisors colleagues and students have greatly contributed to my learning and growth as a human being i am grateful for their support and in accepting recognitions like this i cannot take credit alone during his time at texas a&m vyas has chartered the alpha eta chapter of phi beta delta honor society for international scholars and serves as the president he serves as the director of the academy for future faculty where he oversees the programming and administration of the center for the integration of research teaching and learning (cirtl) associate certificate for all graduate and postdoctoral students at texas a&m vyas also serves as the primary advisor to the texas a&m university chapter of golden key international honour society in 2016 he started a service-learning program brazos valley worldfest ambassadors for the office of the provost – public partnership and outreach and severed as the founding president additionally he has served in over fifteen student organizations at texas a&m including the international student organization 12th can fish camp camp kesem aggie muster aggie replants and aggie orientation leaders program to name a few vyas is also involved in the local community every year he organizes an award-winning cultural display booth at brazos valley worldfest to promote global citizenship and celebrate diversity he also serves as the educator for the culture in classroom and senior citizens passport programs offered by the texas a&ms office of the provost – public partnership and outreach additionally he has served as the conference presenter and facilitator for the annual student conference on latinx affairs (scola) vyas also holds the other three highest student honors of texas a&m university: buck weirus spirit award (highest honor bestowed on a student leader) margaret rudder community service award (highest honor bestowed on a student for community service) and diversity service award (highest honor bestowed on a student for promoting diversity and contributing to improving overall university climate) his other national and international leadership service and academic recognitions include us funds for unicefs member of the year award phi beta delta david merchant international student award for achievement golden key international honour society advisor of the year award hesselbein global academy for leadership and civic engagement medal 2017 national conference on race and ethnicity in american higher education student scholar a scholarship is associated with this award and vyas believes it is helping him in his career as far as what it will allow me to do it is greatly contributing to my multidimensional rigorous and very expensive training as a future professional and public servant vyas said this summer vyas interned at the greater texas foundation (gtf) – a private grant-making foundation that supports efforts to ensure all texas students are prepared for have access to persist in and complete postsecondary education after graduation he wants to pursue a phd in education and work for the government a nonprofit or private agency to help improve education and develop communities globally
on november 7 the day after the midterm elections us congressman bill flores participated in the conversations in public policy series hosted by the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy the evenings discussion focused on trade and energy policy challenges facing congress and was attended by more than two hundred guests from the bush school texas a&m university and the local community congressman flores first spoke about the importance of free and fair global trade and its contributions to the promise prosperity and security of america he defined free trade as no subsidies no barriers no tariffs for anybody anywhere at any time he opined that while president trump has a different negotiating style than he it is getting results – reopening various us agriculture markets getting trade negotiations started with japan and renegotiating the north american free trade agreement congressman flores then shifted to energy and spoke of the success the united states has achieved in becoming more energy independent he also championed next-generation nuclear energy discussing its sustainability lack of carbon emissions and affordability following his prepared remarks dr lori taylor director of the mosbacher institute engaged congressman flores on-stage in further conversation about trade and energy policy and the election results congressman flores stated that in the current 115th congress 989% of the 268 bills passed so far have been bipartisan which is a trend he hopes to see continue in the 116th congress congressman flores will begin his fifth term representing the 17th district of texas when the 116th congress starts in january of 2019 dr lori taylor and us congressman bill flores dr raymond robertson dr lori taylor us congressman bill flores dean mark welsh
lt gen (ret) mike gould recollected memories from his time as president george h w bushs air force aid from 1990 to 1992 telling stories about the down-to-earth nature of the bushes gould spoke to students faculty and staff at the bush school of government and public service gould fondly spoke of the time he first met president bush when bush personally congratulated him on changing jobs and offered a prayer for goulds sick mother gould showed photos of when bush found out the soviet union collapsed and when the bushes dogs were born gould highlighted barbara bushs character by describing her insistence that thanksgiving dinner be made for all the service members protecting the first family gould noted that the bushes were just like regular people and down to earth in nature students staff and faculty were mesmerized by the stories and pictures of the president the school is named after
texas a&m bush school student michael migaud received the exxonmobil best poster presentation award at the texas a&m conference on energy his presentation was entitled state policies and individual action: how state policy influences individual uses and opinions of renewable energy a first-year bush school student in the master of public service and administration program migaud said it was very rewarding to win the exxonmobil best poster presentation award i put in a lot of work on this project and to see all of my hard work come to fruition was really special and motivating i am truly grateful for the opportunities the institute for science technology and public policy has given me to explore my interests in energy policy mr migaud first worked with the bush school institute for science technology and public policy (istpp) in the summer of 2017 when he requested a position for the summer research internship program sponsored the a&m energy institute he was one of eight students selected out of sixty-three applicants for such an internship during that summer and later as a student worker in istpp migaud completed the research that was presented in his award-winning poster migauds research examines the relationship between states enacting pro-renewable energy policies and citizen attitudes/opinion towards renewable energy the data utilized for this analysis came from three main sources: (1) a collection of renewable energy incentive policies enacted by state legislatures from 2006 to 2016 (2) responses from a nationally representative survey on energy issues administered in 2015 and (3) information on states energy profiles (ie primary energy source primary generating capacity etc) that can be found on government websites results showed strong public support for increased federal funding for renewable energy technology use and researchparticularly in states that have net metering policies this study highlights the states potential role in promoting alternative energy use with the possible inference that such policies may influence and be influenced by citizen attitudes and opinions about energy sources and consumption mr migaud also presented this research with fellow researcher dr bryce hannibal at the 2018 energy law and policy workshop held on the texas a&m campus dr hannibal is a researcher at istpp their talk was titled state energy policies and public support for renewable energy
dr matthew fuhrmann a center for grand strategy faculty affiliate was one of 21 texas a&m scholars named as a 2018 presidential impact fellow by tamu president michael k young and provost and executive vice president carol fierke dr fuhrmann is a professor in the department of political science at texas a&m university read more about the impact fellows on texas a&m today
president trumps response to the disappearance-turned-murder of jamal khashoggi in the saudi embassy in turkey has raised deep concerns among the diplomatic community saudi arabia maintains that the journalist for the washington post was killed by rogue agents but questions still swirl about khashoggis murder and this will serve as the basis for the discussion the death of jamal khashoggi: whats next for saudi arabia and us-saudi relations sponsored by the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university on monday october 29 2018 at 5:30 pm a discussion by faculty experts will be held in 2404 memorial student center on the a&m campus and is open to the public the death of saudi journalist jamal khashoggi at the hands of agents of saudi arabia in the saudi consulate in istanbul turkey has dominated headlines all over the world for two weeks mr khashoggi had chosen to leave saudi arabia and take up residence in washington dc where he wrote critically about the saudi leadership including crown prince mohammad bin salman for the washington post khashoggis death and the shifting saudi stories about it has roiled saudi relations with the united states turkey and other countries this panel will discuss the background of mr khashoggis death the implications for politics in saudi arabia and the future of us-saudi relations bush school faculty participating in the discussion are dr f gregory gause iii head of the department of international affairs and an expert on the arabian peninsula and persian gulf and dr erin snider assistant professor and expert on the regional political economy of the middle east
istpp researchers drs xinsheng liu kent portney jeryl mumpower and arnold vedlitz have published their research terrorism risk assessment recollection bias and public support for counterterrorism policy and spending in risk analysis the authors designed and employed a national representative survey to examine the existence persistence socio-economic-political base and policy underpinnings of recollection bias among the general public in the context of a number of domestic and international terrorist attacks in this article recollection bias is defined as the phenomenon whereby after a traumatic event people claim their risk assessment of a similar future event is no higher than their recollection of their pre-event risk assessment based on the survey data the authors find strong evidence of the occurrence of recollection bias and its persistence across various forms of terrorism risk with regard to the social-economic-political base the authors find that women older people political conservatives and republicans are less susceptible to recollection bias than their counterparts are through data analyses they further demonstrate that recollection bias significantly dampens public support for a wide range of preventive policy measures and government antiterrorism spending liu xinsheng kent e portney jeryl l mumpower and arnold vedlitz 2018 terrorism risk assessment recollection bias and public support for counterterrorism policy and spending risk analysis doi: 101111/risa13203
dr madeleine albright the 64th secretary of state and the first woman to hold that position will give a talk entitled bipartisanship and foreign policy at 6 pm in the annenberg presidential conference center on november 6 2018 in addition dr albright will sign copies of her latest book fascism: a warning at 4 pm in the lobby of the conference center her book warns that fascism in the 20th century can threaten peace and democracy around the world the event is presented by texas a&m universitys bush school of government and public service the scowcroft institute of international affairs and the bush foundation bush school head of the department of international affairs and holder of the john h lindsey 44 chair dr f gregory gause iii will moderate questions from the audience after secretary albrights remarks please rsvp for the lecture at bushevents@bush41org along with being the 64th secretary of state albright has served on the national security council and as the united states ambassador to the united nations she has received the presidential medal of freedom
united states congressman bill flores will be discussing the trade and energy policy challenges facing congress on november 7 2018 flores has served as the representative for texas district 17 for seven years and sits on the house energy and commerce committee the texas a&m bush school of government and public services mosbacher institute will host flores as a part of its conversations in public policy series a reception will begin at 5:00 pm with the congressman speaking at 5:30 pm the event will be held at the annenberg presidential conference center flores is a graduate of texas a&m university with a bba in accounting and has a background in the agricultural sector he has received a distinguished alumni award from the university and currently resides in bryan texas flores is a member of powerful committees in the congress in addition to serving on the house energy and commerce committee he is the chairman of the republican study committee and serves on the house committee on veterans affairs flores has also received the distinguished public servant award from the marfan foundation and the spirit of enterprise award from the united states chamber of commerce
college of liberal arts dean pamela r matthews honored the following political science faculty members at the annual deans recognition reception: david fortunato associate professor in the department of political science was appointed ray a rothrock 77 fellow matthew fuhrmann professor in the department of political science was appointed presidential impact fellow guy whitten professor in the department of political science was appointed cullen-mcfadden professor of political science read the full list of recognition on sept 1 2022 the department of political science became part of the bush school of government & public service
dr leonard bright holds a phd in public administration and policy from the hatfield school of government at portland state university he joined the bush school after serving as an associate professor in the school of urban and public affairs at the university of louisville he earned his bachelors degree at the university of south florida and his masters at the university of idaho dr brights research focuses on leadership and organizational management and behavior he is considered one of the top experts in his field on public service motivation research his research contributions have been recognized by his peers through publications in the leading academic journals in his specialty of public sector human resource management his publications have had a measurable impact on his field of study as illustrated by frequent citations of his research as a professor his first duty is to provide knowledge and instruction to his students; but he also sees collaboration as a trend in his field that he tries to implement in the classroom bright says his students learn to put the team first see the management implications of policies leverage the talents of all in the group and not be afraid of the complexity that diversity can bring dr bright says he was impressed by the bush schools reputation and its focus on public administration and public service here at the bush school the faculty is educating students to work in the field i think thats important he says dr bright teaches a range of courses including program evaluation organizational theory advanced public management and tools of leadership bright says his teaching style is interactive with a mix of lecture and discussion something he learned from his graduate school professors my job is about teaching bright says and about making sure students succeed i dont want my research to diminish students classroom experience or learning processes this isnt about whats easiest for the teacher but whats best for the student as for the future bright hopes to lead a capstone project ideally on microfinance having taught in institutions that focused on research and on teaching he considers himself a specialist in his research and a generalist when it comes to teaching as he has taught a wide variety of graduate courses dr bright and his wife both love the outdoors especially deep sea fishing hiking traveling and going to the beach bright spends his spare time working on his boat and working on the mini-ranch he has purchased here in texas he hopes to build a home and plant organic fruits and vegetables though he is very busy with his new job he likes to do most of the work himself when possible as he considers himself a self-proclaimed mr fix-it i really enjoy being at the bush school and i hope to be here many years i think ive found my home says bright
unwomen and council on foreign relations members will gather at texas a&ms bush school of government and public service to discuss how womens security is tied to world peace and why it is vital to united states foreign policy speakers will discuss texas response to sex trafficking domestic violence and sexual assault the bush school is hosting these speakers for the 4th annual texas women peace and security symposium on monday november 5 2018 the all-day conference to be held at the annenberg presidential conference center begins at 9:00 am and ends at 6:00 pm the symposium is designed to bring together academics practitioners and policymakers who are interested in advancing the goals of un security council resolution 1325 which advocates for the increased participation of women in matters of national security including conflict resolution peace-building countering violent extremism transitional justice and post-conflict reconstruction womens perspectives and voices on issues of national security have been sorely lacking and this symposium contributes to the rectification of that deficiency headed by dr valerie m hudson who founded the program on women peace and security at the bush school the conference addresses womens security issues and how they are linked to the insecurity of nations the event will have panel discussions on how women peace and security initiatives are reflected in security policy how the status of women advances united states foreign policy the texas perspective on women peace and security and new research on the subject the bush schools own dean mark welsh iii; lt col bradley orchard from un women; sarah chayes author of thieves of state: why corruption threatens global security; rachel vogelstein director of the women and foreign policy program at the council on foreign relations; and janet kasper east texas regional administrator child sex trafficking team texas governors office will all give remarks at the conference
this years bush school of government and public service outstanding alumni award was presented to caitlyn fife master of public service and administration class of 2006 fife currently serves as the budget director at the national science foundation since graduating from the bush school she has had a remarkable career in public service previously serving in the office of the secretary of the department of health and human services and the office of management and budget a mere nine years after leaving the bush school fife was promoted to the senior executive service in 2015 a rare feat for individuals early in their career bush school impact fife discussed the impact that the bush school has had on her career during her remarks at the award presentation ceremony she stated my faith and my family inspired my desire to serve when i came to the bush school they taught me what to do with my passion they taught me how to make it my lifes work she added being able to leave here with the tools to have a practical impact and to do that work on a daily basis is incredible award nomination and ceremony dr william bill west the sara lindsey chair in the department of public service and administration nominated fife for the outstanding alumni award in his recommendation he emphasized fifes current substantial supervising and policy-making responsibilities at the award ceremony bush school dean mark welsh said caitlyn is living testament to the idea that if youre talented willing to work hard and demonstrate true servant leadership there will always be great and rewarding opportunities for you in public service fifes impressive dedication to public service is as an inspiration to all former and current bush school students she embodies the spirit of service that president bush wants to instill in the students of his school
students at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university interned or studied languages in twenty-three countries outside the united states students also interned at federal agencies state governments and nonprofits tackling border security and arms cooperation on the national level and child sex trafficking in texas bush school students traveled to germany jordan france wales latvia china united arab emirates colombia russia japan austria kenya lebanon honduras canada belgium egypt guatemala uganda puerto rico ireland ecuador and kurdistan emily jensen a master of international affairs (mia) student worked for the department of state in the office of consular affairs and had the opportunity to meet secretary of state mike pompeo jensen focused on immigration applications the department of state and us pacific command hosted the largest number of students from the department of international affairs over the summer and popular languages among students were russian spanish arabic german and french devin malone mia spent his summer studying spanish in colombia and recently passed his required oral proficiency exam for the bush school several students in the master of public service and administration (mpsa) program interned at the welsh general assembly-swansea university various departments and state agencies within the texas a&m university system brazos county and the office of the texas governor ashley alley mpsa interned in texas governor greg abbotts office of child sex trafficking alley said the job was enriching because she saw firsthand how the governor is attempting to take the lead on combatting human trafficking another mpsa student annette mackey also interned for the texas governors summer 2018 internship program she worked in constituent communication in the office of the texas governor mpsa students georgia gandy osburn and joseph cannon tate worked at the national assembly for wales osburn said a policy formation class at the bush school prepared her for the internship duties elizabeth oconnor mpsa worked for the wales centre for public policy as a part of her summer exchange with swansea university oconnor worked mostly on public policy researching issues such as foster care and youth homelessness bush school students also spent time in the nations capital tyler neves mia worked at the department of defense in the directorate of international cooperation and focused on arms cooperationgabriela hernandez mia worked as a graduate fellow for rep filemon vela and helped with the family separation crisis hernandez also crafted a pamphlet titled texas disaster information for constituents
the bush school and the albritton center for grand strategy hosted john j mearshemier r wendell harrison distinguished service professor of political science and the co-director of the program on international security policy at the university of chicago on sept 27 2018 mearsheimer spoke about his book the great delusion: liberal dreams and international realities find more information and video of the event below event details the great delusion: liberal dreams and international realities professor john mearsheimer r wendell harrison distinguished service professor of political scienceuniversity of chicago thursday september 27 20186:00 pmreception to followannenberg presidential conference center texas a&m university speaker biography john j mearsheimer is the r wendell harrison distinguished service professor of political science and the co-director of the program on international security policy at the university of chicago where he has taught since 1982 he graduated from west point in 1970 and then served five years as an officer in the us air force he then started graduate school in political science at cornell university in 1975 he received his phd in 1980 he spent the 1979-1980 academic year as a research fellow at the brookings institution and was a post-doctoral fellow at harvard universitys center for international affairs from 1980 to 1982 during the 1998-1999 academic year he was the whitney h shepardson fellow at the council on foreign relations in new york professor mearsheimer has written extensively about security issues and international politics more generally he has published five books: conventional deterrence (1983) which won the edgar s furniss jr book award; liddell hart and the weight of history (1988); the tragedy of great power politics (2001) which won the joseph lepgold book prize; the israel lobby and us foreign policy (with stephen m walt 2007) which made the new york times best seller list and has been translated into nineteen different languages; and why leaders lie: the truth about lying in international politics (2011) he has also written many articles that have appeared in academic journals like international security and popular magazines like the london review of books furthermore he has written a number of op-ed pieces for the new york times and the los angeles times dealing with topics like bosnia nuclear proliferation american policy towards india the failure of arab-israeli peace efforts and the folly of invading iraq finally professor mearsheimer has won a number of teaching awards he received the clark award for distinguished teaching when he was a graduate student at cornell in 1977 and he won the quantrell award for distinguished teaching at the university of chicago in 1985 in addition he was selected as a phi beta kappa visiting scholar for the 1993-1994 academic year in that capacity he gave a series of talks at eight colleges and universities in 2003 he was elected to the american academy of arts and sciences
dr arnold vedlitz dr bryce hannibal and ms carol goldsmith of the institute for science technology and public policy (istpp) are partnering with other texas a&m researchers to identify and examine how the dynamics of planning policies flood control infrastructures and the social networks in which these efforts operate affect the capacity of urban communities to quickly recover from major flooding the national science foundations (nsf) critical resilient interdependent infrastructure systems and processes (crisp) program has awarded a $2 million grant to support this research which will focus on harris county texas and the flooding caused by hurricane harvey dr vedlitz co-principal investigator on the project and professor and holder of the bob bullock chair in government and public policy at the bush school of government and public service will lead the istpp research team in an in-depth examination of planning and decision-making processes and the social network interactions that occur across the local and regional stakeholder groups involved in these efforts as dr vedlitz points out these interactions affect both the planning for and response to natural disasters the effectiveness of these interactions create the planning physical infrastructure and resource networks for responding to disasters which in turn affect the quality of actual responses once a disaster occurs the teams goal is to model how inter-organizational dynamics and decision-making processes in human systems affect the management of interdependent flood protection emergency response and transportation infrastructure systems using data collected from a series of surveys of key stakeholders dr hannibal istpp assistant research scientist will develop comprehensive maps of the social network structure of the stakeholder groups the team will analyze the structure of these networks identifying core clusters of groups that have frequent communications and which of these clusters are connected to other clusters and by analyzing the time series of network maps dr hannibal explains well be able to identify events and practices that encourage the integration of these networks and their hazard mitigation plans along with circumstances that tend to lead to conflicting plans or gaps in the plans ms goldsmith senior research associate and assistant director of the institute will lead the administration of grant activities for the institute she will coordinate development and implementation of the surveys and provide general research support to the lead investigators insights gained from the project will be shared with a broad spectrum of planners policy makers community organizations and other relevant groups to help them make evidence-based decisions to improve the resilience of their communities dr ali mostafavi of tees and the zachry department of civil engineering is the lead principal investigator of the project other co-principal investigators on the team include dr phillip berke professor in the department of landscape architecture and urban planning and director of the institute for sustainable communities; dr sierra woodruff assistant professor in the department of landscape architecture and urban planning; and dr bjorn birgisson professor in the department of civil engineering
istpp director kent portney and reseach fellow jeryl mumpower coauthored a paper titled the dynamics of risk perception for soft target terrorism that was presented at the 14th probabilistic safety assessment and management conference held in september in los angeles ca istpp director kent portney reseach fellow jeryl mumpower and their coauthors examine aspects of the publics attitudes risk perceptions and behavioral responses to soft target terrorism events using original data from a six-wave longitudinal study conducted over a six-month period multiple high-profile terror events occurred during the six months including the nightclub shooting in orlando florida and the truck attack in nice france the survey asked respondents about their recollection of each violent incident and whether they considered these incidents to be acts of terror along with questions about perceptions of risk; psychometric variables; and behavioral responses associated with soft target terror events defined as attacks on unsecured public spaces using low-technology devices such as guns motor vehicles or homemade bombs over time given highly publicized terror attacks peoples perceptions of risk influence their estimates of future consequences and estimates of the likelihood of additional attacks people who expressed higher levels of fear concerning potential terror attacks also reported changing their behaviors to reduce their chances of being the victim of a soft target attack these behavior changes included buying a gun changing travel destinations and avoiding crowded places baucum matt richard john marcus mayorga paul slovic william burns kent portney and jeryl mumpower 2018 the dynamics of risk perception for soft target terrorism paper presented at the 14th probabilistic safety assessment and management conference los angeles ca september 16–21
on september 26 2018 jim mattress mack mcingvale the founder and owner of gallery furniture in houston was awarded the mclane leadership in business award by the mosbacher institute for trade economics & public policy the award recognizes outstanding contributions in the area of business and public or community service mr mcingvales remarks given to a crowd of about 475 at the annenberg presidential conference center were intriguing humorous and inspirational he told stories about the experiences he and his gallery furniture stores had rescuing people during hurricane harvey remarking that when people ask him how he could let complete strangers sleep in his furniture store he answers how could i not while his disaster work may be what comes to mind first his philanthropic resume is even more extensive his face beamed when he spoke of his next endeavor turning portions of two of his stores into community centers to provide job training to local residents mr mcingvale asserted that what he learned about service came from his role models – his family and george and barbara bush prior to the event mr mcingvale met with a group of bush school students for a q&a session upon entering the room mattress mack shook all the students hands and learned their names just another example of the personable qualities of the man who owns and operates gallery furniture in houston to mr mcingvale service to others isnt a choice but a lifestyle – one he encouraged all in attendance on wednesday to choose dean mark welsh; jim mcingvale; dr lori taylor jim mcingvale with students at the bush school
dr xinsheng liu istpp research scientist with co-author dr haifeng huang (university of california merced) have published their article historical knowledge and national identity: evidence from china in research and politics this research examines the connections between historical knowledge and national identify with original data from a nationally representative survey in china the authors find that significantly more chinese citizens overestimate than underestimate chinas objective historical achievements and those who overestimate the achievements of ancient chinese civilization tend to have stronger national identity they also find that correcting misinformation can potentially affect individuals national identity huang haifeng and xinsheng liu 2018 historical knowledge and national identity: evidence from china research and politics 5(3): 1-8 doi: 101177/2053168018794352
dr bryce hannibal an assistant research scientist at the texas a&m bush school of government and public service is investigating how social network communication and collaboration affect flood resilience the study is the first to apply network analysis to resilience efforts and is receiving a two-year roughly $200 000 grant from the national science foundation the research focuses on collaboration between public and private groups who work on resilience planning i was pretty surprised because these grant initiatives are so competitive but i am very excited to get the study underway hannibal said on finding out he and his co-researchers won the national science foundation grant flooding costs around the world are reaching $60 billion annually and hannibal is working alongside sierra woodruff texas a&m assistant professor of urban planning and sara meerow assistant professor of geographical sciences and urban planning at arizona state university to test the success of resilience planning through surveys interviews and evaluating hazard plans in four communities that use resilience planning dr hannibal will characterize inter-organizational dynamics around flood resilience planning by analyzing urban governance networks the research team will focus on baltimore boston ft lauderdale and seattle the study will use social network analysis to map and characterize the structure of communication and collaboration networks hannibal will survey city managers resilience officials and others involved in planning the questions will focus on how frequently participants talk about flood mitigation with other actors how often they work together on mitigation or resilience projects and the importance of specific types of collaboration in building resilience the study seeks to knock down policy silos and encourage collaborative problem solving several cities have welcomed resilience planning as a way to decrease flooding costs it is a new concept that seeks to diminish natural hazard vulnerability by bringing together natural hazard and land use planning processes that typically happen separately while there is consensus that coordination across departments and fields is crucial to organizing resilience planning there is not enough evidence to show collaboration across organizations on resilience improves plans hannibal woodruff and meerow will present their findings when they reach conclusions on their research
dr lori taylor has been at the bush school of government and public service since june 2003 and has led the schools mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy since january 2014 she was recently named head of the department of public service and administration she holds a phd and a masters degree in economics from the university of rochester in addition to bachelors degrees in economics and business administration from the university of kansas during her fifteen years at the bush school dr taylor has taught primarily public finance microeconomics for public policy and education policy she says one of her favorite parts of teaching is seeing the light come on in the back of someones eyes when they start to understand whatever concept is being discussed a noted researcher education policy is dr taylors special area of interest she is currently working on a number of projects related to education and finance issues and has conducted research on behalf of policymakers in a number of states including kansas; wyoming; north carolina; florida; and of course texas my research focuses on a range of education finance issues in particular looking at the design of school funding for texas and other states she said all these problems center around the issue of ways to allocate scarce resources effectively so states can ensure that institutional structures support and facilitate the decisions made by school districts to accomplish their goals i firmly believe that nearly all schools are trying really hard to help students achieve but i also recognize they dont always know what the best strategy would be and that there are better practices elsewhere said dr taylorone project that examined regional cost adjustment on behalf of the national center for education statistics has earned dr taylor national visibility this research sought to ensure that funding formulas equalized the resources in the classroom not just the dollars allocated to each classroom a dollar doesnt stretch as far in some locations said dr taylor what looked like equal money will not lead to the same level of quality staffing in one place as it might somewhere else a member of the board of directors for the association for education finance and policy dr taylor is also the principal investigator for the texas smart schools initiative and is a member of the editorial board for aera opendr taylor is one of two researchers at the school who focus on education policy while she will continue her research efforts dr taylor will face a new set of challenges in her position as department head she is particularly interested in managing growth at the bush school by deepening the applicant pool so the school can maintain its current standard for high-quality graduates this new role will take dr taylor out of the classroom for a while but she hopes she will be back teaching soon i enjoy teaching said dr taylor and im told im pretty good at it she particularly enjoys engaging with students im a frustrated stand-up comic and i like having an audience who knows if they dont laugh at my jokes they dont pass she joked she added that she enjoys the presentation aspects of the job and interacting with students during class and office hours
dr william west professor and sara lindsey chair at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university has been awarded the 2018 american bar associations administrative law section annual scholarship award for his coauthored work dynamic rulemaking west shares the prestigious award with past recipients such as supreme court associate justice elena kagan the members of abas administrative law section were unanimous in their decision to recognize the study as the best article published in 2017 west coauthored the work with professor wendy e wagner the professor richard dale endowed chair in law at the university of texas school of law; thomas o mcgarity the joe r and teresa lozano long endowed chair in administrative law at the university of texas; and lisa peters at the case western reserve university school of law west said he was surprised and very pleased upon hearing the news the article is the first in a series according to west and it studies rulemaking by the environmental protection agency (epa) occupational safety and health administration (osha) and the federal communications commission (fcc) the study develops the implications of the fact that final regulations are seldom the last wordthat most rules are revisions of existing rules what explains these revisions and what procedures do agencies use in making them what does this mean for the character and effects of participation in agency policy making what are the implications for transparency in so far as it is reactive is the dynamic process of rulemaking an effective way of identifying and addressing problems with existing regulations these are among the questions we address west said west said the authors are working on a second article that measures participation and its effects at different stages in the rulemaking process using data from the epa osha and fcc one finding in the next article is most participation in the rulemaking process occurs outside notice and comment and another is agencies seek public opinion in distinct ways that represent the political and technical world they work in the authors will receive their award formally during the administrative law sections annual fall meeting on november 2 2018 in washington dc
dr john mearsheimer will discuss his new book the great delusion: liberal dreams and international realities on thursday september 27 2018 from 6 – 7 pm the event hosted by the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university will take place in the annenberg presidential conference center located on the texas a&m university campus a book signing and reception will immediately follow the event in his talk dr mearsheimer will lay out the key arguments from his new book which explains why a policy of liberal hegemony is doomed to fail he argues that the united states should adopt a more restrained foreign policy based on a sound understanding of how nationalism and realism constrain great powers abroad dr mearsheimer is the r wendell harrison distinguished service professor of political science at the university of chicago he has published many books including conventional deterrence the tragedy of great power politics and why leaders lie: the truth about lying in international politics additionally he has authored many articles that have appeared in academic journals and the popular press dr mearsheimer earned his phd in government from cornell university
texas a&m university graduate students are invited to apply to be involved in the next great influenza pandemic simulation during the texas a&m university bush school of government & public service scowcroft institute of international affairs 2018 4th annual pandemic policy summit oct 16 the half-day simulation event presented by the scowcroft institute the institute for infectious animal disease and the global one health program in collaboration with the smithsonian institution for graduate students will take place sunday oct 14th from 1-5 pm at the college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences interested applicants have until sept 14 to apply all graduate students are invited to apply to participate in the simulation the students applications and essays will determine the selection process this experiential learning opportunity is designed to bring graduate students from various disciplines together in order to respond to a simulated disease outbreak the purpose of the exercise is to demonstrate that multidisciplinary efforts are necessary to respond to such a global challenge the simulation will not only provide graduate students with the unique opportunity to collaborate with peers outside of their colleges but also will enable them to work with experienced group facilitators to formulate a response plan to a disaster situation the event will provide a valuable hands-on experience for students interested in global health and pandemic issues and allow them to explore real-world applications of their field of study interface with experts and learn how a multifaceted approach is required to solve complex issues
jim mattress mack mcingvale will receive the mclane leadership in business award on wednesday september 26 2018 the award will be presented by the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university presented annually the award recognizes a prominent individual in the field of business for outstanding contributions in the area of business public service or community service at the national level mr mcingvale is noted for his keen business entrepreneurship and his unwavering commitment to serving others through his philanthropy the event will be held in the annenberg presidential conference center with a reception at 5 pm followed by mr mcingvales lecture at 5:30 pm mr mcingvale is a texas-grown phenomenon and his catch-phrase save you money today! on his television ads reflects his enthusiasm about his business and his commitment to his customers mack and his wife linda started gallery furniture in 1981with five thousand dollars and a dream mack began television advertising early and with his motto early to bed early to rise work like hell and advertise he quickly became a household name gallery furniture has had major expansions over the years including a rebuild of the flagship store as well as additions in the galleria location and in the third and largest store located in fort bend county on grand parkway which features a 165 000 square foot showroom the success of gallery furniture is mostly attributed to macks do-whatever-it-takes approach to pleasing the customer macks strong work ethic is matched by his philanthropic efforts for which he has received numerous awards including the points of life award personally presented by former president george h w bush the list of organizations and individuals helped by mr mcingvale is almost unmatched and he is nearly always one of the first to help during disasters most recently mack provided shelter for hundreds of people displaced by hurricane harvey and hosted countless relief efforts following the disaster supplying houstonians with cleaning materials clothing water and food his annual christmas giveaways have furnished hundreds of homes over the past thirty years he helped raise more than $12 million for the bush/clinton fund to aid those affected by the tsunami in southeast asia and hurricanes katrina and rita each thanksgiving and christmas mack has fed people in needsome 25 000 over the years he regularly supports houston nonprofits as well as medical and educational institutions the mosbacher institute was founded in october 2009 to produce policy-oriented research in trade energy and good governance the mclane leadership in business award was established by drayton mclane jr a noted entrepreneur and chairman of the mclane group a diversified collection of businesses that demonstrate a tradition of excellence and innovation
dr david rosowsky istpp fellow and professor of civil engineering at the university of vermont discusses possible definitions of resiliency in the context of civil engineering projects and their response to natural hazards in his paper defining resilience dr rosowsky highlights that across a variety of ways of defining resilience there exists a common understanding that infrastructure considered to be ‘resilient is intended to survive extreme damage or use without being compromised while his paper is predominately based on civil engineering scenarios and concepts he also touches on the importance of social resilience in the forms of individual and community resiliency dr rosowsky concludes by pointing out there is no single definition of resilience and that achieving resiliency requires collaboration between the technical realm of engineering and the social sciences
one the center for grand strategys directors jasen castillo co-authored two rand studies that have been published in recent months national will to fight: why some states keep fighting and others dont and will to fight: analyzing modeling and simulating the will to fight of military units
new research published in the takeaway a policy brief produced by the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy at the texas a&m university bush school of government and public service found that while uninsured rates in texas declined from 2012 to 2016 the state still leads the nation in health uninsured rates texas lyceum fellow ashley thomas a 2018 bush school master of public service and administration graduate recently completed research on health insurance rates in texas and worked under the guidance of bush school associate professor laura dague to produce key findings on the trends in texas health insurance rates thomas also observed that texas medicaid income eligibility requirements are less generous than in other states and that federal policy changes will likely reverse the recent positive trends in texas uninsured rates since a texas lyceum poll suggested that 64 percent of texans believe it is important to reduce the number of individuals without health insurance thomas suggested that policymakers reexamine medicaid eligibility limits and explore the efficiencies of automatic enrollment thomas presented her research findings at the annual texas lyceum public conference in san antonio texas on friday aug 17 the texas lyceum fellowship provides an opportunity to develop research and analysis skills for bush school students pursuing careers in public policy analysis the fellowship was made possible through a partnership between the texas lyceum and the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy the texas lyceum is an independent nonpartisan institution dedicated to cultivating the states young leaders and promoting research-driven solutions to policy issues in texas about the texas lyceum: the texas lyceum a nonprofit nonpartisan group is the premier statewide leadership organization focused on identifying the next generation of top texas leaders the lyceum consists of ninety-six men and women from throughout the state who begin their six-year term while under the age of forty-six and have demonstrated leadership in their community and profession together with a deep commitment to texas for more information please visit http://wwwtexaslyceumorg texas lyceum is on facebook at https://wwwfacebookcom/texaslyceum and on twitter @texaslyceum http://twittercom/texaslyceum about the mosbacher institute: the mosbacher institute was founded in 2009 to honor robert a mosbacher secretary of commerce from 1989-1992 and key architect of the north american free trade agreement through its three core programsintegration of global markets energy in a global economy and governance and public servicesthe institute conducts innovative policy research and top-quality education and training to help the decision makers of today and tomorrow meet the challenges posed by a new world of global markets and increasingly diffuse political and economic power
five years ago bryce watson 18 was living in china teaching english to factory workers children two weeks ago he moved to tijuana mexico to work on his startup in preparation for the products full launch in august the idea for which he had while living in china vize watsons company is designed to give factory workers an anonymous digital forum to discuss wages working conditions and other issues in factories the idea is that if workers report factory conditions this will increase accountability among factory owners tijuana currently faces a labor shortage so owners are incentivized to provide fair wages and safe work environments said watson watson who was born in odessa texas but grew up in northern california recently graduated from the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university with his masters in international affairs he was inspired to develop his company after interacting with factory workers and their families in china watson talked frequently with workers about conditions in factories learning about long hours low wages and little regard for laws and regulations he watched workers share stories about which factories were good ones and which ones were bad to get a sense of where they should seek employment because of the fluidity with which workers moved in and out of these industrial zones much of this valuable data was lost in three to four months time while the workers and their stories are transient watson noticed one permanent commonality among factory workersthey all owned smart phones so why cant we just put this information online he thought and with that an idea was born but it would be a few years until the notion was fully formed armed with ambition and an idea watson returned from china he continued to work in international development for the next few years honing his studies at the bush school to help prepare him for a life working in the field back stateside watson had the time to devote to making his idea a reality he began assembling a team in december 2017 to help develop vize i was thinking about my time in china and knew i wanted to actually pursue this said watson thats when i built the team at a&m the team diverse and made up entirely of texas a&m students is just as dedicated as watson four of the five have experience in developing countries julian alvarez a lead product manager and co-founder is from colombia and has accompanied watson on previous journeys to tijuana as the newly formed team set out to turn this idea into a tangible product they knew they needed the perfect place to launch vize china would not work because of the countrys authoritarian tendencies and aversion to open data that would allow a company such as vize to operate within its borders when we looked around at where it would be possible to do this we knew china wouldnt work said watson but in tijuana everyone has a smartphone theres a labor shortage and theres a high literacy rate in addition to these factors mexican federal laws are pro-labor but the populace is highly mobile making any kind of organization among factory workers difficult even if the labor laws are strong many factory workers dont have an in-depth knowledge of their rights under those laws said watson like in china workers in tijuana move frequently between the maquiladorasfactories in mexico run by a foreign company watson saw a similar trend of workers informally sharing information among themselves but then as soon as a worker moved this information was lost many countries have maquiladoras in mexico and many more are moving there countries like the united states china korea and japan are increasingly moving their manufacturing jobs to mexico because of the rising cost of labor in china and growing lead times or the amount of time it takes for a product to be made and delivered back to its country of origin it can take months to make a product in china and get it back to the united states said watson but if its made in mexico it may only take a week the confluence of these factors made tijuana a logical place to launch vize watson and members of his team started making sporadic trips to tijuana to interview workers and factory owners while vize primarily seeks to provide a central location for workers information it also wants to work with employers to help them find the talent they need employers in mexico face monthly turnover rates of eight to ten percent if we can provide value to employees we can also provide employers data to say ‘these are good workers heres what other factories pay and these are the conditions in that factory said watson initial conversations with workers and employers in tijuana proved both parties interested in the service the vize team members hope to provide they launched a pilot version of the app in may to about thirty users; the full launch will be in august 2018 two concerns arose before the initial launch would people be interested in using their phones for this purpose and would workers be comfortable sharing information even anonymously about their workplace conditions the pilot launch went as well as they had hoped everyone was willing and excited to use it said watson people were really willing to tell us all the grainy details of their job with the pilot launch behind them the teams efforts have turned to making sure everything is ready for the full launch they recognize that part of what will make this company successful is having people on the ground in tijuana dedicated to ensuring everything goes smoothly they have launched an indiegogo campaign to hire a small tijuana-based marketing team their fundraising goal is $5 000 by september 6 2018 ultimately they hope having a team in tijuana will attract more long-term investments if you would like to learn more about vize you can visit the website at http://wwwincentivizinggoodcom
istpp researchers drs xinsheng liu jeryl mumpower kent portney and arnold vedlitz have published their research perceived risk of terrorism and policy preferences for government counterterrorism spending: evidence from a us national panel survey in risk hazard & crisis in public policy using data from a national two-wave panel survey the authors investigate how individual social-economic-political characteristics and psychometric factors shape citizens terrorism risk perception and how such risk perception and perception of government competence affect policy preference for government counterterrorism spending the authors also use the survey data to question a possible decay in the publics perception of terrorism risk and their preference towards increased counterterrorism spending over time their analysis suggests that psychometric factors are more predictive of a respondent having a higher perception level of risk and greater perceived government competency leading to the respondent being more supportive of an increase in counterterrorism spending the authors do not find there to be any significant decay in overall risk perception between the two waves but they do find positive relationships between changes in risk perception and changes in psychometric variables they also find that changes in citizens preferences for government spending are predicated by changes in perceived risk and government competence at the individual level this research contributes to the literature on the influence of risk perception on preferences for government spending liu xinsheng jeryl l mumpower kent e portney and arnold vedlitz 2018 perceived risk of terrorism and policy preferences for government counterterrorism spending: evidence from a us national panel survey risk hazard & crisis in public policy (https://doiorg/101002/rhc312154)
video dr jasen castillo addressed questions pertaining to conditions that might facilitate nuclear escalation in a conventional conflict between the us and russia and how russian nuclear strategy might affect its pursuit of foreign policy objectives more information and video from the talk can be found online here
istpp researchers dr bryce hannibal and dr arnold vedlitz recently published a paper titled social capital knowledge and the environment: the effect of interpersonal communication on climate change knowledge and policy preferences in sociological spectrum drs hannibal and vedlitz seek to identify relationships between interpersonal discussion networks and an individuals assessed and perceived scientific knowledge of climate change they then analyze these variables to determine whether knowledge mediates the relationship between climate change policy preferences and discussion networks the data used for their analysis comes from a nationally representative survey administered in 2013 that includes over 1 300 completed responses the authors use a conditional process model to provide a statistical test for the mediation effect of discussion and knowledge on policy preferences they then use a nonparametric bootstrapping test of significance with the mediation effect hannibal bryce and arnold vedlitz 2018 social capital knowledge and the environment: the effect of interpersonal communication on climate change knowledge and policy preferences sociological spectrum 38(4): 277–293 doi:https://doiorg/101080/0273217320181502108
dr jasen castillo cgs academic director published a chapter titled deliberate escalation: nuclear strategies to deter or to stop conventional attacks in coercion: the power to hurt in international politics (oxford university press 2018) edited by kelly m greenhill and peter krause
dr xinsheng liu research scientist and assistant director of the institute for science technology and public policy at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university was recently named a changjiang scholar by the ministry of education of the peoples republic of china and the li ka shing foundation through a highly competitive process the changjiang scholar also known as the cheung kong scholar is chinas most prestigious academic honor conferred to an individual scholar in higher education it recognizes academic contributions and achievements made by both chinese and international scholars in various research fields and supports about fifty visiting chair professorships to bring prominent scholars from across the world to china to teach and conduct research at the nations leading universities most recipients are from the fields of engineering and natural sciences dr liu is one of the few awardees with expertise in social sciences with the support of the program dr liu will continue his collaborative research with chinese scholars on environmental policy natural resources management and other public policy issues from a comparative analysis perspective he will travel to china regularly in the next several years and work three months every year as a changjiang scholar visiting chair professor of the school of public administration inner mongolia university his main academic activities and objectives are to teach graduate seminars on policy theories and methods to enhance interest and skill in public policy studies as well as conduct research projects with chinese colleagues on environmental policies and sustainable development issues
after a rigorous selection process the scowcroft institute of international affairs announced the selection of two senior fellows dr elizabeth cameron and dr rebecca katz during their time with the institute they will focus on research and will both be a part of the pandemic preparedness policy program each will produce a white paper based on their findings dr elizabeth cameron dr cameron is vice president for global biological policy and programs at the nuclear threat initiative (nti) prior to working at nti dr cameron served as the senior director for global health security and biodefense on the white house national security council (nsc) staff where she was instrumental in the development and launch of the global health security agenda from 2010 to 2013 dr cameron served as the office director for cooperative threat reduction (ctr) and the senior advisor for the assistant secretary of defense for the nuclear chemical and biological defense programs in these roles she oversaw implementation of the geographic expansion of the nunn‐lugar ctr program and as a result was awarded the office of the secretary of defense medal for exceptional civilian service dr rebecca katz dr katz is an associate professor and co-director of the center for global health science and security at georgetown university prior to going to georgetown she spent ten years at the george washington university on the faculty of the milken institute school of public health her research is focused on global health security public health preparedness and health diplomacy since 2007 much of her work has been on the domestic and global implementation of the international health regulations since 2004 dr katz has been a consultant to the department of state working on issues related to the biological weapons convention pandemic influenza and disease surveillance the scowcroft institute of international affairs is a research institute housed in the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university the institute is named in honor of lt gen brent scowcroft usaf (ret) whose long and distinguished public service career included serving as national security advisor for presidents gerald ford and george h w bush the institutes core mission is to foster and disseminate policy-oriented research on international affairs by supporting faculty and student research hosting international speakers and major scholarly conferences and providing grants to outside researchers to use the holdings of the bush library
bush school professors f gregory gause iii and john schuessler have chapters in a recently published book chaos in the liberal order: the trump presidency and international politics in the twenty-first chapter 21 written by professor f gregory gause iii dives into donald trump and the middle east chapter 29 written by professor john schuessler is titled why does donald trump have so much trouble with the truth
wade jones 17 has long dreamed of making a difference in the world just a year after graduating from the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university he has that opportunity theres no higher calling than public service so to go to [the bush school] with the idea of maybe being able to make a difference and then get the opportunity to do some good is incredible said jones jones graduated with the inaugural executive master of public service and administration (empsa) class at the bush school in 2017 now less than a year later he is crafting the solomon islands first-ever national security strategy its a dream job jones who is a native of beaumont texas said about his recent appointment as national security policy adviser for the solomon islands before he landed his current job though jones earned his bachelors degree from the american military university in business administration spent time in the us army worked as a contractor for the us department of state and ultimately earned his masters degree at the bush school in early 2014 jones was working as a government contractor in afghanistan in may 2014 his brother graduated from texas a&m and during his trip to college station for his brothers graduation jones toured the campus and visited all the famed spots on campus steeped in aggie and military tradition he was intrigued by texas a&m after moving to vanuatu in december 2015 with his wife (an australian diplomat he met while working in afghanistan) he began looking at the programs texas a&m had to offer knowing he wanted to continue his education he said he was considering the mba program when he stumbled upon the bush school and knew it was what he needed to further his career service to others has always been a value highly held by the jones family; his brother was a member of the texas a&m university corps of cadets and commissioned into the army upon graduation the bush school and its commitment to public service appealed to jones immediately in 1978 just thirty-nine years before jones graduated from the bush school the solomon islands gained independence now the new country is writing its first national security strategy jones job is to help craft this strategy once a protectorate of the united kingdom the solomon islands earned its right to self-governance and like many foundling countries faces problems in its infancy these problems include rampant corruption and tensions between a trend toward globalization and a steadfast desire held by many inhabitants to cling to traditional ways and rural roots this dichotomy makes creating a functional national security strategy challenging but the answer lies somewhere in the crossroads of these two mindsets jones said if you dont take into consideration these variables you havent properly addressed the problem said jones that balance is what jones is trying to understand and manage in his new role and his time at the bush school helped prepare him for this challenge if i hadnt earned that [empsa] degree i wouldnt have been able to transition to this role so seamlessly said jones he explained that one of the most important things he gained from the bush school was the ability to look at a seemingly insurmountable problem and then break it down into smaller more manageable bits
researchers at texas a&m university are among four research teams awarded a total of $2 million to study gene drive and gene editing technologies the us department of agricultures (usda) national institute of food and agriculture (nifa) made the awards other institutions participating in the nifa program are the university of florida iowa state university and the santa fe institute of science texas a&m researchers will receive $497 000 over the next three years to support their project gene drive applications to agriculture in texas: knowledge perceptions and values the project led by principal investigator dr kent portney brings together texas a&m researchers from the institute for science technology and public policy (istpp) in the bush school of government and public service from the departments of entomology and soil and crop sciences in agrilife research and from agrilife extension co-principal investigators dr zach adelman and dr david kerns will coordinate the aspects of the project conducted by agrilife they are joined by co-principal investigator dr elizabeth heitman professor of ethics in science and medicine from university of texas southwest medical center gene drive is a phenomenon that makes a particular genetic trait occur more frequently throughout a population with each passing generation they can occur through a variety of mechanisms in nature and through gene editing creating a gene drive through gene editing has been proposed as a potentially effective means of genetically modifying specific non-human populations and perhaps entire species depending on the intended application gene drives could change pest populations to be less harmful or could reduce a pest population recent advances in gene editing technologies could help meet the challenges of feeding a rapidly growing global population but they also raise important questions about their acceptability and possible unintended consequences nifa created the social implications of emerging technologies program in 2017 to fund research on stakeholder and public engagement about gene drive and other gene editing applications in agriculture the project team will evaluate effective ways to communicate and engage with stakeholders and the public to shape the potential research development and use of gene drive technology dr kent portney istpp director and leader of the project team explains although actual gene drives are likely years off in the future if they happen at all this project is designed to understand how texans view the potential social impacts and perceived risks of gene drive technologies in agriculture specifically hypothetical applications to address the boll weevil the indian meal moth pigweed and the mosquito that carries rift valley fever all of which currently affect or potentially could affect agriculture in texas and other areas of the us we will examine how the science and its potential impacts are communicated to the public stakeholders and decision makers said portney we want to know how this information forms public opinion and stakeholders perspectives as well as how values perceptions of risk and trust in science could affect views on the potential development and use of gene drive applications
two capstone research teams from the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university have received the james w mcgrew research award for outstanding research from the central texas chapter of the american society for public administration the award recognizes undergraduate and graduate students in public administration or public policy programs who have conducted outstanding research as an individual or as a team in the field of public administration and/or public policy this year students at the bush school took part in twenty different capstone projects something each student must complete before graduation these research projects are a key element in the overall curriculum and encourage teamwork and the demonstration of knowledge students have acquired during their time at the school one capstone from each department was recognized in the department of international affairs (ia) a project that assessed the value of us southern commands (southcom) ‘shaping lines of effort to promote regional security and stability received the award the award winning project from the department of public service and administration (psa) looked at the question of lobbying by former executive government officials the ia team was led by dr don macwillie and included students travis askew matthew faucett lauren galyen jonathan mcphilamy and lucas reddig the psa team was led by dr deborah kerr and included lela akiashvili humna butt kirbie ferrell morgan gray alexandra gonzalez peiquan lin megi llubani elba morales and dylan woods psa student morgan gray said she and her team spent two semesters developing a database for the congressional research service (crs) comprised of former officials who served within the executive branch between the years 2000 and 2016 crs wanted a better understanding of the career paths of former executive branch officials and whether or not such individuals lobby before or after entering the executive branch crs will now use our database to construct an official report for congress on the prevalence of lobbying among former executive branch officials gray said overall our team acquired experience in providing a high-quality product to our client while working to maintain a relationship with our client built upon professionalism timeliness and high-quality product delivery the winning ia team was tasked with measuring the effectiveness of southcoms security cooperation or building partner capacity (bpc) activities team member travis askew explained that he and his team developed a model to measure the effectiveness of southcoms bpc activities the teams were honored at a banquet in austin on may 21 2018
dr laura dague assistant professor at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university was recently appointed a faculty research fellow at the national bureau of economic research (nber) she will be a member of the health economics program at the nber her appointment as a member of this organization followed a highly selective process in which dr dague was nominated by current nber members im very pleased and honored to be joining the outstanding group of economists in the health economics program dr dague said this appointment is a validation of the importance of studying the role of public health insurance programs like medicaid in our economy membership in this organization will increase dr dagues professional visibility and increase access to data available through the nber additionally joining the health economics program grants dr dague the opportunity to distribute research through the widely circulated nber working paper series dr dague earned her masters and phd in economics from the university of wisconsin previously she earned her bachelors degree in mathematics and economics from the university of kansas her research interests are in health economics particularly the economics of public health insurance dr dague was the winner of the 2015 national institute for health care managements research award for her work on medicaid premiums dr dagues research team has been funded by the institute for research on poverty at the university of wisconsin the robert wood johnson foundation the uc davis center for poverty research the we upjohn institute for employment research and the state of wisconsin department of health services
dean mark welsh recently announced the appointment of dr lori l taylor as the new head of the department of public service and administration (psaa) at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university in making the announcement dean welsh noted that dr taylor will bring years of knowledge and experience to this position since arriving at the bush school in 2003 dr taylor has consistently been in the forefront of education policy research and implementation both at the state and national levels welsh said i am confident she will continue to do that while also providing essential leadership to the department i am excited and deeply honored to have been chosen to lead the psaa department dr taylor said i know that i have big shoes to fill but i am ready and willing to work hard on behalf of our students and faculty we have grown enormously since i joined the bush school in 2003 and managing even more growth will be one of my recurring challenges dr taylors appointment is effective july 1 she currently serves as the director of the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy at texas a&m university prior to arriving at the bush school dr taylor spent fourteen years as an economist and policy adviser in the research department of the federal reserve bank of dallas dr taylor holds the verlin and howard kruse 52 founders professorship at the bush school and is an adjunct professor in texas a&ms department of economics she is the principal investigator for the texas smart schools initiative and currently serves as a member of the board of directors for the association for education finance and policy and the board of governors for the regional educational laboratory (rel) southwest she is also a member of the editorial board for aera open and the children at risk institute and serves on the policy board for texas aspires dr taylor holds a bachelor of arts in economics and a bachelor of science in business administration from the university of kansas and a masters and phd in economics from the university of rochester
a new online graduate certificate program in public management is being offered at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university the program focuses on the capabilities required for effective and ethical leadership in the public and nonprofit sectors certificate courses will be offered online on-campus or in a combination of both formats for full- time professionals graduate students and aspiring public servants the graduate certificate in public management is an outstanding addition to the resume of anyone working or endeavoring to work in a public service or public management career bush school dean mark welsh said the 12-credit certificate program will provide graduate-level coursework taught by the bush schools nationally and internationally acclaimed faculty members all certificate students will enroll in two required courses budgeting in public service and public management as well as two elective courses in their specified field of interest elective courses range from urban sustainability policy to cybersecurity to public information systems management the culmination of the program will result in prepared state and federal leaders with the requisite skills and expertise in public service to excel in professional and executive management roles more information on the certificate program can be found online at bushtamuedu/pbmg
historically the focus of democracy promotion has been to support countries in a transition from authoritarian to democratic governance with an assumption that further democratic consolidation would follow recent trends from across the developing and developed world have led us to question this assumption once stable democracies are witnessing executives taking greater power civil society being repressed and opposition voices being stamped out the future of democracy in these nations is uncertain students at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university are studying the causes and effects of this phenomenon known as democratic erosion as part of a capstone course that all students must complete to graduate democratic erosion or democratic backsliding occurs when governments become less accountable to their citizens and institutions begin to collapse this doesnt necessarily imply a complete transition to full authoritarianism but the democracy weakens in a state explains dr jessica gottlieb assistant professor at the bush school and faculty adviser of the capstone the capstone team is working for the united states agency for international development (usaid) to create two different deliverables one deliverable is an experimental literature review over programs that may contain lessons for democratic erosion or strengthening democracies but the primary deliverable is a database the team is creating that will code events related to the causes and consequences of democratic erosion worldwide chris hill a second-year bush school student who is part of this capstone team said they are looking at different patterns of symptoms precursors and how countries resist democratic erosion when they are coding each country the main deliverable that weve been working on dovetails with the fact that this capstone is part of a much larger collaborative course on democratic erosion the raw data thats generating the dataset – case studies on eroding democraciesis being produced by students who are taking this class at 20 other universities across the country said gottlieb there is one university in the philippines teaching this class making it a global endeavor this larger effort has recently earned attention in an article written by the washington post titled trumps presidency has prompted a new nationwide college course on why democracies collapse democratic erosion capstone texas a&m university bush school of government & public service client: usaids center of excellence on democracy human rights and governance (drg)instructor: dr jessica gottlieb background masters students at texas a&ms bush school of government & public service complete a capstone course in their final semester in which they conduct policy research for a client in this case usaids democracy human rights and governance (drg) division the theme of the capstone is democratic erosion and together with the client they identified two deliverables detailed below the students under the guidance of the instructor will work on these deliverables in the 2018 spring semester and produce both written reports and oral presentations reflective of their work presentations will be scheduled in washington dc in early may 2018 deliverables 1 a database coding country case studies of democratic erosion while there has been substantial theoretical work on how and why democracies erode an important gap we have identified is systematic empirical evidence that would allow us to ask applied questions such as how democratic erosion might manifest differently in different places or what systematic precursors of democratic erosion might be to help fill this gap the capstone group will create a country-year dataset that codes events related to democratic erosion in about 70 countries that we have identified as potentially backsliding over the last decade we will code events that are either precursors to democratic erosion eg economic or security shocks and events that are symptoms of democratic erosion eg executive aggrandizement or systematic attacks on the free press what facilitates this coding exercise is our collaboration with a 20-university initiative in which instructors are all teaching the same course on democratic erosion to a mix of undergrad and grad students at their respective universities one of the common course assignments is to write a case study of democratic erosion for one of our pre-selected country cases that we have identified as potentially backsliding (using indicators from the varieties of democracy database) this will result in several case studies for each country on our list which will then be systematically coded by the capstone students a report will produce some preliminary analyses using the dataset but the data itself will also be made publicly available so that others can conduct their own analyses 2 a review of the experimental evidence relating to democratic erosion the group will additionally undertake a systematic mapping review of the experimental evidence on issues related to democratic erosion while only a subset of questions with respect to democratic erosion can be answered using experimental manipulation there are key areas where substantial evidence has begun to accrue for instance there has been experimental work documenting the effect of civic education courses on trust and participation in democracy – something that could potentially prevent or curb democratic erosion there has also been work on improving the effectiveness of and reducing corruption in bureaucracies to the extent that democratic stability is undermined by a lack of state legitimacy these results can also be informative to the study of democratic erosion a report will map the existing literature under several thematic areas related to democratic erosion; describe key characteristics of the evidence base eg the countries populations and interventions studied; and synthesize findings and policy implications within each thematic area
a new book religious statecraft: the politics of islam in iran has been published by dr mohammad ayatollahi tabaar texas a&m bush school of government and public service it examines the politics of islam rather than political islam to better understand iranian politics and its ideological contradictions in his book dr tabaar examines fifty years of shifting islamist doctrines within the context of irans domestic and international politics and demonstrates that religious narratives in iran can change rapidly and frequently as the elites threat perceptions change additionally dr tabaar challenges readers to rethink the conventional wisdom regarding the 1979 revolution in iran and the us embassy hostage crisis among other pivotal events in iranian history based on a micro-level analysis of post-revolutionary iranian media and recently declassified documents as well as military and theological journals religious statecraft constructs a new picture of iranian politics in which power drives islamist ideology dr tabaar is an assistant professor in the international affairs department at the bush school of government and public service his research areas include international security and middle east politics dr tabaar has been a fellow or a visiting scholar at rice universitys baker institute for public policy harvard universitys center for the middle east cambridge universitys centre of islamic studies and george washington universitys institute for middle east studies his articles have appeared in security studies ps politics and political science and journal of strategic studies he has also written for foreign affairs snapshot foreign policys middle east channel washington posts monkey cage and the new york times magazine
dr hannibal istpp assistant research scientist has been named a fellow of the links center for social network analysis gatton college of business and economics university of kentucky he received this recognition for his outstanding dedication to social network analysis and to the links center hannibal has participated in multiple advanced workshops on network analysis and has taught workshops on this analytical method hannibal is highly sought out by researchers here at texas a&m for his expertise in this specialized field and other advanced research methods he has used this method to further understand interlocking directorate board structures of nonprofit organizations (with dr paarlberg) and is currently part of several interdisciplinary funded research projects that focus on identifying and leveraging the networks of flood prone communities to enhance their resilience in responding to disasters
the scowcroft institute of international affairs at texas a&m universitys bush school of government & public service will hold its 2nd annual pandemic & biosecurity policy conference at the national press club (529 14th street nw washington dc 20045) on wednesday may 16 2018 from 8:45 am-11 am the event will feature globally renowned pandemic and health security experts testifying to the gaps in our nations response plans and identifying specific policy changes and reforms necessary to improve pandemic and international health security response strategies as weve seen with another ebola outbreak in congo this week its not a matter of if another pandemic similar to the 1918 great influenza will occur its a matter of when its imperative that we do more nationally and internationally to prepare for such an event scowcroft institute director andrew natsios said threats affecting international health security including bio-threats and biosecurity hazards are also gaining momentum evolving into a high-threat probability this timely meeting will help determine our nations vulnerabilities and what we can do to mitigate a coming catastrophe keynote addresses will be given by: senator tom daschle current panel member of the blue ribbon panel on biodefense and former senate majority leader;dr robert kadlec assistant secretary for preparedness and response us dept of health and human services;mr tom dilenge president advocacy law and public policy division at the biotechnology innovation organization (bio) featured panelists/respondents will include: dr gerald parker associate dean global one health texas a&m university;dr mukesh chawla advisor on health nutrition and population to the world bank group;dr rebecca katz co-director center for global health science and security at georgetown univ;mr patrick fine ceo of fhi 360;dr guy vernat ceo of the merieux foundation usa;dr jonathan quick pandemic expert and author of new book entitled the end of epidemics;dr lindsey shields smithsonian institution on may 18th opening of new outbreak exhibit;dr joseph fair research professor and senior fellow at the scowcroft institute;ms kathleen fitzgibbon director office of africa analysis us department of state; andmr peter morris div director for preparedness usaid/ofda;dr david brett-major assist prof of prev medicine & biostatistics uniformed services university about the scowcroft institute of international affairs: the scowcroft institute of international affairs is a research institute housed in the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university the institute is named in honor of lt gen brent scowcroft usaf (ret) whose long and distinguished career in public service included serving as national security advisor for presidents gerald ford and george hw bush the institutes core mission is to foster and disseminate policy-oriented research on international affairs by supporting faculty and student research hosting international speakers and major scholarly conferences and providing grants to outside researchers to use the holdings of the bush library
dr xinsheng liu istpp research scientist and assistant director presented the research paper bureaucratic influence in national policy agenda setting process: evidence from congressional hearings on global warming and climate change at the annual meeting of the midwest political science association chicago april 5-8 2018 this paper coauthored with dr bryce hannibal (istpp assistant research scientist) and dr arnold vedlitz (istpp director emeritus and distinguished research scholar) offers theoretical expectations new empirical measures and robust evidence for federal bureaucrats dominant participation widespread presence and central role in congressional hearings on global warming and climate change
dr bryce hannibal istpp assistant research scientist gave an invited talk examining the mediating influence of interlocking board networks on grant making in public foundations to the mpa faculty at brigham young university in provo utah on april 5 2018 this paper is co-authored with dr laurie paarlberg from the bush school and dr jasmin mcginnis johnson from george washington university
students from texas a&ms prestigious bush school of government & public service are taking a close look at localized flooding of the red river to offer potential solutions to government citizens and businesses eight graduate students from the master of public service and administration (mpsa) degree program began their capstone research project in september when sheriff steve prator solicited their assistance through bush school professor and fellow shreveporter dr arnold vedlitz now after eight months of research and preparation the students are set to present their findings to prator and other parish and city officials at 10 am may 2 at the caddo sheriffs re-entry facility we are very lucky to have this comprehensive look at our river and the researchers responses to the increasingly more frequent flooding problem prator said ali mustapha administrator of the caddo parish levee district; rich brontoli executive director of the red river valley association; and mary bicknell local attorney and environmentalist were all instrumental in bringing the student researchers to shreveport over the past months students have conducted some 50 interviews with citizens and key people in the community including the sheriff and other leaders in government business industry and non-profits the research has included data from the 2016-17 lsu manship school flood survey; a review of literature including books reports and documents on urban flooding and the history of flooding in caddo parish; case studies of urban flooding in other communities and the best practices for mitigation and recovery; and a review of surveys and technical studies to identify common problems themes and solutions by participating in a bush school capstone project caddo parish has become part of the instructional process at texas a&m vedlitz said and in exchange will receive a management study valued at around $250 000 its as good or better than those produced in the private sector he said the cost to caddo parish was around $6 000 for travel and production costs paid for by the caddo parish levee board similar research projects have been conducted throughout the united states and internationally for local state and federal public agencies and non-profits since 2002 second-year bush school mpsa students have participated in capstone research courses allowing them to tackle real-world problems or projects often while working in conjunction with a government agency or nonprofit organization designed to test the knowledge and abilities students have developed through their previous classes and experiences capstones necessitate strong teamwork careful research writing ability and often a large amount of ingenuity in identifying ways to approach an issue or find a solution according to the school students participating in the red river research project are steven hebert jordan christman elizabeth thomas amanda sumner mario martinez shelby poncik brandon kallenbach and katie fields vedlitz said he hopes the students research will provide caddo parish with a report that will be useful in identifying problems and giving community leaders a head start at evaluating problems and identifying possible solutions the student researchers in turn will receive a unique educational opportunity a chance to work with shreveport and caddo parish leaders and an opportunity to network and build long-term relationships but most importantly they will experience firsthand president george hw bushs philosophy … that public service is a noble calling
dean mark welsh announced the bush school will offer a new master of international policy at the texas a&m university bush school of government and public service designed as a non-thesis masters degree program for mid-career professionals the degree will require the completion of 30 credit hours the degree is offered in residence (with an option of taking up to 6 credits online) on the texas a&m university college station campus it is designed to offer mid-career professionals the opportunity to further their education and deepen their knowledge of international relations students may select either the national security and diplomacy (nsd) track or the international development and economic policy (idep) track the curriculum consists of two required courses the theory and practice of international politics and fundamentals of the global economy students will additionally take five courses in either the nsd or idep track; the remaining three courses are electives the full degree can be completed in an eleven-month period dr f gregory gause head of the international affairs department said that the program is constructed for mid-career professionals who have the opportunity to spend a year of study it provides maximum flexibility for students to concentrate in the areas where they seek to develop their skills and knowledge a minimum of six years of professional experience in the field of international affairs broadly defined is required for entry to the program areas of study include diplomacy; intelligence; nuclear security; cyber policy; grand strategy; conflict and development; international economic development; and regional studies of the middle east europe and china visit our website for more information about the program bushtamuedu/inta/degrees/mip/
istpp collaborated with the program in natural resources systems in the texas a&m university school of law and the texas water resources institute to study the complexity of the governance structure that oversees the up to 15 transboundary aquifers along the texas-mexico border the resulting report survey of legal mechanisms relating to groundwater along the texas-mexico border identifies the myriad local state federal and international entities and the treaties laws and regulations that govern the transboundary aquifers the report delineates overlaps and gaps in the governance structures and the ways these create opportunities for both cooperation and conflict between and among groundwater regulators from both texas and mexico finding ways to encourage and leverage multi-level government cooperation between texas and mexico is becoming increasingly critical for protecting aquifer sustainability while efficiently allocating use of the waters to the growing populations along the border a basic and profound difference in water governance in texas and mexico is the ownership status of the water resource mexican law declares all ground and surface water within its jurisdiction as public property texas laws however establish groundwater as private property and the state owns the surface water the executive branch of mexico has immense authority in regulating how water is extracted and allocated from transboundary aquifers but private citizens in texas have the ability to extract groundwater on their property with little regulation the disparity in regulatory practices between texas and mexico leads to many of the extraction practices involving these transboundary aquifers being difficult to catalogue this study serves as the beginning of a larger study between istpp texas a&m school of law and the texas water resources institute on groundwater governance on the texas-mexico border foster jessica 2018 survey of legal mechanisms relating to groundwater along the texas-mexico border texas a&m university school of law program in natural resources systems fort worth tx
student researchers at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university examining the possible links between gender issues and radicalization recently received first place in their category at texas a&ms student research week the research is part of a capstone project that all second-year bush school students are required to complete before they graduate student research week is a research symposium that highlights student research conducted across texas a&ms campus this year marked the twenty-first year of student research week and its theme bridging disciplines engaging with others aimed to ensure that all colleges across campus were able to participate in the event emiley pagrabs a member of the bush school team explained the project further were contracted by the state department to complete an analysis of the impact of some gender factors on foreign fighters and radicalization and what compels individuals to leave their home countries and travel to isis territory the team led by dr valerie hudson is using a database she created the womanstats project to gather data to complete the macro-level analysis research was conducted at both the macro and the micro level to try to fully understand what drives individuals to radicalize at the micro level the group obtained biographical data on nearly forty-five foreign fighters to examine potential factors that result in radicalization its really interesting to see how these factors affect people on the micro level pagrabs said no one has been looking at this yet so we think it fills a void in the radicalization literature maybe this isnt everything and its not the answer because theres no one-size-fits-all explanation for radicalization but it helps complete the picture additional team members include sara ascol wiam ayachi ashley lovell kayla mcgill and ryan yandell
dr valerie hudson a professor at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university recently received the distinguished service award for her contributions to promote womens empowerment worldwide the award was presented by the lds international society the distinguished service award is given each year to an individual who has made significant and unique contributions in research or service to humanity dr hudson has made substantial contributions to both aspects of the award one of the factors that convinced the board to grant the award to valerie was that she has made unique contributions in both international research and service said executive director of the international society ted lyon we view her as an outstanding professional an outstanding human being an amazing and creative researcher and a delightful friend dr hudson is an expert on international security and foreign policy analysis as well as gender and security she received her phd in political science at the ohio state university at the bush school she directs the program on women peace and security dr hudson has developed a nation-by-nation database on women the womanstats database (http://womanstatsorg) which has triggered both academic and policy interest using this data hudson and her co-principal investigators from the womanstats project have published a wide variety of empirical work linking the security of women to the security of states
in the united states we tend to take for granted our refrigerated produce and how it navigates its way from the field to a processing center to our kitchen tables remaining cold the entire time halfway around the world in uganda this seemingly mundane process is not an assumed facet of everyday life joel taylor a first-year student at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university spent a month of his winter holiday in uganda studying the countrys cold chain system the term cold chain refers to the temperature-controlled supply chainin other words how products that must be kept cold are moved from the fields to the shelves taylor focused primarily on agricultural products in the cold chain and partnered with local ugandans to improve cold chains ensuring that produce retains its nutritional value throughout its journey to the supermarket foods can lose up to half of their nutritional value when exposed to high heat levels people dont realize that an apple thats been sitting outside does not have the same nutritional value as one thats been kept cold taylor said without proper refrigeration produce can go bad in two to three days while farmers in uganda rely on shade to keep their product cool it is not enough to prevent the reduction in nutritional value taylor became interested in food security in uganda during his sophomore year at texas a&m that year he was assigned to a group to study sustainable development in uganda through the student initiative for international development an organization that trains undergraduate students to create and implement development projects that will have a lasting impact on developing communities worldwide additionally taylor learned swahili and studied abroad in tanzania which proved useful in bordering uganda as well uganda specificallyit sparked an interest for me taylor said it was something that just kind of hit my heart and i started learning about some of the food security issues and i started meeting people after his sophomore year taylor applied to the university of edinburghs swahili program was accepted and fell in love i thought ‘i have to get back and i got tired of sitting around so i decided to make a project for research or work opportunities taylor said after spending the previous spring interning at the global cold chain alliance (gcca) a trade association that represents cold chain members around the globe taylor had the know-how to write a project proposal he spent six months drafting his proposal eventually pitching it to the gcca which decided to sponsor the project financially and technically taylor also partnered with the lt jordan institute on the texas a&m campus during his internship he was part of a team that performed a cold chain assessment in uganda but the team only looked at the capital kampala and entebbe a major town in the middle of the country taylor saw a need for a more comprehensive understanding a lot of people were interested in investing or partnering or getting involved with developing the cold chain but all we had was that report taylor said i wanted to go back and say that we have a comprehensive report on cold chain use across the country from representative districts so that is exactly what he did with his project now sponsored taylor enlisted the help of texas a&m chemical engineering major brandon sissom and professional photographer andrew giles over a month-long period taylor and his team traveled to nine districts throughout uganda while on the ground they worked to identify local partnersordinary ugandan farmers and business owners who live there they talked to 350 farmers farming groups and co-ops and had forty-eight official meetings in the thirty days they were there uganda like many countries in africa is a developing country with underdeveloped infrastructure which makes development difficult and there are cultural differences that can make assessing what ugandans actually need difficult for outsiders so how does one work around those barriers taylor said hes still learning but searching for similarities is a good place to start after a long days work taylor would find himself at night shooting pool and talking to local ugandans about the problems in their country its recognizing that people in conflict and surrounded by conflict arent helpless and theyre not solely described by their need taylor said sometimes they just need an opportunity to show that theyre here to help themselves and theyre here to partner for change and i think a lot of aid organizations have this ‘hero complex its overcoming that hero complex to say ‘were not the ones who are really going to end this conflict; because its your conflict its not ours but instead asking how can we help you achieve that goal more than anything taylor wanted to locate and facilitate relationships with these local partners the driving purpose of the report was to provide farmers and business owners with names and contact information and get them involved in the project going forward taylor said i really pushed for this and for them to be incorporated into this project taylor said its their country and its their lives i want to partner with them to help i have this really niche understanding of the cold chain so why not introduce them to that so they can then help themselves
on tuesday april 17 2018 judy vredenburgh president and ceo of girls inc gave a talk about the power of mentoring: shaping lives strengthening futures for the 2018 bank of america program on volunteerism the evening was hosted by the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy and the bush schools new center for nonprofits and philanthropy before the evening event judy vredenburgh met with students in the social innovation & entrepreneurship class at the bush school of government and public service where she answered questions about her transition from the corporate sector to nonprofits she offered some career advice for the students as well encouraging them to choose an employer with a culture that matched their personality after a reception in the presidential conference center the program on volunteerism began with dean welsh delivering welcoming remarks and introducing honored guests in attendance including former vice president dick cheney several girls inc alumnae and ten girls inc girls from tarrant county bush school professor william brown director of the center for nonprofits and philanthropy followed dean welsh with remarks about the new center and its work to support nonprofits small and large and introductions of the centers advisory board he then provided a brief biography of ms vredenburgh and an explanation of the work that girls inc does to support girls nationwide through childhood and into adulthood after a brief video presentation with you in my corner about girls inc judy vredenburgh took the stage ms vredenburgh discussed a range of topics including her own experience as a mentor she emphasized the difference a mentor can make pointing to a number of statistics to show that mentors can encourage girls to stay in school avoid illegal drugs and grow into strong smart and bold women ms vredenburgh concluded her remarks with a call to action for the audience to get involved and make an impact whether through board membership donating or by becoming a mentor themselves she then took a seat onstage for an exchange with her former colleague at big brothers big sisters of america bush school assistant professor kenneth taylor dr kenneth taylor the recently appointed director of outreach and professional development at the center for nonprofits & philanthropy began his conversation with ms vredenburgh by asking about the meaning of leadership which she stated required influence as the most important factor in response to dr taylors follow-up questions ms vredenburgh explained that she left the for-profit sector to bring her values to a nonprofit position she allowed that the transition was rocky at first but has proved enormously rewarding she also talked about the importance of diversity in hiring and the role of diversity in continuing to find innovative solutions to social challenges after the two speakers wrapped up their discussion professor and mosbacher institute director lori taylor delivered closing remarks and together with dr brown and dr kenneth taylor presented ms vredenburgh with a plaque honoring her advocacy and effective leadership on behalf of women and girls the audience left abuzz with conversation about the importance of mentorship inspired by the leadership demonstrated by judy vredenburgh and her organization
reveille the first lady of aggieland and texas a&ms official mascot recently visited the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university as part of spring dog day an event put on by the bush school student government association (sga) and the bush school public service organization (pso) while reveille was the center of attention at spring dog day she wasnt the only dog present aggieland pets with a purpose brought therapy dogs to the event so that bush school students could play with the cute critters and relieve stress as finals and the end of the semester approach pso used this opportunity to encourage students to donate old t-shirts that will be made into dog toys and donated to the bryan animal center other supplies such as toys and food were donated as well it was fun to finally get a picture with reveille said kaylin taylor a second-year student at the bush school this time of year is always stressful so it was nice to get to take a break and play with the dogs for a little while and give back
dr bryce hannibal of istpp has been appointed to a three-year term as a fellow of the institute for sustainable communities (ifsc) at texas a&m university ifsc brings together scholars from across a&m to collaborate on interdisciplinary research engagement and high impact service learning ifscs fellows program recognizes scholars who have made notable and valuable contributions to scientific research community resilience and engagement efforts as well as teaching excellence dr hannibal is currently working with people associated with ifsc on several research projects that focus on different aspects of community resilience one such project funded by the national science foundations (nsf) critical resilient independent infrastructure systems and processes program is collecting original data to analyze how human-infrastructure systems affect resilience to urban flooding as co-principal investigator on another nsf project dr hannibal is collecting original data from city governments to analyze strategies and planning networks oriented toward building resilience to urban flooding
this two-day conference on rethinking texas water policy featured educational presentations on groundwater and surface water policy by government industry and academic experts representing a range of groundwater and surface water interests and expertise the speakers included distinguished state government officials jurists hydrologists and academics from texas a&m university rice university texas tech university texas state university and texas a&m university-corpus christi before assessing substantive regulatory change one must understand all the issues relating to water policythe legal scientific economic and political complexities therefore the conference was organized around these four complexities with day one focused on groundwater and day two focused on surface water and also on how groundwater and surface water can be better utilized conjunctively conference topics on the first day of the rethinking texas water policy conference dr james griffin senior professor of economics and public policy at the bush school of government and public service welcomed participants and challenged them to think long-term and big picture about texas water policy well beyond the next legislative session and texas water code tweaking he further urged them not to throw out ideas they deemed politically unfeasible day one: understanding the complexities of groundwater understanding the legal complexities participants were first treated to a legal panel moderated by austin water attorney ed mccarthy which included texas supreme court justice james blacklock former texas supreme court justice craig enoch and former texas court of appeals justice jan patterson the panelists discussed the lack of legal precedent as a challenge to ruling on water policy cases and the role of science and expert testimony in deciding water related disputes before moving into a conversation about the similarities and differences between groundwater oil and natural gas lawunderstanding the science: texas major aquifers & hydrologic characteristics the second panel was moderated by john tracy director of the water resources institute at texas a&m and included larry french of the texas water development board hydrologist bob harden and greg stanton of the texas water science center the panels focus revolved chiefly around the issues of artesian pressure and reductions in aquifer storage and the lack of correlation between the two the panelists also discussed how artesian pressure could be substantially reduced but storage only slightly depleted another point of emphasis was the challenge of making rules that provide fair and consistent regulation of aquifers when each one is differenttexas water history during the lunch hour dr charles porter professor of history at st edwards university spoke about the history of water policy in texas beginning with over 180 years of surface water precedents as the dominant concern of regulators before groundwater rose to greater prominence in the current eraunderstanding the economics carlos rubenstein former chairman of the texas water development board and former commissioner of the texas commission on environmental quality moderated the economics panel consisting of economists james griffin of the bush school and ryan williams of texas tech university the topics of conversation centered on some common misconceptions about groundwater including the idea that loss in artesian pressure is not the same as a loss in storage in an aquifer suggested solutions to groundwater scarcity issues included adoption of correlative rights to limit landowners to a reasonable share of a common source of groundwater avoiding discrimination among users and beneficial uses of water a mitigation fund to protect land owners impacted by increased pumping and the idea of groundwater bank accountslimitations on sharing the resource the next panel included kathleen jackson director of the water development board sarah schlessinger of the texas alliance of groundwater districts john durand representing texas alliance of energy producers and public policy strategist john hockenyos of txp inc moderator marc rodriguez government relations consultant guided the panelists through a discussion of issues considered by the earlier panels and their implications for water policy using a case study of the city of san antonio the participants discussed the economic importance of water and the nearly impossible balancing act that local groundwater conservation districts must perform to responsibly serve both landowners and the environmentunderstanding the political constraints the final panel of the day convened texas state representatives tracy king and four price former state senator buster brown and moderator texas a&m university water law and management professor ron kaiser the experts shared their insight into the political nuances of texas water policy as the legislators spoke they described the division on water policy as often a result of conflict between urban and rural interests and predicted that despite increasing disagreement over water policy there would be more legislation on groundwater in the near future day one of the conference concluded with a reception in the lobby of the annenberg presidential conference center where attendees were able to discuss the content of the days panels and follow up with speakers about specific concerns and questions prompted by the presentations made during that days groundwater panels day two: understanding the complexities of surface water the second day of the rethinking texas water policy conference began with a welcome from dr lori taylor director of the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy who introduced the first speaker of the morning former texas state senator and current senior advisor for fiscal matters at the office of the governor tommy williams senator williams observed that water resources are crucial for job growth which he identified as the number one priority for the state senator williams also praised the work of the texas water development board and swift before transitioning into the first panel of the morningunderstanding the legal complexities of surface water todd votteler editor-in-chief of the texas water journal moderated a legal panel consisting of toby baker commissioner of the texas commission on environmental quality; austin water lawyer doug caroom; and kevin ward general manager of the trinity river authority of texas the panelists discussed the laws relating to ownership and use of surface water all surface water in texas is owned by the state with use determined by junior and senior water rights referred to as the prior appropriations system which grants higher priority usage to whoever has owned a right to water for a longer period of time particularly during droughts this system has proven inflexible leading to both practical and legal challenges for water users statewide and for the texas commission on environmental quality the state agency mandated by the texas legislature to implement state surface water policiesunderstanding the science next attendees gathered for another panel to illuminate some of the scientific issues surrounding surface water dr robert brandes moderated the panel consisting of dr william espey of lja engineering inc; dr larry mckinney of the harte research institute for gulf of mexico studies at texas a&m-corpus christi; and dr ralph wurbs senior professor at the zachry department of civil engineering at texas a&m university responsible for the water availability model used statewide to evaluate the surface water availability in the tceq water rights permitting process topics in this panel touched on water storage in reservoirs and estuaries which contribute to environmental sustainability the panelists also explained how water can be redirected to replenish wetlands and other coastal buffers which protect against droughts and the development of water availability models (wams) for preparing and evaluating water right permit applicationslegal impediments to conjunctive water use: experience from other states dr burke griggs law professor at washburn university in kansas and former state deputy attorney general entertained conference attendees over lunch with a humorous but thoughtful exploration of the historical water conflicts between kansas and nebraska the talk emphasized conjunctive use but conceded that many assumptions about conjunctive use are unrealistic and some impediments can be good because they protect property rightsunderstanding the economics gabe collins of the baker institute at rice university moderated the afternoon economics panel which included sharlene leurig of the texas environmental flows initiative; carlos rubenstein former chairman of the texas water development board and former commissioner of the texas commission on environmental quality; and maria vaca 2017 bush school graduate and water capstone participant the experts shared their thoughts on developing a more robust market place for texas surface water rights including converting water rights keeping transportation costs low and using fees to discourage consumption especially during periods of drought examples included the rio grande water market sustainability practices in austin and the theoretical use of a water conservation feeunderstanding the politics in the final panel of the conference commissioner toby baker of the texas commission on environmental quality moderated a dialogue with texas state representatives poncho nevarez and dade phelan the politicians discussed the tension in the legislature surrounding surface water reiterating the urban/rural divide from the previous day and the challenges of balancing human use with environmental need particularly regarding reservoir construction as the panel concluded one representative summed up his talk with one sentence which was well-received by the audience: everything to do with water is maddeningly frustratingclosing remarks concluding the summit texas state comptroller glenn hegar summarized the highlights from the two days comptroller hegar predicted that water would remain a prominent issue as texas continues to grow echoing other speakers from the event comptroller hegar emphasized how the complexity of water issues can make it hard to remove emotions and have a conversation about what is best for the most people ultimately hegar encouraged conference attendees to think about how to arrive at outcomes with winners on all sides rather than winners and losers the bush school and mosbacher institute are grateful to all the speakers sponsors and participants for sharing their thoughts and ideas during two highly productive days spent rethinking texas water policy groundwater understanding the political constraints panel: rep four price rep tracy king former sen buster brown and dr ron kaiser (moderator); dr james griffin at podium limitations on sharing the resource panel: sarah rountree schlessinger kathleen jackson jon hockenyos john durand and marc rodriguez (moderator) surface water understanding the economics panel: maria vaca carlos rubinstein sharlene leurig and gabe collins (moderator)
dr hannibal istpp assistant research scientist was invited to participate in the development of sesyncs data to motivate synthesis project at the university of maryland at annapolis in august the purpose of this workshop is to gain insight on research methods focusing on the food-energy-water nexus while the outcomes and next steps are not publicly available and only accessible for participants more information on the tools topics and process can be found on the sesync website
there are many challenges associated with beginning a business in a conflict region and dr leslie ruyle is well aware of those challenges people living in regions of conflict still need to make a living and young people especially need to see opportunities for their future that dont include fighting ruyle is interested in supporting communities in areas usually neglected for entrepreneurship especially those in conflict regions with limited roads and electricity options next to areas of conservation concern through her work at texas a&m university recently she talked about some of her past and ongoing projects including her work this year with a capstone group comprised of second-year international affairs graduate students at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university entrepreneurship is the latest buzzword across campus and across the united states and ruyle saw an opportunity to link the extensive expertise of texas a&ms students faculty and community members in college station texas with a university and community she has worked with for over five years in the eastern democratic republic of the congo (drc) by working with departments across campus the program is helping local entrepreneurs in the drc develop resilient businesses and students a greater perspective on the challenges of business around the world this project began when ruyle was researching the impact of a hydro-power dam in virunga national park the funders idea was simple enoughthe electricity generated by these dams would help spur economic development in the community and because conflict can be as much poverty driven as ideological inexpensive electricity could help support peace efforts in the region working with virunga national park ruyle set out to examine the effects of these dams on the locals potentially benefitting from them she began talking to community members asking them what they would do with this electricity in an attempt to gauge its impact when i asked this question theyd say ‘well non-governmental organizations (ngos) will come in and theyll give us jobs she said if youre in international development you know thats not the most sustainable option another common response was factories will come in but the lack of paved roads in the region made this seem unlikely finally someone said i want to start a cell-phone charging shop ruyle knew this was an idea that with potential most people have cell phones but they need to have a place where they can charge their phones so how do we help these people who have these great ideas to start businesses and begin to see the emergence of a middle class ruyle thought the answer entrepreneurship out of this came wakisha an entrepreneurship program based at the local university meaning ignite in swahili wakisha is a fitting name for this program which is meant to provide seed funding mentorship training and an office space for these business people the collaborative working space provides electricity internet and a common working space designed so that these creatives may interact with each other generating new ideas and expanding on their original business plans over the summer ruyle hosted leopards lair which was inspired by the hit us show shark tank and the uk program dragons den entrepreneurs were invited to come present their ideas and nine were selected and ultimately had their projects funded in addition to financial support there are local mentors as well as mentors from abroad who work with these entrepreneurs on the ground providing weekly training at the wakisha hub now ruyle is leading a capstone team who are supporting the program by further developing the model building on the curriculum and providing an evaluation framework to better understand the strengths and challenges of the endeavor her hope is to connect bush school students to real world programs in international development where they can see the impact of their work on the lives of these entrepreneurs
she represents a country with no borders a people with no country this is the current state of kurdistan representative bayan sami abdul rahman holds her post in a time of seismic shifts in the middle east on the heels of a kurdish independence referendum and as millions of refugees flow into kurdistan from war-torn regions its not an easy position to hold but she does it with determination and passion representative abdul rahman spent an intimate evening with a capstone class at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university discussing the classs upcoming project the discussion was followed by a presentation to students and faculty in her talk representative abdul rahman gave a history of her peoplethe persecution they have faced the struggles they have endured and the optimism they have for the future she explained why kurds agreed to remain in iraq following the toppling of saddam hussein in 2003 despite the persecution and genocide ordered by his regime following his removal kurdistan enjoyed what she called the golden decade when the country was able to have fair and open elections establish universities rebuild its shattered economy and enjoy increased civic activism the progress of this era was all taken away with the rise of isis she spoke of how isis formed in iraq and the role of the kurdish peshmerga in supporting iraqi military forces in the fight to drive isis forces from the region she described the recent kurdish referendum as an equally exhilarating and terrifying day for her and her country she spoke of her role in strengthening ties between kurdistan and the united states even in the face of opposition to her countrys desire for independence she advocated for her governments position on a wide array of political security humanitarian economic and cultural matters while prompting continued coordination and partnershipoverall she is optimistic about relations with baghdad and the future of kurdistan hoping one day it will be able to return to the peaceful and prosperous times it once enjoyedfollowing the talk dr erin snider moderated a q&a session with questions from the audience a video of the talk and q&a session is available at https://youtube/67hkimxlhk4
dean mark welsh recently received the national public service award from the american society for public administration (aspa) the award is given each year to honor individuals who make outstanding contributions and whose accomplishments are models of public service inside and outside the work environment dean welsh was honored alongside two other recipients the national public service awards recognize contributions of public servant practitioners across all sectors of the government award recipients are individuals who have taken risks to achieve change made a profound difference to improve service to the public achieved savings in government operations and contributed to the communities in which they live and work through his forty-year career in the air force and now as dean of the bush school of government and public service dean welsh has upheld all these values i was truly honored to receive this award said dean welsh the importance of service to others is highlighted daily at the bush school and texas a&m the fact that an organization like aspa with public service firmly implanted in its dna would choose to recognize me in this way is doubly humbling recipients may currently have careers in academia or a nonprofit organization but all recipients must have previously had a career as a public servant working for the government in august 2012 dean welsh became the chief of staff of the air force and was responsible for the organization training and equipping of 664 000 active-duty guard reserve and civilian forces serving in the united states and overseas he has carried his superb leadership skills to his current role at the bush school the awards were presented during aspas annual conference in denver
ryan garrett 06 always admired nasa growing up walking into the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university for his first day of class in 2004 he never imagined that his education at the school and perfect timing would allow him to play a role in the organization he had always respected garrett now lives in star city russia and works as the deputy director of operations to the international space station program he was a program analyst for nine years in the nasa office of the chief financial officer supporting various organizations before making the move to russia in 2017 garrett said he learned about his first job at nasa when a bush school alumni sent a note to career services about the opening in the office of the chief financial officer at johnson space center the timing of the opening proved fortuitous for garrett and he capitalized on the opportunity after submitting his resume he was called for an interview it was a much simpler process back then he noted nine years later in his current position garrett is responsible for providing an environment conducive to learning for american canadian and japanese astronauts this includes managing nasa housing office and gym facilities vehicle fleet resources transportation and shipping logistics various support contracts and leases and astronaut morale while the astronauts are participating in an extremely rigorous training regime that separates them from their families for up to six weeks at a time navigating the move to a new country takes a certain level of adaptability and a days work at nasa is never dull the bush school helped prepare garrett for this fast-paced lifestyle abroad the bush school helped me immensely by teaching me how to distill vast amounts of information down to what is important and then construct meaningful and actionable recommendations/directives to management/subordinates garrett said learning how to focus my thoughts and not allow myself to become overwhelmed as i think critically about the task at hand has enabled me to be successful in my positions
on tuesday march 20 2018 the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy and the texas a&m economics department hosted a conversation in public policy featuring dr jonathan gruber the ford professor of economics at the massachusetts institute of technology and noted health economist dr gruber who served as a technical consultant to the obama administration on the affordable care act shared his expertise in his talk entitled the affordable care act: will it survive and what comes next the event began with welcoming remarks from dr lori taylor director of the mosbacher institute and an introduction of dr gruber by dr jason lindo associate professor of economics at texas a&m university dr gruber began his talk with a description of the origins of the affordable care act (aca) in the republican healthcare plan he helped design and implement in massachusetts during mitt romneys governorship the romneycare plan he said was based on a three-legged stool of (1) requiring health insurance companies to stop discriminating on the basis of preexisting health conditions (2) distributing the insurance pool risk across more healthy people with the individual mandate requirement and (3) helping people who could not afford insurance with subsidies he noted that while the first part was very popular all three legs were critical to the reform keeping the crowd engaged with humorous remarks and anecdotes dr gruber argued that the aca fairly successfully accomplished its goals of increasing insurance coverage among americans and fixing a broken healthcare market but that the evidence on whether it has lowered healthcare costs remains inconclusive dr gruber also predicted that with the repeal of the individual mandate insurance companies would have to increase premiums for the future dr gruber predicted that policy goals would revolve around controlling costs with the means of doing so depending on the political party in control in the second half of the program assistant professor laura dague of the bush school of government and public service engaged dr gruber in an on-stage discussion asking questions submitted by the audience along with her own dr dague the bush schools own expert in health policy pressed dr gruber on a variety of topics beginning with how healthcare markets differ economically from other markets the two economists also discussed the possibility of the uninsured rate increasing due to recent policy changes to the penalty for not buying insurance additionally the conversation touched on why the health insurance reimbursement system in the united states may cause technology to increase costs instead of decrease as it does in other markets and how public policies could begin to tackle the difficult task of modifying unhealthy individual behaviors before closing the program dr taylor presented dr gruber with a plaque commemorating his visit to texas a&m university and invited everyone to a reception in the lobby
dr manuel teodoro an istpp research fellow and associate professor in the department of political science and seung-ho an a phd candidate in the department of political science recently published a paper titled citizen-based brand equity: a model and experimental evaluation in the journal of public administration research and theory adapting a model from commercial marketing teodoro and an develop an agency branding theory to explain how public perceptions of an agency translate into political and organizational leverage for public managers teodoro and an use data from an experiment embedded within istpps water energy food nexus survey to investigate the relationship between agency names and support for federal government management of agricultural water and energy resources they find that support for federal management increases when associated with names of specific agencies like the us department of agriculture us army corps of engineers environmental protection agency and department of energy they also find that the effects of branding vary according to citizens partisanship with republicans and democrats responding differently to agency names teodoro and an recommend additional research on public agency branding and they hope their methods in this paper can serve as a model for future research related to brand equity in the public sector moreover further research in this field may provide strategies public managers can use to improve public trust and favorability towards their agency teodoro manuel p and seung-ho an 2017 citizen-based brand equity: a model and experimental evaluation journal of public administration research and theory doi: 101093/jopart/mux044
dr kent e portney and dr ann bowman have been awarded one of the first texas a&m triads for transformation or t3 grants along with dr sierra woodruff in the department of landscape architecture and urban planning t3 is a multidisciplinary program that provides funding of $30 000 to groups of three faculty members (triads) in at least two different colleges at texas a&m to stimulate and support innovative collaborative research under the t3 program each tenured or tenure-track faculty member is provided access to one (and only one) token which can be redeemed for $10 000 each once three faculty members agree to work on a posted project projects must be new and must not be continuations of prior research created as part of the presidents excellence fund t3 is administered by texas a&ms division of research (dor) portney said this grant will support the launch of a project called 101 resilient cities policies and programs with the goal of critically assessing the policies and programs the 101 largest us cities use to implement their respective resilience plans the project will also involve dr bryce hannibal from the bush schools institute for science technology and public policy and dr garett sansom from the school of public health
the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university has moved higher in the national rankings of schools of public affairs according to a report published by us news & world report the bush school ranks 16th among public schools listed in the survey 28th overall dean mark welsh noted that this puts the bush school in the top 10 percent of the 282 public and private graduate schools ranked these latest rankings are a testament to the schools outstanding faculty reputation and to the quality of our students welsh said the rise in rankings is another key indicator of the progress the school has made and the growing impact of our graduates in the field of public service he added the bush school founded in 1997 is celebrating its 20th anniversary this academic year in less than twenty years the bush school has grown from a small program with fewer than 20 students to a reputable academic college with two departments and a student population of more than 400 hailing from 39 states and 23 countries the bush school continues to have a significant impact on key issues facing the state nation and world through its three research institutes: the institute for science technology and public policy; the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy; and the scowcroft institute of international affairs the school is also home to the center for nonprofits and philanthropy and the program on women peace and security in addition to offering the master of public service and administration and the master of international affairs the bush school offers an online executive master of public service and administration and graduate certificates in advanced international affairs homeland security public management and nonprofit management
istpps dr bryce hannibal recently published a paper titled citizens decision-making frameworks on climate change policy preferences with dr tabitha morton from prairie view a&m university in the journal of social science for policy implications the authors examine knowledge and emotional effects on citizens climate change mitigation policy preferences analyzing data from istpps national public climate change survey the researchers find that people who are more anxious or fearful of climate change were more willing to support climate change mitigation policies they also find that people who scored higher on the emotion-based decision-making framework were more likely to support mitigation policies drs hannibal and morton conclude that modeling climate change policy preferences with emotional and knowledge-based decision frameworks may improve understanding and predictions about human preferences they highlight the importance of future research focusing on changes in decision-making frameworks and the factors that influence those changes morton t and bryce hannibal 2018 citizens decision-making frameworks on climate change policy preferences journal of social science for policy implications 6(2): 1-11
dr silva hamie a bush school lecturer since 2014 teaches courses in post-conflict recovery and development the role of international organizations in peace and conflict and qualitative research methods this semester she is teaching a class on clientelism which looks at corruption in the developing world and is also leading a capstone project for second-year students born in lebanon hamie earned her ba in political science at beirut university college and her ma in international relations at the lebanese university in beirut after completing these degrees she moved to england where she earn her phd in politics from the university of york while completing her coursework there hamie also taught at the university of york including courses on the causes of armed conflict she says her teaching style developed and evolved while she was teaching and completing her phd today hamie says she encourages her students to truly engage with the material and plans activities that foster this hands-on learning experience post-graduate school work also influenced her future research and teaching after earning her doctorate hamie worked for oxfam gb first monitoring analyzing and reporting on humanitarian developments in heavily targeted areas during and after the war in lebanon she later built a network with local and international ngos local governmental agencies journalists researchers un agencies ministries and politicians and integrated a preparedness plan taking into account the updated political situation in lebanon hamie recognizes that days in graduate school are long and often difficult and that keeping students focused can be a challenge when you have a three-hour class i know students will get sleepy and theyll be tiredespecially if its on a friday afternoon she said to combat this hamie likes to choose a fun but relevant question for her students to explore for example one of her classes was discussing disaster relief so she told her class: imagine a conflict is happening and the bombing or hurricane has reached your town; you have five minutes to decide what to take with you while youre evacuating while some students seemed to think they were going camping the point of the exercise was to demonstrate the speed at which evacuation decisions must be made not only did the exercise serve as a conversation starter it kept students engaged in the class which is what hamie aims to do in all her classes my teaching style is engaging she said its not just lecturing; you dont just come take notes and go home i like the students to feel like they own the class one way she allows students to feel they have a stake in the class is by having each student lead the discussion over the course of the semester hamie also incorporates a brief simulation into each class that gives students the opportunity to work in groups strengthening team building skills throughout the semester hamie is known for taking her classes on trips where they are able to learn in a hands-on environment last year she took her post-conflict recovery and development class to jacksonville florida to evaluate the recovery of hurricane matthew that swept through the city in 2016 she would like to expand this hands-on involved learning experience by leading a study abroad trip in the future which will give students the opportunity to study two things at once not only will they learn about a case study or a particular issue they also will gain an understanding of the context of the issue as it pertains to the specific country she currently is leading a capstone project that is examining unicefs education program for syrian refugee children in lebanon which is part of a larger research project analyzing the host communitys response to refugee influxes hamie is also working on a research project with her colleague at the bush school dr mu examining why refugees choose the location to which they flee hamie has always been interested in issues in the middle east and north africa (mena) and her research largely reflects this previously she has published papers on talent development in the region and a piece on the workplace culture and human resources
in the wake of heighten concerns over us tariff policy comes a new study at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university suggesting that chinese monetary policy may be contributing to the us trade deficit entitled understanding chinas currency manipulation the research is summarized in the latest publication from the bush schools mosbacher institute of trade economics and public policy since 2005 chinas monetary regime has set the value of the chinese renminbi (rmb) rather than market forces in this latest issue of the takeaway three bush school students use research from one of their classes to enter the debate about whether china can be labeled a currency manipulator their analysis examined real exchange rates and found evidence that china is undervaluing its currency to artificially inflate its net exportsto the benefit of us consumers but at the expense of the us trade deficit the researchers observed that the consistently low value of chinas currency increases chinese exports to the united states and decreases prices paid by us consumers their data showed that while the united states-china real exchange rate fell chinas share of the us trade deficit rose the authors note that the response to this challenge is unclear cheaper goods benefit us consumers while cheap imports hurt us producers as they lose market share to foreign companies as well china could offset any increase in tariffs with further currency changes this research was conducted by rebecca skaff lincoln webb and kyle clahane second year bush school students in the master of international affairs program it was part of their work for a class on global economics taught by dr raymond robertson the full takeaway can be found on the mosbacher institute website
as women around the world celebrate international womens day on march 8 2018 there are data demonstrating that true gender parity will not be a reality for many years the good news is there is now global activism for womens equality fueled by movements like #metoo #timesup and more women are making positive gains and there is a strong and growing movement of advocacy activism and support however women around the world still face an ever-present security threat these threats to womens security are felt at all levels of government and in every nation around the world women endure a variety of experiences in their lifetime thirty-five percent of women have experienced physical or sexual violence and more than 750 million women and girls worldwide were married before their eighteenth birthday according to the un as the world prepares for international womens day it is important to acknowledge the work being done on these vital issues the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university is home to the program on women peace and security (wps) that was established in 2015 the wps program seeks to influence public policy debate and policy decision making within wps is the womanstats project which functions as the research arm of the program dr valerie hudson developed this project a nation-by-nation database on women at the womanstats project we believe the fate of nations is tied to the fate of women hudson said our research project aims to make that linkage visible and demonstrable the database is the most comprehensive database on the status of women worldwide today and includes over 360 variables for 176 countries the co-principal investigators on the project are some of the most preeminent experts in their fields representing not only us universities but universities in great britain turkey and colombia experts and findings from the project have been called upon by unwomen the national intelligence council the house foreign affairs committee the senate foreign relations committee and many other entities the bush school is one of the home institutions of the project and several bush school graduate students work as project coders who extract upload and scale information on the status of women for the womanstats database one of those students kayla mcgill has worked on the project as a coder for over three years and says shes passionate about the project because she knows it is changing lives and improving understanding of womens issues around the world another student ashley lovell echoed similar sentiments about working for the project i love being able to work for an organization that does more than just talk about why women matter lovell said the womanstats project goes one step further and uses statistical analysis to prove why empowering women is a critical component of a nations stability and security
the women peace and security (wps) symposium provides a timely opportunity to address the challenges and opportunities of the wps agenda by discussing them in a bi-partisan environment developing connections between texas regional and national stakeholders this symposium was held on november 20 2017 at the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university symposium highlights | symposium agenda symposium highlights opening remarks with dean mark a welsh iii opening remarks from the third annual women peace and security symposium with dean mark a welsh iii dean of the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m universitywatch opening remarks with dean mark a welsh iiivideo length: 13:27 opening remarks and discussion with ambassador catherine russell ambassador catherine russell former ambassador-at-large for global womens issues us state departmentwatch ambassador catherine russells opening remarksvideo length: 1:01:58 new research on women peace and security panel introduction: emily sellars bush school of government & public servicepanel speakers:natalie gonnella-platts george w bush institutevalerie m hudson bush school of government & public serviceellen haring women in international security (wiis) & dr megan mackenzie the university of sydneysabrina karim cornell universitymoderator: leslie ruyle scowcroft institute bush school of government & public servicewatch new research on women peace and securityvideo length: 1:13:08 health as a security priority for women and nations panel introduction: silva hamie bush school of government & public servicepanel speakers:kathleen oreilly department of geography tamusarah evans well awarejacob allen marys meals board of directorsmoderator: brandie depaoli taylor school of health tamuwatch health as a security priority for women and nationsvideo length: 56:04 women as peacebuilders in afghanistan panel introduction: metra mehran bush school of government & public servicepanel speakers:farhat popal george w bush instituterazia jan razias ray of hopenilofar ibrahimi mp wolesi jirga afghanistanmoderator and discussion leader: sabrina karim cornell universitywatch women as peacebuilders in afghanistanvideo length: 58:58 texas perspectives on women peace and security (wps) panel introduction: beverly hill gendercide awareness projectpanel speakers:anita marcos peacemakers inc of dallasjustine cherutich womens federation for world peacejan langbein genesis womens shelter of dallasrena menard us national committee for unwomenmoderator: amanda schnetzer george w bush institutewatch texas perspectives on women peace and security (wps)video length: 56:52 the honorable kay granger us house of representatives congresswoman kay granger delivers the keynote address at third annual women peace and security symposium at texas a&m universitywatch the honorable kay granger us house of representativesvideo length: 32:48 evening remarks with judy mcclennan judy mcclennan delivers her evening remarks at the third annual women peace and security symposium at texas a&m university mcclennan served as the us ambassador to the united nations commission on the status of women under present george hw bushwatch evening remarks with judy mcclennanvideo length: 51:25 closing reflections with dr valerie hudson closing reflections from the third annual women peace and security symposium with dr valerie hudson the george hw bush chair at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m universitywatch closing reflections with dr valerie hudsonvideo length: 8:01 symposium agenda the texas symposium on women peace and security challenges and opportunities amidst global change monday november 20 2017 description the texas symposium on women peace and security is designed to bring together academics practitioners and policymakers who are interested in advancing the goals of un security council resolution 1325 which advocates for the increased participation of women in matters of national security including conflict resolution peace-building countering violent extremism transitional justice and post-conflict reconstruction the wps agenda also suggests that national security and human security must proceed hand in hand for peace to be durable and just including issues that some might see as normally within the scope of national security such as education health and welfare womens perspectives and voice on issues of national security has been sorely lacking and this symposium is a contribution to the rectification of that deficiency the texas symposium on wps also aspires to showcase texas-based scholarship philanthropy programming and policy on these important issues information the symposium will be held in the orientation room of the george hw bush presidential library seating for the panels audience is limited to 100 persons and is first come first serve please arrive on time for the panel and stay for the entire panel so as not to disrupt the proceedings the lunch-time mingle and the closing reception will be open to all bush school students faculty and staff location george hw bush presidential library orientation theater1000 george bush drive westcollege station texas 77843 agenda 9–9:10 amconference welcome addressdean mark a welsh iii bush school of government & public service texas a&m university 9:10-9:30 amconference orientation and logisticsvalerie m hudson director program on women peace and security bush school of government & public service amanda schnetzer director of global initiatives george w bush institute 9:30-10:20 amopening remarks with discussion followingambassador catherine russell former ambassador-at-large for global womens issues us state departmentmoderator: valerie m hudson bush school of government & public service 10:20-10:30 ambreak 10:30–11:30 amwomen as peacebuilders in afghanistanpanel introduction: metra mehran bush school of government & public servicepanel speakers: farhat popal george w bush instituterazia jan razias ray of hopenilofar ibrahimi mp wolesi jirga afghanistan moderator and discussion leader: sabrina karim cornell university 11:30 am-12:30 pmhealth as a security priority for women and nationspanel introduction: silva hamie bush school of government & public servicepanel speakers: kathleen oreilly department of geography tamusarah evans well awarejacob allen marys meals board of directors moderator: brandie depaoli taylor school of health tamu 12:30–1:00 pmnetworking break 1-1:40 pmpanelists lunch 1:40–2:40 pmtexas perspectives on women peace and security (wps)panel introduction: beverly hill gendercide awareness projectpanel speakers: anita marcos peacemakers inc of dallasjustine cherutich womens federation for world peacejan langbein genesis womens shelter of dallasrena menard us national committee for unwomen moderator: amanda schnetzer george w bush institute 2:40-3:10 pmkeynote speakerthe honorable kay granger us house of representatives 3:10–3:20 pmbreak 3:20–4:40 pmnew research on women peace and securitypanel introduction: emily sellars bush school of government & public servicepanel speakers: natalie gonnella-platts george w bush institutevalerie m hudson bush school of government & public serviceellen haring women in international security (wiis) & dr megan mackenzie the university of sydneysabrina karim cornell university moderator: leslie ruyle scowcroft institute bush school of government & public service 4:40–5 pmclosing reflectionsvalerie m hudson bush school of government & public service 5–5:50 pmclosing reception bush presidential library rotunda speaker biographies kay granger a leader in national defense and global security kay granger serves and fights for the 12th congressional district of texas elected to her 11th term in 2016 by an overwhelming margin kay has earned her reputation in congress as a hard-working tough and principled leader on the issues that matter most to the people she serves her legislative prowess and ability to get things done widely respected by both policy makers and influencers in washington alike led to her recognition by cqs roll call as one of the 25 most influential women in congress cathy russell during her time as ambassador cathy was responsible for us efforts to advance gender equality and the status of women and girls around the world developing a toolbox of policies programs partnerships and diplomatic efforts she traveled to nearly 50 countries developed groundbreaking us government policies and tested new approaches coordinated interagency efforts and built partnerships with fortune 50 and fortune 500 companies she also worked with foreign governments multilateral organizations and civil society on a full range of issues from womens economic empowerment to adolescent girls education to womens roles in peace and security mark a welsh iii mark a welsh iii became dean of the bush school in august 2016 after retiring from the united states air force welsh who was born in san antonio earned a bachelor of science degree from the us air force academy a master of science degree in computer resource management from webster university and graduated from the army command and general staff college the air war college and the national war college he was a fellow of seminar xxi at the massachusetts institute of technology a fellow of the national security studies program of syracuse university and johns hopkins university a fellow of ukrainian security studies at the john f kennedy school of government at harvard university a fellow of the pinnacle course of the national defense university and a graduate of the general manager program at the harvard business school valerie hudson dr valerie hudson joined the faculty of the bush school in 2012 as the george hw bush chair an expert on international security and foreign policy analysis she received her phd in political science at ohio state university and comes to texas a&m university from a senior faculty position at brigham young university in 2009 foreign policy named her one of the top 100 most influential global thinkers her recently published work entitled the hillary doctrine: how sex came to matter to in american foreign policy looks at secretary clintons focus on gender policy and asks how it found a place on the to do list for future secretaries of state amanda schnetzer amanda schnetzer is director of global initiatives at the george w bush institute in dallas texas in this role she is responsible for developing innovative research programmatic and policy efforts to advance societies rooted in political and economic freedom and to empower women to lead in their communities and countries previously she served as the bush institutes founding director of the human freedom initiative metra mehran metra mehran (mpsa class of 2018) majored in political science and public administration with a minor in law at the american university of afghanistan (afghanistan) graduating in december 2014 metra was president of the debate club and vice president of sga; and she served as a resident adviser a writer for the school newspaper and a student body representative to a campus board she was also active in her community working with different ngos and service projects farhat popal farhat popal serves as the manager of the womens initiative fellowship and the afghan womens project at the george w bush institute in this role farhat is responsible for research and programmatic efforts that empower women worldwide to lead in their communities and countries farhat studied political science/international relations and history of the near east at the university of california san diego razia jan razia jan founder and president of the zabuli education center has worked for many years to forge connections between afghans and americans born in afghanistan razia moved to the united states in 1970 for two decades she was the proprietor of a small tailoring business in duxbury massachusetts where she served as president of the towns rotary club nilofar ibrahimi dr nilofar ibrahimi is a member of the national assembly of afghanistan she is representing badakhshan province in the wolesi jirga (house of representatives) her life story is one about survival pursuit of dreams and dedication to womens wellbeing and health dr ibrahimis childhood was marked by the murder of her father and grandfather (also a member of the parliament) in the 1970s they were victims of the communist regime they were buried alive like many other regime dissidents their bodies have never been found sabrina karim sabrina karims (phd candidate emory university) will start as an assistant professor in government at cornell university in 2017 during 2016-2017 she is a dartmouth fellow in us foreign policy and international security she is the co-author of a forthcoming book with oxford university press entitled equal opportunity peacekeeping silva hamie dr c silva hamie has been a lecturer in the department of international affairs (ia) since 2014 teaching courses on post-conflict recovery and development and international organizations she has also been advising students and is involved in ia capstone projects in addition she has been teaching a course on issues in world politics in the department of political science kathleen oreilly kathleen oreilly is a feminist geographer with extensive water sanitation and hygiene (wash) experience in urban and rural india she studies drinking water supply systems management and the impacts of sanitation interventions for marginal groups particularly women and lowest castes her career spans over 20 years of data collection research findings dissemination and teaching sarah evans sarah evans began her professional life as a securities lawyer but launched her career in international development as the founder of well aware an austin-based nonprofit working with impoverished communities to establish safe and sustainable water infrastructure as a foundation for prosperity through this work her team-building and her dedication to realistic solutions she has become a subject-matter expert and has published several articles on international development nonprofit management womens issues and water system success on various platforms; including mariashrivercom wandering educators stilettos on the glass ceiling among others features about her and her work have been seen in the new york times peoplecom usa today and many others jacob allen jacob allen is a partner with cicero group and managing director of the social impact practice partnering with leading foundations nonprofits and social enterprises to improve impact through strategy performance monitoring and impact evaluation (m&e) performance management and donor and beneficiary analytics over the past 15 years jacob has worked with mission-driven organizations including leading corporate philanthropies international ngos and nonprofit providers he has led the strategic design measurement and implementation of social impact programs run by presidents bush and clinton united way goldman sachs prudential youthbuild international junior achievement church world service the alzheimers association the nature conservancy and many others brandie depaoli taylor dr brandie depaoli taylor joined the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at the school of public health as an assistant professor in january 2014 dr taylor received both her mph and phd from the university of pittsburgh following her pre-doctoral training dr taylor received a nih t32 post-doctoral fellowship in perinatal epidemiology at michigan state university beverly hill beverly hill founded the gendercide awareness project in 2011 to combat the little known atrocity of gendercide beverly graduated from duke university summa cum laude with a ba in economics she later returned to duke for graduate work in history specializing in the history of science and renaissance/reformation history anita marcos anita have been committed to the elimination of sexism racism cultural barriers and has been involved in women and civil rights since 1970 she has owned several business and is a motivational speaker a retired real estate broker an entrepeneur and a community leader she is also the president of marcos productions a women-owned business providing bilingual seminars and training for women emily sellars dr emily a sellars joined the department of international affairs at the bush school this fall as an assistant professor prior to coming to the bush school she was a postdoctoral scholar in political economy at the harris school of public policy at the university of chicago dr sellars received a joint phd in political science and agricultural and applied economics from the university of wisconsinmadison natalie gonnella-platts natalie gonnella-platts serves as the deputy director of the womens initiative at the george w bush institute in this role natalie is responsible for research and programmatic efforts that empower women worldwide to lead in their communities and countries the portfolio currently includes the first ladies initiative the afghan womens project and the womens initiative fellowship ellen haring dr ellen haring is the director of programs and research at the service womens action network she is also a senior fellow at women in international security where she directs the combat integration initiative harings research and work focuses on women and gender in the military leslie ruyle dr leslie ruyle is a conservation ecologist program leader and educator who has traveled to over 65 countries in her career shes particularly interested in understanding the dynamics of conservation and development in regions of conflict she works closely with usaid in-country missions embassies ngos and leaders from protected areas ranging from world heritage sites to local community-based conservation initiatives seeking innovative development solutions justine cherutich rena menard
dean mark welsh has announced the appointment of dr andrew l ross to the brent scowcroft chair in international policy studies at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university the chair is named in honor of lt gen brent scowcroft usaf (ret) whose public service career included serving as national security adviser for presidents gerald ford and george h w bush ross said he is thrilled and deeply honored to be named to the scowcroft chair ross directs the schools national security affairs program; is a senior fellow in the institute for science technology and public policy (istpp); and is a member of the executive committee of the texas a&m nuclear solutions institute during his time at the bush school ross has led student capstone teams conducting research for the united states cyber command los alamos national laboratory and sandia national laboratories dr rosss extensive experience in national security policy and his connections to military as well as civilian defense officials along with his impressive work on us grand strategy national security and defense planning are among the many reasons he was selected for this position said dean welsh ross earned his bachelors degree at american university and his masters and phd degrees at cornell university he came to the bush school in 2014 from the university of new mexico where he served as director of the center for science technology and policy; director of special science engineering and policy research initiatives in the office of the vice president for research; and professor of political science he led unms university strategic partnership with the defense threat reduction agency and served as the program manager for unms educational partnership agreement with the air force research laboratory ross was also the founder and chair of the new mexico nuclear study group prior to his unm appointment ross spent sixteen years at the us naval war college where he served as a research professor and director of studies in the strategic research department of the colleges center for naval warfare studies acting director of the advanced research program co-lead of the post-9/11 strategy task group professor in the national security affairs department and secretary of the navy senior research fellow he received the department of the navy meritorious civilian service award in 2002
dr frank b ashley iii senior associate dean of the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university was among those honored at the february 23 2018 appreciation banquet held by the african american national heritage society and museum honorees are chosen by the museums board of directors and are recognized for their significant contributions to the community the museum the state or the nation the event is the museums largest fundraising event of the year and is attended by elected officeholders texas a&m university officials and community leaders and supporters of the museum im humbled by this recognition and honored to be among the distinguished group of african american leaders ashley said ashley came to the bush school from the college board where he was senior vice president of membership and higher education engagement he earned his bachelors degree from louisiana college and a masters and doctorate from the university of alabama initially a science teacher and coach ashley has held numerous faculty and administrative appointments within the texas a&m university system and its member institutions he served as dean of the college of education and interim provost at texas a&m university-commerce as well as director of admissions and associate dean for undergraduate studies and teacher education in texas a&m universitys college of education from 2007 to 2010 ashley served as vice chancellor for academic affairs for the texas a&m university system he served as chief academic officer for the system and represented the system at the state level on all academic issues in 2010 he was named vice chancellor for recruitment and diversity and chief of staff in this position he assisted system universities and agencies in diversity recruitment and retention frank ashley absolutely deserves this recognition said bush school dean mark welsh he has been an important voice in the local community and in academic affairs within the texas a&m system as well as nationally were very proud that he is continuing that leadership at the bush school and most importantly from my perspective hes a wonderful man and an inspirational role model for all of us lucky enough to call him friend
general denis mercier commander of natos supreme allied command transformation will lead a conversation about nato: adaptations challenges and opportunities in the presidential library orientation theater located on texas a&m universitys campus on march 5 2018 this event aims to provide a greater understanding of nato operations in todays world born in france general mercier will share his perspective on the issues surrounding nato the event will be from 12:20–1:20 pm and is part of the scowcroft institute of international affairs lecture series at the bush school of government and public service general mercier has been in his current position since 2015 having earned a masters degree in science from the french air force academy he qualified as a fighter pilot and acquired extensive experience as an operational commander nato has been a constant in general merciers career at the tactical operational and strategic levels working his way through the ranks to his current position he has served as commander of reims air force base in france in addition to commanding the french air force academy in salon-de-provence where he was a transformative leader
professor kent portney has been named to the bob bullock chair of public policy and finance at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m universityportney came to the bush school in 2014 and was named director of the institute for science technology and public policy in 2016 as a member of the tufts university faculty from 1979 to 2014 portney served as department chair in political science and directed the graduate program in public policy and citizen participation most recently he was director of the water and research program at the center for international environment and resource policy (cierp) at tufts fletcher school of law and diplomacy dr kent portney he received his phd in political science from florida state university his masters from the university of connecticut and his bachelors from rutgers university where his studies focused on public administration and public policy portney has broad experience and expertise in environmental policy urban sustainability urban politics economic inequality and policy analysis he has authored or coauthored nine books on such topics as economic and environmental development citizen participation and teaching critical reasoning in the social sciences he has written extensively on urban sustainability urban politics and the nonprofit sector his book the rebirth of urban democracy earned him two awards from the american political science association in announcing the appointment bush school dean mark welsh noted that portneys wide-ranging experience in public policy mirrors the career of the chairs namesake bob bullock the formidable lieutenant governor of texasgovernor bullock was a devoted public servant committed to developing and implementing policies that improved texass educational system and state government as well as the environment dr portneys impressive record of scholarship in all areas of public policy is a fitting continuation of gov bullocks commitment to the state of texas welsh said
research by members of the istpp team drs portney hannibal and liu was presented at the annual southern political science association conference held in new orleans la january 4-6 2018 director portney presented a paper co-authored with assistant research scientist dr hannibal urban governance and sustainability through the water-energy-food nexus: evidence from the san antonio area case study they investigate the extent to which decision-makers responsible for setting policy and management for water resources interact with agencies and organizations involved in energy and food decisions they found that little interaction between such organizations occurs indicating that governance of these resources is segregated by issue domain even though use of these resources is connected such that using one tends to deplete one or both of the others further study is needed to ascertain ways to build connections across the governance processes for these resources so policy and management choices consider effects on the nexus as a whole professors bowman and portney presented their research co-authored with dr jeffrey berry of tufts university titled multilevel governance in designing and managing city sustainability policies multilevel governance has drawn attention as a potentially effective means to address public issues that inherently cross-jurisdictional and administrative boundaries such as the environment climate change and sustainability the authors employ several measures of multilevel governance based on frequency of interactions and contact and joint policy deliberations and show that there is significant variation across cities they then combine these measures with data (gathered from a survey of city administrators) on the degree of sustainability policies for the 50 largest us cities they find strong evidence that multilevel governance has little effect on the adoption and implementation of sustainability policies and programs indeed having so many governance actors involved may introduce barriers to pro-environmental policies research scientist and assistant director dr xinsheng liu and his co-author dr huang from uc-merced presented their paper historical knowledge and national identify in china this paper used data from the china governance and public policy survey to examine the relationship between individual chinese citizens perceptions of their nations historical achievements and the strength of their national identity (including patriotism and nationalism) the authors find that significantly more chinese citizens overestimate than underestimate chinas historical achievements and those who overestimate the achievements of ancient chinese civilization exhibit higher levels of national identity to an even greater degree however citizens who underestimate chinese historical achievements report lower levels of national identity they also find that temporary corrections of misinformation on history and civilization do not have significant effect on national identity these findings shed light on the subtlety of an important source of national identity
nine students from the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university are assisting ruta cívica a nonprofit in mexico city that works to strengthen citizen participation and transparency in urban planning in the city ruta cívica is concerned with helping to shape the development of a new urban planning institute and its arrangements for citizen participation mexico citys government began reorganizing many aspects of its government after enacting its first constitution in 2017 among the changes is a plan to create a new instituto de planeación democrática y perspectiva (institute of democratic and prospective planning) in 2019 the institute will be responsible for urban and sustainability planning within mexico citys government and will include an office for community consultation and participation the office is being established in response to neighborhood opposition to projects repression of citizens voice on these issues and real estate corruption in early january nine students from the master of public service and administration (mpsa) degree program at the bush school traveled to mexico city as part of their capstone research project led by faculty member dr mary hilderbrand the team spent a week seeking a better understanding of the planned institutes goals and policies mexico citys urban planning challenges and the perspectives of various stakeholders the trip was made possible by the joint support of the department of public service and administration and the center for nonprofits and philanthropy at the bush school ruta cívica has tasked the bush school capstone team with advising it on different approaches and best practices for increasing citizen participation the organization will utilize the teams research to inform its advocacy with the city and will share it with both the city government and partner nonprofit organizations during their stay the bush school team met with several institutions and residents of mexico city who are concerned about the lack of serious urban planning as well as the corruption in the citys processes of granting building permits and regulating real estate development in the city they had the opportunity to discuss the legislative process of urban planning with one of the citys congresswomen dunia ludlow an advocate for urban development and transparency in the government at the end of the spring semester the student team will deliver a presentation and an in-depth research report the report will include a menu of options based on other cities approaches to citizen participation in urban planning and will answer the overarching project question: how can mexico citys planning institute engage community participation in its urban planning and programs i feel so privileged to have had the opportunity to meet with such a wide array of stakeholders including members of congress developers lawyers think-tanks and civic organizations it was incredibly interesting to witness how each holds a different perspective on how it should occur although each entity is working on fixing the same issues however despite their differences of opinion these leaders continue to forge working relationships with one another to benefit the greater good said bush school student margo dekoch
dr kenneth taylor has been appointed director of outreach and professional development in the new center for nonprofits and philanthropy at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university taylor joined the bush school faculty as an assistant professor of the practice since joining the faculty taylor has taught nonprofit management courses and developed and delivered several workshops on the study of leadership he earned his mba from bellarmine universitys rubel school of business and also holds a ba in sociology from the same institution his phd in leadership studies is from our lady of the lake university in san antonio where his dissertation research investigated leader behavior and job satisfaction within nonprofit organizations prior to coming to the bush school taylor was an assistant professor in the college of health science and human services at murray state university and founded the nonprofit leadership studies program taylor has more than twenty years of experience working in and with nonprofit organizations and was attracted to the bush school because he found that practitioners are welcomed for their real-world experience and ability to impart information that may not be found in a textbook taylor says his new position at the center is primarily about outreach to local and statewide nonprofit organizations while focusing on professional development through educational workshops the nonprofit sector is growing rapidly; one out of every ten jobs is in the nonprofit sector taylor said im confident that with my experience in the field i can make a positive impact on the nonprofit industry and the bush school is the best place to begin he added i want to utilize my professional experience and my research experience to help the industry taylor said its really that simpleto be aligned with the academic environment to really assist nonprofit organizations with the growth we know is on the rise and here at the bush school i believe that i can help shape future practitioners before they start or transition to jobs in the field taylor said at the center itself taylor said he would like to eventually see it expand its services and deepen the scale of involvement and outreach to organizations this expansion though requires strategy and that is why taylor is here the exciting part will simply be developing an agenda thats appreciated out in the field doing a few things really well and then doing as many of those things as possible taylor said
the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy is pleased to announce the selection of ashley thomas bush school master of public service and administration degree candidate as the inaugural texas lyceum fellow for 2018 the texas lyceum is an independent nonpartisan institution dedicated to cultivating the states young leaders and promoting research-driven solutions to policy issues in texas the 2018 fellowship will support summer research on health policy issues in texas after a rigorous application process ms thomas was chosen based on her interest in health policy experience in quantitative analysis and exemplary academic record a 2015 graduate of the university of texas at austin where she double-majored in government and english ms thomas completed a one-year commitment with americorps before beginning classes at the bush school of government and public service in 2016 ms thomas continued to hone her analytical skills during her graduate fellowship with annies list in summer 2017 and expects to gain additional experience while completing her capstone project examining the economic impact of the nonprofit sector in louisiana during the texas lyceum fellowship ms thomas will spend the summer of 2018 exercising her data and public policy analysis skills while working with faculty member dr laura dague to conduct health policy research the results of their work will be published in an issue of the mosbacher institutes the takeaway additionally ms thomas will present the research at the texas lyceums public conference (pubcon) on august 17 2018 in san antonio texas dr dague remarked i am very excited about this new partnership with the texas lyceum and the excellent research opportunity it provides for us i look forward to a productive summer working with ashley on important issues related to medicaid and chip in texas the mosbacher institute congratulates ms thomas on her selection and is confident she will represent the bush school well as the 2018 texas lyceum fellow
dr joseph fair a modern-day international disease detective will lead a discussion titled war without an army: responding to infectious disease catastrophes in a globalized world at the texas a&m university bush school of government and public service on jan 31 at 5:30 pm in the presidential library orientation theater of the george bush presidential library and museum even with groundbreaking advances in modern medicine disease and plague still threaten the developing world and have the potential to become global disasters fair travels the world in search of plagues before they become global disasters he has a unique ability to take the complexities of natural disasters outbreaks and pandemics as well as the convergence of factors leading to a rise in the tide of emerging infectious diseases and break them into simple-to-understand concepts fair has authored or coauthored more than 45 peer-reviewed articles on virology public health emergency response and virus hunting in disease hotspots around the world and works as an international outbreak responder he has been highlighted by 60 minutes the washington post cnn al jazeera npr vice news nbc news and other media outlets in addition to his media appearances fair has risen to prominence as an international leader in outbreak response and has appeared on congressional and senate panels with the most senior leadership in us and international governments where his ability to break down concepts and explain how outbreaks happen has been considered invaluable to decision and policy makers a reception will precede the event from 5 to 5:30 pm
in august 2017 houston suffered catastrophic flooding from hurricane harvey the national science foundation has funded a study by an interdisciplinary team of texas a&m university researchers led by dr ali mostafavidarani in the department of civil engineering the team will include dr arnold vedlitz of the bush school and dr bryce hannibal who is a researcher at the bush schools institute for science technology and public policy the grant also funds researchers from the department of computer science & engineering the department of landscape architecture and urban planning and the public policy research institute the research will focus on ways to increase community resilience to disasters like harvey by improving hazard mitigation planning and infrastructure development elements of the study will look at how the risks and vulnerabilities resulting from the interconnections among flood protection infrastructure emergency response planning and transportation systems affected the communities in the houston area following hurricane harvey vedlitz and hannibal will help conduct a survey of key agencies and stakeholders involved with various aspects of risk mitigation planning and response pertaining to infrastructure systems the goal is to identify and assess the degree of coordination conflict and gaps in current planning efforts and response actions since these elements may affect the infrastructure design and emergency processes for dealing with extreme events vedlitz and hannibal will use the survey data to model how inter-organizational dynamics and decision-making processes in human systems affect the management of interdependent flood protection emergency response and transportation infrastructure systems we believe that our findings will help policymakers and stakeholders address the issues arising from interdependent response and recovery efforts so their communities can be more resilient to extreme weather events vedlitz said
kent portney istpp director and his co-authors doctoral student bassel daher and drs mohtar pistikopoulos kaiser and saad published their article on step solutions to water-energy-food (wef) nexus hotspots in the journal sustainability the authors propose using a 3-filter step (socio-techno-economic-political) framework for identifying planning and management solutions that incorporate multiple layers of bio-physical wef systems and overlapping stakeholders the step approach employs different tools models and instruments to evaluate possible interdisciplinary solutions these tools can be used by engineers planners and social and policy scientists to assess the appropriateness of proposed nexus hotspot solutions through three structured screening filters – 1) resources interactions and trade-offs 2) stakeholder interactions and trade-offs 3) mobilize nexus interventions (governance and financing) only proposed solutions that are adequately vetted through the 3-filter step process should be considered as viable solutions to wef nexus hotspots daher bassel rabi hmohtar efstratios n pistikopoulos kent e portney ronald kaiser and walid saad 2018 developing socio-techno-economic-political (step) solutions for addressing resource nexus hotspots sustainability 10(2):512 doi: 103390/su10020512
it was a day packed full of insightful talks and engaged discussions as leading practitioners and researchers came together at the women peace and security symposium at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university multiple panels were held on a range of issues featuring women with backgrounds in work at the governmental nongovernmental and academic levels these panels discussed womens issues in texas the united states and internationally including one panel focused on women peacebuilders in afghanistan featuring nilofar ibrahimi a member of the afghan parliament another panel highlighted new research on women peace and security and featured panelist and bush school professor dr valerie hudson the symposium included two keynote speakers: congresswoman kay granger and former ambassador-at-large for global womens issues at the us state department catherine russell granger talked about her time serving as the chairwoman of the state and foreign operations subcommittee where she worked with women in iraq she shared a powerful anecdote from her time spent in the country in this position president george bush asked her to work with women in iraq who would be running for office in the new iraqi government after saddam hussein was toppled granger described the challenges of working in this difficult environment they were unprepared to run for office she said and we were unprepared to help granger and her team held meetings with local women aimed at preparing them to run for office but not all the iraqi women were comfortable with this saddam husseins severe restrictions on women had created a deep-seated fear among many women that it was not safe for women in iraq to attend these meetingsand in a lot of cases it was not one ardent iraqi woman became very angry at a meeting pushing back out of fear that interacting with americans would be problematic many though were open to the americans they were curious about what it was like to live in a world where you have the freedom to choose to run they were hopeful but tentative granger said the women at these meetings risked their lives to be there she said one elderly woman in particular attended each meeting under the cover of her burka granger could see her shimmering eyes the woman never spoke but took careful notes writing down everythingafter the meetings this woman returned to her home village and awaited elections but because of her position in society she was denied the right to vote however she was determined on election day she alongside other women from her village walked five hours to the polling station to cast her vote later this woman sent granger a picture of the womens thumbs dipped in purple dye signifying they had cast their vote these stories of womens resiliency provide hope to others around the world this theme of womens resiliency resonated throughout the symposium one panelist shared her research on women in the us armed forces while another panel discussed efforts within texas to empower womenthe world needs peace and security wars arent going to make that happenbut women might congresswoman kay granger said during her keynote speech at the symposium
the first-year foundations of nonprofit sector students presented their group research at the second annual nonprofit poster presentation in the atrium of the allen building at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university the event was open to students and faculty and gave students a chance to showcase a summary of the scholarly literature research methodology key findings and results and implications of the topics they studied the posters displayed a strong understanding of the nonprofit sector and the practical use of nonprofit data to explore questions that are of critical importance to community leaders and policymakers this research project helps prepare students for the intensive research-heavy capstone project that is required of all second-year bush school students the public service and administration nonprofit professors for foundations of the nonprofit sector dr hilderbrand dr paarlberg and dr qu supported the nineteen groups in identifying topics and guided students in presenting their findings a team of five independent judges evaluated the groups in three primary focus areas: research question use of graphs and charts and student engagement in presenting the material the top three winning teams research included an analysis of access to lgbtq nonprofit services across the united states an analysis of federal spending and veterans affairs nonprofits and an analysis of the evolution of nonprofit general hospitals hailey duncun a first-year policy analysis student with an environmental policy concentration stated i think that having to do such a lengthy and in-depth project in a group was a great experience it helped teach me about working with diverse people and working in stressful situations ultimately i think every group member was very passionate about the lgbtq community which helped us push through adversity and turn out a meaningful project that we are proud of
this years scowcroft army fellows colonel neil t chafee and lt col kevin boates recently spoke to bush school students on leadership and their careers in the military bush school dean mark welsh a former chief of staff of the air force introduced the speakers noting that while there are no new lessons in leadership lessons learned are passed on during a military career as part of the united states army war colleges senior service college fellowship program the scowcroft institute hosts officers as fellows for one academic year the institutes army fellowship program is designed to promote research on topics of strategic relevance to the army and the institute and to increase the knowledge and awareness of military affairs among bush school and texas a&m university faculty and students mid-career officers are selected by the army war college to take part in the program both boates and chafee have had distinguished careers that began quite differently lieutenant colonel boates joined the army after high school and served in both desert shield and desert storm operations in the gulf war he later graduated from west point and has been an aviation officer in various commands both at home and overseas including korea iraq and afghanistan colonel chafee received his commission in the us army upon graduation from texas a&m in 1994 and earned his flight wings in 1995 he has commanded aviation units from the platoon to the battalion level in twenty-three years of service; has served overseas tours in the balkans middle east central asia south america and europe; and is a veteran of the wars in iraq and afghanistan chafee and boates have had extensive training and education while in the service including attending the army command and general staff college chaffee cited commitment relationships partnerships leadership and taking care of people as essential elements of public service whether civilian or military he also said that while small-level leadership is an essential beginning you learn more about how to lead as you move through the ranks the bosnian experience helped me to learn about other people in our task force as well as about other agencies and international partners and how important those relationships are said chafee the men also emphasized the armys priorities: readiness modernization and reform and noted that there has to be a team mentality between the military and the government they also shared their views on balancing service and family family is part of your journey said lieutenant colonel boates it was important to our family that our son play football in texas and that i watch him in both high school and college
drs paul kellstedt mark ramirez arnold vedlitz and sammy zahran published their research on value conflict in public opinion related to mitigating climate change using national survey data collected as part of an istpp noaa funded project the authors test the roles of specific issue domain knowledge and general cognitive ability on attitudes toward global warming and climate change the results of this research provide evidence that cognitive ability is a better gauge of suppressing value conflict (cognitive dissonance) than is knowledge of a specific policy domain the authors highlight that voters with less education suffer more from attitudinal ambivalence when debating policy preferences the results from this study provide a better understanding of the structure of americans support for policies aimed at limiting and adapting to climate change kellstedt paul m ramirez mark d and vedlitz arnold 2017 does political sophistication minimize value conflict evidence from a heteroskedastic graded irt model of opinions toward climate change british journal of political science doi: 101017/s0007123417000369
the first online executive master of public service and administration (empsa) class graduated from the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m in december 2017 this group of students demonstrates high energy positive attitudes and a drive to do their best the empsa program is designed to deliver high-quality and high-impact coursework to executive students who continue to pursue their full-time professional careers while further developing in-depth advanced skills in public leadership dean mark a welsh iii was happy to offer his congratulations to the graduates for their accomplishments i am honored to congratulate the first graduating class to earn the executive master ofpublic service and administration at the bush school of government and public service he said your successful completion of a rigorous curriculum while continuing to pursue a full-time professional career speaks to your dedication to public service and your understanding of the importance of further education to future success thirteen students graduated in the inaugural class they entered the program with varied academic and professional backgrounds averaging twenty years of experience before beginning this program six veterans and one active duty military student as well as students with work experience for the american heart association the federal reserve bank of dallas and the australian high commission created a unique learning environment where students could learn from their classmates previous experience class speaker theresa willis spoke fondly of the faculty and staff at the bush school describing their commitment to students willis works for a local nonprofit in brazoria county when hurricane harvey hit her home like many others was flooded while she was helping members of the community bush school faculty and staff reached out to her directly and provided her with support – driving several times to houston to deliver care packages one way students recognize the outstanding commitment of bush school faculty to students is through the silver star award this year dr justin bullock was chosen as the award recipient students noted his willingness to work with them in challenging situations including 19-hour time differences while working on their online course empsa graduate bob janusaitis said after graduation he would like to begin teaching part time in the homeland security field sharing his decades of real-world experience and serving others currently he is the commissioner for the harris county emergency services district #9 in texas i believe the bush school has prepared me well he said remembering president h w bushs words public service is a noble calling januasaitis stated it is my belief all individuals should give back to their community so i will continue to volunteer much of my time to support homeland security and other public service areas
the first online executive master of public service and administration (empsa) class from the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m recently received their aggie rings looking toward graduation seven of the thirteen students attended ring day just as aggies for years have ordered their aggie rings after completing the required coursework hours this first empsa class eagerly joined the ranks of those who came before them as they ordered their rings from the association of former students and after ring day now possess an ever-lasting symbol of their time spent here dr danny davis executive master of public service and administrator coordinator and senior lecturer was present to personally hand the students their new ring the office of extended education staff were also present to congratulate students for their accomplishments students faculty and staff all shared this milestone during a reception following the presentation of rings aggie rings symbolize a students accomplishments and dedication to aggie values and serve as a physical reminder of entrance into the aggie family they are a tradition dating back more than a century the rings design is steeped with symbolism and depicts texas a&ms storied history visually
invited by asian development bank and hunan innovative low carbon center dr xinsheng liu istpp research scientist and assistant director attended the asia-pacific forum on low carbon technology in changsha china on november 29-30 2017 dr liu shared a survey-based research that quantitatively examines the geographic variations and socioeconomic determinants of chinese public concern about global warming and climate change during this trip dr liu also visited peking universitys institute for state governance studies (isgs where he holds a research follow position) and gave a talk to isgss faculty and phd students on the new trends and paradigms of public policy research in the united states
a micro model of problem definition and policy choice: issue image issue association and policy support of power plants a paper by istpp researchers dr xinsheng liu and dr arnold vedlitz and istpp research fellow dr scott robinson has been accepted for publication by policy studies journal it is available in early view (doi: 101111/psj12233) in this paper the authors propose a theoretical micro model of problem definition and policy choice at the individual level through the general framework of behavioral choice they explore the application of the information-processing theory of public policy to individuals and use data from a national public survey on energy and power plant issues to test empirically the key propositions derived from their model the researchers hypothesize that individuals define a public problem according to both its issue image (potential to cause harm or benefit) and its issue association (linkages with other public issues) and that these two components of problem definition influence individuals policy choices issue image was measured by individuals ratings of the harmfulness of different types of energy sources – coal nuclear and natural gas issue association was measured by respondents ratings of the importance of jobs safety environment and energy costs when asked to consider construction of either a coal nuclear or natural gas power plant in their local community the respondents support for increasing maintaining or decreasing the use of coal nuclear and natural gas supplied the policy choice measure the authors also included in their model socioeconomic demographics ideological and political orientations and attention to and knowledge of energy issues the results show that citizens policy preferences strongly depend on how they define public problems particularly how they perceive the image of a public problem and how they associate the problem with other public issues
dr portney istpp director shared his research governing the water-energy-food nexus: solving a common-pool resource challenge with participants of the ostrom workshop colloquium series at indiana university as the invited speaker for the november 13 2017 workshop dr portney discussed how emerging natural system research has documented connections between water energy and food with an eye toward prescribing how to achieve greater efficiencies and to reduce resource depletion nexus research has documented amounts of water used in producing energy and food; amounts of energy needed to extract and transport water etc far less well understood is how these resources are governedhow public policy and management decisions affecting these connections are made underlying existing research is an expectation that if the connections are better understood policymakers will make decisions resulting specifically in more efficient use of resources within the context of the nexus the expectation is predicated on the idea that decision making in water energy and food is siloed and breaking down these silos leads to policy decisions that achieve greater efficiencies for this study dr portney looks at whether decision making in water energy and food is siloed and if it is whether there are conceptual reasons from public policy and management theory to suggest that breaking down these silos will make any difference
in their study sustainable cities and healthy cities: are they the same dr kent portney director of istpp and dr garett sansom associate director of the institute for sustainable communities fill a critical gap in the literature on the relationship between sustainability policies and health outcomes researchers have theorized that a positive correlation exists between these two variables but until now no study has empirically examined this relationship portney and sansom hypothesize that cities with more extensive sustainability policies will have fewer people who have been diagnosed with chronic health issues to assess their hypothesis they use bivariate correlations to look at the relationships between each of three research-based sustainability indexes for the 55 largest us cities with each of two different measures of obesity multivariate analysis shows that cities with more aggressive sustainability policies and programs have healthier populations even controlling for income race and age which are known to affect health risks and outcomes portney and sansom find an inverse relationship between obesity rates and the enactment of sustainability policies the authors note that these results must be interpreted with some caution due to limitations in the health data available specifically for cities even so their findings point to a possible mechanism that sustainability policies could provide for counteracting chronic health issues associated with obesity portney kent e and garett t sansom 2017 sustainable cities and healthy cities: are they the same urban planning 2(3): 45–55 doi: 1017645/upv2i31018
shannon abbott and anne richmond both second-year international affairs students at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university placed third in the 2017 cyber security awareness week (csaw) law and policy challenge the competition took place at new york universitys tandon school of engineering the us naval academy team won the competition with uc berkeley placing second csaw is the largest student-run cyber security event in the world featuring international competitions workshops and industry events the annual law and policy challenge requires contestants to think about the big picture of cyber security law policy economics and governance student teams from across the country compete for the chance to present their best legal arguments in front of a panel of renowned judges the competition is open to any student interested in these issues regardless of academic background the 2017 competition addressed questions at the cutting edge of privacy security and technology participants researched a highly relevant subject and argued their position on the topic in a written legal brief shannon abbott explained that csaw and the law and policy challenge includes a number of different types of competitions to both celebrate and raise awareness of the week this years competition required teams to develop a policy proposal related to the disclosure of investigative methods that use computer code she said anne richmond said the two researched and developed policy options then submitted their preliminary paper in september and were selected as finalists we received additional information a couple of weeks before the competition which helped us further develop our argument so we incorporated that into the paper and submitted it at the final round we presented our argument using a visual aid in front of other finalists judges and other csaw participants and answered questions after the presentation in the style of an appellate court she said as finalists all their expenses were paid by the csaw organizers the three top teams received cash prizes of $1000 $750 and $500 dr andrew l ross a professor in the bush schools department of international affairs served as the teams faculty advisor evidently this is the first time our students have entered the csaw contest were all very proud of how well shannon and anne did against some tough competition said ross
the bush school of government and public service has recently partnered with the texas a&m university college of engineering and the texas a&m engineering experiment station (tees) on a new national science foundation funded engineering research center (erc) on texas a&ms campus while some might see a public policy schools involvement with an engineering research center as unorthodox dr arnold vedlitz director emeritus and distinguished research scholar in the institute for science technology and public policy (istpp) believes it to be a perfect fit engineers develop important tools and processes with the potential to improve citizen well-being and we deal with the human aspects of these innovations said vedlitz the tools and processes being designed by scientists and engineers in the paths-up center will help those affected by diabetes and cardiovascular disease in underserved communities across the country and the world this new technology is being developed as part of paths-up or precise advanced technologies and health systems for underserved populations dealing with the human aspect as vedlitz says means engaging with the various stakeholders in this project these transformative and life-changing medical advancements require engagement with those who will use them pay for them and benefit from them and thats where the bush school comes in vedlitz and others in the institute for science technology and public policy at the bush school played an important role in bringing this new program to the texas a&m campus specifically by helping to identify and coordinate the community and stakeholder engagement efforts of the new center vedlitz and his senior leadership team including dr kent portney director of istpp dr mark lawley professor and head of the department of industrial and systems engineering at texas a&m and dr farzan sansangohar assistant professor also in the department of industrial and systems engineering will be responsible for the new centers program for community engagement stakeholder engagement involves reaching out to various parties and individuals who will be essential to the design and acceptance of these medical device innovations such stakeholders include community leaders patients and their families relevant industries insurers health providers and government agencies and regulators the goal of the community engagement team is to identify these stakeholders concerns goals and priorities and help weave them into technical design elements as well as outreach and education efforts there are a huge number of human behavior and policy questions said vedlitz including questions about insurance safety costs and functionality of the devices this national science foundation erc is an initiative that connects multiple academic fields as well as industry and government partners and is a reminder of the importance of collaboration between the science and technical and the social science and policy research fields as texas a&m seeks to participate in the largest and most prestigious research grant awards paths-up will be led by the director dr gerard coté texas a&m professor of biomedical engineering and will be housed in the health technologies building
dr portney recently authored a chapter in the book global soil security in which he reported his research on peoples awareness of the agriculture-water nexus utilizing data collected from the 2013 national public water survey conducted by istpp portney analyzes the relative strength of this awareness and the influence of such on support for actions and policies portneys research shows that people understand that water is crucial to growing crops and raising livestock most people also connect drought conditions to severe negative impacts on agriculture overall people expressed less certainty that drought would cause damage to plant and animal species though about half of respondents perceived this connection analysis of survey responses also show that people are much more willing to take personal actions to conserve water the stronger their awareness of the connection between water and agriculture higher awareness also leads to higher support for public policies to save water though the strength of this relationship is somewhat less while this survey did not delve deeply into the water-agriculture nexus the results make a strong case there is more to explore indeed istpp designed a survey that enables investigation of nexus issues – the national public opinion project on the water-energy food nexus you can learn about this survey conducted in 2015 and its findings here portney kent e 2017 soil-water-food nexus: a public opinion and policy perspective in global soil security progress in soil science edited by damien j field cristine ls morgan and alex b mcbratney 371-381 cham switzerland: springer nature
featuring:ambassador carla hills us trade representative for president george hw bush and chief nafta negotiator with panelists:michael k young president texas a&m universityalejandrina salcedo cisneros director of economic measurement banco de mexicojesus cañas senior business economist federal reserve bank of dallasraymond robertson professor bush school of government and public service (moderator) on wednesday november 15 2017 the scowcroft institute of international affairs in collaboration with the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy welcomed ambassador carla a hills to share her insights on the north american free trade agreements strengths weaknesses and ways forward in the modern economy ambassador hills served as united states trade representative from 1989 to 1993 as a member of george h w bushs cabinet negotiating and concluding the north american free trade agreement the program began with a welcome from professor andrew natsios director of the scowcroft institute of international affairs who remarked on the importance of trade and acknowledged tensions about trade in the current administration professor natsios then presented two brief videos to frame the evenings discussion of naftas past present and future the first showed president george h w bush in 1998 supporting the benefits of free trade; the second was a recording of president donald trump criticizing the trade agreement at a 2017 rally in arizona after the videos professor lori taylor director of the mosbacher institute took the stage to introduce carla a hills with a description of her background and illustrious career in trade negotiation after which ambassador hills took her place behind the podium hills talk began with an overview of the benefits that emerged from free trade among canada mexico and the united states since naftas initial implementation including the creation of a multi-trillion dollar trade market with positive effects on consumers businesses and national security in all three countries hills also explored possibilities for improvements to the agreement particularly updated provisions to reflect modern developments in digital information technology ecommerce and energy closing with a call to action hills encouraged the audience to share with others the benefits of free trade in an attempt to correct what she identified as misinformed criticism of nafta a copy of her remarks can be found at https://bushtamuedu/scowcroft/papers/nafta/ the second segment of the program began with dr taylor inviting other trade specialists to the stage for a panel discussion moderated by bush school professor dr raymond robertson dr taylor introduced the panelists as they took their seats onstage with ambassador hills and dr robertson: michael k young president of texas a&m university; alejandrina salcedo cisneros director of economic measurement banco de mexico; and jesus cañas senior business economist federal reserve bank of dallas dr robertson led the conversation among the four guests moving from president youngs own recollections of nafta negotiations to dr cisneros perspective on how nafta has strengthened both the united states and mexico as production partners not only trade partners mr cañas gave his perspective on the effects of nafta on the texas economy in particular including job production and trade for the state ambassador hills contributed to the conversation as well reiterating remarks from her presentation that emphasized naftas role in creating work for all north americans the four guests agreed that nafta was important for the three countries involved and shared their hope that the united states not only would continue to support the agreement but also would contribute to updating the agreement to account for new economic realities as the evening came to a close dr taylor approached the podium for a final time to thank the panel participants for their contributions to a fruitful and engaging discussion and the members of the audience for their attendance ambassador carla hills and president michael young lori taylor director of the mosbacher institute; raymond robertson; alejandrina salcedo cisneros; michael k young; jesus cañas; andrew natsios director of the scowcroft institute; and mark welsh dean of the bush school
how am i this lucky thought jack kuplack 18 as he marveled in awe upon first seeing the famed treasury building of petra jordan this summer seeing the city of petra is one of those experiences that is so surreal you feel like it shouldnt be possible he said as he recalled the miles of hills and winding canyons that visitors must traverse before arriving at the entrance of the city kuplack a current bush school student traveled to amman jordan in summer 2017 to complete an arabic language immersion and was able to travel throughout the region during his time there other destinations included aqaba and israelor palestine depending on who you talk to he said a student in the 3+2 program at texas a&m kuplack said he kind of fell into this program which is designed so that students may simultaneously receive their bachelors and masters degrees in five years language immersion kuplack who has always had his eye on the military began learning arabic at age sixteen though he had no idea where it would take him originally he chose to learn arabic as a resume boost i didnt have any emotional connection to it he said and i started learning this language where all the reading goes backward and everything just looks like a squiggle a few days into it it just became so fun he recalled his arabic teacher who was a jordanian woman not only did she teach her students the language but she taught them about jordanian and islamic culture and what life is like in the middle east i was just really fascinated by it kuplack said it was this class that made kuplack realize he needed to pursue an education in international affairs to learn more about the region he had fallen in love withthe middle east he didnt pursue this education to defend his country against the dangers radical islamists pose to the united states but out of a sheer desire to learn more about this interesting region that was so different from san antonio texas where he grew up respecting the beauty of different cultures traveling to unknown regions tends to have an effect on those willing to step outside their comfort zone one of these effects is a newfound respect for the culture in which travelers insert themselves kuplack is no stranger to this phenomenon and recognizes that people who are not given the opportunity to travel far beyond familiar territory often view others from different cultures as just thatdifferent defeating this narrative requires active participation in and assimilation into a world unlike the one we live in he said while sometimes a conversation can spark an understanding other times it is throwing yourself at the mercy of a chaotic language immersion kuplack said kuplack is an army rotc cadet slated to commission as an officer upon graduation in may carrying the title of distinguished military graduate and ranked in the top 20 percent of cadets in the country he knows the importance of showing respect for his fellow comrades while he hopes to pursue a career in the intelligence community after he completes his time in the army showing respect for others will always be important to kuplack respect isnt just a state of mind; its something we need to really show each other kuplack said reflecting on his summer abroad taking classes and living in the middle east were great opportunities for me to try and do my small part in building the bridge of respect our two hemispheres require now more than ever
the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university is dedicated to honoring members of the us armed forces who often exemplify the purest kind of public service president george h w bush said it best: any definition of a successful life must include service to others today public service is a central tenet of the school that bears his name this year the public service organization (pso) at the bush school honored veterans with a write a letter to a soldier campaign the event gave bush school students faculty and staff as well as elementary school students from the bryan community the opportunity to write a letter thanking soldiers in the 82nd airborne division for their service the bush school pso military appreciation team is honored to lead a ‘write a letter to a soldier campaign said nicole pompilio assistant project lead for the pso military appreciation team we think it is important to support our troops even with just a kind word though not all these letters may be read we believe they can be a source of comfort and appreciation especially during the holiday season we appreciate our bush school veterans and are grateful to be able to honor them as well she added the bush school and texas a&m have a long history of recognizing the sacrifices of veterans and current service members in addition to helping them achieve their education goals each year the schools scowcroft institute for international affairs hosts officers in the us army as a part of the united states army war colleges senior service college fellowship program texas a&m has been named a premier institution of higher education for providing services to veterans transitioning into civil service careers there are currently more than 1 100 veterans and at least 2 200 military dependents at texas a&m who are able to take advantage of generous scholarships and financial aid for members of the military the university also has two offices dedicated to supporting veterans in their educational pursuits
among the issues facing president trump on his current asian trip is how to garner chinese support to defuse the nuclear standoff with north korea a recent policy paper from the scowcroft institute for international affairs at the texas a&m bush school of government and public service analyzes why the chinese are reluctant to apply measures that could halt the north korean nuclear program dr joonbum bae most recently a post-doc at the scowcroft institute suggests that chinas fears about potential ramifications of regime collapse in north korea as one reason the chinese government could be reluctant to apply sanctions or other measures that could halt the north korean nuclear program bae writes that if uncertainty over the costs of a north korean collapse is preventing cooperation between china and the us then reducing that uncertainty is the most direct and perhaps the most effective way to encourage cooperation between the two nations he believes a mutual understanding between the us and china regarding the korean peninsula would lower the chances of a miscalculation or misperception in the aftermath of a collapse of the kim regime and is likely to prevent the most negative effects of such a collapse
four texas a&m university bush school of government and public service students were named to the class of 2019 robertson fellows each year the robertson foundation selects fellows from the top international affairs graduate schools in the nation in exchange for becoming scholarship recipients robertson fellows as a program requirement agree to work for the federal government for a minimum of three of their first seven years after graduation this years recipients are: audrey hopkinssailer perkinsnoelle rutlandclayton yates these students whether coming to the bush school directly from their respective undergraduate institutions or from the workforce all have impressive resumes perkins a summa cum laude graduate of the university of mississippi has studied arabic in jordan and egypt and worked as a translator for the syrian voice in amman jordan another fellow rutland has completed prestigious internships at the institute for the study of war and the department of defense while hopkins a graduate of arizona state university completed internships at sandia national laboratories and the james martin center for nonproliferation studies yates who graduated magna cum laude from the ohio state university in 2011 commissioned as a second lieutenant in the us army after graduation after separating from the army yates worked for the international center for empowerment facilitating refugee resettlement the robertson foundation identifies and nurtures future us government leaders in the areas of national security foreign policy and international affairs the foundation provides scholarships internship stipends and additional career support to graduate students at select universities
the online executive master in public administration (empsa) degree offered by the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university has been ranked seventh in the nation by thebestschoolsorg a recent article on the website cited the school as one of the top thirty schools in the nation offering this online degree thebestschoolsorg provides in-depth rankings of degree programs as well as of colleges and universities their rankings are based on a balance of academic excellence return on investment and indirect or secondary benefits the bush schools online executive master in public administration degree program was evaluated on the quality of the program types of courses offered the faculty awards rankings and reputation and the schools reputation for effectively providing online degree programs
the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m will host the 3rd annual texas symposium on women peace and security: challenges and opportunities amidst global change monday nov 20 2017 in the george h w bush presidential library orientation theater from 9 am to 5 pm panelists will analyze and discuss solutions to the issues most pressing in womens security today including women and peacebuilding in afghanistan womens health as a national security issue and current scholarly research on the relationship between the security of women and the security of the states in which they live keynote speakers include: us congresswoman kay granger (tx);ambassador catherine russell former ambassador-at-large for global womens issues us state departmentbush school professor valerie hudson womens perspectives and voice on issues of national security has been sorely lacking and this symposium is a contribution to the rectification of that deficiency the texas symposium on wps also aspires to showcase texas-based scholarship philanthropy programming and policy on these important issues with a panel of representatives from home-grown organizations the symposium is free but seating is limited visit the bush school website for additional event and registration information
on monday november 6 the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy at the bush school of government and public service was honored to present the 2017 mclane leadership in business award to john l nau iii chairman and ceo of silver eagle distributors lp the nations largest distributor of anheuser-busch products the mclane award is presented each year for outstanding contributions to business public service or national community service the mclane leadership in business program began with bush school dean mark welsh welcoming the audience and director of the mosbacher institute lori taylor introducing nau among naus many accomplishments and contributions taylor highlighted his chairmanship of the texas historical commission and presidential appointment as chairman of the national advisory council on historic preservation from 2001-2010 upon taking the stage nau presented leadership lessons from history a speech outlining key lessons synthesized from a successful career in business and a lifelong interest in history naus speech emphasized remaining open-minded about opportunities wherever they may lead finding a cause to champion and learning from the past nau stressed the importance of treating employees and customers alike with respect before describing how his interest in history inspired his leadership principles nau advised his audience members to follow their instincts as americas leaders did on the battlefield but to remember that just as no historical figure rose to prominence alone neither can a business leader reach the heights of success without help from others these lessons nau stated helped him become a better leader in his business as well as a more effective servant to his community at the conclusion of naus remarks taylor rejoined him onstage for a seated conversation to elaborate on his talk in response to taylors question about how he had learned leadership without any formal business school training nau explained that he took much of his inspiration from history but had gained experience in the marine corps and on-the-job in his first management positions the two also discussed how nau prioritized his time between making a profit and making a difference to which nau replied that while he contributes his time and money to philanthropic causes he also commits daily to serving his employees and clients at silver eagle distributors with resources and services that touch their lives in a positive way the event concluded with dean welsh and drayton mclane jr the founder and namesake of the mclane leadership in business award joining taylor and nau onstage for the award presentation mclane thanked nau for his contributions to texas and the nation closing the event with final remarks regarding the importance of embracing leadership lessons from history to become a modern leader in business and community john l nau iii and dr lori taylor drayton mclane with john l nau iii the bush school ambassadors
international health leaders from both the public and private sector traveled to texas a&m universitys bush school of government and public service for the scowcroft institutes 3rd annual global pandemic policy summit and spent two full days tackling one pressing question: are we prepared for the next pandemic the threat of pandemic looms larger than most people realize according to the world health organization over the last two decades alone weve seen outbreaks of sars influenza ebola and the zika virus resulting in approximately 200 000 deaths worldwide with an increase in international travel and trade deforestation forced migration and urbanization the threat of a worldwide pandemic continues to grow although the participants and speakers seemed to suggest the answer was a resounding no we are not prepared for the next pandemic much focus was brought to bear on what is currently being done right what needs to be done better and what actionable steps should be implemented the purpose of this years summit was to produce a detailed blueprint captured in a white paper for the way forward last years white paper the growing threat of pandemics: enhancing domestic and international biosecurity has been widely circulated throughout the international health community influencing organizations and policy at the highest level on the second day of the summit a forum entitled pandemic preparedness and global health innovation featured speakers from the us agency for international development the coalition for epidemic preparedness innovations the center for global development virion global solutions and ibio cmo the closing keynote address was given by dr peter hotez dean of the national school of tropical medicine at baylor college of medicine dr hotez championed scientists and international health leaders direct engagement with the general public in regard to vaccine advocacy citing misinformation and scare tactics as responsible for the growing anti-vax sentiments across the united states the white paper resulting from this summit which the scowcroft institute will publish early next year will help policy makers government officials foundations international organizations industry leaders and nongovernmental organizations get us closer to the answer yes we are in fact prepared for the next pandemic
president donald trumps announcement that iran has violated the spirit of the international nuclear agreement that prevents iran from attaining an atomic weapon has surprised many experts and scholars the presidents controversial decision to disavow the agreement will be the subject of an expert panel discussion sponsored by the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university on wednesday nov 8 titled the iran nuclear agreement: whats next the discussion which is open to the public will be held at 5:30 pm in rudder tower room 302 on the texas a&m campus panelists taking part in the discussion include: marvin l adams htri professor and director of the institute of national security education and research texas a&m department of nuclear engineeringmohammad tabaar texas a&m bush school assistant professor of international affairs and expert on international security and middle east politicssunil chirayath associate professor texas a&m department nuclear engineering and director of the nuclear security science and policy institutewilliam norris texas a&m bush school professor of security policy and recent associate with the nuclear policy program at the carnegie endowment for international peace will moderate the discussion the iran nuclear deal known as the joint comprehensive plan of action (jcpoa) has to be recertified by the president every ninety days many us allies believe that iran is in fact complying with the terms of the agreement which was hammered out in austria two years ago by a group known as the p5+1 it included the united states china france russia the united kingdom and germany decertifying does not withdraw the united states from the deal but punts the issue over to congress which has sixty days to decide whether to re-impose nuclear-related economic sanctions on iran supporters of the agreement believe that by not certifying it the intense scrutiny that has kept iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon will begin to stop and we will no longer know if iran is complying or not
one day after the us house of representatives passed a budget resolution paving the way for tax reform dr lori taylor an economist and director of the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy at the bush school of government at texas a&m university explores this topic in the latest issue of the takeaway those privileged few who still itemize will receive subsidies for their health care housing costs state and local taxes and charitable donations that the rest of us will not receivedr lori taylor in are there benefits to a higher standard the effects of raising the standard tax deduction taylor summarizes how the us federal income tax works and who would be affected by an increase in the standard deduction taylor notes that under one prominent proposal its likely that 84 percent of taxpayers who currently itemize would take the standard deduction instead but argues that those privileged few who still itemize will receive subsidies for their health care housing costs state and local taxes and charitable donations that the rest of us will not receive she proposes that getting rid of itemized deductions altogether would be cleaner and fairer the takeaway is a publication of the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy
the bush school of government and public service and the college of education and human development at texas a&m university have partnered to offer a collaborative masters and phd degree that will prepare individuals to work in the field of education policy students who successfully complete all program requirements will receive both a master of public service and administration (mpsa) degree and a phd in educational administration the collaborative degrees program (cdp) is geared toward individuals who seek academic careers focused on research in the multidisciplinary field of education policy dr lori taylor director of the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy is leading the bush school part of the initiative the curriculum for this degree will prepare individuals for careers in research universities and teaching colleges as well as education agencies or policy-oriented nonprofits taylor said students will work with a team of highly regarded public policy and education faculty whose expertise ranges from the economics of education education law and leadership to the politics of education school accountability and finance and the social foundations of schooling she added taylor noted that the new program has been designed to accommodate a relatively small number of students and admissions will be limited to new or existing bush school students with a passion for education policy and an aptitude for analytical thinking for more information about the collaborative degrees program visit bushtamuedu/psaa/degrees/cdp/psaa-eahr/
it was a week packed full of celebration at the bush school of government and public service as students and faculty alike reflected on twenty years of public service and many more ahead the bush school is celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year and held a week-long celebration featuring multiple events these various events helped teach students about the schools history giving them a peak into the past as the school looks toward its next twenty years of educating and training future public servants various vip guests also visited classes during the week getting the chance to interact with faculty and students alike last weeks celebration included multiple events featuring the founding director and former and current deans of the bush school as well as events that featured the deans spouses a panel of president george h w bushs grandchildren also took place during which they shared stories from their childhoods and today about their grandparents and their legacy the highlight of the week was the world today a panel discussion with former deans of the bush school founding director dr charles hermann and former deans a benton cocanougher ryan crocker and andrew card spoke about their time at the bush school and how the school has changed since they left general mark welsh iii the current dean moderated the panel adding his perspective as well they also spoke about what they hope to see the school accomplish in the next twenty years and beyond another event this week highlighted the new book written by hermann and sally dee wade called to serve which documents the schools history the event a conversation with the authors gave them a chance to tell the story of the book as well as reflect on the history of the school
john l nau iii chairman and ceo of the nations largest anheuser-busch distributor silver eagle distributors lp will receive the mclane leadership in business award on monday november 6 2017 the award program will be presented by the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy at the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university mr nau a successful businessman with an avid interest and dedication to the study of american history will share comments on the lessons of history that can shape and impact leadership the event will be held in the george hw bush presidential library and museum with a reception at 5 pm followed by mr naus lecture at 5:30 pm the mosbacher institute was founded in october 2009 to produce policy-oriented research in trade energy and good governance the mclane leadership in business award was established by drayton mclane jr a noted entrepreneur and chairman of the mclane group a high technology firm presented annually the award recognizes a prominent individual in the field of business for outstanding contributions in the area of business public service or community service at the national level silver eagle distributors employs more than 1 500 employees serving 16 counties in texas through operations in houston san antonio conroe cypress pasadena rosenberg carrizo springs and del rio in addition to his leadership in business mr nau is also being honored for his commitment to civic and philanthropic service in particular for his advocacy for the study and preservation of american history currently chairman of the texas historical commission he previously served as chairman of the national advisory council on historic preservation 2001 – 2010 which is a presidential appointment mr nau has also served on the board of the houston police foundation and the admiral nimitz foundation and is chairman of the steering committee for the proposed lone star coastal national recreation area the award ceremony and lecture are open to the public but reservations are required by thursday november 2 2017
the bush school of government and public service outstanding alumni award was presented to esther larson class of 2006 larson who has an impressive record of public service graduated from the bush school of government and public service with a master of public service and administration in 2006 dean mark a welsh iii began his remarks by saying this award was established to honor those bush school alumni who embody aggie values after graduation and those who are dedicated to improving the well-being of otherslarson who was nominated by her sister and fellow bush school alumna marcia peiffer embodies aggie values as shes continued her work after the bush school in new york city while introducing her sister marcia noted that it is her sisters values that set her apart esther has been a force for good said her sister public service is a noble calling during larsons remarks she reminisced about her time at the bush school thanking the faculty who prepared and equipped her for work in the nonprofit world she also recalled the moment she knew she wanted to dedicate her life to public service just inside the door of the bush school she told the audience theres a bust of president george h w bush with a quote that reads public service is a noble calling and we need men and women of character to believe that they can make a difference in their communities in their states and in their country the moment she saw those words larsons decision to dedicate her life to public service was confirmed a career in public service currently esther is the director of affiliate development at hope for new york and has been an active member of the nonprofit community in new york city both professionally and personally since graduating as an alumna of the bush school esther has spoken to classes helped with recruiting in new york and assisted numerous students pursuing careers in the nonprofit sector
david switzer istpp predoctoral research fellow and arnold vedlitz professor and istpp distinguished research scholar have published their research on how worldviews condition the way individuals process information about their local environment the authors hypothesize that people will have higher perceptions of risk and greater preferences for policy when observed local conditions conform to their worldviews and conversely perceive less risk and have lower desire for policy when local conditions are not aligned with their prior beliefs the researchers test their theory by combining an indicator of water scarcity as a measure of local issue severity with data about ideology and environmental beliefs as a measure of worldviews from two nationally representative probability-based panel surveys about water issues in the united states analyzing interactive models predicting risk perception and policy preferences they find that increasing water scarcity drives polarization between individuals with opposing environmental worldviews david switzer and arnold vedlitz 2016 green colored lenses: worldviews and motivated reasoning in the case of local water scarcity environment and behavior doi: 101177/0013916516669391
acting secretary of the army ryan mccarthy has three priorities for the army: readiness to face adversaries development of new systems and army families mccarthy recently paid a visit to texas a&ms bush school of government and public service to address the first two items on this list one aspect of readiness is working constantly to ensure that the us army is up to date with the latest research and thinking on multiple fronts mccarthy visited texas a&m university to meet with faculty and students and discuss the research that is being conducted on campus during his visit mccarthy met with faculty and students from the bush school as well as faculty from departments across campus at the bush school mccarthy was able to talk with top researchers on topics including pandemic threats and grand strategy as well as converse with faculty experts specializing on north korea and china creating these dialogues between government officials and academics is an important step in the armys efforts to continuously modernize and attempt to outsmart our countrys ever-evolving adversaries mccarthy also had a chance to interact with students during his time at the bush school in a lunchtime address he spoke about the importance of mentorship and managing ones time mccarthy who served as the special assistant to secretary of defense robert gates stressed the need for young people to have someone to model themselves after because of his time serving under gates and gates mentorship mccarthy now advocates for young professionals to seek out and develop strong relationships with trusted leaders mentors help you think help you learn and they advocate for you said mccarthy he added that a reliable mentor and solid time management skills are important working in government is often stressful and public servants need to begin each day with a plan and work to make incremental improvements over time
bush school dean mark welsh has announced that molly watson has joined the bush school staff as assistant dean for strategic and developmental planning she holds a ba in communications from baylor university and an ma in speech communication from southwest texas state university where her studies emphasized organizational communication watson was formerly the assistant director of the mosbacher institute and more recently worked in university development operations at baylor she previously served as associate vice president for major gifts where she worked closely with the vice president of strategic initiatives and development she was also director for development for buckner an international social service organization and taught at several colleges in texas a long-time resident and active community volunteer in bryan-college station watson has worked with several local nonprofit organizations including serving on the board of directors of the childrens museum of the brazos valley and the junior league she is currently chairing the brazos community foundations tribute luncheon and serves on the board of the prenatal clinic as assistant dean watson will coordinate and support the schools alumni and donor relations activities and will develop outreach initiatives that reflect the schools academic and service goals she will also be responsible for planning and implementing the schools strategic and long-range goals incorporating the vision of dean welsh the faculty and staff and other administrative units watson said the opportunity to work for the bush school is one she eagerly looks forward to because of the broad range of responsibilities and the great potential for the schools growth during my time at baylor i greatly enjoyed strategic and organizational planning for the division of university development working alongside the administration the provost deans and faculty to ensure that we were all focusing on the important issues watson said my job here will be to create and maintain that same kind of strategic alignment for the bush schools planning and outreach making sure that our efforts complement the strategic goals developed by dean welsh and his leadership team she added in making the announcement dean welsh said molly wants to make sure we are still a great college when our great-great-grandkids are admitted were delighted to have molly back with us at the bush school and look forward to her contributions to our strategic and developmental planning efforts he added
the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a conversation with the authors of called to serve: the 20-year history of the bush school on wednesday oct 18 at the annenberg presidential conference center authors charles f hermann the first director of the school and sally dee wade former writing instructor at the bush school will discuss the colleges history and how the book came to be written hermann and wade will speak at 6:30 pm with a dessert reception and book signing to follow at 7:30 pm books will be available for purchase before and after the event
governor tom ridge who served as the first secretary of the department of homeland security under president george w bush recently visited the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university ridge was on campus to take part in the 2017 george h w bush foundation distinguished lecture series presented by wells fargo prior to the lecture ridge met with a group of bush school students and fielded their questions on a range of topics responding thoughtfully and with humor the wide-ranging discussion covered cybersecurity immigration transitioning between elected and appointed office and his reflections on his achievements as the first secretary of the department of homeland security during the one-hour meeting the studentsmost of whom are pursuing the certificate in homeland securitygained a valuable perspective on the career of a public servant after the meeting they commented on what an incredible opportunity it was to meet and talk to secretary ridge and expressed their gratitude to the mosbacher institute for making the meeting possible that evening the bush schools mosbacher institute and the scowcroft institute co-hosted a conversation between secretary ridge and bush school dean mark welsh senator orrin hatch of utah gave remarks by video in which he urged those in attendance to remain vigilant against evolving threats to us security and do their part to join a strong dynamic workforce that the senator described as the foundation of national defense in the conversation that followed secretary ridge articulated his belief that the united states is stronger when it engages more with the rest of the world not less he identified the current threat landscape as one of the most complex the united states has ever faced with the addition of the space and cyber dimensions to the traditional air land and sea dean welsh then engaged secretary ridge in a fast-paced question and answer session on emerging national security issues one major theme was concern about the development of new superpowers like china and iranwhich secretary ridge warned cannot be deterred from acquiring nuclear weaponsin the global threat landscape a second concern was the resurgence of russia as a dominant player on the world stage secretary ridge frequently emphasized the need to forge stronger international ties a strategy that could bear fruit by mediating russias influence and preventing radicalization of young people recruited by groups like isis in addition to the discussion of military security issues ridge and welsh discussed energy independence cyber security and biosecurity ridge suggested taking greater advantage of domestic energy resources to free more energy dependent countries from their reliance on middle eastern or russian oil ridge also noted that cyber security is an especially important issue for private entities as well as the government regarding biosecurity secretary ridge explained that he assesses the emergence of a novel pathogen from nature to be a greater threat than development of a biological weapon by a rogue nation secretary ridge closed the program by encouraging those considering a career in public service saying the fulfillment is greater than can be imagined dr lori taylor director of the mosbacher institute; david jones ceo of the george h w bush presidential library foundation; secretary tom ridge; dean mark welsh; and professor andrew natsios director of the scowcroft institute
drs bullock and bowman recently published an article in environmental progress & sustainable energy titled few: exploring citizens support for policy tools at the food energy water nexus where they seek to understand public preferences on food energy water nexus policy actions and the factors that go into such preferences they emphasize that limited research has been conducted on policy preferences related to food energy water (few) nexus issues jointly; most existing literature on the topic has treated food energy and water independently drs bullock and bowman underscore the importance of gauging public preference on these issues from a nexus perspective rather than separately because of the reliance each resource has on one another the data used for this research was collected from a national survey completed by istpp that focused on few issues the responses from over 1 200 respondents and was examined through both a descriptive and multivariate analysis of the responses the results of these analyses suggest that factors – such as a respondents age sex household income education and political party affiliation play a significant role in policy tool preferences another significant finding is that respondents with more technical knowledge of nexus issues are more supportive of implementing various policy tools intended to address such issues drs bullock and bowman conclude their article by recommending that future public surveys of nexus issues explore the variables that influence opinions as well as the policy preferences of respondents to ensure a more comprehensive understanding of policy preferences they also mention that the results can provide policymakers routes for improving the efficiency of food energy and water management and that policymakers or scientists can increase public support for nexus policies by effectively educating the public on nexus issues and the implications of poor resource management on the environment bullock justin b and ann om bowman 2017 few: exploring citizens support for policy tools at the food energy water nexus environmental progress & sustainable energy 37(1): 148–154 doi: 101002/ep12727
five outstanding public servants and leaders who have been instrumental in the development of the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university since its founding in 1997 will take part in a unique discussion of current affairs on friday oct 20 at 6:30 pm in the annenberg presidential conference center on the texas a&m university campus the panel will be moderated by the schools current dean mark welsh former chief of staff of the united states air force panelists will include charles f hermann the first director of the bush school 1995−1999 and professor emeritus of the bush school; benton cocanougher interim dean 2009−2010 and dean emeritus of the mays school of business at texas a&m; andrew card acting dean 2011−2103 and white house chief of staff under president george w bush; and ryan crocker dean from 2013 to 2016 and career ambassador in the us state department this unique gathering of scholars diplomats and former senior government officials will discuss a range of national and international issues with each bringing his individual experience in government or academia to a dialogue about the complex current world situation bush school dean mark welsh noted that this group of dedicated public servants has helped to shape the schools growth and development each of these individuals along with other school leaders have made significant contributions to our reputation for academic excellence and commitment to public service welsh said this is a remarkable opportunity to hear their views on the bush school current world affairs and the place of the united states in the world the discussion will be preceded by a reception beginning at 5:15 pm
andrew natsios director of the scowcroft institute of international affairs has announced that dr leslie ruyle will join the institute as assistant director dr ruyle has most recently been assistant director of the texas a&m university center on conflict and development and has written and managed grants and proposals for university-based initiatives with the national science foundation and the us agency for international development natsios noted that dr ruyle is an ecologist by education and practice and has been working at the nexus of natural resource management and conflict she teaches courses on conflict natural resource management and policy she has lived in four countries and traveled to over seventy countries during her career her research and publications span a variety of disciplines dr ruyles work has been recognized with the uns equator prize initiative and the deans award for interdisciplinary teams said natsios she is currently building a program in the democratic republic of the congo focused on supporting entrepreneurship in regions of conflict conservation concern and limited connectivity (ec3) he added dr ruyle will focus on the scowcroft institute and the bush school research agenda and grant-writing efforts
istpp research scientist and assistant director xinsheng liu along with dr alicia yan hong (school of public health tamu) and dr huiyan sang (department of statistics tamu) received pesca funding in the amount of $25 000 to support their research project the trend of digital divide and health disparities in us: a longitudinal study of ehealth behavior and policy in the past decade the division of research at texas a&m university funds the pesca grant program through a competitive peer reviewed selection process to support significant research and scholarly projects that have the potential to lead to the awarding of external funding by agencies and endowments
on tuesday october 10 the george h w bush foundation lecture series by wells fargo will present whats next for national security the program will feature tom ridge the first department of homeland security secretary and former governor of pennsylvania; us senator orrin hatch via video; and mark welsh dean of the bush school and former chief of staff of the air force comments will focus on broad concerns relating to national security the event will be co-hosted by the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy and the scowcroft institute for international affairs both at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university our nation stands at a pivotal point with regard to the future of national security welsh said governor ridge will provide expert insight on border issues and the growing insecurity in our world tom ridge was the first secretary of the department of homeland security (dhs) and is the current chairman of ridge global a risk management and security consulting firm prior to serving as dhs secretary ridge also served two terms as governor of pennsylvania and six terms in the us house of representatives he is an army veteran of the vietnam war orrin hatch is the senior senator from utah and the most senior republican in the senate he serves as senate president pro tempore and the chairman of the senate committee on finance and is a member of the senate judiciary committee; health education labor and pensions committee; and the joint committee on taxation his prerecorded remarks will cover his opinion on key national security issues mark welsh is the dean of the bush school of government and public service he previously served as the chief of staff of the air force a member of the joint chiefs of staff associate director of military affairs at the central intelligence agency and commandant of the united states air force academy the event will be held on tuesday october 10 at the annenberg presidential conference center at 5:30 pm since seating is limited registration is required
dr kent portney istpp director presented research on the relationships between measures of multilevel governance and the pursuit of sustainability by large us cities at the recently concluded spsa conference the research team investigates this relationship using data from a survey of city administrators in 50 of the largest cities in the us to measure aspects of multilevel governance and independent measures of how aggressively cities seem to be pursuing sustainability the analyses show significant variation across cities in their frequency of interactions and contacts among multiple levels of government and the extent to which they include other governments in city policy deliberations the authors find very strong evidence that multilevel governance has very little to do with cities decisions to adopt and implement sustainability policies and programs there is even evidence that when cities engage in multilevel governance they are less likely to take the pursuit of sustainability seriously suggesting the other levels of government might actually impede rather than stimulate pro-environmental policies bowman ann om kent e portney and jeffrey m barry 2017 multilevel governance and city sustainability policies: does it exist does it matter paper presented at the local governance and sustainability conference within conference at the 88th annual meeting of the southern political science association new orleans la january 12-14
the european political science association announced that dr paul m kellstedt would be the incoming editor-in-chief of its flagship journal political science research and methods read more information about kellstedts achievement dr paul m kellstedt is a professor of political science at texas a&m university his fields of expertise are public opinion and political methodology prior to joining the texas a&m university faculty he taught at brown university and the university of minnesota he has been a visiting fellow at the kennedy school of government at harvard university (1999) at nuffield college university of oxford (2008) and at centro de investigación y docencia económicas (2014) on sept 1 2022 the department of political science became part of the bush school of government & public service

when news breaks about a major world event whether it is a syrian government decisions to conduct gas attacks on its citizens or a natural disaster impacting thousands of lives in south texas one of the first questions leaders and citizens alike ask is okay so whats next presented by the bush school a new series called whats next aims to answer that question by addressing the major events and issues that grab our attention the first program in this series will be hurricane harvey: the road to recovery which will be held on thursday september 14 2017 at the memorial student center room 2401 from 5:30 to 6:30 pm hurricane harvey has been devastating to houston and the surrounding areas and the long-term effects are still unknown the estimated damage is expected to be approximately $190 billion resulting from thirty inches of rain the massive storm dumped on houston three bush school professors dr danny davis dr dave mcintyre and professor ron sievert will discuss the road forward for houston and the surrounding communities at the event bush school professor dr justin bullock will moderate while there is no set schedule for presentations in the series the timing and topics will be completely driven by the headline; this type of rapid-response series is designed to address events in real time as they occur with faculty from the bush school discussing policy issues and options that are available to decision-makers bush school dean mark welsh noted that the bush school has experts in many areas of government policy who can help people understand what options are possible after a major news event depending on the event there are also remarkable scholars from other colleges on campus who could contribute to a multi-faceted discussion of whats nextthis idea came from a conversation i had with president michael young and im delighted we have the opportunity to make it a reality said dean welsh our faculty members can be a tremendous resource as people try to evaluate whats happened and how we can move forward after a major event such as hurricane harvey this new series will enable us to provide timely information from experts who have unique experience and expertise that will help people understand a particular event and what the future holds for those impacted by it the series is open to the public and no registration is required
the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university kicked off twenty years of educating students with a celebration featuring cupcakes ice cream and other special surprises for students faculty and staff on thursday august 31 2017 president bush once said he hoped in 100 years the bush school would look back and be able to say this school produced generations of dedicated public servants dean mark welsh is proud to be part of the accomplishments of the school and is looking forward to playing a role in its future success the bush school is now twenty years into the effort to make his dream reality dean welsh said our faculty and staff still have a singular focus on producing principled public servants and our graduates are twenty years into changing our world for the better i know president bush is proud of them all im also sure he would remind us that our work will never truly be done that our world needs leaders of character today more than ever and that those of us who serve here are privileged to educate remarkable men and women who are committed to serve their fellow citizens it just doesnt get any better than being at the bush school and today it comes with cupcakes! with its inaugural class walking through the doors in 1997 the bush school is launching a year-long celebration to recognize the accomplishments of the last twenty years though the school is young it is host to well-respected faculty and a student body that currently represents twenty-four foreign countries and thirty-nine states after graduation many bush school students go on to have distinguished careers in the public and private sector this year of celebration will remember past achievements as well as look toward new horizons and educating a new generation of public servants its quite a special time to be at the bush school as twenty years means students from around the globe have passed through these halls to carry on president bushs vision and legacy of selfless public service and it also means that countless more students will continue to follow in their footsteps said second-year student david hidinger who will be part of the twentieth graduating class
among the many moving photographs taken during the rescue efforts after hurricane harvey the scene of bush school senior lecturer richard macnamee carrying a girl to safety captured by getty images shows the danger he and other volunteers went through to save flood victims macnamee who teaches courses on government intelligence operations terrorism and counterinsurgency is a british army special forces veteran who served on numerous combat operations in germany northern ireland the middle east and afghanistan he was accompanied on this rescue by bush school graduates lucas mcham and forest clark (veteran) both class of 2016 they brought along several boats and a high-water vehicle all of which were sourced through personal contacts when it became clear that the hurricane was going to make a second landfall we decided to head east to the beaumont-port arthur area macnamee said we were stationed right at the waters edge near the memorial baptist church in port arthur our mission was to get folks out of harms way and transported to a safe shelter our boats made many trips to various locations finding and getting people out of apartments and other facilities this young girl is just one of many children i saw who were clearly traumatized by what was happening macnamees extensive military experience as well as his work in crisis management came into play as the day progressed he said we saw elderly people children and whole families who not only had lost their homes and possessions but were also unsure where they would be going; so understandably there was a lot of confusion macnamee said we did our best to calm their fears but nerves were pretty frayed; and it was especially hard on the children the flood waters were toxic to say the least which presented another danger to those working to save people following the work in port arthur macnamee and his crew came to houston to stage in an area in west houston in order to be able to assist with any rescues of people who were stranded when water from the addicks and barker reservoirs was released it was very difficult and tiring work but rewarding macnamee said when you see the resilience of people who have just lost everything it makes you grateful and willing to do whatever is necessary to help them what was on display was the leadership and service creed of former graduate students like forest and lucas who admirably displayed the essence of the quiet professional doing what just needed to be done they made me proud view the original article on texas a&m today
houston lawyer michael mickey branisa bicycles across the country to honor his late son and raise support for the bush school of government and public service the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university was founded under former president george hw bushs philosophy that public service is a noble calling michael mickey branisa saw that calling in his late son ryan and now looks to raise support for others as equally passionate by biking 3 800 miles across america mickey is a houston lawyer with 30 years of experience under his belt in 2010 his 14-year-old son ryan passed away after an accidental fall while hiking table mountain in south africa to honor their sons memory mickey and his wife susan established an endowed gift to create the michael ryan branisa endowed fellowship through the texas a&m foundation distributions from this endowment will be used to provide fellowships to full-time students in good academic standing pursuing a graduate degree from the bush school of government and public service ryan very much liked bush 41s style and his policiesespecially his international policiesand im confident that he would have gone into the public service arena said mickey susan and ryan visited the campus and the george bush presidential library and museum one month before his passing since he couldnt graduate from there something we can do is gather attention and support towards our cause in hopes that other people will feel the desire to contribute whenever susan and i have visited the bush school the students appear to be what we as a country need: young leaders with a passion for public service todays youth unfortunately often does not have the financing to finish their studies ryan wouldve been a leader and we want to help other young people develop into leaders in his memory mickey is embarking on a cross-country bike ride on aug 20 and hopes to raise support for the bush school and its vision he further views this cycling endeavor as a personal journey and an apt metaphor for life full of challenges setbacks and triumphs his ride will cover 3 800 miles of northern us landscape he will begin in portland oregon on aug 20 and finish in portland maine on oct 4 hes been an avid bicyclist for 30 years and has already taken a partial sabbatical from practicing law to begin training and riding the trek the route averages 91 miles per day and there are 18 days of riding over 100 miles so mickey has trained intensely on different types of terrain ive always wanted to see america up close and i think this is a great way to do it there will be 20 others making the trek at the same time many of whom are also bicycling for a cause although mickey has been an avid bicyclist for 30 years the 55-year-old has concerns about the physical strain of such a journey especially with two hip replacements this ride is in part a celebration and remembrance of a life well-lived by ryan may the ride be an inspiration to others including the recipients of the ryan branisa fellowship at the bush school to always challenge themselves mickey said i hope this ride will also raise awareness and support for the school that graduates young leaders many of whom go into the area of public service both at home and abroad in the mold and vision of bush 41 i think the bush school embodies a lot of what ryan stood for and what our family stands for mickey said check mickey branisas public facebook page to follow mickeys trek across the us and track his progress in real time he will also be posting pictures from his journey at michael_branisa on instagram
dr arnold vedlitz and his co-authors dr scott robinson and dr james stoutenborough published their comparison of experimental and attitudinal approaches for measuring public policy support in a book devoted to experiments in public administration research to compare the two approaches the authors utilize a survey that measured public support for various water policies through the traditional attitudinal model the authors provide respondents with an 11-point scale by which they rate their level of support for a particular policy through the experimental approach the authors utilize a willingness-to-pay (wtp) system in which respondents indicated whether they would be willing to pay a stratified randomly assigned amount extra on their water bills to secure water supply in their areas throughout their chapter the authors analyze the benefits and flaws of both the attitudinal and experimental approaches to measuring public support they highlight instances where the attitudinal model might be a more appropriate approach than the wtp model and vice versa the researchers conclude that the attitudinal model provides researchers more flexibility in the type of policies surveyed along with a general sense of the degree of public support related to types of policies they also note that the experimental model provides a greater ability to make inferences but only within certain types of policy questions and evaluations robinson scott e james w stoutenborough and arnold vedlitz 2017 assessing public support for government policy: comparing experimental and attitudinal approaches in experiments in public administration research: challenges and contributions edited by s jilke o james and g van ryzin 376-393 new york: cambridge university press
led by istpp director dr portney co-authors dr vedlitz dr sansom dr berke and doctoral candidate mr daher delineate their article governance of the water-energy-food nexus: the conceptual and methodological foundations for the san antonio region case study a strategy for conducting both applied and proof-of-concept research related to resource governance and policy systems and their influence on the water-food-energy nexus the istpp team will focus their first of its kind research on san antonio texas where there are vast numbers of organizations – both in the private and public sectors – that have financial political and legal influence on decisions that affect water energy and food resources the researchers intend to identify and analyze the governance structures of water energy and food through recording the responsibilities and capabilities of the organizations that have an influence on each of these domains they will then utilize social network analysis and game-theoretic formulation to understand the relationships within these governance organizations and their constituents for each domain the team will also determine whether any such relationships and connections exist across the nexus domains the team will also utilize spatial land use analysis to compare governance interconnection in different areas around san antonio it is possible that by identifying the networks involved with governance of the nexus and the ways in which related policies affect individual behaviors that strategies may be developed to improve and interlink the governance structures so that area residents will benefit from more efficient and sustainable use of water energy and food resources kent e portney arnold vedlitz garett sansom philip berke and bassel t daher 2017 governance of the water-energy-food nexus: the conceptual and methodological foundations for the san antonio region case study in the topical collection on nexus of food water energy section edited by r mohtar for current sustainable/renewable energy reports volume edited by michael e webber springer international publishing doi: 101007/s40518-017-0077-1
in a recent article on north koreas drive for nuclear arms the new york times referenced the research in nuclear weapons and coercive diplomacy by todd s sechser and matthew fuhrmann read the referenced article by the new york times matthew fuhrmann is an associate professor of political science at texas a&m university he was named an andrew carnegie fellow in 2016 by the carnegie corporation of new york during the 2016-17 academic year he is a visiting associate professor at stanford universitys center for international security and cooperation his research focuses on international relations military power nuclear proliferation and armed conflict he is the author of atomic assistance: how atoms for peace programs cause nuclear insecurity (2012) and the co-author of nuclear weapons and coercive diplomacy (2017) he is a term member of the council on foreign relations on sept 1 2022 the department of political science became part of the bush school of government & public service
dr mary hilderbrand a senior lecturer in the bush school of government and public service has been appointed a research fellow of the institute for science technology and public policy her research focuses on institutional and governance reform political analysis of public policy processes and the role of politics and governance in development dr hilderbrand brings her expertise to an interdisciplinary group of a&m scholars who are researching the governance of us–mexico transboundary groundwater and are developing research partnerships with scholars in mexico the istpp fellows program recognizes individuals who have made or are committed to making significant contributions to the development of the institute and to its mission aims and objectives participation as an istpp fellow is by invitation from the institutes director meet our other fellows by visiting our istpp fellows webpage
dr berke is a professor of land use and environmental planning in the department of landscape architecture and urban planning and director of the institute of sustainable coastal communities at texas a&m university his work lies at the intersection of land use planning urban ecology and community resilience to environmental hazards engaging the public in identifying issues and in creating and implementing solutions is a core tenant of berkes efforts to empower community governance dr moats is a lecturer in the online graduate certificate of homeland security program in the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university he also serves as associate director and program director of weapons of mass destruction for the emergency services training institute at the texas a&m engineering extension service in addition to a long and decorated career in emergency services dr moats has published articles on crisis management and training and development the istpp fellows program recognizes individuals who have made or are committed to making significant contributions to the development of the institute and to its mission aims and objectives participation as an istpp fellow is by invitation from the institutes director meet our other fellows by visiting our website – https://bushtamuedu/istpp/fellows/
how do natural elements such as environmental hazards and disasters effect individuals attitudes and behaviors about water management dr hannibal examines this question using quantitative data from istpps representative national public opinion survey on the water-energy-food nexus combined with data from three different sources that provide information about local drought crop damage earthquakes and floods by incorporating such hazard and disaster information with standard demographic and general environmental concern variables into predictive models this study expands our insights into how people perceive and respond to water issues indeed individuals who live in counties that experience consistent drought are more likely to identify water-related challenges as important express higher levels of support for policies that manage water resources and engage in behaviors that conserve water hannibal bryce 2017 the effect of environmental hazards on attitudes and behaviors about water management: a multilevel analysis paper presented at the annual meeting of the southwestern social science association austin tx april 12–15
the department of political science congratulates recent phd program graduates blake e garcia and cameron wimpy for winning the european political science associations 2016 award for the best published paper their paper titled does information lead to emulation spatial dependence in anti-government violence was published in the january 2016 issue of the journal political science research and methods garcia and wimpy wrote this paper together while they were phd students and presented it a conference hosted by the department and the european union center in 2013 on spatial models of politics in europe and beyond on sept 1 2022 the department of political science became part of the bush school of government & public service
arnold vedlitz director emeritus and distinguished research scholar for istpp and istpp research fellows scott e robinson and james w stoutenborough in their book understanding public trust: environmental sustainability fracking and public opinion in american politics provide a framework for a more complex and nuanced understanding of government trust than was available previously their research focuses on comparing overall feelings of governmental trust and mistrust to those for specific governmental units and agencies in this case the specific agency is the environmental protection agency (epa) the authors analysis of data from a representative national survey of the public showed that individual attributes like demographics and ideology as well as external influences such as environmentalism can have a positive or negative effect on the epas reputation whatever the individuals level of trust in government in general the authors believe that their more robust framework will be important to both scholars and practitioners as they seek to develop a more complete understanding of the publics relationship with its governmental leaders were all well aware of how much is said about growing government mistrust and how difficult it can be to explain the various roles elected and bureaucratic officials play in our complex political system vedlitz said we believe our research demonstrates that individual agencies and the professionals who work there can in spite of more general government mistrust act in ways that build confidence in and support for their public service actions understanding public trust: environmental sustainability fracking and public opinion in american politics is published by routledge publishing it can be ordered on the routledge website: https://wwwroutledgecom
invited by the school of government of peking university dr xinsheng liu istpp research scientist and assistant director gave a series of lectures on recent advancements in public policy theory and research during his visit to china in late may 2017 his lectures focused on one of the leading policy process theories – the punctuated equilibrium theory its theoretical origins key propositions empirical grounds as well as its applications and extensions to policy research and analysis
in his study throwing it out: introducing a nexus perspective in examining citizen perceptions of organization food waste in the us dr hannibal explores public concern about food waste and what if anything they want done about it an estimated 40% of food in the us is wasted along with the water and energy required to grow harvest treat and transport the food as well as the resources required to manage the food waste this research which adds to the very short list of papers that examine food waste at the national level places the issue of food waste within the publics perception of the water-energy-food nexus (wef) using quantitative data from istpps representative national public opinion survey on the wef nexus hannibal analyzes individuals awareness of the food-water (fw) nexus and the food-energy (fe) nexus and the extent to which their awareness influences their concern about food waste and the strength of their support for different types of policies designed to reduce food waste analytical results indicated that general environmental concern fw nexus awareness fe nexus awareness are significantly correlated with concern about food waste and support for policies to reduce food waste standard demographic variables are also included in the analytical models hannibal bryce 2017 throwing it out: introducing a nexus perspective in examining citizen perceptions of organization food waste in the us paper presented at the annual meeting of the southwestern social science association austin tx april 12–15
for this project public concern and support for regulation of uogd: individual and contextual influences on texas residents hannibal and his istpp research partners examine the effect of county-level characteristics on individuals opinions and policy preferences about hydraulic fracturing in texas the rise of unconventional oil and gas development has led to an increase in attention and focus on the oil and gas industry in recent years much media attention and focus have been directed at hydraulic fracturing since its discovery hydraulic fracturing has been popular and has had a prominent role in oil and gas development in texas using data from istpps 2015 water-energy-food nexus public opinion survey combined with data from fracfocus the environmental protection agency the us drought monitor and the willmott and feddema climatic moisture index the researchers determine whether proximity to a well and natural environmental conditions influence concerns and policy preferences about fracking using multilevel modeling techniques the team finds mixed results some measures of proximity and drought influence attitudes about fracking while others do not they conclude their study with some policy recommendations note some problems and concerns about the lack of transparency around hydraulic fracturing and address existing limitations in data collection and availability of data for widespread analysis
mark welsh dean of the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university has announced promotions for faculty members dr lori taylor and dr william norrisdr taylor has been promoted to full professor dr norris has been promoted to associate professor and granted tenure in addition to her teaching and research responsibilities dr taylor is also the director the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy her area of expertise is school finance and her award-winning research focuses on policies and environmental factors that influence school district efficiency and teacher compensation she is also a nationally recognized expert on the measurement and implications of geographic variation in the cost of education and has served as the principal researcher for multiple studies commissioned by the texas legislature and the texas education agency as well as other state and national educational organizations dr norris whose expertise includes chinese foreign economic and security policy directs the bush schools concentration in china studies program in 2015 dr norris spent a year in residence at the carnegie endowment for peace in washington dc as a stanton nuclear security fellow researching us-china escalation dynamics a frequent advisor to governmental agencies dr norris recently provided briefings and background information to rear admiral james kilby and his flag staff on the uss carl vinson as they began a five-month deployment in the western pacific he is also a member of the board of directors of the southwest conference on asian studies and serves on the faculty advisory board of the scowcroft institute of international affairs dean welsh said all of us at the bush school are incredibly proud of dr taylors and dr norriss achievements and this well-deserved recognition of their outstanding scholarship their significant contributions to public policy and international relations and their service to the school
president trump has announced that the united states will be renegotiating the north american free trade agreement (nafta) however research conducted by dr raymond robertson of the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university shows strong evidence for naftas benefits and warns against throwing the baby out with the bath water robertson observes that the objections to nafta are really about labor market adjustment problems more broadly ending nafta wont solve those problems furthermore canada and mexico are the united states top trading partners and empirical evidence shows that all three countries reap significant economic benefits from the relationship you can read more about robertsons analysis in a short policy brief titled the nafta intellect disconnect: actual costs and benefits versus popular perceptions published by the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy in the article robertson argues that the most accurate way to think of the nafta economic area is as one integrated economy rather than three separate ones that is rather than thinking of mexico as a competitor we should think of mexico as a partner in our national production process the full article can be found online at http://bushtamuedu/mosbacher/takeaway/
associate professor diego von vacano is one of seven faculty members at texas a&m university who were named arts & humanities fellows for 2017 each fellowship includes a three-year grant of $15 000 to support a scholarly or creative project diego von vacano an associate professor in the department of political science concentrates his research interests on political theory political philosophy the history of political thought comparative political theory and hispanic/latin american thought the arts & humanities fellows program is designed to stimulate interactions among scholarly and artistic faculty on our campus across the nation and around the world while also recognizing extraordinary scholarship and creativity this program creates a supportive environment for these faculty members so they may advance their work while they build strengthen and sustain long-term relationships outside their chosen disciplines a peer-review panel selected each recipient based on merit and originality professional qualifications clarity the benefit to the public and the quality of the overall presentation fellowship applications were open to all texas a&m faculty who engage in scholarship in the humanities or in creative work in the arts additionally dr von vacano has received a presidential fellowship to be an associate professor of political science at yale university for 2017-2018 visiting presidential professors are appointed as part of the initiative for faculty excellence and diversity approximately 10 exceptional scholars and practitioners who contribute to inclusive excellence are appointed each year during the initiative on sept 1 2022 the department of political science became part of the bush school of government & public service
the decades long erosion of public trust in government has recently created an upsurge of interest in how to better understand that trend three scholarsarnold vedlitz of the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university; scott e robinson university of oklahoma; and james w stoutenborough idaho state universityin their book understanding public trust: environmental sustainability fracking and public opinion in american politics provide a framework for a much more complex and nuanced understanding of government trust than was available previously their research focuses on comparing overall feelings of governmental trust and mistrust to those for more specific governmental units and agencies in this case the specific agency is the environmental protection agency (epa) the authors analysis of data from a representative national survey of the public showed that citizen attributes like demographics and ideology as well as external influences such as environmentalism can have a positive or negative effect on the epas reputation whatever the individuals level of trust in government in general the authors believe that their more robust framework will be important to both scholars and practitioners as they seek to develop a more complete understanding of the publics relationship with its governmental leaders were all well aware of how much is said about growing government mistrust and how difficult it can be to explain the various roles elected and bureaucratic officials play in our complex political system vedlitz said we believe our research demonstrates that individual agencies and the professionals who work there can in spite of more general government mistrust act in ways that build confidence in and support for their public service actions understanding public trust: environmental sustainability fracking and public opinion in american politics is published by routledge publishing it can be ordered on the routledge website
dr portney and his co-authors have published the first quantitative study on the publics awareness of the food-energy-water nexus (few) so far most researchers have worked to identify and model the scientific and technical connections between the nexus elements – food and energy energy and water and water and food recognizing that it is also important to identify what the public understands about these connections as a necessary component of energizing and guiding policy portney and other researchers associated with the institute for science technology and public policy conducted a representative national public opinion survey of us adults on the few nexus using responses to various questions on the survey the researchers developed indices that measure the publics awareness of the nexus elements they then analyzed the extent to which these awareness measures influenced support for several policies that address the connections between the nexus elements that is policies that recognize the trade-offs between say growing more food but then having less water for other uses such as producing energy they found that each of the three measures correlate significantly with support for nexus-based policies suggesting that increasing peoples awareness of the few nexus could be an important means to raise support for nexus-based policy approaches portney kent e bryce hannibal carol goldsmith peyton mcgee xinsheng liu and arnold vedlitz 2017 awareness of the food-energy-water nexus and public policy support in the united states: public attitudes among the american people environment and behavior doi: 101177/0013916517706531
in their new article dr bullock and dr vedlitz explore the moderating role perceived knowledge plays in influencing emphasis framing using data from an experiment embedded in the national energy policy survey conducted by the institute for science technology and public policy (istpp) in 2012 the authors use multivariate analysis of probit and ordered probit models to test whether an emphasis frame influences policy support the test for framing effect is based on the name given in the embedded experimental vignette to a procedure used to extract natural gas from shale – either hydraulic fracturing or fracking the researchers then evaluate the degree to which perceived knowledge of the issue moderates the relationship between the emphasis frame and support for hydraulic fracturing perceived knowledge is based on how much each respondent reports having heard about hydraulic fracturing or fracking the dependent variable of policy support is based on responses to a question about whether respondents would support or oppose hydraulic fracturing or fracking in their local community bullock and vedlitz find support both for the role emphasis framing plays and for perceived knowledge as a moderator in particular they consistently find statistical support suggesting those who report having a lot of knowledge or awareness about hydraulic fracturing are influenced by the naming emphasis frame bullock justin b and arnold vedlitz 2017 emphasis framing and the role of perceived knowledge: a survey experiment review of policy research doi: 101111/ropr12231 dr justin bullock is an assistant professor in the bush school and an istpp research fellow dr arnold vedlitz is a professor and holder of the bob bullock chair in government and public policy in the bush school as well as director emeritus and distinguished research scholar for istpp
the field of cybersecurity is ever-changing dr danny davis is working to stay ahead if the game there is constant change in cybersecurity said davis a senior lecturer in terrorism cybersecurity security policy and military history at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university and director of the schools graduate certificate in homeland security there isnt much time to cover cyber history in the cyber field 2010 is history most of the issues covered in class are whats happening right now given the evolving nature of the subject of his course offerings davis also finds it important that his students are subjected to the perspectives of professionals in the field of national security his classes have welcomed guest speakers from the federal trade commission federal bureau of investigation drug enforcement agency and computer security experts known as white hat hackers i like to have people come in and talk who are actually in the field davis said in contemporary subjects like domestic terrorism and cybersecurity i think thats important in his near ten years at the bush school davis has been on the cutting edge of the field of national security through his research and teaching davis teaches three bush school courses and a capstone focused on domestic terrorism cybersecurity and homeland security through a policy and strategy lens his focus on domestic terrorism and the emerging threats to cybersecurity make him unique among his colleagues at the bush school i enjoy the classroom environment and exchanging ideas and engaging in discussion with students davis said i want to share knowledge with students and help them develop good research skills in his domestic terrorism class davis covers the history of terrorism with an emphasis on terrorism by islamist elements and international sponsors of terrorist activity his foundations of homeland security course considers policy at the federal level as well as the jurisdictional issues and interactions among local state and federal agencies in response to a crisis daviss cybersecurity course designed for managers discusses ever-evolving cyber threats to individuals and the private and public sectors in an increasingly networked world my teaching style has not changed much since i was an infantry lieutenant said davis i have high expectations and stress being prepared i ask a lot of questions throughout the class to engage students; this also gives me an indication of who has done the required reading in addition to his duties as a lecturer davis is the director of the graduate certificate in homeland security program and was appointed the coordinator for the executive master in public service and administration degree program davis has published numerous articles on domestic terrorism and national security and is currently working on a book on barksdales mississippi brigade a confederate infantry unit from the civil war i have always been interested in the civil war davis said ive visited major civil war battle fields the national archives and the mississippi state archives in putting the book together daviss forty-year career has spanned military and civilian professions with deep roots at texas a&m after completing his bachelors in history at a&m in 1976 davis served for twenty years in command and staff positions in airborne ranger and special forces units he retired with the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1997 during his time in the army davis earned a masters in international relations at troy state university he earned his phd in education from his alma matter in 2003 he came to the bush school in 2007 after being recruited by fellow bush school professor dr dave mcintyre [he] brought me in based on my work with the army in the homeland security mission davis said also the dean at the time dick chilcoat knew me from our days in the berlin brigade dick had been my battalion commanderdavis said he still draws from the leadership lessons he first learned as an aggie cadet he believes strongly in president bushs belief that public service is a noble calling and that people of character are needed to serve a perspective based on his military service and academic pursuits guides his interaction with students i want to pass along the importance of integrity in all aspects of life and work davis said of his perspective on public service just doing your job seeking out the facts not falling back on emotions this is the essence of a professional you owe your boss the best assessment of the facts you can gather
the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university recognized sixty-nine students for their achievements in earning the deans leadership certificate or the bush school medal of excellence students were presented with the award during a ceremony held at the annenberg presidential conference center the ceremony was attended by both the awardees and bush school faculty and staff including bush school dean mark welsh dean welsh offered high praise for the recognized students our graduates exemplify strong principled leadership in the field of public service welsh said through the achievement of these honors these students have gained the leadership and communication skills that will serve them well in their professional endeavors in order to receive the deans leadership certificate students are required to develop an individual leadership plan examining their personal vision values knowledge skills and professional attributes each student must demonstrate a commitment to life-long learning and leadership development through a variety of public service leadership projects and by participating in leadership workshops and individual leadership coaching sessions at the bush school fifty-three students in the public administration and international affairs departments were presented with the certificate students receiving the medal of honor also completed the requirements for the deans leadership certificate and in addition prepared a leadership reflection statement demonstrating how they can apply what they have learned during their time at the bush school the students also compiled an eportfolio a reflective integrative learning portfolio requiring students to connect their learning across interdisciplinary experiences such as participation in leadership programs courses and internships from the perspective of their professional interests sixteen students from the public administration and international affairs departments at the bush school were recognized with the medal of excellence this was the second class of students to receive the medal of excellence since it was created last year
lauren bush lauren founder of feed and granddaughter of president george h w bush spent time in the classroom with students at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university prior to her remarks at the bank of america program on volunteerism bush lauren spoke to dr laurie paarlbergs grant and project management class on monday afternoon on the social purpose business model of her company feed feed is an accessory retailer and social business that donates proceeds from each product sold to provide meals to children and families around the world bush lauren also touched on the challenges she faced launching and growing a business as a young entrepreneur and emphasized the importance of reaching out to others when seeking to solve a problem students asked about the feed foundation and how it is different from her business and how philanthropy and young peoples commitment to social action is changing paarlberg said at the end of the discussion one student mentioned that this was the ‘best guest speaker that weve had in two years! during her remarks at the annenberg presidential conference center later monday evening bush lauren spoke on creating a social business and how her grandfather influenced her perspective on public service i grew up with a grandfather who exuded the fact that public service was the life to have bush lauren said i am so grateful that my beginnings were looking up to him and wanting to do good in the world lauren bush lauren with bush school students from dr laurie paarlbergs grant and project management class the bank of america program on volunteerism is endowed through the george h w bush presidential library foundation and administered by the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy at the bush school the program is an effort to educate individuals and corporations on the importance of corporate citizenship and volunteer activities in todays society
presidents baseball and wins above expectations: what can sabermetrics tell us about presidential success why ronald reagan is like bobby cox and lyndon johnson is like joe torre is the title of the cover article for the 50th-anniversary edition of ps the magazine of the american political science association written by texas a&m university associate professor manuel p teodoro and professor jon r bond the article adapts the pythagorean expectations (pe) formula as a tool to analyze presidential legislative success from eisenhower to obama they also used wins above expectations (wae) as a second method of review it was determined that a parsimonious regression model and the pe formula were able to predict annual success with 90 percent accuracy the estimates of wae are uncorrelated it was determined that regression analysis did not identify any president who systematically exceeded expectations but using the sabermetric analysis indicated that republican presidents have outperformed democrats on sept 1 2022 the department of political science became part of the bush school of government & public service
the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy at the bush school of government hosted its final event of the academic year on monday april 24 2017 the 2017 bank of america program on volunteerism featured lauren bush lauren founder and ceo of feed who spoke about food for thought: building a social business to change the world the event began with a welcome from bush school dean mark welsh followed by dr lori taylor director of the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy who introduced ms bush lauren dr taylor noted that feed is a for-profit company with a social mission to combat world hunger that has provided over 95 million school meals since its start in 2007 ms bush lauren started her presentation unconventionally by asking the room to close their eyes and imagine the last time they were hungry she asked the crowd to try and remember how they felt were they tired were they disgruntled did they feel fear she then asked the crowd to open their eyes to a powerful image of a fragile child hovering over a plate of rice that image was coupled with a comment that one in ten children are born into a culture of chronic hunger with more people dying of hunger than hiv/aids and tuberculosis combined ms bush lauren then showed more pictures and talked about how she became interested in world hunger through her time as a student spokeswoman for the united nations world food programme (wfp) visiting listless children who lacked access to adequate nutrition because of where they were born charged her to find a way to give back not wanting to go the traditional route of earning money and giving as many advised her to do ms bush lauren combined her interest in fashion and her desire to help and came up with the design of her first feed 1 bag modeled after the burlap provision bags used by the uns wfp missions feed now sells a variety of products but continues to dedicate a portion of each sale to assist anti-hunger programs at the conclusion of her speech ms bush lauren was joined on stage by dr will brown director of the nonprofit management program at the bush school for a continued discussion dr brown asked ms bush lauren about current trends in social businesses and how consumers fit into the picture ms bush lauren noted the impact of social businesses similar to feed in putting pressure on bigger brand names to become more open and conscientious she pointed out that with social media and increased transparency in global events consumers are becoming more aware of how their purchases can impact communities by creating a marketable good for conscious consumers ms bush lauren states that companies can tap into consumer desire to give back while also participating in the market mentioning the quick success of her company dr brown asked at what point she had a revelation that this model could work that her company could really impact world hunger ms bush lauren recalled two moments when she started to see her vision coming into action the first was when she made her first contract with amazoncom which was enough to fund a full year of food for the wfp in rwanda she knew even if that was the only contribution she made it was good the second came when she saw a stranger carrying a feed bag on a new york city street going from abstract to seeing one in-person made all the difference and encouraged her to continue after the conversation concluded dr taylor joined dr brown on stage to present ms bush lauren with a plaque to show the bush schools appreciation for the work she and her company are doing to help end world hunger and to thank her for a wonderful and inspiring evening lauren bush lauren speaks to bush school students prior to the program on volunteerism lauren bush lauren with the bush school ambassadors lauren bush lauren with bush school students
if the ebola crisis which began in 2013 was a black swan in terms of recent epidemics it focused attention around the world on emerging infectious diseases and the way biological threats whether from outbreaks accidents or attacks have increased due to globalization and technological innovation the scowcroft institute of international affairs at the bush school of government and public service has now expanded its focus on the issue of global pandemics with the appointment of dr gerald w parker as director of the institutes biosecurity and pandemic policy program parker also serves as campus director for global one health for texas a&m university associate dean for global health in the college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences and as a strategic advisor for the institute for infectious diseases in agrilife research a us army veteran parker has a 36-year record of military and civilian experience including his service as deputy assistant secretary of defense for chemical and biological defense and as the principal deputy assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the department of health and human services where he led efforts to prepare for and respond to public health and medical emergencies parker noted that the ebola outbreak was likely just days from becoming a pandemic and a true black swan incident and that a texas a&m system-wide approach is a new and effective way for our faculty and students to contribute to solving global security problems posed by high impact infectious diseases and other public health crises policy leaders and relevant international organizations have recognized that the future of global health security lies within the nexus of human animal and ecosystem health and that a one health approach is an essential component to help solve this global health challenge working with our partners in the a&m system the bush school will provide the link between scientific research and public policy parker said this linkage will allow researchers to study the science of infectious diseases and then relate those to government and international policy discussions on biosecurity pandemics and global security he noted a&ms long tradition of public service and the universitys potential to make significant contributions from research to policy in support of global health securitywith scientists and policy experts working together we have opportunities to help create a better future for millions around the world not only through better infectious disease prevention detection and response initiatives but also in nutrition food security and humanitarian development to mitigate conflict and high impact infectious disease outbreaks at their source my role is to support the scientists students and policy makers within our university who share this vision as well as to establish texas a&m as a premier university for global health and global health security research and policy development parker said parker also cited scowcroft institute director andrew natsios experience in worldwide health crises as another plus in the science/policy nexus natsios was formerly the administrator of the us agency for international development (usaid) where he managed reconstruction programs in the middle east and led the agencys responses to all types of natural disasters including disease outbreaks the institutes biosecurity and pandemic policy program has become a recognized player on the pandemic preparedness policy stage and will soon become a national thought leader on global health security and biosecurity natsios cited a&ms world-class programs in veterinary medicine agriculture engineering and the health sciences as keys to the bush schools ability to develop policy responses to worldwide pandemic preparedness experts in these disciplines already have experience working together and the formal linkage with the bush school will enable us to propose better strategies to prevent outbreaks from becoming pandemics and how to better respond to pandemics and other world health crises natsios said parker concurred: with professor natsios leadership we have the opportunity to get into the study of high impact infectious disease and translate our experience in dealing with them to future generations he said parker also plans to develop an educational curriculum that will offer future policy leaders an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the global biosecurity challenges of the 21st century both parker and natsios co-hosted a recent program held at the national press club in washington dc entitled black swans of pandemic disease which focused on humanitarian response planning and supply chain requirements the workshop concluded that the united states and the global community are not prepared for a pandemic and that the united states must remain globally invested in pandemic preparedness and global health underscoring the importance of the new biosecurity initiative at the bush school the institute will soon release a policy white paper the growing threats of pandemics enhancing domestic and international biosecurity that identifies gaps and policy recommendations and will hold the third of its series of conferences on global pandemics on october 16-17 2017
dave fujimoto lela akiashvili joshua causey amanda driggers megi llubani and sydney thomas a team of bush school of government and public service student researchers have developed a unique smart phone application concept to help texas a&m veterans complete their education the mobile app dogtags2diploma seeks to identify student veterans at risk of not successfully completing their academic program and provide access to campus and community resourcesthe student researchers at texas a&ms bush school of government and public service say the mobile app is currently in the pilot stage of development among texas a&m student veterans in a partnership with the texas a&m veteran resource and support center our innovative smart phone application consolidates and personalizes veteran-specific resources both on and off campus and has the potential to be used in colleges around the country team member and second-year student dave fujimoto said im really proud of the work we did to address this issuethe teams mobile app is currently in the pilot stage of use among texas a&m student veterans in a partnership with the texas a&m veteran resource and support center the team of six students entered the mobile app in the national public policy challenge at the university of pennsylvania and reached the semifinal round of the nationwide competition the national public policy challenge is an annual competition providing an opportunity for student teams to develop a policy proposal and civic campaign plan to achieve significant change in their communities it was a pleasure to serve as the advisor to the talented team of students that form the bush schools national public policy challenge team bush school professor and team advisor dr justin bullock said their idea is a clever proposal to help student veterans access university and community resources that will help those student veterans have a successful college experience graduate students from the bush school are invited each year to the challenge to compete for the $15 000 grand prize the event is co-hosted by the fels institute and governing magazine and attracts competitors from policy schools around the nation
three teams of student researchers at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university competed in and won top honors in their category at the 2017 texas a&m university student research week the students won top prizes in the competitions business administration and public affairs category this is the first time bush school students have won prizes in this university-wide competition student research week is the nations largest student research competition and is open to the universitys undergraduate graduate and professional students from all academic backgrounds the bush school student research groups competed among students studying accounting finance information and operations management business management and marketing we are very proud of all the bush school research teams who participated in this years student research week bush school dean of student affairs frank ashley said the fact that they entered this competition in addition to their regular coursework demonstrates the caliber of commitment our students have to confronting complex policy issues the students presented research in the oral and poster presentation categories mpia students joshua boatright samantha ray gregory klein valdemar martinez elaine french and nimrah riaz earned first place honors for an oral presentation of their research efforts aimed at creating a national hepatitis c strategy for romania second-year mpia capstone students ashley ruiz maribel mcmillian christopher van dam cheyney allen emma parma matthew acosta and sumer wachtendorf earned second place for an oral presentation of their research work analyzing the historical impact of operation just cause a 1989 invasion of panama during the george h w bush administration the team utilized archives in the bush library to conduct the research second-year mpsa capstone students also won first place in the poster presentation category nicole gabler sydney thomas sarayu sankar dianey leal christina harrison and elizabeth mccrory presented their research on the prevalence and costs of elder financial exploitation of alzheimers patients in texas
two bush school of government and public service colleagues at texas a&m university have teamed up to lead a multidisciplinary and multinational collaborative research survey in china dr xinsheng liu (research scientist and assistant director in the institute for science technology and public policy or istpp) and dr ren mu (associate professor in the department of international affairs) have completed three waves of china governance and public policy surveys (cgpps) the three waves were carried out in august october and december of 2016 and resulted in approximately 8 000 observations these nationwide large-scale and representative surveys cover a wide range of governance and public policy issues facing china today social-economic-educational inequality life satisfaction nationalism and patriotism pollution and environmental protection digital media and online activity public health and e-health behavior major issue concerns and policy preferences the cgpps research project involves multidisciplinary efforts across academic researchers in political science economics public health environmental research and communication studies it also involves two colleges within texas a&m university and international collaborations from three countries (united states united kingdom and china) the bush schools transformation of democracy research fund provided the main financial support for this project istpp department of international affairs and school of public health at texas a&m university as well as swansea university in the united kingdom supplied the balance of the funding the survey and research center for china household finance at the southwest university of finance and economics (swufe) staffed the local research team that implemented the surveys a number of academic studies using the data from these surveys are underway dr mu and dr liu will analyze public awareness of environmental issues and examine how the awareness evolved during the 2008-2016 period dr mu will use the survey experiments embedded in cgpps to examine the relationship between the publics awareness of inequality and their policy preferences for redistribution dr liu and colleagues will investigate several research topics including chinese nationalism/patriotism the sent-down experience and political attitudes and local pollution risk perception and water policy support research team members are also examining other topics on digital media use public health issues and life satisfaction in china
students at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university were paid a visit from former secretary of defense robert gates in their russia in international politics course the course is taught by bush school professor ambassador larry napper during the ninety-minute class period the students briefed secretary gates on their major project of the semester a simulated meeting between presidents trump and putin the students presented gates with their views on the possible agenda items for such a meeting next secretary gates offered professional advice to the students based on his experience in similar meetings during his service to eight american presidents secretary gates then responded to a wide range of questions on current problems in international relations and debates on these issues currently underway in washington before the class finished secretary gates served as us secretary of defense under president george w bush and president barack obama and was appointed director of central intelligence by president george hw bush in 1999 gates became the first dean of the bush school and became president of texas a&m university in 2002 he is currently the chancellor of the college of william & mary
the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy hosted robert s kaplan president and ceo of the federal reserve bank of dallas on monday march 27 2017 for the final conversation in public policy of the academic year bush school dean mark welsh began the evening by welcoming guests and recognizing various a&m officials and the large number of federal reserve bank of dallas employees in the audience dr lori taylor director of the mosbacher institute then introduced president kaplan who joined her on stage for a conversation on economic conditions and monetary policy not pulling any punches dr taylor began the conversation by asking president kaplan to give his assessment of the us economy in recent years and his outlooks for the us economy the energy industry and the texas economy president kaplan noted that the federal reserve estimates 2 ¼ % growth in us gdp in the coming year somewhat sluggish but comparable to the past seven years or so with consumers having a greater ability spend than they did before the economic crash in 2008 he also foresaw increasing stability in the energy industry and robust growth for texas kaplan added that reforms to investments and the housing market while at times unpopular have done much to improve the ability to safeguard and predict future recessions an overarching theme throughout the conversation that kaplan returned to frequently were the issues that keep him up at night: an aging work force; a globalized world in which china is shifting from a producer to consumer state; and technology advancements that are outpacing retraining noting the large number of bush school and mays school students in attendance dr taylor turned the conversation to another important aspect of the federal reserve their ability to adjust interest rates and how that affected borrowers like students president kaplan stressed that when adjusting interest rates being patient and gradually raising the rate according to market factors is key he also highlighted important changes in the us and world economies that make the high economic growth rates of previous eras unsustainable now president kaplan rounded out the mosbacher institute hosted conversation by talking briefly on the different types of leadership needed in the private sector compared to the public compared to an academic setting as an academic who has written numerous books on the topic kaplan pointed out the need for buy-in from employees being knowledgeable on subject matter and understanding the organizations structure when making decisions the crowd of over 450 joined dr taylor in thanking president kaplan with a large round of applause ending another highly informative conversation in public policy dr lori taylor and robert s kaplan l-r: daron peschel sr vp federal reserve bank of dallas; michael young president of texas a&m university; dr lori taylor director of the mosbacher institute; mark welsh dean of the bush school
texas a&m university president michael k young named dr kent portney professor at the bush school of government and public service to the inaugural class of presidential impact fellows the fellows represent an esteemed group of twenty-four faculty members selected for their demonstrated commitment to grand challenges through scholarship leadership and core values president young honored portney and the other awardees in a ceremony on march 7 the program will award the fellows an honorific title for life and an annual stipend of $25 000 for the next three fiscal years to accelerate each recipients pedagogy research and service impacts the selected faculty were identified by the dean of their respective colleges and confirmed by the office of the provost they are considered candidates for continued or new national and international acclaim and are expected to utilize the program to participate in national dialogue advance their scholarship and create new partnerships we acknowledge a new investment in the excellence of select faculty who through their scholarship personal commitment and results demonstrate they are rising to meet the challenges of their field and demonstrating impact towards creating a better world said young i am proud to name these faculty as the inaugural presidential impact fellows bush school dean mark welsh echoed president youngs statement president young has identified in dr portney and the entirety of the inaugural class the excellence embodied here at texas a&m and it is my hope that this honor will assist dr portney in his role as both an educator and scholar said welsh he added by the way none of us at the bush school were surprised by this announcement we already knew that dr portney rocks! dr kent portney is a professor and the director of the bush schools institute for science technology and public policy his areas of expertise include environmental policy urban sustainability urban politics economic inequality and policy analysis he has authored or co-authored nine books on economic and environmental development citizen participation and teaching critical reasoning in the social sciences he has also written numerous journal articles on urban sustainability urban politics and the local nonprofit sector
dr vedlitz istpp director emeritus and distinguished research scholar dr stoutenborough istpp senior research fellow and mr mahafza a graduate student at auburn university examine the role of proximity to major water sources in texans perceptions of risk of water scarcity from a theoretical perspective this project will aid our collective understanding of problem identification the research team tests their model of problem identification and risk assessment using data from istpps 2013 texas public water policy survey which was supported by texas sea grant na10oar4170099 they combine the survey data with geographical information systems to quantify the distances between water nearby water sources and each survey respondents zip code they find that an individuals proximity to water sources is a predictor of their water scarcity perceptions texans who live closer to water sources (both bodies of water and rivers/streams) are more likely to believe that the state has enough water to meet current needs similarly texans who live closer to a river or stream are more likely to believe that the state will have enough water to meet future needs mahafza zachary b james w stoutenborough and arnold vedlitz 2017 the role of proximity in problem identification: risk of water scarcity in texas water policy 19(1): 86–98 doi: 102166/wp2016021
mathew kurian kent e portney gerhard rappold bryce hannibal and solomon h gebrechorkos have co-authored a paper that will be presented at the dresden nexus conference to be held in germany may 17-19 2017 this paper governance of water-energy-food nexus: a social network analysis approach has been selected as one of the theme papers for the conference and will be published in the conference proceedings this paper explores how using a social network analysis approach can contribute to identifying and understanding the complex relations within the nexus and across the stakeholders associated with each element of the nexus – water energy and food this is a critical first step for developing a means of nexus governance that connects the compartmentalized management of each element in a way that reflects the inherent connectedness of their biophysical production and economic processes
dr joshua itzkowitz shifrinson an assistant professor at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university has been named the co-winner of the 2017 article award presented by the diplomatic studies section of the international studies association (isa) shifrinson s article published in the journal international security discusses the informal assurances between the soviet union and the us at the end of the cold war that nato would not expand into eastern europe the best-article award is presented annually to authors who best advance the theoretical and empirical study of diplomacy with a specific focus on writing that attempts to connect the study of diplomacy with broader issues and trends in the discipline shifrinson shares the award with vincent pouliot of mcgill university who wrote about multilateral diplomacy and the governance of international security in the european journal of international security the winners were recognized on february 24 at the dplst business meeting at the isa 2017 convention in baltimore sean lynn-jones editor of international security said he was pleased that the article had been honored professor shifrinson has written a provocative reconsideration of whether the united states promised the soviet union that nato would not expand into eastern europe after the cold war ended his article has clear implications for understanding the current state of us-russian relations said lynn-jones shifrinson is on the faculty of the bush schools department of international affairs his research interests include grand strategy power transitions and diplomatic history prior to joining the bush school shifrinson was a research fellow in the international security program at the belfer center for science and international affairs at harvard universitys kennedy school of government in 2011–2012 a fellow with george washington universitys institute for security and conflict studies in 2012-2013 and just finished a year with the dickey center at dartmouth college a full description of shifrinsons article and a link to the article itself can be found at http://belfercenterorg/publication/joshua-itzkowitz-shifrinsons-international-security-article-wins-isa-diplomatic-studies bush school alums including julie thompson claire berger and hanna fletcher were critical to the research and writing of the article
texas a&m university president michael k young has recognized bush school of government and public service senior administrative coordinator janeen wood and the office of extended education for their outstanding service to the university with the 2016-2017 presidents meritorious service award the presidents meritorious service awards recognize and reward staff for their commendable service to our great university throughout the fall nominations for the awards were submitted and selected for recognition by an anonymous committee on the basis of demonstrated commitment to the aggie core values of excellence integrity leadership loyalty respect and selfless service the bush school office of extended education was recognized for its service along with the texas a&m employment services team both janeen and the staff at the office of extended education are an essential part of our team and are integral in supporting our mission of educating principled leaders in public and international affairs bush school dean mark welsh said this honor exemplifies the exceptional work this group of individuals do and the example they set a ceremony to honor the awardees will be held on monday february 27 at 3:30 pm in msc bethancourt ballroom with a reception to follow the teams will be recognized with a plaque for departmental display as well as $200 a framed certificate of recognition and a lapel pin individual recipients will receive a $1 000 cash award a commemorative plaque and a lapel pin the presidents meritorious service awards program is sponsored by the office of the president and the association of former students and coordinated by the division of human resources and organizational effectiveness the bush school office of extended education coordinates the bush schools certificate programs for working professionals in the fields of homeland security nonprofit management national security affairs and international affairs the team is comprised of rebecca burgner lynn cagle linda heritage jennifer lampo ruth mcmullan courtney shuttlesworth and ashlee treadway more information on the office can be found at bushtamuedu/certificate/
the recent confirmation of former texas governor rick perry to head the us department of energy presents an opportunity for a smarter price-based energy policy according to dr james griffin professor in the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university dr griffin has authored a new policy brief in the takeaway entitled a smart price-based energy policy where he argues that current us energy policy is overly reliant on ineffective solutions like tax credits grants and mandates when what is needed are price-based policies encouraging technological innovation to keep energy reasonably cheap but also reasonably clean and secure expanding on perrys comments during his confirmation hearing that he will commit to helping provide stable reliable affordable and secure sources of american energy griffin discusses the need for a leveled field of competition in the energy market left largely untouched by congress a smart energy policy does use government research and development funds to stimulate advances in basic energy research and high-cost initial development projects griffin writes [research and development] funding decisions should be made by knowledgeable professionals in the energy department not congress dr griffin is professor of economics and public policy and holds the bob bullock chair at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university he is the author of a smart energy policy: an economists rx for balancing cheap clean and secure energy and the leading energy economics text energy economics & policy the mosbacher institute was founded in 2009 to honor robert a mosbacher secretary of commerce from 1989 to1992 and key architect of the north american free trade agreement through the institutes three core programs–integration of global markets energy in a global economy and governance and public services–the objective is to advance the design of policies for tomorrows challenges to read the full report go to bushtamuedu/mosbacher/takeaway/
seven graduate students from the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university are getting an up-close view of the 85th session of the texas legislature as part of their capstone course led by bush school professor dr ann bowman the students arrived in austin in early january ready to apply their bush school education as they work on the many public policy issues confronting the state of texas the students are hired to work in the offices of members of the texas house of representatives and senate or for legislative committees for the duration of the legislative session they serve as legislative aides and analysts and quickly find themselves in the thick of the action these positions offer students the opportunity to learn a great deal about how state government functions in addition students can take advantage of numerous networking opportunities provided by bush school graduates who are working or have worked in the legislature these offices are adding motivated well-informed and highly skilled individuals to their team dr bowman said of the students currently serving in austin legislatures are fascinating policymaking institutions replete with rules and norms that are seldom seen by the public the university and the state benefit as well from the work of these talented masters students who are committed to public service in addition to their legislative work the students take classes during the semester typically online courses they spent the fall semester preparing for the experience by learning all they could about legislatures in general and the texas legislature in particular four sets of bush school capstone students have worked in the legislature which meets every other year not unlike other bush school capstones at the end of the semester they will produce an in-depth research report the focus of this years report will be on lawsuits filed by the state of texas challenging the federal government in previous years the texas legislative capstones have studied the legislative redistricting process the texas rainy day fund and the professionalization of the texas legislature the students serving at the capitol are: rebekah calahan representative gary vandeavers officedanielle drastata senate committee on health and human servicesann marie garcia house committee on culture recreation and tourismmatthew gaskin representative helen giddings officejesus perales senator josé rodríguezs officepatrick philpott senate committee on educationtheo plowman representative j m lozanos office
the mosbacher institutes 2017 education policy workshop featured dr susanna loeb from stanford university who spoke on more than a nudge: the potential of low-cost behavioral interventions to improve educational experiences and outcomes the case of ready4k her colleague in the ready4k research and bush school professor dr kalena cortes introduced dr loeb to a full crowd at the george bush presidential library and museum given the importance of adults in the lives of children dr loeb and her research team are interested in behavior interventions to improve parentingproviding information and resources to parents to help them maximize their goals one challenge they knew would need to be overcome is cognitive load or the overwhelming number of choices and competing demands that we all and particularly parents face they also knew they wanted to get away from low-access and high-cost initiatives like parenting workshops and in-house visits so they developed a curriculum with information and tips for parents on how to interact with their children delivered three times per week using short text messages with 97% of adults under the age of 50 possessing cell phones and 98% of those adults using texting text-messaging offers a promising low-cost avenue to help nudge parents toward the behaviors that will help their children succeed by collecting data from pre-enrollment surveys teachers parent surveys and 1-on-1 literacy assessments the researchers were able to evaluate whether the program did lead to improved outcomes they found there was some improvement for all kids in the program but significant improvement for the children who started with the lowest performance levels on literacy assessments with early success in san francisco ready4k is now being offered in other parts of the country looking to see if the lessons learned in california can be transferred to places like dallas or miami-dade county as well as adapting the program to add social-emotional behaviors math support and other interventions where a text messaging curriculum might benefit students of all ages the event finished with audience questions ranging from particulars about the research to possible avenues for future research in text-based curriculum dr lori taylor director of the mosbacher institute closed the program with thanks and applause for dr loeb and then invited all to a reception in the library rotunda in addition to her workshop presentation during her visit to the bush school dr loeb also led a breakfast discussion with students concentrating in education policy visited an education policy class and met with several faculty members about shared research interests dr lori taylor dr susanna loeb and dr kalena cortes
dr robert greer is possibly the only man on earth who can make local government debt cool luckily thats a big part of his job i try to connect the subject matter to the real world said greer an assistant professor at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university i like to include as [many] active learning strategies as i can and make sure the material is applied as well as it can be combining theory with the reality that students want to graduate and get jobs greer is an expert in state and local government debt and joined the bush schools department of public service and administration faculty in summer 2016 after three years as an assistant professor at the university of georgia school of public and international affairs originally from denton greer was pulled home to texas by both the lure of a position at a top-tier research institution and the idea of being close to his family i consider myself fortunate greer said academics dont often have a say in where they end up in 2013 greer earned his phd and master of public policy from the martin school of public policy and administration at the university of kentucky there he studied local government debt and public finance before taking a position at uga where he taught graduate-level courses in public financial management and an undergraduate course on the politics of the budgeting process at the bush school greer teaches courses in public budgeting and public management and in policy formation through the schools executive masters program his classes reflect a balance between lecture and discussion depending on the subject im doing a lot of active teaching and im asking questions and im trying to facilitate as much student-led discussion as possible said greer of his public management course however his budgeting course is more lecture based even in the budgeting course i try to make use of a lot of case studies a lot of real-world situations greer credits the development of this teaching style to his undergraduate liberal arts education complemented by his graduate studies a graduate of trinity university and the university of north texas greer framed his outlook on teaching from strategies used at those institutions such as analysis of current events and speaking with practitioners in the field i was very fortunate throughout my academic training to have very good teachers greer said of his educational experiences those experiences drove me to say ‘oh im teaching in the same environment; i found that useful; i want my students to have the same opportunities greer said i try to make [the material] as practically oriented as i can the management of state and local government debt is the primary emphasis of greers research agenda with his latest research project focused on methods of sale or how local governments issue bonds attract investors and approach banks greer is also taking an interdisciplinary approach to his research working with professors at the bush school and in the larger a&m campus on the topics of bureaucratic payment errors and equity across water districts this expertise in local finance and fiscal management makes greer unique among bush school faculty as does his representation of a generation of scholars educated at schools of public administration and public policy we are used to the interdisciplinary nature of how connected these areas are greer said this became apparent to me just this semester as i was teaching both policy formation and management the crossover is important it is important that both of these fields are aware of each other and talk to each other the boundaries are blurred between what is policy studies and what is management studies as he wraps up his first academic year at the bush school greer looks forward to making progress on his research projects and developing his expertise in his area of study further he is working to develop new elective courses in fiscal management i appreciate the opportunities that the bush school presents and the stressed importance of good people doing good work said greer [the bush school] gives me the freedom to continue on the path of being at the forefront of [my] research area
lindsay sansom doctoral candidate in ecosystem science & management at texas a&m and coordinator for the interdisciplinary us-mexico transboundary water governance project presented two research studies at the world water congress xvi in cancun mexico the first study us-mexico water cooperation and conflict examined changes in the level and nature of conflict and cooperation between these two countries on transboundary water issues sansom and her co-author istpp director kent portney used mirumachis transboundary water interaction nexus (twins) matrix to categorize this binational relationship their research identified four distinct historical periods each period reflects different water issues such as water scarcity and how each nations responses contributed to an increase or decrease in the intensity of conflict and cooperation in governing the shared water resource in her second project the hueco bolson: a case for improved transboundary aquifer management sansom evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of governance structures in place and others that are in development for managing this at-risk shared aquifer the viability of the hueco bolson aquifer shared by texas new mexico and mexico is threatened by decreases in water quantity and quality there are multiple levels of governance that apply to water rights and use of the hueco bolson – international agreements between mexico and each state mexican and chihuahuan governing organizations as well as those in texas and new mexico sansom also presented at the universities council on water resources conference held in ft collins colorado in this project understanding how risk perception and trust impact binational cooperation over water sharing: texas-mexico case study sansom develops a theoretical model about how the interplay of social economic and political systems influence risk perceptions and trust which in turn effect ones willingness to engage in cooperative or conflictual behavior she proposes to test this multi-level model by interviewing and surveying stakeholders on both sides of the border who manage or make decisions over transboundary waters
dr melissa k merry was presented with the inaugural arnold vedlitz award during the 2017 southern political science association annual conference held january 12-14 in new orleans merry is the author of framing environmental disaster: environmental advocacy and the deepwater horizon oil spill published in 2016 the award will be given annually to authors of seminal books or articles focusing on the environmental politics of the american south with special consideration given to the gulf coast area the $400 annual research award and accompanying plaque was created by vedlitz to encourage scholars to study the region and its unique environmental challenges dr vedlitz hails from shreveport louisiana and holds the bob bullock chair in government and public service at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university vedlitz is renowned in his field for his extensive research in science technology the environment and public policy dr merry is a professor of political science and faculty member at the university of louisville where she studies environmental politics and policy interest groups and communications she received her ma and phd in political science from the university of washington and has been published in the academic journal american politics research
mark welsh dean of the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university was recognized as a living legend of aviation at an award ceremony held january 20 in beverly hills california living legends of aviation are recognized annually for their remarkable accomplishment in aviation other 2017 honorees included ray conner vice chairman of boeing company; dr tom enders ceo of airbus group; elling halvorson founder and chairman of the board for papillon group; and nick popovich aviation repossession expert the kiddie hawk air academy a nonprofit organization seeking to educate and spark childrens interest in aviation produces the event which is now in its fifteenth year a graduate of the us air force academy welsh became dean of the bush school after a long and distinguished military career which included service as the twentieth chief of staff of the air force commander of us air forces in europe commander of natos air command associate director of military affairs at the central intelligence agency and commandant of the us air force academy im honored and humbled to be recognized alongside individuals who have made such significant contributions to the field of aviation said welsh actor and pilot john travolta hosted the awards ceremony which also honored astronauts mark and scott kelly as well as humanitarian aid pilot peter paul luce
former florida governor jeb bush teaching at the bush school in january a day-by-day account of the ten-day course entitled governors in the state nation and world taught by former florida governor jeb bush at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university day 1: friday former florida governor jeb bush kicked off the class with a hearty howdy on friday january 6 the day began with a lecture and discussion with former mississippi governor and republican national committee chairman haley barbour barbour and bush took questions from the class and spoke on their respective experiences governing through times of crisis including hurricane katrina in 2006 after barbours visit students heard from danny diaz bushs campaign manager for his 2016 presidential bid and kathleen shanahan bushs former chief of staff both spoke to the class of sixty about running gubernatorial campaigns and the roles and responsibilities of a governor and state government upon breaking for lunch the class divided into small groups tasked with solving a major issue faced by a governor in recent years topics included the passage of a 2012 arizona immigration law the 2016 flint water crisis and the ongoing budget negotiations in illinois the groups were directed to apply lessons learned in class to their individual challenge and to present their findings on the last day of the course the days class concluded with a video message from bushs brother and former us president george w bush president bush spoke on his experience as governor of texas and the challenges he faced working with the legislature governor bush informed the class that other state governors would also deliver video addresses throughout the course before dismissing students for the weekendday 2: monday mondays class focused on a governors role with the state legislature and state judicial system students were given the opportunity to hear from former president of the florida senate and lt governor toni jennings and raquel rocky a rodriguez who served as general counsel to governor bush and currently serves as the elected chair of the judicial nominating commission for floridas third district court of appeal before hearing from the impressive guest speakers bush discussed his efforts to address drug and alcohol abuse while governor this led to a conversation on the recent opioid epidemic impacting states across the country bush invited students to suggest state policy solutions and provided feedback on their ideas the discussion highlighted the intricacies within drug and law enforcement policy throughout the day students continued to hear from past governors via video message one video featured former north carolina governor james hunt who served four terms from 1977 to 1985 and again from1993 to 2001 hunt discussed his long career and explained how he formed relationships with the state legislature to support his policy efforts forming relationships with legislators was also the theme of the days other video which featured commentary from a multitude of governors in addition to former governor hunt former governors mitt romney (ma) mike huckabee (ar) and tom ridge (pa and first secretary of homeland security) weighed in on the importance of building relationships with legislatures in order to successfully carry out their policy agendas day 3: tuesday day three tackled fiscal policy and issues related to state provision of services featuring a set of speakers well versed in such topics the class began the day with a presentation by donna arduin who served as the director of the florida office of policy and budget under governor bush her presentation covered the basics and complexities of budgeting for the government of a state alan levine currently ceo of the mountain states health alliance also spoke to the class about his role in in the bush administration as secretary of health administration both levine and arduin answered questions from the class before the students broke into working groups over lunch upon returning from the break governor bush arduin and levine posed a budgeting crisis scenario in louisiana to the class asking for proposals to resolve a hundred million dollar budget shortfall students suggested a number of policies to increase revenue lessen expenditures and attract industry to the state a video address discussing the challenges of governing from former indiana governor mitch daniels wrapped up the days lecture before the students assembled for a photo with governor bush day 4: wednesday students received a firsthand look at bushs state education plan during wednesdays class his former deputy chief of staff for education patricia levesque spoke to the class about the implementation of bushs a+ education plan levesque currently serves as chief executive officer of excel in ed an education reform nonprofit organization chaired by bush bush and levesque led the class in a hearty discussion before introducing bill simmons bushs director of management services simons discussion of state procurement and civil service reform was interrupted by a brief visit from bushs father president george hw bush president bush greeted the students and sat in on the classs q&a session with simon video addresses from howard dean former governor of vermont and mitt romney former governor of massachusetts were presented before and after the hour-long lunch breakout sessions bush as well as simon and levesque visited student groups during the breakout sessions and advised them on the individual challenges posed at the beginning of the class after lunch governor bush led a discussion on the role of the governor in foreign policy specifically referring to his own experience working on issues of trade and border security in florida the class then held a video conference with former west virginia governor and the states current senator joe manchin senator manchin talked with the class about his challenges both as governor and in congress specifically the loss of coal jobs in west virginia and balancing the states budget day 5: thursday thursdays class spanned a number of topics beginning with a presentation from current fema administrator and former florida director of emergency management w craig fugate fugate spoke to students about his experience overseeing hurricane response efforts and working with governor bush fugates presentation was followed by a conversation among governor bush bushs longtime press secretary kristy campbell and ap reporter gary fineout fineout who worked in the capitol press corps during bushs tenure as governor spoke on the role of media at the state level and media response to the actions of a governor bush campbell and fineout took questions from the class and recalled instances of cooperation between bushs administration and the capital press corps former baltimore mayor and maryland governor martin omalley joined the class after the break giving a presentation on the role of data in 21st century government omalley and bush fielded questions from the class on their experience as governors before teaming up in a horseshoe match organized by students in class the two governors took on second-year bush school students sean danielson and will holleman and won the match in a landslide 15-3day 6: friday fridays class began with a discussion on state-federal relations concluding a week of speakers and presentations on the governors role within the state governor bush began the morning speaking about his own interactions with the federal government during his time in office specifically on issues of federal funding he then introduced wendy riemann a speechwriter for governor bush who spoke on her experience as director of federal relations for wisconsin governor scott walker riemanns remarks were followed by an off-the-cuff conversation between the class and four of governor bushs former travel aides the aides who spoke to the class via video conference talked about the unconventional political education they gained working as support staff to the governor and told stories about the more humorous points of their jobs the afternoon featured presentations by three student groups who had spent the previous week preparing solutions to situations faced by governors in recent years the three groups presented information about the flint water crisis the ongoing budget impasse in illinois and the passage of hb 1040 in arizona and resulting protests; then they provided their informed recommendations for solving the problems faced by the governors of the three states each group took questions from the class after giving their presentations to wrap up the week the class viewed a video address from current texas governor greg abbott before being dismissed day 7: monday the course wrapped up on monday january 16 with remarks from governor bush and a set of student presentations governor bush began the morning with words of advice for the aspiring public servants enrolled in the class and introduced the remaining four student groups charged with presenting solutions to issues faced by a governor groups presented on oklahoma governor mary fallins response to a botched execution in 2011; the implementation of colorados recreational marijuana law; riots in ferguson missouri; and wisconsin governor scott walkers response to protests over his cuts to labor unions each presentation garnered a robust discussion among the class and presenters after the presentations bush school dean mark welsh addressed the class he thanked governor bush for his time and presented him with a bush school pullover as well as a framed picture of governor bush and the class signed by each student dean welsh also recognized the bush school staff and faculty who had coordinated the course as well as members of the governors staff finally the class concluded with a brief video address from former arkansas governor mike huckabee
when bryce barros passed through the sliding doors of the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university in fall 2015 his entrance was seven years in the making i knew i wanted to go to the bush school since i was a freshman [in college] barros said i had a close friend that told me about the quality of the program and its affordability and the institution that is aggieland makes it a real bang for the buck a connecticut native barros attended norwich university in northfield vermont there he was a member of the norwich university corps of cadets and began studying mandarin chinese after spending the better half of his childhood learning japanese because the university did not offer a japanese language program barros was faced with a change up to that point i was set on being a japan hand i loved the japanese language culture and people and had a very japan-centric view barros said i thought learning any other asian language was beneath me as his focused shifted barros received scholarships from the us department of defense to study in china before receiving a boren scholarship to study in taiwan the republic of china named for former oklahoma senator david l boren the highly competitive boren scholarships are offered to undergraduate students to study language in regions of the world critical to us interests and security he elected to study in taiwan because of the islands rich history and culture and because of opportunities presented by a norwich exchange program with the taiwan army through the republic of china military academy i knew that no other american not even active duty military personnel would have the opportunity to be embedded with a foreign military so critical to shaping american foreign policy barros said i knew that the opportunity would provide real hands-on exposure to diplomacy and military affairs that would set me apart from my peers the experience was far more than i could have hoped for upon graduating from norwich in 2012 barros returned to taiwan to further his expertise prior to entering the field of us foreign policy he continued his study of mandarin and chinese culture and began freelancing for a magazine covering green energy development in the south region of asia barros developed an affinity for the island nation with its low cost of living and geographic location i came to really like taiwan i call it the best kept secret of the asia-pacific its cheap to live the people are very nice and its tropical its a complete 180 degree experience from what i had in china barros said he also traveled to southeast asia extensively while living in taipei gaining a broader political and cultural knowledge of the region in taiwan i got to see diplomacy up close and personal [the] experience prepared me for work in the foreign service and larger defense community barros said it was also in taiwan that barros met a group of bush school students that re-introduced him to the bush school there he met a recent a&m graduate who introduced him to current bush school students and graduates who increased his understanding of the schools curriculum and mission from these testimonials barros made a decision to apply i knew i didnt want to go back to connecticut and i wanted to see more of this large country of ours barros said as a northeasterner i have a natural aversion to anything not on the west and east coasts so i figured id go to aggieland make a bit of that texan industrious spirit my own and try the third coast on for a ride upon enrolling at the bush school in fall 2015 barros quickly took to the schools familial nature and emphasis on public service as well as feeling a connection between himself and the schools namesake george h w bush the bush family is originally from my home county in connecticut fairfield county said barros that connection and their story as new englanders that came to texas to make something really resonates with me barros has credited the bush school with developing his analytical abilities and critical thinking skills a skill set he believes will be indispensable in his future career endeavors the bush school taught me how to cherish dispassionate analysis and cut the wheat from the chaff on various issues affecting us locally nationally and internationally barros said being one to fully immerse himself in his surroundings barros is involved in a range of activities at the bush school and on the main campus of texas a&m university he works as a graduate research assistant and participates in the activities of the bush school diversity and inclusion committee last year barros took part in the annual student conference on latin affairs (scola) and being conversational in chinese he performed a comedy routine in his second language at the chinese student and scholar associations chinese new year gala last february a condition of his boren scholarship requires barros to work within the federal government for at least one year as he looks toward graduation in may he wants to fulfill this requirement either within texas or back on his home coast i hope to help advance american interests in whichever way i decide to fulfill my boren scholarship federal service requirement barros said adding i truly miss the northeast and cannot wait to get back home but i will miss texas as well and intend to wear cowboy boots wherever i go
drs arnold vedlitz samuel brody and himanshu grover have recently published their study on the us publics perceptions of climate change risk and how these perceptions are influenced through a risk-stress-capacity model that combines of individual and local environmental factors in this way their study provides a deeper understanding of risk perception and its implications for climate change policy the authors use data from a noaa-funded representative national survey of us adults to assess several key variables – individual stress individual capacity and climate change risk perception the individual stress measure based on 16 survey questions captures respondent behaviors that contribute to climate change using 17 survey questions the individual capacity variable represents respondent views about their responsibility and ability to respond to climate change risk perception based on seven survey questions includes anticipated impacts on several aspects of the individuals well-being these survey variables are then integrated with measures of scientific risk assessments and historical natural disasters associated with climate change effects these objective measures of risk are geographically localized and linked to respondents via zip code in keeping with their hypotheses the researchers find that respondents with higher levels of objective risk and individual capacity have a statistically significant higher perception of climate change risk respondents with higher individual climate stress have a lower risk perception of climate change drs vedlitz brody and grovers study has several implications first communicating about climate change should be more effective in conveying its risks when local effects are emphasized second educating people on the causes and localized impacts of climate change should increase support for localized responses and third connecting climate change risks with pro-environment behavior may lead to greater integration and support for policies that incorporate climate change with local sustainability efforts grover himanshu samuel d brody and arnold vedlitz 2017 understanding climate change risk perception in the usa international journal of global warming 13(2): 113–137
the women peace and security (wps) symposium provides a timely opportunity to address the challenges and opportunities of the wps agenda by discussing them in a bi-partisan environment developing connections between texas regional and national stakeholders this symposium was held on november 18 2016 at the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university symposium highlights | symposium agenda symposium highlights women peace and security symposium: dean mark welshs opening remarks dean mark welshs opening remarks women peace and security symposium: sahar aziz on migration waves and women sahar aziz on migration waves and women women peace and security symposium: valerie hudson on why women peace and security matters valerie hudson on why women peace and security matters women peace and security symposium: representative bill flores representative bill flores women peace and security symposium: secretary deborah james on combat integration secretary deborah james on combat integration women peace and security symposium: ltc christine rice on integration in the us military ltc christine rice on integration in the us military women peace and security symposium: natalie gonnella platts natalie gonnella platts women peace and security symposium: ellen haring on integration in the us military ellen haring on integration in the us military women peace and security symposium: beverly hill on foreign policy and gendercide beverly hill on foreign policy and gendercide women peace and security symposium: deborah cavin on the national action plan deborah cavin on the national action plan women peace and security symposium: brigadier general joseph ramirez on integration of the corp brigadier general joseph ramirez on integration of the corp women peace and security symposium: brainstorming brainstorming symposium agenda women peace and security:new vistas for a new administration information friday november 18 20169:30 pm – 4:30 pm registration q&a – opening seating; no reservation required11:45 am – 12:15 pmbanquet room 1011b of the annenberg pcc reception – no reservation required4:30 pm – 5:30 pmpcc lobby panels – seating is limited to 20 participants for panels location annenberg presidential conference center1002 george bush drive westcollege station texas 77843 description the women peace and security (wps) symposium at the bush school of government and public service provides a timely opportunity to address the challenges and opportunities of the wps agenda by discussing them in a bi-partisan environment developing connections between texas regional and national stakeholders program agenda the symposium will be held in the presidential dining room of the annenberg center seating for the panels audience is limited to 20 persons and is first come first serve you must arrive on time for the panel and stay for the entire panel so as not to disrupt the proceedings the q&a session will be in 1011b in the annenberg center; we will have refreshments and seating is more generous: bush school students are especially invited the closing reception is in the annenberg lobby and is open to all bush school students faculty and staff friday november 18 2016 9:30 am–9:50 am – conference welcome addressdean mark welsh iii the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university 9:50 am–10:25 am – symposium opening orientation the bush school of government and public service (tamu)why the women peace and security agenda matters why it matters to the united states and why it matters nowvalerie m hudson the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university 10:25 am–11:35 am – first plenary session: women peace and security part i the united states air forcecombat integration and other challenges/opportunities for the military servicesdeborah lee james secretary of the us air forcethe george w bush center (smu)the womens initiative of the bush centernatalie gonnella-platts deputy director the womens initiative the bush institute and bush centerthe bush school of government and public service (tamu)the bush schools program on women peace and securityvalerie m hudson the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university 11:35 am-11:45 am – break 11:45 am-12:15 pm – q&a with bush school masters students 12:20 pm–1:15 pm – panelists lunch 1:15 pm–1:25 pm – break 1:25 pm–2:30 pm – second plenary session: women peace and security part ii the institute for inclusive securitynational action plans and the new administrationdeborah cavinthe gendercide awareness projectforeign policy and gendercidebeverly hilltexas a&m university law schoolmigration waves and womensahar aziz 2:35 pm–3:30 pm – integration of women in the military services texas a&m corps of cadetsintegration in the corpsbrigadier general joseph ramirez (ret) commandantus armyintegration in the us armyltc christine rice chief women in the service/soldier 2020 dmpm hqda g-1 us armywomen in international securityintegration in the us militaryellen haring women in international security (wiis)us house of representativesreflectionsrepresentative bill flores (tx-17) 3:30 pm–3:40 pm – break 3:40 pm–4:15 pm – brainstorming: moving the ball forward (brenda oppermann moderator) finding helpful information partners and resourcesdiscussion on current and potential executive and legislative actionways to continue the discussion in washington dc 4:15 pm-4:30 pm – closing remarksvalerie m hudson the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university 4:30 pm–5:30 pm – reception (lobby)
dr john schuessler spent five years in montgomery alabama as an associate professor of strategy at the air war college in august 2016 he came to the bush school where he joined the international affairs faculty its a good fit said dr schuessler of his new role within the bush school im teaching graduate students just as i did at the air war college and im also teaching courses that blend theory and history as well as courses on security studies with the added focus on public service which is emphasized here at the bush school he added a native of decatur illinois schuessler earned a ba from the university of notre dame and his masters and phd degrees from the university of chicago he has held positions as a research fellow at harvard universitys belfer center for science and public affairs and as a lecturer and post-doctoral fellow at the committee on international relations at the university of chicago his research interests include security studies american foreign policy strategy and diplomatic and military history schuessler is the author of the recent book deceit on the road to war: presidents politics and american democracy published by cornell university press and his research has been published in several major academic journals including international security and perspectives on politics he has chaired the foreign policy section of the american political science association and is a contributing editor to strategic studies quarterly among many other professional activities along with his work developing leadership courses at the air war college he considers publication of the book one of his best achievements the perseverance to see a book through to publication is essential when its published you cant help but feel a certain amount of gratitude that you were able to generate at least the germ of an idea and then execute it schuessler said as a tenured associate professor schuessler teaches leadership in international affairs a required course for all international affairs students that he describes as an eclectic interdisciplinary course focused on international politics and leadership skills in the two sections of the course schuessler teaches he routinely assigns one book per week which he makes a point to read himself i absolutely will read with the students schuessler said i am a firm believer in reading things over and over again the ideas slip out after the first read and you have to constantly remind yourself whats in these texts and you read it differently each time the seminar-based course reflects a teaching style schuessler learned during his education at the university of chicago after assigning a text schuessler expects his students to come to class ready to nail down the argument before determining the implications and leadership lessons that can be derived i follow the seminar format where you read an important book or a great book digest it thoroughly debate its contents thoroughly schuessler said very little black and white all sorts of gray wrestling with ideasgraduate students are the ideal audience for that schuessler will teach american grand strategy in spring 2017 and a forthcoming course on realism and liberalism in us foreign policy schuessler is also focused on research efforts in the areas of security studies american foreign policy strategy and diplomatic and military history the thread that runs through all of my research is the use of theory and history to shed light on current events a lot of [my] focus tends to be historical schuessler said he will use this perspective in his latest research project with bush school professor josh shifrinson as they study how the geographic position of the us has enabled its expansion abroad schuessler looks forward to future opportunities at the bush school he hopes to further develop leadership and strategy courses to appeal to a broader range of students and participate in research collaborations with fellow faculty members and others outside the bush school
the institute for science technology and public policy conducted in 2015 the first of its kind national public opinion survey that explores the american publics awareness concerns and attitudes risk perceptions and policy preferences about the food-energy-water (few) nexus this survey was designed to gather data about the publics understanding of the trade-offs and synergies related the connections between water and energy water and food and food and energy two research projects based on the few nexus survey were presented at the 2016 national meeting of the american political science association held september 1–4 in philadelphia pa the first project cognitive awareness of the food-energy-water nexus: ideological and policy perspectives presented by istpp director dr portney co-authored with bryce hannibal carol goldsmith peyton mcgee xinsheng liu and arnold vedlitz director uses the survey results to construct an awareness index of each node of the nexus to ascertain the publics relative levels of understanding and awareness of each node the results suggest that there is considerable variation in the extent to which people make the connections between water and energy water and food and food and energy and even though the three awareness indices were separately measured analysis indicates that people who are aware of any one nexus are highly likely to be aware of the others as well this suggests that people likely have an underlying nexus cognition construct the researchers then analyzed the degree of association between these awareness indices and support for public policies that act on the nexus they find that those who see the connections in the nexus nodes are more likely to support policies designed to achieve greater efficiencies in resource use and resource protection so promoting an understanding of any of the nexus nodes may increase awareness of the other nexus nodes and thereby increase support for policies designed with an understanding of the tradeoffs and synergies inherent in the nexus and the second project exploring citizens support for policy tools at the food energy water nexus presented by dr ann om bowman and co-authored with dr justin bullock focuses on how public policies can be crafted to provide more efficient and equitable allocation of the few nexus resources using a series of analytic techniques including factor analysis and factor score regressions the researchers identified the types of policies citizens support and the factors that drive public support for such policies having more knowledge about few nexus issues increases ones support for policies to manage food energy and water resources broad concern for the environment also increases favorability for these policies not surprisingly public support varies by political ideology political party identification and education these results contribute to an understanding of the publics willingness to embrace the various roles government can play in addressing few nexus issues the researchers contend that policymakers and scientists can garner more support for these policies by more effectively communicating relevant technical facts of the few nexus and by highlighting the far-reaching impact these issues have on the environment
northrop grumman has elected mark welsh dean of the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university to the companys board of directors we are delighted that mark welsh has joined our board of directors said wes bush chairman chief executive officer and president of northrop grumman corporation his extensive leadership experience and deep understanding of global security are a great fit for our board and we are excited about the contributions he will make as northrop grumman employees around the globe work to create value for our customers and shareholders a graduate of the us air force academy the army command and general staff college the air war college and the national war college welsh also has significant academic expertise in national security and defense studies as chief of staff of the air force welsh was responsible for the organization training and equipping of 664 000 active-duty guard reserve and civilian forces serving in the united states and overseas welsh and other members of the joint chiefs of staff functioned as military advisers to the secretary of defense national security council and the president welsh will join a board of thirteen independent directors of the global security firm it is a privilege to have been elected to this position on the board of a leading global organization welsh said northrup grumman has a long and proud history of supporting our nations national defense and im pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to their efforts northrop grumman provides innovative systems products and solutions in autonomous systems cyber c4isr strike and logistics and modernization to government and commercial organizations the company is headquartered in falls church virginia
mark welsh dean of the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university has been selected to serve as a member of the us air force academy endowment board of directors welsh is a 1976 graduate of the air force academy and a forty-year air force veteran we are thrilled to have mark join our board of directors endowment president and ceo mark volcheff said general welsh knows the needs of the air force academy and what it will take to prepare our air force for the future his leadership and mentoring will help guide the endowment on its mission to provide the margin of excellence support that is critical to the cadet experience at the air force academy the air force academy endowment is the preeminent organization providing stewardship of major gifts to the military institution in colorado springs colorado in 2015 the endowment raised over $16 million for the academy welsh said he was delighted to have this opportunity to serve his alma mater im incredibly honored to join the endowment board welsh said there is no better cause than helping our cadets prepare for a life of service to our air force and the nation and there is no better group to stand beside in that effort than the members of this board im humbled by the opportunity and grateful for the chance to continue serving our academy
istpp research scientist xinsheng liu and director arnold vedlitz along with institute senior research fellow scott robinson have published their article public problem characterization policy solution generation and intra-agenda connectivity in policy studies journal drawing on policy agenda theories the authors develop a typology to theorize the relationships between problem characterization and policy solution in the news media they further employ content analysis and statistical modeling to demonstrate that the likelihood of policy proposal in the news media is significantly influenced by how the news media define and frame a public issue along four issue attribute dimensions: issue image issue scope issue linkage and narrative style this research highlights the intrinsic problem definition-policy alternative connection and contributes to both policy process and political communication theories of agenda setting research xinsheng liu scott robinson and arnold vedlitz 2016 public problem characterization policy solution generation and intra-agenda connectivity policy studies journal doi: 101111/psj12163
faculty and staff of the bush school of government and public service gathered to recognize outstanding faculty and staff members for their dedication and contributions to the school bush school dean mark welsh presented awards to dr kent portney in appreciation for his teaching research and service contributions and to staff members rebecca burgner and janeen wood for their service to and support of the bush school i am continually impressed with the dedication of the bush school faculty and staff and the caliber of work they do said dean welsh each and every member of this institution is vital to the ongoing success of the school dr domonic bearfield was recognized by the texas a&m association of former students for receiving the college distinguished achievement award the associations annual award is given to exceptional members of the faculty in each college in recognition of the recipients expertise and dedication to teaching students faculty member dr william west as well as staff members janeen wood and damon wallace were also honored for their years of service to the bush school wood and wallace have served for twenty and twenty-five years respectively while dr west has served texas a&m and the bush school for thirty-five years
one of the foundations of the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university is the belief of its namesake that public service is a noble calling to that end an education in public service requires not only a strong academic foundation but also real-world experience hands-on work in the field a group of students from the bush school have the opportunity to blend study and practice by serving on volunteer boards with nonprofit organizations in the bryan-college station community the schools bush board fellows program places a student on the board of a local nonprofit organization as a non-voting member this service-driven program gives students the opportunity to work alongside community leaders in major local organizations gaining experience in public leadership and a better understanding of how nonprofit organizations function the fellows see the impact their service has on the community and how important board members are to an effective operation as younger members of a board they also bring fresh ideas that may not have been considered in the past this program provides unparalleled access to how nonprofits really work said dr will brown director of the bush schools nonprofit program students become active participants on their respective boards by serving on committees engaging in discussions and providing advice to the board and executives they are able to bring a unique perspective to the organization and gain practical insight from firsthand involvement fellows serve two-year terms on the boards of local organizations including the boys and girls club of the brazos valley habitat for humanity and the bryan/college station chamber of commerce second-year bush school student joellen reece served as a bush board fellow with the united way last year and was since given the opportunity to assist in grant review within the organization serving the organization as a bush school fellow broadened my knowledge of nonprofits by adding to what i have learned in the classroom and will be valuable in my future career endeavors said reece i really enjoy my role within the organization and i realize that this opportunity has reinforced my ambition to enter a career in public service she added all degree candidates at the bush school are eligible to apply for the bush board fellows program seventeen new fellows were accepted this fall and will serve for one year
aspiring public servants from across texas gathered at the public service institute an event hosted by the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university on november 4-5 the annual event brings a select group of undergraduate students to the bush school to learn what it takes to pursue a graduate education in public service throughout the weekend-long event institute participants joined sessions on leadership development careers in public service and the graduate school application process presented by bush school staff and students bush school professors justin bullock and jim olson engaged the students in discussions related to public policy and management and international affairs the public service institute provides students considering careers in public service an opportunity to explore its many avenues said dr frank ashley senior associate dean for academic affairs this event provides insight into graduate school for the participants who believe in the power of public service thirty-two students from six texas a&m university system schools as well as seven other texas public and private institutions were selected to attend the weekend-long event hosted in college station applicants are selected on the basis of their leadership skills academic success and commitment to entering a field in public or international affairs
on monday november 14 2016 the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy in coordination with the george bush presidential library foundation hosted a discussion on the changing role of presidential spouses at this years conocophillips white house lecture the program included a presentation on the influence of presidential spouses by author lauren wright and a panel with former chief of staff to first lady laura bush anita mcbride; speechwriter and communications director for first lady hillary clinton lissa muscatine; and former abc anchor ann compton who moderated the panel discussion the night began with an introduction by david jones ceo of the george bush presidential library foundation mr jones pointed out various dignitaries in the room ranging from ohio speaker of the house cliff rosenberger to the recognized sailors of the year from the uss george hw bush most importantly in attendance were president and mrs bush for whom everyone stood applauding on their entrance after mr jones completed his introduction dr wright took the podium to provide some remarks and background from her recently published book on behalf of the president: presidential spouses and white house communications strategy today the book was based on her dissertation at georgetown university on the influence of first ladies on public opinion dr wright described how the role of presidential spouses has grown over the years she pointed out that their approval polling tends to be higher than that of the president and for the most part much higher than that of the vice-presidentmaking the first lady a powerful asset to white house communication strategies and on the campaign trail another characteristic that dr wright emphasized was the increasing number of policy initiatives supported by the spouses and how those initiatives typically align with and support the policies of the president whether it is mrs bushs push to increase childhood literacy in support of president bushs legislative agenda on no child left behind or mrs obamas lets move campaign in conjunction with president obamas support of the affordable care act spouses pick initiatives that support and expand the ideas of the presidents at the conclusion of dr wrights remarks dr lori taylor director of the mosbacher institute introduced the rest of the panelists and anita mcbride lissa muscatine and ann compton joined dr wright on stage for a discussion on the role of spouses in the white house among the topics they discussed were what the american people expected from a presidential spouse ms mcbride commented on the need to draw on their ability to be relatable and allow people to draw on their authenticity ms muscatine pointed out that once in office first ladies are under the microscope and knowing how to deal with that type of pressure and coverage is key for a successful presidential spouse another question moderated by ms compton looked to the historical context of the presidential spouses and asked the panelists for the defining moment when the first ladies gained prominence in the policy-making agenda of the white house while there was differing discussion on when it began all of the panelists pointed to the importance of first lady rosalynn carter and her role in creating a permanent staff dedicated to the agenda of the presidents spouse after the panel concluded ms compton had a surprise presentation for the audience highlighting the experiences of first lady barbara bush the slide show concluded with the words she always was at the presidents side she had his back and she had ours the bush school was honored to host an event dedicated to understanding the position that mrs bush held with such dignity and pride
dr ellie heng qu joined the bush school as an assistant professor in the master of public service and administration (mpsa) program in the fall of 2016 qu holds a phd in philanthropic studies from the indiana university lilly family school of philanthropy where she received a multidisciplinary education on philanthropy nonprofit organizations and voluntary action dr qu brings a unique background to the bush schools nonprofit management program dr qus primary research interests are nonprofit finance and economics the areas that have practical implications for capacity building and resource development of nonprofit organizations more specifically at the organizational level she studies how nonprofit organizations can best manage their revenue streams nonprofit organizations receive revenue from various sources such as private donations program service revenue government funding investment income and so on qu said given the available revenue streams how should a nonprofit manager choose an optimal revenue combination so as to provide an expected level of charitable goods/services while minimizing the financial risk at the individual level dr qu studies peoples motivations for charitable giving using laboratory experiments in particular she examines how individuals charitable giving behavior may be influenced by the interactions between their motivations and decision-making contexts in addition dr qu is working on two other projects including nonprofit financial reporting and accountability and the effects of pro-social behavior on peoples wellbeing dr qu enjoys teaching because it allows her to share with students her knowledge of the broader topic of nonprofit organizations and philanthropy it is a topic i am passionate about also the bush school students overall are serious learners she said they come in with clear career objectives and positive attitudes toward learning making teaching in general an enjoyable and rewarding activity she said dr qu is teaching foundations of the nonprofit sector a newly required course for all first-year students the course focuses on the role of the nonprofit sector in american society as well as the relationships between government and the nonprofit sector dr qu believes the course is necessary for the education of all bush school students not just those studying nonprofit management government is not the only party thats providing public goods and services qu said nonprofit organizations and individuals like you and me also contribute time and money to public goods and services often to those minority demands unmet by a majority government the nonprofit sector not only partners with government in service delivery but also provides a venue for the expression of diverse ideas which underlies a democratic political system therefore whether our students are going to work for the public or nonprofit sector it is important for them to form a critical view about the role and value of the nonprofit sector in our society during the spring semester dr qu will teach nonprofit management in international settings and philanthropy and fundraising in nonprofits when asked what attracted her to come to the bush school dr qu emphasized the intellectually stimulating and supportive environment it is motivating to work in a place surrounded by productive intellectuals with diverse research ideas and educational backgrounds qu said as a promising scholar qu has received the science of philanthropy initiative phd grant award an initiative led by the university of chicago the university of wisconsin-madison and the john templeton foundation she has also received a number of other awards from the association for research on nonprofit organizations and voluntary action (arnova) including the emerging scholars award the diversity scholars and leaders award and a doctoral fellowship qu holds an ma and ba in political science from sun yat-sen university in china
as an invited speaker istpp research scientist and assistant director xinsheng liu participated in the international symposium on governance innovation: theory and practice peking university and columbia university organized the symposium which was held in beijing october 19-21 2016 dr liu presented his research on bureaucracy and policy making he was also commentator for the panel chinese and global perspectives on governance innovation
former florida governor jeb bush will join the faculty of the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university as an executive professor and john d white 70 distinguished professor of practice he will teach a concentrated course in january on the role of gubernatorial leadership and its impact on government at all levels announced bush school dean mark welsh governor bush will teach the elective course during a 10-day period jan 6-16 which is prior to the formal start of the universitys spring semester but 65 bush school students have already signed up for it welsh noted the course will give bush school students a firsthand account of the roles and responsibilities of the state executive from the governor of a diverse and increasingly populated state governor bush is also expected to review contemporary research on the nations governors and their policies and provide insights from other governors and institutional actors such as state legislators executive branch administrators and gubernatorial staffers dean welsh said he is proud to welcome governor bush and the insight into policy and governance he will provide governor bush is a dedicated and accomplished public servant who will provide our studentsfuture leaders in public lifewith a vivid perspective of the challenges facing state officials said welsh we are very pleased to offer a course of this nature and look forward to governor bushs arrival on campus welsh said bush school professor dr blease graham will serve as co-instructor for the course a successful entrepreneur and businessman in texas and florida gov bush served as the first two-term republican governor of florida from 1999 through 2007 during his eight years as governor bush pushed an ambitious everglades conservation plan supported caps for medical malpractice litigation launched a medicaid privatization pilot program and instituted reforms to the state education system including issuance of vouchers and promotion of school choice
master of public service and administration students from the bush school traveled to the fbi office in houston to begin work on a capstone project the team briefed their concept of research and then conducted a question and answer session with intelligence analysts and special agents as part of their joint project with the bureau the teams research question is: what model can identify open source data that can help forecast the threat actors of the future in pursuit of answers to the question the students have divided into three teams: one to study population shifts (demographics); one to study industry (port of houston and oil and gas); and one to study technology (virtual currency and cryptography) through their research the team will provide data to the fbi office to determine the possible effects changes in the areas population industry and technology are likely to have over the next five years
istpp welcomes dr gabriel eckstein as a research fellow dr eckstein is a professor of law at the texas a&m university school of law and serves as a faculty member of the texas a&m water management and hydrological science graduate faculty as well as the texas a&m energy institute he researches water natural resources and environmental law and policy issues at the local national and international levels dr eckstein also directs the international water law project the istpp fellows program recognizes individuals who have made or are committed to making significant contributions to the development of the institute and to its mission aims and objectives participation as an istpp fellow is by invitation from the institutes director meet our other fellows by visiting our fellows webpage
a recently established program in the department of international affairs at the george bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university which focuses on the links between the status of women and peace and security has received a $100 000 from the compton foundation dr valerie hudson professor and george h w bush chair at the bush school directs the program on women peace and security (wps) hudson says that this program is aimed at providing bush school students with several opportunities to develop a better understanding of the relationship among issues related to women peace and security in addition to an expanded curriculum the program plans to engage with us policymakers on issues of women and national security as well as hold a follow-up conference to the successful womens insecurity and national security conference why women matter held last year the compton foundation provided the initial funding for the wps and this latest grant reinforces the foundations commitment to fostering positive and sustainable models of change and to providing financial support to projects which offer those models this new program complements the foundations efforts to support programs that explore connections among issues related to peace and security hudson noted that the wps has a three-fold mission: teaching research and outreach the concentration in wps in the department of international affairs allows bush school students and other interested tamu graduate students to take courses and develop an emphasis in gender analysis as it relates to international affairs the programs research arm the womanstats program currently funded by the minerval initiative of the us department of defense is studying the linkages among marriage patterns marriage market obstruction and national security this specific project is part of a larger research agenda investigating the relationship between the security situation and status of women and the security of the states in which they live this new grant will provide the financial support we need to expand the programs curriculum offerings reach out to policy makers engage important networks explore new research opportunities and develop policy briefs hudson said noting that wps researchers regularly contribute to key policy journals in addition program researchers have served as consultants to the united nations the us intelligence community the senate foreign relations committee the house foreign relations committee and other policymaking bodies
dean mark welsh has named dr frank b ashley iii as senior associate dean for academic affairs at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university in this position ashley will be the second ranking administrator at the school and will oversee graduate education and research activities as well as strategic planning faculty affairs student affairs program development diversity assessment communications and external relations student services and extended education programsin an announcement tuesday morning dean welsh spoke of dr ashleys dedication to furthering higher education and how his previous experiences and insight will benefit the bush school dr ashleys leadership within the texas a&m system and his connections through the college board will help the bush school further expand its linkages with peer institutions welsh said [he] brings a lifetime of experience in higher education leadership to the bush school welsh said we are delighted to welcome him and his family back to texas a&m in this new role ashley earned his bachelors degree from louisiana college and a masters and doctorate from the university of alabama his previous academic appointments include faculty positions as well as director of admissions and interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at texas a&m university-commerce and associate dean for undergraduate studies and teacher education at texas a&m universitys college of education ashley also held several positions in the texas a&m university system including vice chancellor of academic affairs and vice chancellor of recruitment and diversity most recently dr ashley served as senior vice president of membership and higher education engagement at the college board thirty years ago i arrived at texas a&m full of excitement and anticipation after completing my program today i am just as excited as that day because i am honored to come back to aggieland and serve in the administration of the nationally ranked bush school of government and public service said ashley a former college board trustee ashley also has served on boards and committees for numerous other organizations including the north american society for sport management the commerce independent school district and the development education subcommittee of the p–16 education council of the texas education agency he was also a member of both the journal of applied research in coaching and athletics and the international journal of sports managements editorial boards ashleys writing has been published in various academic journals and textbooks
at the bush school of government and public service public service is considered a noble calling for adriana perez its where she found her calling everything that ive learned at the bush school has helped me define the population i want to work for the issues that are important and how i can serve the affected populations perez is a second-year student at the bush school studying nonprofit management with an interest in international humanitarian organizations she graduated from texas a&m in 2015 with a degree in sociology and decided to continue her education here when she found out about the bush schools nonprofit management program its easy to like working in nonprofits because im able to do a lot of hands -on work said perez ive always wanted to make a change and working with kids… i saw that change perez spent her summer in new york city where she worked as an intern with the international rescue committee (irc) an organization devoted to offering aid and support to populations facing humanitarian crises in her role as a program management intern perez worked with the organizations refugee youth summer academy (rysa) a six-week educational program transitioning refugee youth between the ages of five and twenty-one into the new york city public school system most of these kids faced some kind of political or ethnic persecution that drove [the families] out of the country said perez many have come to the united states separated from their families as unaccompanied minors and others have joined their families after years of separation many of the children perez worked with were refugees or asylum seekers from west africa and latin america who had experienced gaps in their education or had never gone to school rysa sought to mend that gap and teach english to 118 students enrolled in the programwe always maintained a positive atmosphere for the students said perez however there were times when students would get frustrated especially when learning a new language but the staff was very supportive at the educational level and the social-emotional level the experience of entering a new country at a young age is especially familiar to perez who grew up in the houston suburb of katy but was born in venezuela and came to the united states when she was three like many of the children she worked with over the summer perez also learned english after coming to the us i was not only assisting hispanic students with learning english i also served as an interpreter for hispanic families at the irc said perez who is bilingual this experience proved to me that these families are coming to the us to find opportunity which is also what i did while at the irc perez utilized the program evaluation and management skills as well as the knowledge of nonprofit organizations that she gained during her first year at the bush school she also benefited from her experience at the boys and girls club of the brazos valley where she spent two years interning and volunteering and later working as a youth development and program service coordinator while the age groups were similar perez noted the large differences between each group of children i knew how to work with youth because of boys and girls club said perez who managed volunteers and oversaw mentorship programming for kids between the ages of six and eighteen but this is the most difficult transition rysa students would face so understanding them socially and emotionally was a different experience i was lucky to watch them flourish and reach their full potential at rysa now in her final year at the bush school perez has taken on a graduate assistant position with nonprofit program director dr will brown she is also involved with the bush school ambassador program the schools public service organization and she coordinated the bush school relay for life team all of these experiences have helped shape what public service means to perezbeing a public servant means being a person of integrity being adaptable and compassionate and being a leader said perez public service encompasses serving those in our community and around the world who need it most when she graduates in may perez would like to continue working with the refugee population in the education department of an international humanitarian organization she loved her experience in new york city and would like to return she says her irc experience as well as her bush school education was a pivotal force in forming her career goals the program is incredible and i owe my professors for what i have learned said perez the bush school has given me the skills and knowledge to be an effective leader and employee in the workplace
the minority enrollment at the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university reached a record-setting 24 percent this fall bush school faculty and students have increased efforts in diversity and inclusion planning and recruitment in recent years through a range of programs and initiatives as a result minority enrollment has continue to increase each year facilitating an environment for a diverse and inclusive student body and faculty is of the utmost importance to the bush school said bush school dean mark welsh the school has seen great improvements in diversity enrollment as we have grown in recent years and members of the bush school diversity committee are continually working to advance and assure our programs are as diverse and inclusive as possible international students also contribute to the diverse student body at the bush school where 13 percent of students hail from twenty-three different countries the bush school is also hosting fifteen fulbright scholars each bringing a global perspective and wealth of experience in foreign trade human resources public relations and business development to the schools international and public affairs programs the school has also sponsored a number of student initiatives and public events addressing issues of diversity and inclusion in the greater society the bush school diversity and inclusion committee formed as a part of the schools student government association works specifically to create a campus that respects nurtures and celebrates diversity and inclusion through education awareness and exposure to different cultures belief systems and values the committee hosted a brown bag lunch talk on monday october 11 which featured a discussion of diversity with bush school dean mark welshthe event began with remarks by dean welsh who discussed the importance of diversity and inclusion in an organizations perspective and how the inclusion of diverse backgrounds shaped his career in the us air force the remarks were followed by a q&a session among welsh; committee co-chair and second-year bush school student dianey leal; and the audience of staff faculty and students the discussion was focused on defining what the future of diversity and inclusion will look like within the bush school dean welsh can only do so much; the committee can only do so much said leal who is studying public management and education policy at the bush school it takes generations to keep the movement going to view dean welshs remarks on the importance of diversity and inclusion visit https://wwwyoutubecom/watchv=8i608tnsss4 most recently the school hosted a three-part lecture series entitled race and policing in america addressing how law enforcement interacts with the public it serves with a focus on minority communities the series has brought together academics community leaders and local law enforcement to speak on a range of topics the final event in the series will be held on november 14th and will feature dr charles epp of the university of kansas who will discuss how police stops define race and citizenship fulltime in-residence bush school enrollment is just under 350 graduate students students are registered in the master of public service and administration or master of international affairs degree programs nearly 75 percent of graduates pursue careers in public service
water energy and food (wef) are three interconnected pillars of daily life energy cannot be produced without using water water cannot be provided without using energy and food cannot be grown without energy and water a team of researchers from the institute for science technology and public policy (istpp) at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university have completed a first of its kind water-energy-food nexus public opinion survey revealing concerns about water energy and food issues; policy preferences; and personal behavioral changes involving water and energy water energy and food are highly integrated systemsmovement or changes in one segment changes the others said dr arnold vedlitz bush school professor and former director of istpp public policy makers are going to have to make decisions about the allocation of resources in a manner that recognizes and preserves this system in order to help decision makers in making these decisions and for the public to accept these decisions the public needs to know and understand whats going on the project was led by kent portney a bush school professor of public policy and an expert in environmental policy and sustainability and vedlitz a professor of public policy and an expert in science and technology policy and natural resources management the scientific survey was conducted in august and collected responses from a representative sample at the national level state level in texas and local level in houston the researchers found that the recognition of risks related to the wef nexus and the desire to have the government and the private sector work together to find solutions was similar across many demographic and political groups in the us and texaswith one exception while party and ideology do not seem to drive the concern for water or energy or support for certain policies there is a strong partisan divide when climate change gets introduced said vedlitz when considering how climate change gets discussed and the roadblocks to enacting policy the climate change issue creates it will be important to frame the discussion about the wef nexus so that the divide that surrounds climate change is not passed on to the nexus issue the survey was funded in part by the texas a&m area 41 institute an initiative created by texas a&m system chancellor john sharp and intended to provide solutions to major issues faced by the state of texas the initiative provides research drawn from across various colleges and institutes within the texas a&m system that can be used by decision makers trying to tackle issues related to transportation water energy and healthcare researchers from istpp who are working on this project in addition to vedlitz and portney include research scientist and assistant director xingsheng liu; postdoctoral research associate bryce hannibal; senior research associate carol goldsmith; and peyton mcgee who is a graduate of the bush school two other faculty members at the school dr ann bowman and dr justin bullock along with dr manuel teodoro a faculty member with the texas a&m department of political science are also members of the research team
istpp senior research fellow james stoutenborough and director arnold vedlitz have published their exploration of how levels of understanding of specific energy technologies may produce different assessments of the risks of those technologies using results from a large national random survey of us adults conducted by istpp the researchers examine the knowledge/information deficit model which holds that as the public become more informed about scientific issues they are more likely to evaluate these issues in a manner that is congruent with the scientific perspective stoutenborough and vedlitz previously revealed that there is an important difference between objective assessed measures of knowledge and self-perceived measures of knowledge and the applicability of the deficit model in the climate change domain this manuscript extends this research to determine whether the same pattern holds in the energy domain specifically the researchers examine if the two measures of knowledge predict risk perceptions that are congruent with the scientific position furthermore to examine the flexibility of these measures the same knowledge measures were used to predict three risk perceptions that were in different directions and concerned different energy technologies – nuclear energy (low risk according to science) coal pollutants (high risk) and bird and bat mortality caused by wind turbines (inconclusive risk) consistent with their previous study they find that an objective assessed measure of knowledge can predict risk perceptions in a manner consistent with the knowledge/information deficit model (suggesting that it is a better measure of scientific knowledge) and that self-perceived knowledge consistently over-estimates risk they conclude that people who possess a higher level of objective assessed knowledge about energy production assess risk at levels more closely aligned with the way experts in the field rate the risks of the different energy technologies stoutenborough james w and arnold vedlitz 2016 the role of scientific knowledge in the publics perceptions of energy technology risks energy policy 96: 206–216 doi: 101016/jenpol201605031
xinsheng liu istpp assistant director and research scientist arnold vedlitz professor and istpp distinguished research scholar along with institute research fellow james stoutenborough have published their research paper bureaucratic expertise overconfidence and policy choice in governance this study is the first to theoretically and empirically examine whether experienced bureaucrats are prone to overconfidence in estimating their domain-specific expertise and if so how overconfidence may affect their policy choices using data collected from agency officials across 50 states this study shows that more experienced bureaucrats indeed tend to be more overconfident it also demonstrates that overconfidence independently of individual sociodemographic characteristics attitudinal factors and political orientations enhances bureaucrats risk-taking policy choice governance is currently ranked 2/47 in public administration and 5/163 in political science by isi journal citation reports liu xinsheng james stoutenborough and arnold vedlitz bureaucratic expertise overconfidence and policy choice governance (2016)
the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy at the bush school of government and public service was honored to award mr david weekley founder and chairman of david weekley homes with the 2016 mclane leadership in business award on october 5th the award is given annually to recognize outstanding contributions in the area of business public service or community service at the national level dean mark welsh gave the welcoming remarks pointing out various state and campus dignitaries in attendance and followed by the introduction of mr weekley by dr lori taylor director of the mosbacher institute dr taylor outlined a few of the many honors and recognitions that mr weekely and his company have received over the years including customer and employee satisfaction recognitions and builder of the year after the introduction mr weekley took the stage to give a speech titled success v significance making a reference to the bob bufords pivotal book halftime: moving from success to significance mr weekley noted that often times in life the most successful people get caught in the trap of money and moving up the ladder so much that they forget that they also need to be significant mr weekleys argument to which the rest of the speech was dedicated was to become significant and not just successful; it was important to give back and start looking at what he terms the others mr weekley claimed that changing to a focus on his employee team his customers and his community not only helped people in a positive way but also improved his business he was able to see his home building grow in ways he never could have imagined all while instituting profit-sharing models and an 8 percent match on retirement in his company for the betterment of his employees at the conclusion of his remarks dr lori taylor joined mr weekley on stage for a conversation expanding on some of the key features of his talk prompted by a question over what non-profit students should focus on at the bush school mr weekley responded noting that self-knowledge recognition of our strengths and use of those strengths in the most effective ways would benefit a non-profit more than anything a devoted philanthropist mr weekly and his wife bonnie made the conscious decision to start donating not only half of their profits from david weekley homes but also half of their time mr weekley noted that being able to donate his time and efforts into helping non-profits is worth more than any financial services he can offer turning that dollar donation into four to conclude the event mr drayton mclane jr namesake of the mclane leadership in business award joined mr weekley on stage with dean mark welsh and dr lori taylor mr mclane added his own commendations of mr weekley and presented the award capping off the evening by outlining the success and significance of an outstanding leader in the business community dr lori taylor and david weekley l-r: dean mark welsh drayton mclane jr dr lori taylor and david weekley
among the many advantages of having a major public affairs graduate program at texas a&m university is the opportunity for faculty from the bush school of government and public service to interact with their colleagues across the texas a&m system in research efforts we have an amazing range of expertise within the texas a&m university system said dr arnold vedlitz bush school professor and bob bullock chair in government and public policy being able to call on our colleagues in the system universities and agencies enables us to address public policy issues from a wider perspective collaborative research projects are commonplace at the bush school where faculty and state agency researchers bring their unique expertise and connections with funding agencies to university-wide projects these efforts can provide research opportunities for students in the bush school and provide a cross-disciplinary perspective on a broad range of issues issues like health economic development and infrastructure require different perspectives from experts in several fields if we are to find workable and practical solutions vedlitz said although the bush school is only twenty years old our faculty quickly adopted the collaborative research model that has been so successful at texas a&m and the a&m system over the years the bush schools research institutesthe institute for science technology and public policy (istpp); the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy; and the scowcroft institute for of international affairsoften reach out to faculty in various academic disciplines as research partners bush school dean mark welsh noted that the schools faculty brings a unique perspective to the complex issues being studied our faculty represents a unique blend of academic expertise and extensive practical experience in public service said welsh collaboration between bush school faculty and others with specialized knowledge in the texas a&m system ensures that solutions proposed through research can be effectively implemented as policies istpp currently has a number of projects that include faculty and agency researchers the institutes work investigating the connections among transportation planning and transportation policy and their relationship with climate change mitigation and adaptation has been a collaborative effort with researchers from the texas a&m transportation institute other research has included expertise from the texas a&m colleges of liberal arts agriculture and life sciences veterinary medicine and medicine the bush schools research efforts fit perfectly with the land grant mission of texas a&m said vedlitz for more than 100 years texas a&m has been addressing problems faced by the state nation and the world in collaborative research efforts we just had to prove that we could enhance those efforts and i believe we have done that for more information about collaborative research at the bush school see our latest video: https://wwwyoutubecom/watchv=c1jr7why-ui
the bush school of government and public service is proud to welcome a record-setting 176 in-residence students to their international affairs and public service and administration programs this fall the class of 2018 represents 113 universities 18 countries and over 65 different concentrations total bush school enrollment is just under 360 students with the addition of an online executive master of public service and administration which will commence its inaugural class with 23 students an additional 340 students are enrolled in the schools graduate certificate programs in international affairs homeland security and nonprofit management the incoming class of students brings wealth of knowledge and experience to their respective programs eight students are attending the bush school as fulbright scholars 11 students with military experience and an additional 12 students were former peace corps or americorps members twelve students have advanced degrees ranging from a masters of international law to a phd in ethnomusicology as enrollment grows bush school programs continue to climb the ranks of top public affairs graduate programs us news and world report ranks the bush school in the top 13 percent of programs offered by public universities with the public management program ranking 12th and the nonprofit program ranking 8th the international affairs program was ranked 5th among public universities by foreign policy magazine in 2015 the bush school is also considered a best value in the nation among public affairs programs as 100 percent of incoming bush school students received scholarships and qualified for in-state tuition the bush school has the honor of being housed on the campus of texas a&m university which was recently named a top best value school by us news and world report and is a tier-one research institution the bush school also welcomes a new dean along with a new class of students dean mark welsh expressed his enthusiasm toward growing enrollment and increasing value in a bush school education the incoming class represents a set of intelligent and high-achieving men and women dedicated to a career in public service we are excited for these students to commence their graduate education here at the bush school and to support their learning and growth dean welsh said
istpp senior fellow bryan d jones (photo on right) professor of the department of government and j j jake pickle regents chair in congressional studies at the university of texas at austin delivered a keynote speech public policy and human nature in an increasingly complex world to the international public policy association conference in hong kong on june 10 2016 the conference is co-sponsored by the university of hong kong university of california and international public policy association istpp research scientist and assistant director xinsheng liu (photo on left) presented a research paper bureaucratic overconfidence and policy consequence co-authored with istpp director arnold vedlitz and istpp fellow james stoutenborough at the conference in hong kong on june 11 2016 in this project the researchers explore whether experienced bureaucrats are overconfident in their expertise and how this overconfidence might influence their policy choices they used data compiled from survey responses from local state and regional-national agency bureaucrats the data analyses demonstrate (a) the level of issue-specific expertise perceived by individual bureaucrats is positively associated with their work experience; (b) more experienced bureaucrats tend to be more overconfident in assessing their expertise; and (c) overconfidence independently of sociodemographic characteristics attitudinal factors and political ideology significantly correlates with bureaucrats risk-taking policy choices
when dave fujimoto gives a presentation it is like sitting in the situation room in the white house or the pentagon his strong presence and tone immediately commands the attention of an audience no matter the topic a second-year master of public service and administration (mpsa) student at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university fujimoto owes his expertise in public speaking and on a host of topics to his twenty-two years as an air force staff officer and aviator i like public speaking said fujimoto with confidence i didnt always like to do that but i got to the point in my career where i was very comfortable talking to senior people about information a graduate of the us air force academy fujimoto spent over two decades in military service primarily flying ac-130s and remotely piloted aircraft he participated in missions in the middle east and africa and served a tour at the pentagon retiring in 2015 wanting to continue his service in a civilian setting he decided to enroll in the bush schools mpsa program i felt the values as well as the academic and networking opportunities offered by texas a&m and the bush school would give me opportunities to find other ways to serve the citizens of the united states fujimoto said known among his classmates as fuji fujimoto quickly stepped into a leadership role at the bush school not only in his classes but also as chief of the bush school ambassadors a group that represents the school on the texas a&m campus and at conferences and speaker presentations hosted by the school or the george bush foundation im really proud of ambassadors because of the way they represent the school fujimoto said all bushies have a story to tell about why they chose the school and public service and i think being an ambassador provides a lot of opportunities to talk about the students who will be the next generation of public servants i really enjoy telling that story and seeing others tell the story the former air force aviator often shares his military experiences in the classroom emphasizing the importance of professionalism in a career he also offers guidance to his fellow students on their presentation skills both as a leader and as a supporter of his fellow students when you have gained knowledge and skill its really important to pass it on and share the expertise fujimoto said i was the beneficiary of some superb mentoring when i was in the military and i want to share the things i learnedaside from the academic knowledge gained at the school fujimoto has also learned the value of public service in non-military occupations being at the bush school has shown me many ways people can serve other than in uniform fujimoto said i now appreciate the value of public service whether in government a nonprofit organization or serving a cause or an issue fujimoto was able to utilize his renewed perspective on public service over the summer at the state capitol in austin as a fellow in the office of texas governor greg abbott given his lengthy professional career fujimoto was not required to fulfill the bush school internship requirement his drive to fully immerse himself in public service however led him to a summer in the state capitol working with the governors texas military preparedness commission (tmpc) the commission seeks to make texas the state of choice for military exercises and defense contracts and to encourage the expansion or relocation of defense-related industry in texas the time spent in austin greatly enhanced my knowledge of the executive branch of state government and its current and future priorities for the state of texas fujimoto said i was really pleased with my experience i gained a lot of insight and knowledge that was only possible working in the capitol the internship also meant three months in austin away from his wife and two children however as a man who has served twelve tours of duty fujimoto noted that being a graduate student has benefitted his family; and he relishes his new fulltime job now in his final year at the bush school fujimoto is already looking ahead to his next career move he is excited by the many opportunities afforded to him through the network he built at the bush school and the tmpc as well as during his military experience and he is committed to public service in his future the tradition of service at the bush school and texas a&m makes it incumbent on graduates to make a difference fujimoto said youre part of the legacy of president bush and the bush school and youre forever a representative of this institution
texas a&m university political scientist william roberts clark the charles puryear professor of liberal arts and head of the department of political science is among the researchers recognized by the british academy for the humanities and social sciences dr clark along with matt golder and sona n golder both associate professors of political science at penn state received the brian barry prize in political science for their study an exit voice and loyalty model of politics the study provides a game-theoretic model that captures the key elements common to most if not all political situations the model emphasizes the strategic interdependencies in the use of power and explains which actors have power and why they have it to highlight the commonalities that exist in the use of power across apparently disparate political phenomena the authors use their model to examine how economic development natural resources inequality and foreign aid affect the democratization process in partnership with cambridge university press and the british journal of political science (bjpols) the british academy awards an annual prize in honor of brian barry a distinguished fellow of the academy and founding editor of the journal brian barry was a distinguished moral and political philosopher whose work fruitfully combined analytic philosophy and political science political theory and social choice theory the prize is awarded annually for excellence in political science as displayed in an essay submitted for the prize that has not been previously published and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere the essay can address any topic in political science as covered by bjpols but essays in fields related to the work of brian barry are especially welcome on sept 1 2022 the department of political science became part of the bush school of government & public service
dr chiu is a professor in the department of veterinary integrative biosciences at texas a&m university his research expertise includes quantitative health risk assessment dose-response assessment and statistical modeling of environmental and biological systems dr chius current interests focus on developing computational and statistical methods to transform data into knowledge to inform policies protecting public health from the effects of environmental chemicals dr dunaway is an associate professor in the department of communication college of liberal arts at texas a&m university her research examines the relationship between the structural and contextual features of media outlets and news content dr dunaways current research examines the impact of the changing contemporary media environment and information technology across individuals groups and local communities and the implications of this for news attention engagement and political polarization the istpp fellows program recognizes individuals who have made or are committed to making significant contributions to the development of the institute and to its mission aims and objectives participation as an istpp fellow is by invitation from the institutes director meet our other fellows by visiting our website
the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy hosted its first conversation in public policy of the academic year on thursday september 15 2016 the event featured dr manuel sánchez gonzález deputy governor of the banco de mexico speaking on the topic of the changing structure of the mexican economy: mexico as a regional leader the evening began with welcoming remarks from dr lori taylor director of the mosbacher institute noting dr sanchezs extensive track record in mexican financial institutions and education at the university of chicago where he received his masters and doctorate in economics after dr taylors welcoming notes dr sánchez took the stage to deliver remarks over the changing culture of the mexican economy dr sánchez began his comments pointing out the complex relationship that the united states and mexico have highlighting the positive and negative effects certain american policy decisions have on the monetary and economic affairs of mexico he noted that the special relationship enjoyed by the united states lends to the sharing of ideas and technology to the betterment of both countries but in some cases this relationship can have negative effects on manufacturing labor and deterioration of certain markets dr sánchez also discussed key issues currently affecting the monetary value of the peso in relation to the us dollar and mexicos public debt to gdp ratio he concluded that a strong stance on inflation in mexico coupled with continued success in trade agreements and cutting certain inefficient public programs should strengthen the mexican economy upon the completion of dr sánchezs remarks dr raymond robertson bush school professor and holder of the helen and roy ryu chair in economics and government joined dr sánchez on stage for a discussion on the mexican economy while most of dr sánchezs speech was designated to solutions to current issues in the mexican financial market dr robertson spurred conversation over the recent reforms instituted by mexico dr sánchez elaborated more during this conversation about the steps that the mexican congress and president nieto took to help revitalize aspects of the mexican economy and keep a forward thinking mentality laws regarding telecommunications labor education competition and banking were all overhauled and in the past few years have started to be implemented resulting in an increase of services for mexican citizens with competitive options dr sánchez did note certain areas where implementation has been difficult but was fairly confident in the decisions of the mexican government to positively benefit the economy and growth for years to come in his final remarks to the audience and in particular the students dr sánchez endorsed the methods of the bush school of government for their focus on theory-based practicality and the continued approach of using these two pillars to guide their efforts once they had left the university dr raymond robertson and dr manuel sánchez gonzález dr lori taylor and dr manuel sánchez gonzález
by lesley henton texas a&m marketing & communications gen mark welsh has taken the reins as dean of the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university after ambassador ryan crocker stepped down earlier this year welsh comes to texas a&m after retiring from four years as chief of staff of the united states air force his record of service to the nation also includes commander of us air forces in europe associate director of military support and military affairs for the cia and commandant of cadets at the us air force academy just to name a few he graduated from the air force academy in 1976 q: you were born in san antonio; how does it feel to be back in texas a: i love everything about texas just like every other texan does the way we love the state and nation respect the flag respect each other so getting back here is a huge thrillq: what first inspired you to join the air force a: my dad inspired me he was a pilot in the air force for 35 years and an aggie class of 46 he was part of the greatest generation part of creating the country we have today i joined because i was in love with airplanes but i stayed in because i fell in love with the people every day in uniform was a privilege for me it was routinely inspirational and always humbling the people i served beside made me proud every single day im a big believer in the idea that institutional pride is critical to success and no institution demonstrates pride better than texas a&mgeneral mark a welsh iii dean of the bush school of government & public service q: what was your best day as air force chief of staff a: i had a thousand best days but if i had to choose one it would be the first day i was sworn in on a bible that every chief of staff has sworn on since the day the air force was started my wife was holding the bible that combination of faith family and a feeling of overwhelming gratitude and humility set the tone for me in that job q: what were the challenges of leading at such high level a: some days it was scary and intimidating because you dont want to let your people down there were some days that were horrible; there was human death and suffering – the sacrifices people make for their country but to see what people are willing to endure for their country the belief they share in its greatness and potential its inspiring and truly humbling q: what drew you to accept the job as dean of the bush schoola: im a big believer in the idea that institutional pride is critical to success and no institution demonstrates pride better than texas a&m i see it when im greeted with a howdy aggies just value tradition in so many ways i remember when i was in high school the first time i came to a football game here with my dad i was struck by the corps march-in and when the flag came by and everyone took their hats off and put their hands on their hearts i first came to a bonfire when i was in the ninth grade just me and my dad ive been to muster in five or six different countries and many midnight yells theyre remarkable traditions carried on by remarkable people the aggie network is amazing; ive met grads of the bush school all over the world and they are quick to tell you where they came from the aggies ive had the privilege of meeting are talented engaged and active and they truly want to make a difference q: tell us about your family a: although im not an aggie i consider myself one by association – in addition to my dad five of my six siblings all my children and many of my nieces and nephews are graduates of texas a&m my dad passed away in 2008 but my mom still lives in austin and she is a saint she travelled all over the world hauling seven kids shes the matriarch of our family and terrifyingly intelligent a trait she passed on to all her female children! she also loves this university im extremely proud of my own children my son mark iv was the corps commander here in 2000-01 and is a proud graduate of mays business school he won the brown foundation-earl rudder memorial outstanding student award in 2001 and is now in the private equity business my son john was an air force pilot then returned to texas a&m to earn his md and is now an er physician matthew graduated from the college of liberal arts was an all-american rugby player here and is now an infantry officer in the marine corps elizabeth graduated from the business honors program at mays works as the director of marketing for an it firm and travels the world and my wife betty is texas a&ms most enthusiastic supporter! shes also a remarkable woman she is very involved in programs that benefit military families and excited to be back in texas reconnecting with family we have an amazing relationship because she needs me for nothing and i need her for everything! q: what are your hopes for the future of the bush school a: the bush school is young as far as colleges go but has in that short time been remarkably successful as we look to the future we need to examine where weve been and where were headed were doing that review now the results will allow us to properly prioritize funding and resources and keep us on our planned track while also ensuring we adjust to how the world is changing around us we need to hear everyones voice as we do this review from students to faculty and staff i have lots of opinions but none are well enough informed at this point – its the curse of the new guy so ill rely on our great team to fill me in q: where can we expect to see your aggie spirit on display a: ill be looking to meet the newest reveille i cant wait to join the 12th man at kyle field and many other sporting venues and while i dont look forward to one being necessary if theres another silver taps ill be there
students in the master of international affairs program at the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university recently had a unique opportunity to visit germany and meet with high-ranking german foreign policy makers and academics the fourteen-day program was led by dr gabriela marin thornton and included stops in berlin and dresden this trip gave bush school students a great opportunity to interact with high-ranking german policy makers and scholars to gain a better understanding of german foreign policy security and the current refugee crisis said dr thornton the wide-ranging agenda included visits to the german ministry of defense where the students met with the head of the policy department and former vice president of germanys federal intelligence service bundesnachrichtendienst dr gezá von geyr topics for discussion included germanys new security policies and its new white paper on defense while in berlin the students also met with thomas volk coordinator for islam and the dialogue between religions at konrad-adenauer-stiftung (kas) a prestigious think-tank volk briefed the group on the role of islam in germany and later discussed with students how the current migrant and refugee crisis is impacting europe a visit to the german chancellery included a meeting with german state secretary and coordinator of intelligence agencies klaus dieter fritsche who led a discussion centered on cooperation among various intelligence agencies and its impact on combating terrorism us ambassador john b emerson welcomed the students to the us embassy and spoke with them about topics including natos role in the new security environment the group was also invited to the berlin parliament where they had lunch and met with the two vice presidents of the parliament: andreas gram (cdu) and ms schillhaneck (the green party) in dresden students took a guided tour and met with geert mackenroth mdl the saxonian parliaments coordinator for refugees and migrants other trip highlights included participating in a roundtable discussion on transatlantic security at the free university berlin meeting with patrick lobis of the german representation of the european union taking a battle of berlin tour led by bush school international affairs professor christopher layne and visiting a refugee camp the program was an opportunity for the students to learn first-hand about german and european issues said thornton it was a remarkable educational experience for the students and truly broadened their perspective on european politics and security i am grateful to dr hildegard boucsein a member of texas a&m international board for her valuable help with this trip
a new semester-long lecture series at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university will focus on how law enforcement deals with the public it serves particularly minority communities the goal say lecture organizers is to begin a community-wide dialogue focusing on a range of topics including tensions between communities of color and law enforcement; race and community engagement efforts by local police departments; research on criminal justice and policing; and immigration enforcement at the local level bush school professor domonic a bearfield coordinator of the series says he hopes to begin a conversation among researchers law enforcement and citizens in the age of social media and instant communication incidents between law enforcement and citizens across the nation quickly garner national attention bearfield said given the climate that surrounds these incidents and the resulting publicity it seems to be a good time to look for ways to ameliorate the concerns of both sides and also seek input from experts in the field he added bearfield also said that organizers hope to extend the events reach through the sponsorship of several student organizations including the black graduate student organization and the bush school diversity and inclusion committee the first lecture on sept 21 will be given by khalilah brown-dean of quinnipiac university and is titled beyond ferguson: rethinking community and social justice in the united states it will be held at the annenberg presidential conference center the second event co-hosted by the mosbacher institute for trade economic and public policy will also be held on oct 12 in the annenberg presidential conference center with brian williams university of georgia moderating a panel discussion of police chiefs from bryan college station and texas a&m and the final lecture will be nov 14 in the george bush librarys orientation theater given by dr charles epp from the university of kansas each event will begin at 5:30 pm preceded by a reception at 5 pm the events are open to the public
bryce hannibal istpp post-doctoral research associate presented several papers at the american sociological association annual conference held in seattle wa august 20-23 2016 both papers are based on istpps national representative public opinion survey on the water-energy-food nexus (may 2015) the first paper cognitive awareness of the water-energy-food nexus in the us: public attitudes among the american people co-authored with istpp researchers kent portney carol goldsmith peyton mcgee xinsheng liu and arnold vedlitz explores the publics understanding of the connections between water and energy water and food and food and energy the researchers analyze data from the survey to investigate the extent to which awareness of the nexus is associated with willingness to support public policies designed to intervene in the nexus they find that levels of awareness vary considerably across individuals and across the nexus nodes and those awareness levels are highly related to a number of policy options the results suggest that awareness of the water-energy-food nexus may represent conditions necessary for supporting policy responses and that building awareness of nexus issues could represent an important pathway for increasing support for policy interventions the second paper political ideology and the invisible environment: a multi-level analysis of biophysical impacts on individual behaviors and attitudes about water written with arnold vedlitz examines the extent to which local environmental incidents and hazards influence individuals attitudes and behaviors about water the authors combine nexus survey data with data about local environmental conditions to examine county-level contextual factors their results show that very few biophysical indicators influence individual attitudes and behaviors about water which are instead influenced by sociodemographic and political characteristics of which political ideology is a prominent influencing factor their results suggest that it is unlikely that natural hazards and incidents with water will lead americans to shift current behaviors and attitudes more generally towards investments in new water conservation practices and policy options
dr portney and his co-author dr jeffrey berry have analyzed the influence of local tea parties efforts to block sustainability initiatives by cities to ascertain the impact of such tea party actions the researchers relied on several sources of data one data set came from previous research by portney in which he compiled comprehensive information on the level and range of sustainability programs for 50 us cities resulting in a sustainability score and in these same cities the heads of local tea parties were interviewed whenever possible questions asked included their interactions with different categories of policy makers and their preferred methods of advocacy based on their responses local tea parties were engaging in modest efforts to influence local policy the researchers then examined the correlation of local team party activities with the citys sustainability score their findings indicate that the tea party has not had a significant dampening effect on city policymaking in support of sustainability berry jeffrey m and kent e portney 2017 the tea party versus agenda 21: local groups and sustainability policies in us cities environmental politics 26(1): 118–137
professor ann bowman received the daniel elazar distinguished scholar award from the federalism and intergovernmental relations section of the american political science association (apsa) on september 2 2016 the award which recognizes distinguished scholarly contributions to the study of federalism and intergovernmental relations was presented during the apsa annual meeting in philadelphia pennsylvania elazar was a leading political scientist and specialist in the study of federalism he founded and directed the temple university center for the study of federalism a prominent federalism research institute bowman holds the hazel davis and robert kennedy endowed chair in government and public service at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university im honored to receive this award recognizing my contributions to research on intergovernmental relations especially since it comes from my colleagues in the apsa said bowman dr bowman came to the bush school in 2008 from the university of south carolina where she was the james f and maude b byrnes professor of government she specializes in state and local politics and management; public policy especially the substantive areas of environment economic development and land use; and intergovernmental relations she is a fellow of the national academy of public administration and is immediate past-president of the southern political science association
texas a&m students from the bush school visited ben milam elementary school to support the read by 3rd program twenty-five years after president george hw bush signed the national literacy act students at the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university continue his commitment to improving national literacy and encouraging lifelong learning graduate students involved with the bush schools public service organization (pso) spend the first saturday of every month volunteering their time with a local organization read by 3rd the program is based in bryan texas and aims to help parents develop the skills and resources needed to help their children improve reading skills bush school students support the program by planning activities that get students excited about learning and literacy while also serving as role models to the young children volunteering with [read by 3rd] is a great opportunity to interact with both students and parents of the community bush school master of public service and administration student and program volunteer becky calahan said this program serves the higher goal of improving literacy and provides a sense of community for those involved read by 3rd was founded in 2013 by daniel hernandez a native of bryan former city councilman and long-time community volunteer hernandez recognized a community need to inspire parental involvement in programs that help children and developed the program in an effort to encourage parents to help their children learn to read at grade level by the third grade and thus become readers for life read by 3rd is unique in that the focus is on the parentsthe most significant teacher in a childs life mr hernandez is now working to expand the program to neighboring college station isd pso is a bush school organization offering opportunities for students to interact with the community where they live and attend school while also exemplifying the service-oriented philosophy of president bush that public service is a noble calling throughout the school year pso members volunteer with various community organizations including habitat for humanity relay for life and texas a&m universitys campus-wide volunteer campaign the big event involvement in read by 3rd provides bush school student volunteers with a unique perspective on an issue so important to the bush family president and mrs bush were and continue to be strong advocates for improving national literacy said calahan being able to support their cause in our community is just one of the ways bush school students seek to continue their legacy
the office of the provost and executive vice president of texas a&m university has announced the appointment of dr leonard bright as assistant provost in the office of graduate and professional studies (ogaps) dr bright is currently assistant dean of graduate education and an associate professor at the bush school his new appointment is effective september 1 dr bright will now divide his time between his faculty appointment at the bush school and his new responsibilities at ogaps said dr karen butler-purry associate provost for graduate and professional studies dr butler-purry noted that dr bright brings extensive teaching research and administrative experience to ogaps and will aid its mission of providing quality support services to all texas a&m graduate students faculty and staff dr bright received his ba in psychology with honors from the university of south florida his masters in public administration from the university of idaho and his phd in public administration and policy from the hatfield school of government at portland state university prior to joining the bush school faculty dr bright was the assistant and acting director of the masters of public administration program at the university of south alabama president of the metropolitan louisville chapter of the american society for public administration and president of the southeastern conference for public administration his research emphasis is on public sector human resource management and he is considered to be a top national expert on motivation for public service dr bright said hes honored to be moving to his new position this is a great opportunity to contribute to the advancement of graduate education in the office of graduate and professional studies at the university level i have appreciated the opportunity to serve the bush school as assistant dean and i thank my colleagues for their support i truly enjoyed working closely with them on initiatives to advance the bush school i know that i could not have accomplished anything good without their help and support he added im pleased that dr bright has been selected for this important position said bush school dean mark welsh he will strengthen the already strong ties between the bush school and the universitys outstanding graduate education programs and i know his experience at the school will be beneficial in his new position he added
istpp researchers bryce hannibal xinsheng liu and arnold vedlitz extend our understanding of factors that influence an individuals environmental concern they do so by incorporating local environmental conditions into the traditional models that rely only on personal characteristics as explanatory variables of environmental concern the research team tests their model of environmental concern using data from istpps 2013 national public climate change survey combined with government agency data about local environmental conditions associated with each survey respondents zip code they find that individual level characteristics behave similarly to what has been found in other studies the results for local environmental conditions are mixed – local environmental incidents and air pollution are positively associated with individual concern while industrial wastes are not the researchers offer insight into why some predictors do not relate to concern which is important to policymakers and future environmental policy recommendations bryce hannibal xinsheng liu and arnold vedlitz 2016 personal characteristics local environmental conditions and individual environmental concern: a multilevel analysis environmental sociology doi: 101080/2325104220161197355
kenneth j meier presented the keynote address on public administration in the us and europe at the annual meeting of the european group for public administration in utrecht the netherlands august 26 2016 egpa is a regional group of the international institute of administrative sciences whose purpose is to strengthen contacts and exchanges among european specialists in public administration both scholars and practitioners on sept 1 2022 the department of political science became part of the bush school of government & public service
on august 10 faculty and staff at the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university gathered at the annenberg presidential conference center to recognize dean ryan crocker and longtime faculty member and administrator arnold vedlitz the event was an opportunity for faculty and staff to show their appreciation to dean crocker and dr vedlitz for their significant accomplishments and leadership at the bush school crocker will continue as executive professor at the bush school and will also hold an appointment in the office of the provost at texas a&m vedlitz is leaving his current administrative posts as executive associate dean and as director of the institute for science technology and public policy he will continue to hold the bob bullock chair in government and public policy crocker has served as dean since 2010 taking a leave of absence from 2011 to 2013 to serve as us ambassador to afghanistan during his time as dean the bush school has grown tremendously with record enrollment the past several years and several impressive additions to the bush school faculty a highly respected diplomat he has as served as a us ambassador six times including afghanistan (2011-2013) iraq (2007-2009) pakistan (2004-2007) syria (1998-2001) kuwait (1994-1997) and lebanon (1990-1993) since joining the foreign service in 1971 he also has had assignments in iran qatar iraq and egypt as well as in washington from may to august 2003 he was in baghdad as the first director of governance for the coalition provisional authority and was deputy assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs from august 2001 to may 2003 a recipient of the presidential medal of freedom he is a member of the council on foreign relations the american academy of diplomacy and the association of american ambassadors dr vedlitz was one of the first members of the bush school faculty and has served as director of the institute for science technology and public policy (istpp) since its founding in 2000 during vedlitz tenure as director istpp has been awarded more than $16 million in externally funded research grants from twenty-two different sponsors including the national science foundation the national institutes of health the us department of homeland security the texas department of transportation and the national oceanic and atmospheric administration among many others since coming to texas a&m in 1973 vedlitz has served in a number of administrative positions including associate dean of the college of liberal arts associate provost for external affairs and executive associate dean of the bush school a position he resumed in 2013 he received his ba and ma degrees in government from louisiana state university and his phd in political science from the university of houston
how europe responds to the growing migrant crisis has serious implications for the future stability of the continent warns a prominent international relations authority in a paper published by the scowcroft institute of international affairs a unit of the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university ann-sofie dahl a swedish associate professor of international relations and an adjunct fellow at the center for strategic and international studies in washington dc cites the brexit vote in the united kingdom as a clear indication that europeans are highly alarmed about the influx of migrants especially after the recent terrorist attacks in brussels paris and istanbul still some european countries are taking different approaches to the situation dahl notes pointing to sweden and it scandinavian neighbor denmark dahl in her paper a continent in chaos: the security implications of the european migrant crisis says that while sweden has taken a more welcoming stance thereby encouraging the flood of newcomers on eu ground other countries like denmark are skeptical about their ability to absorb such a huge influx of asylum seekers from vastly different cultural and religious backgrounds in all other ways she asserts these two neighboring scandinavian countries come across to the outside world as almost identical but thus represent opposite positions with regard to the migration and refugee issue in short she asks how did europe end up in this chaos and what will be the implications on security for sweden denmark and the rest of europe dahl has been a resident of copenhagen denmark since 2003 she has previously held research positions at the centre for military studies (copenhagen) the swedish institute for international affairs and the swedish national defense college (stockholm) georgetown university princeton university and other research institutions dahl was a visiting fellow at the nato defense college in rome in 2012 she is also the founder of the swedish atlantic council and a former vice president of the atlantic treaty association (ata) on nov 2 2015 dahl visited the bush school to meet with faculty and students and hold a q&a session focused on her expertise in northern europe the baltics and nato interaction with russia and the current refugee crisis in europe the full text of the article can be found at bushtamuedu/scowcroft/papers/
in this study dr vedlitz and his co-authors dr stoutenborough and dr robinson use data from istpps 2012 national energy policy survey to ascertain whether the words used to name a process used to extract natural gas from underground rock formations influences a persons attitudes and policy preferences toward this particular technique the researchers use a survey experiment to compare two popular framing languages for this extraction process with half of the respondents receiving questions that refer to the technique as hydraulic fracturing and the other half as fracking they analyzed the effects of framing for the two treatments to compare responses to questions concerning opinions and attitudes about the extraction technique their results illustrate that concerns that the term fracking is politicized and pejorative are overstated while familiarity with the technique influences levels of support and reactions to specific wording there is no general framing effect for the use of one wording over the other james w stoutenborough scott e robinson and arnold vedlitz 2016 is ‘fracking a new dirty word the influence of word choices on public views toward natural gas attitudes energy research & social science 17: 52–58 https://dxdoiorg/101016/jerss201604005
istpp research scientist and assistant director xinsheng liu was invited to give a talk on his research a quantitative account of news media and presidential perceptions of china: 1979-present to the faculty and graduate students at the china foreign affairs university on june 11 2016 liu used quantitative data based on content analysis to show how and why the news media and presidential perceptions of china (including total attention dimensional attention and image) have evolved over time liu also discussed the policy implications of these changes
with financial support from the deans office the department of international affairs the department of public service and administration and the mosbacher and scowcroft institutes bush school students are expanding their classroom experience by serving as interns and immersing themselves in foreign languages this summer the school provided more than $215 000 to support these programs and provide stipends and scholarships to assist students with the various expenses of their required internships or language immersions students gained these valuable internships and language immersions not only from opportunities provided through career services but also from the robust network of bush alumni working at all levels of the public private and nonprofit sectors students interned and/or studied languages in twenty-one countries in europe the middle east asia and latin and south america and also across the united states the languages most often selected were arabic spanish mandarin chinese and russian with students choosing a language that relates to their area of study internationally students served in internships with the us department of state us european command and the general assembly of wales among many others domestically bush school students could be found within a variety of organizations including the us house of representatives us department of energy us drug enforcement administration the central intelligence agency and the federal bureau of investigation state and local government internships included those at the texas office of the governor texas general land office and the city of nashville nonprofit agencies were also internship sites including world vision boys and girls club of america ted and greater texas foundation students faculty and staff who travelled across the country or around the globe for learning opportunities also took part in the #bushgoesglobal social media initiative by posting pictures of themselves at their various locations on facebook twitter and instagram using the hashtag #bushgoesglobal individuals were encouraged to display a poster with the hashtag provided by the school when taking pictures at the various locations whether participating in an internship in texas; a language immersion program in italy; a work project in washington dc; or a conference in germany students faculty staff and alumni used the hashtag to showcase their public service experiences across the country and around the world
dr kent e portney professor at the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university has been appointed director of the institute for science technology and public policy at the bush school a leading expert on environmental policy urban sustainability and policy analysis portney will oversee the institutes efforts to examine public policy issues and communicate research-based knowledge to the public and decision makers he will begin his duties as director on september 1 2016 and will succeed dr arnold vedlitz who is stepping down as director after serving in that capacity since the institutes founding in 2000 i am thrilled to assume the directorship of istpp although upholding the standards set by professor vedlitz is a daunting task said portney with an impressive track record of accomplishment professor vedlitz has built the capacity of the institute for faculty and students to engage in and collaborate on serious science and technology policy research i hope to be able to build and expand on this capacity in the years to come while promoting research on public support for policy options water-energy-food nexus policies transboundary water policy and management urban resiliency and other areas the institute for science technology and public policy (istpp) is a nonpartisan interdisciplinary public policy research institute the institute examines pressing and complex issues related to the framing and communication of science and technology information to help inform difficult public policy questions istpp communicates its research-based findings to the public and decision makers and publishes them in scholarly journals in the past five years istpp has partnered with approximately 200 researchers in the united states and in other countries on research proposals and proposal development (incubator activities) and has funded numerous projects and scholarly efforts this includes working and partnering with researchers in twenty-nine different departments at texas a&m university ten of the tamu colleges and twelve tamu centers and institutes istpp also partners with researchers and scholars at thirty other us universities and with researchers around the world including twenty-one international organizations in austria china germany france denmark the netherlands and other countries portney joined the bush school in 2014 after a distinguished career on the tufts university faculty which he had been a member of since 1979 in addition to serving as chair of the department of political science and director of the graduate program in public policy and citizen participation he also served as director of the water and research program at the center for international environment and resource policy at tufts fletcher school of law and diplomacy he received his phd in political science from florida state university his masters from the university of connecticut and his bachelors from rutgers university where his studies focused on public administration and public policy he has authored or co-authored nine books on such topics as economic and environmental development citizen participation and teaching critical reasoning in the social sciences; and he has written numerous journal articles on urban sustainability urban politics and the local nonprofit sector his book the rebirth of urban democracy earned him two awards from the american political science association he has been awarded numerous grants from the ford foundation the national science foundation the spencer foundation and the polaroid foundation he is frequently invited to conduct media interviews and present at conferences and symposiums and has taught graduate courses on the political behavior of young people public opinion and survey research water policy and economics the politics of environmental policy in the us and the politics of sustainable cities portney will succeed dr arnold vedlitz who has served as director of istpp for the past sixteen years during vedlitz tenure as director istpp has been awarded more than $16 million in externally funded research grants from twenty-two different sponsors including the national science foundation the national institutes of health the us department of homeland security the texas department of transportation and the national oceanic and atmospheric administration among many others in addition to his time as director of istpp vedlitz also served as director of the center for public leadership studies a precursor to istpp he has served in a number of positions at texas a&m university since 1973 including associate dean of the college of liberal arts associate provost for external affairs and executive associate dean of the bush school a position he resumed in 2013 he received his ba and ma degrees in government from louisiana state university and his phd in political science from the university of houston vedlitz is holder of the bob bullock chair in government and public policy a chair he has held since 2000 he joined the bush school in 1996 one of the first professors to join the faculty when the bush school was founded he is a co-author and co-editor of a highly cited book from mit press dealing with natural resources management and decision making; author of an important book on public policy; and author of ninety peer-reviewed journal articles most published in top field/disciplinary journals or in top subject-matter journals it has been a tremendous honor to serve as director of istpp these past several years and i am excited to see the many ways kent will take the institute to new heights said vedlitz istpp does incredibly important work educating both policymakers and the general public about major policy issuesfrom climate change to the nexus of water energy and food i have tremendous gratitude to the many colleagues i have had the pleasure to work with over the years and know the milestones the institute has achieved would not have been possible without their hard work
with multiple years of teaching under his belt in the master of international affairs (mia) department at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university assistant professor william norris influence on the program has begun to spread he was initially attracted to the bush school because of its national reputation and the strength of its foreign policy and security studies programs norris especially liked the way the school matches rigorous scholarship with practical applications i believe academia has a responsibility to help improve society and the bush school is an excellent demonstration of that kind of thinking he said he also noted that he was impressed by the unique collegiality of the bush school and the wider texas a&m university communitysomething he says is not seen at many other institutions before coming to the bush school norris was a postdoctoral research associate at the woodrow wilson school for public and international affairs and a fellow in the princeton-harvard china and the world program a joint program created by the two universities to foster the study of china in the field of international relations norris earned his phd in the security studies program in the department of political science at massachusetts institute of technology where he specialized in the link between economics and security studies focusing on the role of economics in contemporary chinese grand strategy norris teaches courses in east asian security chinese domestic politics and chinese foreign policy he encourages students to take the class on domestic chinese politics before taking the class on foreign policy very few students come in with non-western studies knowledge students need to know the history and institutional legacy of china to understand how they impact current decision making norris says though he says it is a riskier approach norris prefers teaching his classes in a discussion-based seminar setting often utilizing the socratic method this style offers less professorial control than a traditional lecture method but norris feels the students can develop a better command of the material since they have a more interactive opportunity to grapple with it research shows that actively learning by asking about readings making connections between those readings and generating and challenging ideas is a more effective way to learn than via a traditional lecture approach norris said because of his background in international relations and security studies norriss research looks at the relationship between economics and wider foreign policy strategies in east asian countries in our field the relationship between economics and security studies is under-developed norris said there has been much research on the nature application and limitations of military power; but i believe the same level of attention needs to be given to the economic dimensions of national power he pointed out that the field still lacks an overarching theory of the relationship between economics and security the major work written on this subject is thirty years old and posed the question of whether nations can use economics to achieve non-economic ends norris research takes that question a step further by addressing exactly how nations can do this even though economic tools are difficult to use when states do use them they can be very powerful in terms of grand strategy norris said when asked about hobbies norris says that spending time with his eight-month old son is his main hobby; but in his rare spare time he enjoys cooking fishing and collecting old books too he also enjoys wine and traveling with his wife to lesser-known wine regions such as the pacific northwest my perfect day would be reading an excellent book in a boat and fishing in a quiet natural and pristine environment these are some of lifes simple pleasures that i am looking forward to sharing with my son in the years ahead he added
the first class of students enrolled in the bush schools newly launched executive master of public service and administration program (empsa) recently began classes designed for individuals working in full-time professional careers the new executive program delivers high-quality and high-impact coursework and helps students develop in-depth advanced skills in public service leadership; critical investigative and evaluative proficiencies; and the decision-making expertise essential for public and private sector careers the first class includes twenty-six students from a variety of backgrounds including three active duty members of the us military; nine veterans; and others from occupations such as local law enforcement nonprofit executive leadership city planners cia and fbi officers and attorneys among others the average professional experience of the incoming class is eighteen years with a range of six years all the way to forty-one years of experience in the first class of students fifteen are pursuing the homeland security track eight are pursing the nonprofit management track and three are pursuing the public management tracki am very impressed with our twenty-six incoming students said dr danny davis coordinator of the empsa program and director of the graduate certificate in homeland security program a wide variety of professions is represented in the inaugural class such diversity in student work experience promises to enrich the learning environment of our executive program the 39 credit hour graduate non-thesis degree program is offered online with a total of two required weeks in residence at texas a&m university in college station applicants must have at least five years of professional experience preferably in one of the three curricular track areas of homeland security nonprofit management or public management in addition to a common set of 21 credit hours that provide foundational knowledge in management leadership policy analysis and research methods students complete 18 credit hours in either the homeland security nonprofit management or public management track their coursework will also include a required capstone project in which students work collaboratively on a public service and administration project in conjunction with a government agency private firm or nonprofit organization we are thrilled to offer this exciting online masters program to professionals and executives who want to earn a graduate degree but are constrained by time and location said lisa brown director of the bush school office of extended education the interactive online format truly opens worlds of opportunity for those who are committed to excellence in public service in homeland security nonprofit management and public management
research co-authored by dr raymond robertson professor at the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university was cited as support for a recently approved measure in india aimed at boosting the apparel industry in an op-ed piece written by arvind subramanian indias chief economic advisor robertsons research was offered as evidence that expanding exports within the apparel sector could lead to a significant increase in jobs and a boost to the economy the new measure approved by prime minister narendra modi is designed to help create ten million jobs over the next three years the apparel industry holds great potential for economic development for several reasons including an emphasis on employing women said robertson the new indian measures have the potential to improve the lives of millions of women the research cited in the op-ed piece by subramanian was taken from a recent book co-authored by robertson stitches to riches published by the world bank in the book robertson and his co-authors argue that the apparel sector in south asia has not reached its full potential due to inefficiencies that affect its competitiveness the apparel sector already comprises approximately 40 percent of manufacturing employment and given that much of apparel production continues to be labor intensive the potential to create more and better jobs is immense robertson is a professor and the holder of the helen and roy ryu chair in economics and government in the department of international affairs at the bush school widely published in the field of labor economics and international economics robertson currently chairs the us department of labors national advisory committee for labor provisions of the us free trade agreements and is a member of the center for global developments advisory board robertson is also a research fellow at the institute for the study of labor in bonn germany
this past spring dr stephen hadley well known for his role as national security advisor under president george w bush spoke on the importance of the national security advisor at a conference honoring one of the most esteemed men to have held the position brent scowcroft in his speech hadley said that scowcroft defined the important role of national security advisor with the scowcroft model: be an honest broker running a fair transparent and inclusive process for bringing issues to the president; maintain the confidence of your national security colleagues; keep a low public profile operating largely off stage; and give your advice privately to the president this approach best serves the president and enhances the prospects for a sound foreign policy in the inaugural issue of a series prepared by the scowcroft institute of international affairs the text of hadleys speech provides a deeper understanding of the role of the national security advisor from a man who held the position during president george w bushs second term with intimate details of hadleys time in the bush 43 administration and recommendations for future national security advisors based on the tenure of brent scowcroft readers gain a better understanding of one of the more consequential members of the presidents staff lieutenant general brent scowcroft usaf (ret) is the only person to serve twice as national security advisor having served under presidents gerald ford and george h w bush he also served as military assistant to president nixon and as deputy assistant to the president for national security affairs to presidents ford and nixon he currently serves as president of the scowcroft group a premiere international business advisory firm in addition to his service on the presidents general advisory committee on arms control the presidents commission on strategic forces the presidents blue ribbon commission on defense management and the presidents special review board hadley served for four years as national security advisor from 2005 to 2009 in that capacity he was the principal white house foreign policy advisor to president george w bush directed the national security council staff and ran the interagency national security policy development and execution process from 2001 to 2005 mr hadley was the assistant to the president and deputy national security advisor serving under national security advisor condoleezza rice in addition to covering the full range of national security issues mr hadley had special responsibilities in several areas including a us/russia political dialogue the israeli disengagement from gaza and strategic relations with india to read the paper please visit bushtamuedu/scowcroft/papers/hadley/
james olson senior lecturer at the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university was featured in the premiere episode of a new cnn series declassified: untold stories of american spies which aired this past sunday june 19 before coming to the bush school to teach olson spent more than twenty-five years in the directorate of operations of the cia mostly overseas in clandestine operations olson was interviewed for the premier episode of declassified because of his intimate knowledge of a cia operation that involved the first female cia officer assigned to an operation in the soviet union in the episode olson speaks on camera about handling a covert operation in which cia case officer martha peterson served as a contact for a soviet diplomat codenamed trigon who smuggled classified documents from the soviet foreign ministry olson was interviewed for the cnn program at the bush school; and several shots of the school in addition to scenes from around the bush center can be seen in the trailer for the upcoming series at the request of president george hw bush olson joined the faculty of the bush school in 1997 as a part of the cias officer-in-residence program during his distinguished career with the cia olson held a number of prominent positions including chief of counterintelligence at cia headquarters in langley virginia he served in a number of overseas assignments in various countries including the former soviet union austria and mexico after retiring from the cia he continued to teach at the bush school and became a permanent faculty member in 2000 declassified airs sundays at 9 pm ct on cnn beginning this sunday view a trailer for the series at http://wwwcnncom/videos/tv/2016/06/02/declassified-trigon-episode-sneak-peekcnn
groundwater regulation has been a constant source of contention in texas due to confusion between what landowners believe is their property and what they actually own this confusion seriously diminishes the development of the groundwater market according to a recent study conducted by students at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university and summarized in a recent issue of the takeaway an online publication of the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy the bush school research team which included nine students from the master of public service and administration program was led by dr james griffin who holds the bob bullock chair in public policy and finance the researchers found that texans may believe they possess rights to water beneath their land; however when they have attempted to capitalize by selling or leasing the rights the regulatory capabilities of a patchwork of groundwater conservation districts (gcds) have often restricted or denied such transactions the ensuing confusion over groundwater ownership has led to capital not being used or not going to its best use the gcds in effect severely limit the value of texas groundwater and prevent a market economy from emerging and developing to its fullest potential while groundwater depletion is a concern in the ogallala aquifer in the texas panhandle and the hueco-mesilla aquifer in far west texas the researchers maintain that the concerns are unfounded for the aquifers in the more populous parts of the state dr griffin stated the students concluded that the apparent shortage of groundwater is not a physical shortage; rather it is a regulation-induced shortage local groundwater conservation districts act as balkanized states preferring to protect local resources the team concluded that changing groundwater regulation in texas would allow costs to reflect available supply and resources to move toward the best usage at a minimum they recommend that the texas legislature clarify groundwater property rights and prevent gcds from regulating groundwater based on its intended use or final destination the full text of the article can be found at http://bushtamuedu/mosbacher/takeaway/
ryan crocker dean of the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university will be the first recipient of the us naval academys bancroft award for exceptional leadership achievement the bancroft award named after george bancroft former secretary of the navy who founded the us naval academy in 1845 was created to recognize outstanding leaders who are not graduates of the us naval academy but through their personal sacrifice unremitting determination extraordinary vision and unwavering integrity have made substantial contributions to the united states crocker will receive the award in the fall of this year at a ceremony where he will speak to the more than 4 500 officers-in-training at the academy it is an extraordinary honor to receive this award from one of our countrys finest institutions said crocker the us naval academy develops americas leaders of tomorrow and i look forward to speaking to the courageous men and women who have made such a serious commitment to public service dean crocker retired from the foreign service in april 2009 after a career of over thirty-seven years but was recalled to active duty by president obama in 2011 to serve as us ambassador to afghanistan a recipient of the presidential medal of freedom he has served as us ambassador six times: afghanistan (2011-2012) iraq (2007-2009) pakistan (2004-2007) syria (1998-2001) kuwait (1994-1997) and lebanon (1990-1993) from may to august 2003 he was in baghdad as the first director of governance for the coalition provisional authority and was deputy assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs from august 2001 to may 2003 since joining the foreign service in 1971 he also has had assignments in iran qatar iraq and egypt as well as washington he was assigned to the american embassy in beirut during the israeli invasion of lebanon in 1982 and the bombings of the embassy and the marine barracks in 1983 crocker has received numerous other awards for his public service including the presidential distinguished and meritorious service awards the secretary of states distinguished service award (2008 and 2012) the department of defense medal for distinguished civilian service (1997 and 2008) the distinguished public service award (2012) the award for valor and the american foreign service association rivkin award for creative dissent in may 2009 secretary of state hillary clinton announced the establishment of the ryan c crocker award for outstanding achievement in expeditionary diplomacy in july 2012 he was named an honorary marine the 75th civilian so honored in the 237 year history of the corps crocker began his service as dean of the bush school in 2010 taking a leave of absence between 2011 and 2013 in order to serve as us ambassador to afghanistan during his time as dean the bush school has grown tremendously with record enrollment during the past several years and several impressive additions to the bush school faculty
morten wendelbo a student who graduated this past may from the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university received the aggie spirit award from the texas a&m university faculty senate the award is given each year to a student who demonstrates outstanding courage and determination in the face of adversity while attending texas a&m receiving the aggie spirit award from the faculty at texas a&m is a tremendous honor said wendelbo without the kindness patience and advice of my professors i wouldnt have been able to complete my degree and contribute to my community at the same time three members of the bush school faculty nominated wendelbo for his contribution to the school citing his effort to create a new student organization focused on development studies his ability to bolster student spirit in the bush school his demonstrated leadership ability and his outstanding academic achievements among many other contributions wendelbos success both inside and outside of the classroom was all the more impressive considering the adversity he faced while enrolled at the bush school wendelbo was presented the award by the speaker of the faculty senate dr robert strawser during the final faculty senate meeting on may 9 the aggie spirit award consists of a framed certificate signed by the speaker of the faculty senate and the chair of the selection committee and a monetary award students from across the university are nominated by faculty members and the recipient of the aggie spirit award is chosen by a selection committee consisting of members of the faculty senate and representatives from the tamu student senate and the tamu student government association
viewing saudi arabia as unstable is a mistake says gregory gause professor of international affairs at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university with the kings young son possibly jumping ranks to become the countrys new leader talk of privatization and less oil dependence heavy reliance on foreign labor and renewed tensions with the us it may seem to some the country lacks stability but gause says a united ruling family a professional and elaborate security system and strong constituents throughout the country have sustained saudi rulers through much turmoil and the idea they are going away tomorrow is unlikely gause whose research field is middle east politics is the john h lindsey 44 chair and head of the international affairs department at the bush school and is often quoted in major media outlets regarding politics in saudi arabia perhaps an interesting side note a new connection between saudi arabia and texas a&m emerged when it was announced this month that a 1982 texas a&m graduate in mechanical engineering khalid al-falih was named saudi arabias minister of energy industry and mineral resources game of thrones grabbing headlines of late has been the sudden and unprecedented rise to power of one of the younger sons of king salman deputy crown prince mohammed bin salman referring to it as a game of thrones in a foreign affairs article gause says the shakeup has many in saudi arabia and beyond paying close attention hes young early 30s says gause and unlike many others of his generation he has never studied outside saudi arabia; he has been an aide to his father most of his life his father named him deputy crown prince made him the defense minister and put him in charge of the cabinet committee for planning economic policy in so doing gause notes the king has essentially skipped over several older members in the royal family who have more experience in government the king can do what he wants gause explains the senior members of the saudi family have for decades run the country through an informal committee placing so much power in the hands of one young prince goes against that practice one wonders if senior figures in the family will come together and say to the king ‘you have to include more of us in this process so what is it about this up-and-coming leader that would allow him to jump ranks he has the confidence of his father gause says thats the 10 most important reasons right there also he seems energetic and ambitious but he doesnt have much experiencea bold plan a sign of such ambition is the princes saudi vision 2030 a proposed economic plan for the country which says gause has a lot of goals but little sense of how they will be implemented he says the drop in crude oil prices has resulted in billions lost in saudi arabias net foreign assets and forced the monarchy to dip into reserves one proposal in vision 2030 is the partial privatization of saudi aramco the state-owned oil and gas company prince mohammeds plan would require the selling of less than 5 percent of the company which would result in the worlds largest government-owned investment fund the plan also proposes the country raise non-oil revenue by $100 billion by 2020 theyve been talking about less dependence on oil since the 1970s gause notes but as of yet we havent seen the steps put in place the economy is a ‘job-creating machine but most of the jobs have gone to foreign labor much of it from south asia because the labor is cheaper gause adds that many white-collar workers come to saudi arabia and make good money but for blue-collar workers construction and retail for example those jobs dont go to saudis because they want a higher wage than what many employers are willing to pay gause says low oil prices will cause the government to act one way or another the saudi budget requires a much higher oil price so they either have to tax people or reduce their spending the private sector will go through a shakeout or theres going to be a real crisis us-saudi relations: its complicated tensions between saudi arabia and the us have also been grabbing headlines and were evident in king salmans sending of a lower-level official in place of himself to greet president obama during a recent visit shared interests but differing values have made for strained relations over the years says gause noting saudi arabia is an authoritarian regime that doesnt allow women certain freedoms such as driving has no free press and no freedom of religion yet says gause it is critical for the us to maintain good relations although we produce more oil over here saudi arabia is still the largest oil exporter in the world; they can most easily increase or decrease their production he says adding the middle east is a mess and saudi arabia is one of the few places with a stable government you can deal with them on a government-to-government basis he acknowledges many americans are wary of the saudi government given it is a monarchy womens rights are curtailed and the culture is just so different not to mention the majority of the 9/11 hijackers were from saudi arabia gause says no link has ever been found to suggest the saudi government had anything to do with 9/11 and he says when it comes to fighting terrorism and finding stability in the middle east the us and saudi arabia are a united front al-qaeda attacked the saudis; isis wants to destroy them he notes since 9/11 the us and saudi arabia have developed a good working relationship in the fight against terrorism in sharing intelligence they are working with us to thwart the jihadist movement it would be hard for me to believe the saudi government is playing a double game
by lesley henton texas a&m marketing & communications the texas a&m university system board of regents approved the appointment of general mark a welsh iii as the new dean of the bush school of government and public service welsh currently the chief of staff of the us air force was appointed based on the recommendation of texas a&m president michael k young provost and executive vice president karan l watson as well as a search advisory committee welsh has announced an air force retirement date of july 1 and will assume his new position at the bush school on august 15 welsh will succeed current bush school dean ambassador ryan crocker i could not be more pleased with or thankful for todays announcement that general mark welsh will succeed ryan crocker as dean of the bush school says george hw bush 41st president of the united states and namesake of the bush school like ryan general welsh has demonstrated uncommon leadership and an unwavering commitment to service throughout his distinguished career i salute our wonderful partners at texas a&m for making the absolute best decision for our students and faculty general welsh has demonstrated uncommon leadership and an unwavering commitment to service throughout his distinguished career i salute our wonderful partners at texas a&m for making the absolute best decision for our students and facultygeorge hw bush 41st president of the united states and namesake of the bush school provost watson says i am pleased that general welsh will be bringing his vast experience and dedication in leading young people in service to our country through the military to the bush school of government and public service i wish to thank the members of the search advisory committee the faculty staff and students of the bush school and the outstanding candidates whom we were able to attract welsh became the 20th chief of staff of the air force in august 2012 serving as the senior uniformed air force officer responsible for the organization training and equipping of 664 000 active-duty guard reserve and civilian forces serving in the united states and overseas as a member of the joint chiefs of staff the general and other service chiefs function as military advisers to the secretary of defense national security council and the president his most recent previous post was commander of the us air forces in europe and commander of natos air command ramstein air base germany he also served as associate director of military affairs at the central intelligence agency and as commandant of the united states air force academy welsh who was born in san antonio says he and his wife betty are thrilled to return to texas betty and i are incredibly excited about coming home to texas honored to join president young and provost watsons team at this great university and privileged beyond belief to be associated with the remarkable faculty staff and students of the bush school it was a thrill to even be considered for this position; being selected is a wonderful challenge! im so thankful for the tremendous standard dean ryan crocker set during his tenure and excited about the future of the bush school and texas a&m university ive got a lot to learn…i cant wait to get started! welsh earned a bachelor of science degree from the us air force academy a master of science degree in computer resource management from webster university and graduated from the army command and general staff college the air war college and the national war college he was a fellow of seminar xxi at the massachusetts institute of technology a fellow of the national security studies program of syracuse university and johns hopkins university a fellow of ukrainian security studies at the john f kennedy school of government at harvard university a fellow of the pinnacle course of the national defense university and a graduate of the general manager program at the harvard business school he has received numerous awards and decorations including the defense distinguished service medal with oak leaf cluster distinguished service medal with oak leaf cluster defense superior service medal with oak leaf cluster the legion of merit with oak leaf cluster and the distinguished flying cross with oak leaf cluster provost watson expressed enormous gratitude on behalf of the university for crockers service as bush school dean i want to recognize ambassador ryan crocker for his almost six years of service as dean she notes his commitment to the college and to texas a&m university has been critical to advancing our mission of teaching research and service his leadership has helped increase the schools outstanding reputation of offering new approaches to public service for a complex and changing future
a new student award for excellence in science and technology policy studies has been established by dr arnold vedlitz executive associate dean of the bush school and director of the institute for science technology and public policy (istpp) funded with a $5 000 endowment from dr vedlitz the first of what will be an annual award was presented to graduating student peyton mcgee master of public service and administration who received a check for $150 and a plaque the vedlitz award for excellence in science and technology policy studies recognizes a bush school student who demonstrates particular excellence in science and technology studies and who has focused consistently on science and technologys relationship to policy problem identification and policy solution identification in classes capstone research projects and individual work the award is open to both international affairs and public service and administration students in the bush school vedlitz who also holds the bob bullock chair in government and public policy said he wanted to reinforce the important role of science and technology in identifying policy problems and finding solutionsover the years ive seen the growing importance of science and technology to a range of policy issues and that our students need to be trained and focused on understanding this core policy relationship vedlitz said the endowment to the bush school will fund the award in perpetuity vedlitz noted that mcgee had done outstanding work at istpp and will now be working as a research analyst at 2m research services a research program evaluation and technical assistance consulting firm working with dr vedlitz and dr portney has been an important part of my bush school education mcgee said im honored to be the first recipient of the vedlitz award and grateful to everyone at the bush school who provided such outstanding academic and research opportunities
on friday may 13 the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university graduated more than 150 students from the public service and administration department and the international affairs departmentthe largest graduating class in the schools history this marks the first year the school held two separate graduation celebrations with 71 public service and administration students receiving their certificate of completion in the morning and 85 international affairs students in the afternoon the previous day the school held a ceremony for individuals who received graduate certificates in nonprofit management homeland security and advanced international affairs more than 100 students completed twelve hours of coursework either online or on campus in order to receive their certificates the bush school continues to post impressive employment statistics with nearly 90 percent of graduates from the class of 2015 receiving a job within six months after graduation students graduating from the bush school enter a variety of exciting careers in public service including careers in state and local government nonprofit management the federal government and the private sector former students from the bush school can be found at various levels of the public nonprofit and private sectors including the brookings institution the texas house of representatives texas office of the governor the american red cross the us senate the us department of state the central intelligence agency the us department of homeland security the rand corporation and many others i am confident that in the years ahead these graduates will find the standards they have achieved in and out of the classroom will serve them well in all aspects of their career said dean ryan crocker they are prepared to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world as leaders who can excel in whatever profession they choose
two capstone research teams from the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university have been recognized with the james w mcgrew research award for outstanding research from the central texas chapter of the american society for public administration the award recognizes two capstone research projectsteam-based applied research projects led by a faculty member and conducted on behalf of a client organization the winning capstone from the public service and administration department titled reorganizing groundwater regulations in texas was led by dr james griffin and focused on policy options for the regulation of groundwater in the state capstone team members included wayne beckermann ross brady amber capps braden kennedy peyton mcgee kayla northcutt mason parish abdullilah qadeer and shuting shan this project was outstanding in several respects including the extensive research policy analysis and policy relevance said dr mary hilderbrand chair of the public service and administration departments mcgrew award committee the students had to deal with complex technical issues and integrate technical economic and political analysis furthermore the research was innovative in its conclusions and in the options it presented the winning capstone from the international affairs department titled deterring attacks on us allies: the role of military exercises was led by dr jasen castillo and sought to determine when military exercises bolster deterrence and when they might undermine it capstone members included robert allison kerrie ford alaina garrett matthew grimm and nathaniel haight the outside evaluators of this capstone found the argument about the ways that military exercises could actually undermine deterrence to be presented in a clear and convincing fashion said dr gregory gause chair of the international affairs departments mcgrew award committee past historical cases were skillfully used to illustrate the more general argument and their presentation was compelling and included well-organized visual aids each of these teams was honored at a banquet in kyle texas on may 19th; and each will receive a prize of $1 000 from the school
ten years ago the texas legislature expanded the states franchise tax in an attempt to contribute more state funding to k-12 public education while simultaneously offering property tax relief in a new issue of the takeaway giving an ‘f to the franchise tax: the texas franchise tax fails to fund dr lori taylor an economist and director of the mosbacher institute along with erica cottingham and allison shea graduate research assistants and recent graduates of the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university explain how the texas franchise tax has failed taylor cottingham and shea say the tax has failed to generate the predicted revenues every year since its expansion in part because the tax allows businesses to choose how they will be taxed the authors also explain that distortions and short comings are inherent in the updated tax and make the argument that abolishing the franchise tax and replacing it with a fairer and more efficient and equitable tax such as a broader sales tax that includes consumer services would raise the necessary state revenues without the inefficiencies and inequities of the franchise tax giving an ‘f to the franchise tax: the texas franchise tax fails to fund is a publication of the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy the full text of the article can be found at http://bushtamuedu/mosbacher/takeaway/
during spring break when many students may have been enjoying their free time relaxing a group of students and their capstone advisor from the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university traveled to nepal in order to research the impacts of natural disasters and conflict in nepal the trip was part of a capstone research project under the guidance of dr ren mu associate professor at the bush school on behalf of the center on conflict and development at texas a & m university through the higher education solutions network of the united states agency for international development (usaid) the capstone project included two empirical studies: one focusing on the linkage between conflict history and the consequences of a recent earthquake and one on the impact of the earthquake on school enrollment and attendance the original inspiration for the project was the result of an internship of a bush school student morten wendelbo at the european institute for asian studies in brussels belgium as a result of the internship wendelbo led a multi-agency project researching the preparedness response to the 2015 earthquakes in nepal when he returned from that experience he approached dr mu about potentially researching more about the disaster response of nepal for a capstone research project nepal had an earthquake last year in april that registered 782 on the richter scale and more than 8 000 people died said mu not too long ago nepal had ten years of armed conflict in the country; so we wanted to examine empirically if the consequences of the earthquake and the conflict history of nepal are related also we were reading reports on the nepal earthquake and we realized a missing part was the impact on school-aged children we began to be concerned that if children dropped out of school because of the earthquake then the earthquake would have a very long impact on the development of the country the primary purpose of the trip to nepal was to gather data on school enrollment and attendance after the earthquake that struck nepal in 2015 the research team interviewed more than 300 children at twelve schools in six districts and by asking information on their siblings gained data on more than 800 children ages five to eighteen that had been affected by the 2015 earthquakes by combining this primary data with data from the 2011 nepal living standard survey the teams preliminary results show the earthquake had a negative impact on both school enrollment and attendance damage to schools is only one factor that could impact education attainment in nepal said brittany hardin tanguay a member of the capstone team other concerns the kids voiced included fear of going to school discomfort in temporary classrooms and the need to work at home on top of everything else a difficult journey of walking more than an hour each way which many children have to face is a likely deterrent to school attendance the trip was especially meaningful for one member of the capstone sanmita nepal who came to the bush school as an international student from nepal coming to the bush school i never realized i would get to do a capstone based on my own country said sanmita however i always knew i wanted to make a difference back home later this semester we will present the findings of our research to usaid which hopefully will raise awareness and result in better policy the research on the impact on school attendance and enrollment was only one part of the semester-long capstone research project prior to the trip to nepal the team also collected data in order to determine how past conflict experience impacted natural disaster outcomes by partnering with a faculty member from the college of geosciences at texas a&m university the team constructed a comprehensive measure of the level of the 2015 earthquake ground shaking after combining various data sources on the conflict history of nepal the social and economics characteristics of the seventy-five districts and the consequences of the earthquake within the country the team found that the higher the level of past conflict experienced by a district the greater the consequences of the earthquake in that district even though the conflict ended a decade ago in 2006 you still see the association between conflict experience and earthquake consequences this is more pronounced in places with a more severe earthquake said mu the results may suggest that past conflict experience may indicate weak natural disaster resilience down the road while in nepal the bush school team presented their initial findings on the relationship between conflicts and natural disasters to the usaid mission office in katmandu where the work was well received by usaid officials i hope this research will help international aid organizations think about how to use the information on conflict history said mu conflict history information may be used in areas that we may not have thought about before like as an indicator for weak disaster resilience the implication is that we should pay attention to conflict history; and when aid organizations do post-disaster work they should have that in mind in addition we hope people pay more attention to primary and secondary education in post-disaster areas while researching the impacts of past conflicts and earthquakes the research team came away with more than just data members of the team said they were affected by the buoyant spirits of the schoolchildren they encounteredit was very touching to see children there said mu their schools were destroyed and they are now in temporary tent huts but children are children they laugh they were curious they would make facesit was very cute i think all of us enjoyed the interactions with the children i think its the hope of the country like mu brittany tanguay also shared her belief that the childrens joy in the face of adversity signals the country may have better days ahead despite their circumstances the kids seem to be happyat every school we went to we were greeted by resounding cries of ‘namaste laughter and pleas to join in their fun and games said tanguay nepal is a small country that has suffered more than its share of struggles in the past few decades however if the spirit of its children is any indication there is hope in this time of hardship
it is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing on may 16 of our friend and colleague professor emeritus charles w chuck wiggins chuck is known throughout the discipline as a well-published scholar of legislative politics and interest groups he is remembered in this department as a good and caring teacher and a valued colleague and friend having received his bachelors degree in political science in 1959 from the university of iowa chuck went on to get his masters degree in 1963 and his doctoral degree in 1964 from washington university in st louis he then taught at iowa state university from 1964 to 1981 where he ascended through the ranks from assistant professor to associate and then full professor the rank he achieved in 1973 from 1979 through 1981 while still a professor at iowa state he entered into government service as an intergovernmental relations specialist with the epa in kansas city and then in 1981 he came to our department to head up our master of public administration program serving as director of that program for eight years during that stint and for a decade more chuck taught aggies at both the graduate and undergraduate levels he retired in 1999 and since then has held the title of professor emeritus of political science throughout his academic career chuck was an active researcher with primary interests in legislative politics and interest group politics in addition to three book-length projects – two on legislative politics in iowa and another on legislative politics in arizona – and eight research reports chuck also published 12 book chapters and 23 journal articles including several in top journals of the field but as much as chuck was a serious scholar he would undoubtedly say that he was – first and foremost –a teacher of politics always dedicated to making his courses interesting and relevant for his students chuck skillfully merged teaching with another of his passions – movies even developing an honors section of political science 207: state and local politics based in a discussion of the political relevance of selected movies and he loved to engage his students in discussion – often challenging them to think outside of their own little boxes to gain different perspectives – not necessarily to adopt them but at least to consider them but he was not just an interesting teacher he was also an interested teacher and not just interested in the subject matter but also interested in each and every individual student! chuck cared about his students and was interested in their lives outside the classroom as well as in the students knew he cared about them and they appreciated it chuck will be missed by his many friends in this department on sept 1 2022 the department of political science became part of the bush school of government & public service
the bush school student government association (sga) texas a&m university held a reception for ryan crocker dean of the bush school and dr arnold vedlitz executive associate dean to honor the two men for their service to the bush school crocker will be retiring as dean during the summer; and dr vedlitz will be retiring as associate dean and director of the institute for science technology and public policy taking a year-long sabbatical before returning to a faculty role during the reception the bush school sga awarded crocker and vedlitz with books that included a compilation of well wishes from current students faculty staff and alumni from the bush school both men also received plaques and bush school hats the bush school sga created earlier in the year as a fundraiser the size and diversity of those who attended the reception speaks volumes on how dean crocker and dr vedlitz have affected the entire bush school community said sean danielson bush school sga president they have continually shown the students the meaning of public service and we look forward to exemplifying their leadership once we graduate crocker began his service as dean in 2010 taking a leave of absence from 2011 to 2013 in order to serve as us ambassador to afghanistan under president obama a recipient of the presidential medal of freedom he has served as us ambassador six times: to afghanistan (2011-2012) iraq (2007-2009) pakistan (2004-2007) syria (1998-2001) kuwait (1994-1997) and lebanon (1990-1993) during his time as dean the bush school has grown tremendously with record enrollment the past several years and several impressive additions to the bush school faculty vedlitz has served as executive associate dean since 2013 having served in the same role from 1999 to 2004 in addition to his administrative duties he has also served as director of the institute for science technology and public policy since 2000 vedlitz has worked at texas a&m university for more than forty yearsas a professor researcher and later a member of the administrationand was a key member of the team that prepared the universitys bid for the bush presidential library and museum he has held several pivotal roles at the bush school since becoming one of the first official faculty members at the school when it opened in 1997
the legacy of brent scowcroft one of the most respected national security advisors in american history was recognized at a recent conference hosted by the scowcroft institute of international affairs at the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university scholars diplomats and national figures including president and mrs george h w bush attended the conference which was held at the annenberg presidential conference center neighboring the bush school as i unfortunately cannot be with you i trust you will take the opportunity to tell the truth about me warts and all scowcroft wrote in a prepared statement in any case it would be awkward for me to be at a conference focused on my lifes work in the american foreign policy arena among the former ambassadors to speak at the event was ambassador ryan crocker dean of the bush school who served as us ambassador to six countries under four different us presidents the event also included remarks from dr andrew natsios director of the scowcroft institute and executive professor; dr stephen hadley former national security advisor under president george w bush; and ambassador tom pickering former undersecretary of state and ambassador to the united nations during the administration of president george hw bush following each speaker there was a twenty-minute question and answer session when attendees were able to ask experts a wide range of questions lieutenant general brent scowcroft usaf (ret) served as national security advisor to presidents gerald ford and george h w bush he also served as military assistant to president nixon and as deputy assistant to the president for national security affairs under presidents ford and nixon he currently serves as president of the scowcroft group a premiere international business advisory firm in addition to his service on the presidents general advisory committee on arms control the presidents commission on strategic forces the presidents blue ribbon commission on defense management and the presidents special review board ryan crocker dean of the bush school told bryan/college stations the eagle that the conference will help attendees gain a better understanding of the enormous influence brent scowcroft has had on american foreign policy brent scowcrofts legacy is yet to be fully understood and written but our proceedings have contributed greatly to crystallizing and understanding the immensity of that legacy said crocker
the houston livestock show and rodeo was honored as a featured donor to the bush school at the inaugural donor and scholar celebration in april the houston livestock show and rodeo has generously supported the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university through gifts of $125 000 per year for the past two years the gifts will continue into the next academic school year for a total donation of $375 000 these annual gifts have allowed the school to offer scholarships to multiple students significantly lessening the financial burden many students face upon graduation by the fall of 2016 approximately twenty students will have received scholarships offered through the generosity of the houston livestock show and rodeo allowing the bush school to attract some of the best students from around the country bush school dean ryan crocker said the generosity of donors like the houston livestock show and rodeo is vital to the schools future the houston livestock show and rodeos scholarship support makes it possible for us to recruit outstanding students who might otherwise choose another graduate program crocker said were grateful for the confidence the show has shown in our programs our students and the value of principled leadership in public service which undergirds all we do the donor and scholar celebration was held in order to highlight some of the exciting initiatives taking place at the bush school and to demonstrate how donors investments are instrumental to student and faculty success donors were able to meet both current and former students from the bush school and hear first-hand how president bushs legacy of public service continues through the work of the school which celebrates its twentieth anniversary next year in addition to recognition of donors and faculty members two outstanding alumni were also honored at the eventmatt lamon 07 and nasir andisha 09 lamon currently serves as chief of staff in the texas house of representatives where he directs his representatives legislative and outreach efforts and manages office administration budget and staffing after graduating from the bush school in 2007 lamon worked in public sector consulting in washington dc where he assisted with projects for the us department of defense and the us department of homeland security among others only two years after graduating from the bush school of government and public service nasir andisha was named ambassador of the islamic republic of afghanistan to the commonwealth of australia new zealand and the republic of fiji continuing a promising career in international diplomacy prior to joining the bush school andisha already had a strong background in international affairs having served as chief of staff for the deputy foreign minister of the islamic republic of afghanistan taught international relations and principles of economics at the institute of diplomacy of the afghan ministry of foreign affairs and served as a field officer with the international red cross derek dictson ‘00 director of development at the bush school said the event provided a great opportunity for donors to see the impact of their commitment to the bush school and for recipients of scholarships provided through donations to express their gratitude to donors as a graduate of the bush school i know how grateful our students are for the financial support they receive and the high quality educational experience our school offers said dictson this support allows our students to graduate with minimal debt as they seek public service careers and it allows the bush school to recruit and retain outstanding educators and practitioners to join our faculty the donor and scholar celebration was a wonderful opportunity for bush school students and faculty to personally meet and thank the generous donors who support them and for our donors to see how their investments have made a tremendous impact at the bush school and around the world as we approach our twentieth anniversary
on thursday april 28 2016 the scowcroft institute of international affairs will host a book spotlight focused on the book chinese economic statecraft: commercial actors grand strategy and state control written by dr william j norris assistant professor at the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university dr norris will be joined by dr ren mu associate professor at the bush school and dr hiroki takeuchi associate professor at southern methodist university for a panel discussion on the topic of chinese economic statecraft the event will begin at 6:00 pm at the george bush presidential library orientation theater in the book published by cornell university press norris introduces an innovative theory that pinpoints how states employ economic tools of national power to pursue their strategic objectives norris shows what chinese economic statecraft is how it works and why it is more or less effective the book has already received praise from scholars in us-china relations including praise from dr thomas g moore university of cincinnati author of china in the world market chinese economic statecraft is a timely compelling first-rate piece of scholarship said moore william j norris argument which will be widely read and discussed among political scientists economists and scholars of asian studies is presented in a way that will also engage policy-oriented observers and laypeople interested in the book primarily for its insights into the factors shaping chinas economic behavior dr william norris is currently an assistant professor of chinese foreign and security policy at the bush school where he teaches graduate-level courses in chinese domestic politics east asian security and chinese foreign policy he is also a nonresident associate with the nuclear policy program at the carnegie endowment for international peace in washington dc where his work examines the potential for a conventional us-china conflict to escalate to the nuclear realm dr norris has been a postdoctoral research associate at the woodrow wilson school for public and international affairs and a fellow in the princeton-harvard china and the world program a joint program created by the two universities to foster the study of chinas foreign relations he completed his doctoral work in the security studies program in the department of political science at the massachusetts institute of technology where he specialized in the confluence of economics and security focusing on the role of economics in contemporary chinese grand strategy the event is open to the public but reservations are recommended
in mid-april the bush school former student network hosted the first-ever reunion weekend for former students over the course of two days many alums from the growing network of the bush school returned to college station for a variety of events allowing former students to reconnect with each other while meeting current students as well the weekend began friday evening with a reception for current and former students as well as donors to the bush school at the annenberg conference center shortly after the reception an informal dinner took place at rudys bar-b-q where alums were able to enjoy dinner alongside current students the night rounded off with a mixer at two college station establishments the tap and mugwalls coffee shop saturday former students and their families were able to enjoy brunch at the corner bar and rooftop grill before heading over to the first-ever kickball game between current and former students as a current student it was great to see former students reconnect and reminisce about their time at the bush school said sean danielson a first-year student who helped with the weekends events former students were so eager to provide contacts and opportunities for the current students it was a huge first step in strengthening the former student network and we hope to make this an annual tradition chartered in july 2008 the bush school former students network (fsn) is the first college-affiliated constituent network of the association of former students the network provides current and former students the opportunity to directly influence the success and growth of the bush school through expansion of the aggie network enhancement of education opportunities for current students and continued professional development for former and current students the reunion weekend was a part of a renewed effort led by current fsn president matt lamon to raise the visibility of the former student network at the bush school and strengthen the ties among alums and between current and former students the best part about the reunion was watching people reconnect with classmates said lamon it was so rewarding to see people walk into an event and watch their faces light up as they entered a room full of long-lost friends it was a really joyful occasion
a group of students from the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university and from the texas a&m school of law recently interviewed texas a&m president michael k young regarding his insights on trade barriers in north america the subject of a capstone research project president young has special expertise in this area having served as ambassador for trade and environmental affairs in the department of state during the administration of president george h w bush during his tenure he assisted in the formation of the north american free trade agreement (nafta) a key component of the students research it is really a privilege to have a university president so willing to engage with students said benjamin dierker a second-year student at the bush school who participated in the interview president young has such a wide breadth of knowledge and his insight really elevated the caliber of our report as a part of the capstone research project students at the bush school and tamu law school interviewed a number of stakeholders in the trucking and freight industry in north america in order to determine trade barriers that exist as trucks move across north america president young was interviewed in order to provide background on the many trade provisions within nafta and their impact on trade among north american countries the capstone research project is the first joint capstone effort between the bush school and the texas a&m law school president young currently has a faculty appointment at both schools capstones at the bush school are team-based applied research projects led by a faculty member and conducted on behalf of a client organization from the public private or nonprofit sector the north american trade barriers capstone is conducting research on behalf of the north american strategy for competitiveness a tri-national network of north american governments businesses and educational institutions driven by a common interest in collaboration along commercial corridors and trade networks the capstone group includes two semi-independent teams: one researching trade barriers at the us-mexico and us-canada border and among us states along i-35 and a second team researching buy america legislation and its effects on american consumers the capstone is led by dr jeryl mumpower head of the public service and administration department and executive professor william henning of the law school
when students step into a class with dr charles hermann they are learning from a man who served under henry kissinger on the national security council and who served as the founding director of the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university hermann professor and brent scowcroft chair in international policy studies has been instrumental in the success of the bush school since its inception when i came here in 1995 there was no bush school said hermann the university had competed for the bush presidential library and won part of the texas a&m proposal for the library was that they would create a new graduate school of public administration and co-locate it with the library my task was to organize the school which opened two years later in 1997 as a unit within the college of liberal arts hermann was recruited from the ohio state university where he had been a professor in political science and served as the director of the mershon center for international security studies he also had spent two years as vice provost for international affairs as the director of the mershon center and following my experience in washington i had become increasingly interested in bringing knowledge to bear on policy problems said hermann here at texas a&m was a chance to build a school with that kind of focus to prepare people for careers addressing policy questions was a new challenge for me and was something i was eager to do during a trip to texas to learn more about the position at the bush school hermann met president bush for the first time in his houston office that interaction was one that would continue during hermanns time as founding director of the bush school director of the international affairs program and professor at the bush school we interacted quite a bit over the first several years said hermann he has consistently maintained a very strong interest in the school he would come and do talks and meet with classes right outside our building is a horseshoe pita replica of the one he had constructed at the white houseand he would play horse shoes with anyone that took him on he was good and he played to win president bush was hardly the first prominent national figure hermann worked under during his career while teaching at the woodrow wilson school at princeton he was offered a council on foreign relations fellowship to serve on the staff of the national security council (nsc) under national security advisor henry kissinger while a junior staffer with the national security council hermann used his knowledge of sub-saharan africagained as a phd student at northwesternto work as the nsc staff representative on issues related to africa i worked on african issues which turned out to be very fortunate said hermann had i been assigned to some area where there was a lot more senior capability i would have been a gofer getting coffee but as it was i often represented the nsc staff on policy problems related to africa it was very instructive with a wealth of knowledge gained from his time as a scholar and practitioner in international affairs hermann remains an active researcher and teacher in the fields of foreign policy national security group decision making and simulation and has published widely on each of these topics in 2012 he edited and contributed to when things go wrong: foreign policy decision making under adverse feedback (his ninth book) in pursuit of his research he has received a number of grants and contracts from both private and public sources currently including nsf advanced research project agency the macarthur foundation and lawrence livermore national laboratory hermann has also been president of the international studies association and has served on the editorial board of several professional journals he remains active in his local community having served as president of the opera and performing arts society; the bryan rotary club; and currently the brazos valley symphony society board having been part of the bush school from its infancy hermann is currently working on a book with sally dee wade the former writing consultant for the bush school on the first twenty years of the bush school in celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the george bush library and the bush school which will take place in 2017 the book is scheduled to be published next year by texas a&m university press possessing an up-close perspective on the schools first twenty years hermann says he thinks the next several years are just as promising each year we have a bigger and bigger cadre of graduates in public policy at the local state national and international levels; and that will be even more so in five years said hermann [former cia officer and senior lecturer] jim olson tells this story about giving a talk at the cia headquarters and asking all the graduates of the bush school to stand he says there was an audible gasp when people saw how many there were in five years i think there will be a lot more places where people can ask all the graduates of the bush school to stand; and it will be very impressive
the carnegie corporation of new york announced today that professor matthew fuhrmann is among the 2016 carnegie fellows the andrew carnegie fellows program provides the most prestigious and most generous fellowships advancing research in the social sciences and humanities the program supports an outstanding cadre of intellectuals whose research offers fresh perspectives on urgent contemporary issues nominees are carefully reviewed by a distinguished jury comprised of heads of the countrys preeminent scholarly institutions and presidents of leading universities and philanthropic foundations who make the final selections based on the originality promise and potential impact of their proposals each will receive up to $200 000 toward the funding of one to two years of scholarly research and writing aimed at addressing some of the worlds most urgent challenges to us democracy and international order professor fuhrmann (phd 2008 university of georgia) is an associate professor and ray a rothrock 77 fellow at texas a&m where he is director of graduate studies and co-director of the political economy and political violence workshop he is a prominent international relations scholar with expertise in nuclear proliferation and nuclear strategy he is the author of atomic assistance: how atoms for peace programs cause nuclear insecurity his new book with todd sechser entitled nuclear weapons and coercive diplomacy will be published by cambridge university press this summer on sept 1 2022 the department of political science became part of the bush school of government & public service
the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university recently awarded the first medal of excellence during an awards ceremony in april the award is given to bush school students who have completed requirements for both the writing eportfolio and the public service leadership program the very first award which will be given each year to all graduates who meet the requirements was given to brian smith an mpsa graduate the process of writing the eportfolio challenged me to reflect on the relevance and complexity of my graduate studies at the bush school said smith part of building my eportfolio involved compiling a list of my research papers group projects and policy briefs that were completed while at the school i found it incredibly insightful to arrange all of it and reflect on what i had learned on each paper and project completing the eportfolio helped me see the tremendous education i received at the bush school smith served in the us navy for seven years before arriving at texas a&m university to pursue a bachelors in political science for the past eleven years he has served in the texas a&m engineering extension serviceboth before and during his time at the bush schoolwhere he helped support the organization in a number of roles most recently as a training coordinator helping state and local governments establish urban search and rescue task forces he is a graduate of the master of public service and administration program in addition to earning certificates in nonprofit management and homeland security in order to receive the medal of excellence students must first complete an integrative learning eportfolio which documents what the student has learned through his or her degree program more than a showcase of writing samples the reflective integrative learning portfolio prompts students to connect their learning across interdisciplinary experiences such as participation in leadership programs courses internships and other experiences in light of the careers they are pursuing the second requirement is completion of the public service leadership program which requires formal education and training (coursework and program workshops) self-study and assessments (personalized feedback and individualized leadership development planning) and experiential learning activities (involvement in extracurricular organizations events and service projects) the two departments within the bush school have also developed a required course all bush students must take which aids in their leadership development brian is our first recipient of the medal of excellence and i cannot think of a better person to inaugurate it said ryan crocker dean of the bush school not only has he met the demanding requirements of the leadership program and the eportfolio he made it through a pretty tough curriculum here while working full time he is a great symbol of the principles and commitment the 41st president had in mind when he established this school
dr valerie hudson professor and george h w bush chair at the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university was recently selected as a fulbright scholar for her work on womens security issues she has been appointed to serve as the fulbright distinguished chair in the arts humanities and social sciences at australian national university during spring 2017 the chair is open to american professors in order to promote collaborative research between faculty in australia and the us in the arts humanities and social sciences im excited to have the privilege of working with scholars and policymakers in australia at the australian national university said hudson in addition to examining australian foreign policy-making ill also be researching the implementation of australias national action plan on women peace and security as the holder of the distinguished chair hudson will spend up to six months participating in the fulbright distinguished chair lecture series at four universities across australia and will engage with faculty staff and students at australian national university in order to develop long-term collaborations between texas a&m university and australian national university during the past several years hudson has become a leading expert on issues related to womens security issues and their relationship to the security of nations in 2001 she co-created the womanstats project a database with more than 180 000 data points covering more than 350 variables and 176 countries her research has been vetted at the united nations the us department of defense the cia and the senate foreign relations committee hudson has also presented her research at usaid the us state department un women and the department of foreign assistance and trade in australia recently gloria steinem named hudsons book sex and world peace as the book she would require the president of the united states to read if she could only choose one book in addition to the prestigious fulbright honor hudson also recently received the 2016 bush excellence award an annual award given to individuals who have made significant contributions to international teaching international research and international public service the bush excellence award was established through the vision and support of president and mrs george bush in 2002 with financial assistance from the george bush presidential library foundation
earlier in march ryan crocker dean of the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university joined administrators from across campus and speakers from around the country for the third annual campus climate conference at texas a&m university the annual conference provides an opportunity for the university to learn strategies for fostering a climate of diversity and equity in the workplace on the second day of the conference dean crocker spoke about the importance of civility and creating a civil workplace in popular usage civility and diplomacy are treated as synonymous with being polite said crocker being polite very often can mean not saying uncomfortable things: you dont want to make people feel bad you dont want to ruffle feathers you dont want to get in an argument im here to tell you that is really bad diplomacy and its also bad for our society if you are being silent you are at the very least not grappling with real problems in society at worst your silence can be seen as acceptance my definition for both civility and diplomacy is ‘a way of having hard conversations that lead to positive outcomes the previous evening the conference kicked off with a keynote address by bert jacobs co-founder of the life is good company who gave a talk entitled the role of optimism and a positive attitude in creating optimal success other featured speakers included dr eli jones dean of the mays business school dr pamela matthews dean of the college of liberal arts and dr jorge vanegas dean of the college of architecture
a group of students from the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university have made improving civic engagement among college students the focus of a proposed program for the city of college station the groups proposal lead cstat (city and students advancing together) seeks to promote civic engagement among off-campus texas a&m students in college station through community programming voter education training and cross-collaboration efforts among the governing body of college station students and community leaders the program provides a holistic perspective on governance and the importance of young people in both the electoral process and their community at large this program would be a great opportunity for the city to engage off-campus students and integrate them into the community said priscilla barbour a second-year bush school student who participated in the project additionally the program would promote the importance of being engaged citizens while promoting neighborly relations the program was initially developed as a part of the national public policy challenge which took place in mid-march at the fels institute of government university of pennsylvania and was cosponsored by governing magazine the competition is modeled after mba business plan competitions and invites public administration students to develop a policy proposal and civic campaign plan to better their communities the four studentspriscilla barbour allyson bell meghan de amaral and will dearmoncompeted against students from some of the top public policy schools in the nation including public administration and public policy schools from the university of georgia nyu cornell georgetown columbia brown and the university of chicago participating in the national public policy challenge was truly rewarding said barbour i am excited that the bush school was invited to attend and compete amongst the best policy schools in the country the national public policy challenge is a great opportunity for the bush school and i look forward to more students attending in the future in early october second-year students in the department of public service and administration were invited to try out for a place on the team; and the final group of students was selected the following week since late october the group has met regularly to research the scope of the problem and put together a proposal to tackle the issue of declining civic engagement in college station the four bush school students who put together this proposal have put a lot of hard work and research into their presentation said professor justin bullock the faculty advisor for the project they did all this while also juggling the responsibilities of capstone research projects graduate assistant responsibilities and the many other commitments second-year students at the bush school have going on im really impressed with their work ethicdr bullock says he has received a lot of support from the bush school administration including dean ryan crocker executive associate dean arnold vedlitz and dr jeryl mumpower head of the department of public service and administration the bush school administration has been very generous in their support of the team and this endeavor said bullock we had an excellent time participating in the national public policy challenge and we are looking forward to participating in future competitions for years to come to view the groups proposal visit https://wwwfelsupennedu/sites/wwwfelsupennedu/files/lead_cstat_texas_am_0pdf
hours after news of a bombing attack in a brussels airport and subway station by isis terrorists last tuesday dean ryan crocker took the stage at the annenberg presidential conference center texas a&m university for a panel discussion entitled what lies ahead considerations for future middle east policy and decision making crocker is a decorated ambassador to six middle eastern countries including syria iraq and afghanistan he was joined onstage by dr michael doran of the hudson institute and dr erin snider assistant professor of international affairs at the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university post-9/11 we worked really hard on our intelligence and security capacities and our ability to coordinate among agencies and services said crocker to kbtx news shortly after the panel discussion weve gotten very very good at this the europeans sadly have not i would say the belgians are behind where we were on 9/11 they are going to have to do a lot more and we are going to have to do a lot more to help them as a nato ally the panel discussion at many times focused on the importance of engagement with the region while recognizing the unintended consequences of both too much intervention and abrupt abandonment of the region the panelists also discussed the damaging rhetoric of the current presidential campaign especially among the gop candidates crocker pointed to the administration of president george h w bush as an example of an approach that should be followed by the next administration when it comes to engaging with the middle east the panel began at 6:30 pm on tuesday and was followed by a reception at the presidential conference center following the panel discussion which covered topics ranging from the arab spring to the current refugee crisis members of the audience were allowed to ask questions several of which focused on us policy toward the middle east in light of the recent attacks in belgium the event was hosted by the bush school chapter of the alexander hamilton society an independent nonpartisan and nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting constructive debate on basic principles and contemporary issues in foreign economic and national security policy the organization was founded by dr aaron friedberg daniel blumenthal and roy katzovicz in 2010 and can be found on over fifty campuses nationwide
texas a&m president michael k young spoke tuesday about religious freedom in us foreign policy matters as part of a continuing lecture series hosted by the bush school of government and public service we all know religion is capable of glorious things said young during the talk titled freedom of religion and the global growth of democracy the latest in the mosbacher conversations in public policy series co-sponsored by the mosbacher institute for economics trade and public policy and the scowcroft institute of international affairs the president who is also a professor of public policy at texas a&ms bush school has broad experience across legal public service and diplomatic arenas including a stint as ambassador for trade and environmental affairs in the department of state during the administration of president george hw bush young worked extensively on the legal framework for the reunification of germany and it was during this time he said he experienced first-hand how repressive regimes affect people as well as americas relations with such governments young who served on and chaired the us commission on international religious freedom from 1998 to 2006 told the audience that religious freedom is a human right and that countries that suppress freedom of thought and belief suffer the most from political and economic turmoil religious freedom is a moral and ethical imperative young noted saying religion weaves through the lives of people in myriad ways including how they think about life and death and how they raise their children to the extent that theyre not permitted to think about that affects their capacity to live their full potential as human beings young stated he said throughout history the forces at work behind freedom movements from german unification to american abolitionism had powerful religious underpinnings religion moves people in their individual lives he said so it shapes them in a collective way as well religious persecution is a global problem he asserted saying over 74 percent of countries suffer from violence linked to religion from a government perspective there are challenges he noted because at the heart of most religions it is appropriate to have an allegiance to a higher authority than the government or the government seeks loyalty from a certain group so favors one religion over the other generating conflict government restrictions over religion are the single best predictor of violence young explained the us should lead by example he said by weaving principles of free thought and belief into foreign policy because doing so is in americas best interest countries with freedom of thought and belief make good partners for the us he said countries with freedom of religion have lower incidents of armed conflicts higher health outcomes less income disparity higher education standards for women lower wage gaps lower poverty and higher livability young noted it creates the kinds of countries we can do business with geopolitically and economically following his lecture young was joined onstage for a q&a by mark sidel professor of law and public affairs at the university of wisconsin written by lesley henton texas a&m marketing and communications
the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy hosted its final conversation in public policy of the academic year on tuesday april 5 2016 featuring president of texas a&m michael k young speaking on the topic of freedom of religion and the global growth of democracy the evening began with welcoming remarks from ambassador ryan crocker dean of the bush school who noted that the talk would be president youngs first lecture as a tenured professor of the bush school dr lori taylor director of the mosbacher institute introduced both president young and conversation partner professor mark sidel professor of law and public affairs at the university of wisconsin both speakers have expertise in international law and human rights issues in his prepared remarks president young outlined the positive relationship between religious freedom and human rights he postulated that american foreign policy should include the spread of religious freedom for both moral and practical reasons because most of the world identifies in some capacity with a religion religion drives the way individuals think about and live their lives religions ability to impact individuals lives has led many governments to suppress religious freedom governments without secure power are threatened by the counter-organizing power of religion and the idea that the allegiance of their people is to a being above government the resulting restrictions according to president young have led to violence president young also briefly discussed the positive economic outcomes associated with religious freedom pointing to a strong correlation between minimal economic restrictions and religious freedom president young concluded his remarks by emphasizing that if the united states is to incorporate the spread of religious freedom into its foreign policy it will need to lead by mindful example and that other countries are unlikely to incorporate religious freedom in the same way as the united states after concluding his remarks president young was joined on stage by professor sidel and the two engaged in a lively discussion regarding their common interests and the challenges associated with fully integrating a concern for religious freedom into united states foreign policy l-r: dean ryan crocker president michael young mark sidel and dr lori taylor president michael young and mark sidel
the fasken graduate student teaching awards committee and professor chester dunning holder of the murray & celeste fasken chair in distinguished teaching in liberal arts recently announced the awardees of the 2016 fasken distinguished student teaching awards graduate student nick conway was honored as one of the recipients additionally nick has also been awarded a distinguished graduate student award for excellence in teaching by the association of former students nominations for this university-wide award are submitted by faculty advisors or departments and reviewed by a panel of faculty and administrators across the campus these awards speak to the very impressive contributions nick has made to our departments teaching mission please join us in congratulating nick on his accomplishments! on sept 1 2022 the department of political science became part of the bush school of government & public service
andrew natsios director of the scowcroft institute of international affairs and executive professor brings a wealth of experience in public service to his teaching during his long and distinguished career natsios has been a state legislator military officer ngo vice president civil servant diplomat professor and leader of one of the largest and most controversial public works projects his extensive government nonprofit and diplomatic experience ensures that natsios is an instructor who can connect with bush school students regardless of their background or their career interests he holds a bachelors degree from georgetown university and a master of public administration degree from the john f kennedy school at harvard university natsios came to the bush school after teaching at georgetown university for the past six and a half years a native of holliston massachusetts he began his public service career in the massachusetts state legislature and served as the chairman of the republican party there from 1980-1987 natsios was involved with george hw bushs presidential campaigns and joined president bushs administration in 1988 as head of the office of foreign disaster assistance at usaid the federal agency responsible for administering humanitarian and long-term development assistance to developing countries natsios later served as the administrator of usaid for nearly five years under president george w bush following this appointment natsios was asked to serve in another capacity for the bush administration as us envoy to sudan for the next eighteen months natsios served not only as the envoy to sudan but kept his job as a professor at georgetown and would go back and forth between the university and the state department international diplomacy and other related jobs are only part of a long and impressive resume that demonstrates his leadership and management abilities natsios has also served as vice president of world vision the largest faith-based ngo in the world and oversaw the controversial big dig construction project in boston from 2000-2001 in 1995 he retired as a lieutenant colonel in the united states army after leading a unit that helped with reconstruction efforts in kuwait following the countrys liberation in the gulf war natsios joined the faculty of the masters program in international affairs at the urging of dean andrew card card is a longtime friend with whom he worked while serving in the massachusetts house of representatives and as co-chairman of george hw bushs campaigns in the state in 1980 and 1988 the two have shared political victories and defeats and have remained fast friends for forty years natsios research and writing focuses on foreign assistance humanitarian aid famines and political instability he is the author of three books: us foreign policy and the four horsemen of the apocalypse (1997); the great north korean famine (2001); and his latest book sudan south sudan and darfur: what everyone needs to know published in 2012 by oxford university press he has contributed to thirteen other books one of the most popular courses natsios teaches famines wars and humanitarian assistance and hopes to give courses on development theory and foreign aid in the spring depending on student and faculty demand he structures his courses to provide practical skills built on an analytical and theoretical foundation and wants his students to be prepared to manage in the public sector particularly in an international aid or foreign policy institution the best courses in a terminal degree program like this should prepare you for a career – and hopefully a career in public service natsios said along with his wife elizabeth natsios has been enjoying life in texas and focuses on its similarities to maryland rather than its differences he has three grown children and likes cooking and fishing at his summer home in maine and is active in the st silouan antiochian orthodox church natsios also serves on various nonprofit boards including as the co-chairman of the committee on human rights in north korea since moving to the area natsios and his wife have developed an interest in historical preservation efforts in bryan and have continued their love of symphony music natsios enjoys being able to focus on writing and research and is impressed with the quality of students at the bush school
many professors hope to put their unique stamp on their school but few get to develop graduate programs in government and public policy from the ground up like dr mary hilderbrand senior lecturer and distinguished practitioner in residence at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university during a career that has taken her from paris to cartagena to bangkok dr hilderbrand has had a hand in developing public policy and administration programs around the world one of the main things ive done in my career is work with institutions in developing countries to develop schools of public policy said hilderbrand indonesia was just the most recent experience but helping to develop schools in mexico and bolivia were also major experiences and they are the ones i would say are the most significant while working for the harvard institute for international development hilderbrand worked with catholic university of bolivia to develop a masters program in public policy and administration over the course of several years and multiple trips to the country hilderbrand worked with bolivian colleagues to develop the program that has since grown into a school within the university that offers both undergraduate and graduate courses in business administration and public policy the school has developed very strong credibility as an excellent school and has educated people who are in positions of responsibility in the public private and nonprofit sectors said hilderbrand even now when there is a government that is not very supportive the program is still working; and people are going into the government and making a difference developing graduate programs in public policy and administration stems from a belief in the value of educating those pursuing careers in the public sector im in the department of public service and administration because i am interested in the management side and the administration sidewhat government does and how to make it work better said hilderbrand those are the topics of both of my classes in my comparative public administration class the perspective is more from the managers and how they can be more effective the governance reform class is more from a higher-level perspective of how do you make government as a whole work better and what are the challenges in addition to her two classes hilderbrand is supervising a student capstone research project studying american and german approaches to data privacy as a result of the study the student researchers hope to develop recommendations that will promote better relations and collaboration between the us and germany on this issue the research is being conducted for the public sector-europe division of computer sciences corporationfor hilderbrand an interest in international development began at an early age i was always interested in things international said hilderbrand in undergraduate and graduate school i studied political science and international relations i was always interested in the regions of the world we call developing countriesalthough that term doesnt fit very well i just always found both the cultural experience of going to those countries and seeing how things worked to be things that were especially interesting hilderbrand received both her masters degree and phd from harvard university and focused her doctoral dissertation on the politics of african economic adjustment in the 1980s soon after graduating she began working at the harvard institute for international development while her work for nearly fifteen years focused primarily on latin america she also did some work related to asia and africa hilderbrands research interests focus on the politics of economic reform institutional capacity development assistance reform of the state and the role of politics and governance in development in addition she has particular interests in basic services delivery for poor communities community health worker programs and linkages between research and knowledge and public policy during her career she has taught at a number of prominent institutions including the john f kennedy school of government at harvard university and sciences po in paris when reflecting on her long career in international development and academia hilderbrand says its the similarities rather than the differences between the us and the countries she has worked in that surprise her i am constantly surprised said hilderbrand as i think about my work in latin america what surprised me when i first went was how sophisticated and developed the cities are and how the people who are the elitewhether in academia or government or the private sectorhave experiences and ways of looking at things that are not very different from ours of course many people live very different lives; but many of the challenges faced in public service and public affairs are widely shared i think that we as americans often have these visions of ‘the developing world as poor countries where nothing is happening but thats just not how it is at all in working in countries around the world i have had the privilege of working withand have been impressed byhighly trained and committed people who work in public service civil society organizations and academia and are finding innovative ways to meet public policy challenges in their own contexts we tend to think in terms of their learning from us but we need to learn from them as well
assistant professor hyeran jos book compliant rebels: rebel groups and international law in world politics has won the international studies association international organization sections chadwick alger award for best book on international organization about hyeran jo: hyeran jo studies international institutions international law and international political economy her research deals with the working of international organizations the design of international rules and agreements and the question of compliance with international law by non-state actors she teaches courses in international relations and research design about the chadwick alger prize: the chadwick f alger prize recognizes the best book published in the previous calendar year on the subject of international organization and multilateralism the prize is awarded annually by the international organization section of the international studies association the award committee is particularly interested in works dealing with the united nations and/or with how international organizations interact with nongovernmental organizations and other local civil society actors as reflected in the writings of chadwick f alger more information: http://wwwisanetorg/programs/awards/chadwick-alger on sept 1 2022 the department of political science became part of the bush school of government & public service
michael k young president of texas a&m university will give a talk titled freedom of religion and the global growth of democracy on april 5 the lecture will be at 5:30 pm at the annenberg presidential conference center and is part of the mosbacher conversations in public policy series co-sponsored by the mosbacher institute for economics trade and public policy and the scowcroft institute of international affairs both at the bush school of government and public service a reception preceding the event will begin at 5:00 pm prior to becoming the 25th president of texas a&m on may 1 2015 young served as president of the university of washington a position he had held since 2011 he has more than three decades of teaching research and leadership experience in higher education and has taught at the law schools of columbia university and the university of utah young also served as dean of the george washington university law school and has been a visiting professor and scholar at three universities in japan a graduate of harvard law school young has broad experience across legal public service and diplomatic arenas he served as a law clerk to the late supreme court chief justice william h rehnquist and has held a number of government positions including deputy undersecretary for economic and agricultural affairs and ambassador for trade and environmental affairs in the department of state during the administration of president george h w bush young worked extensively on the treaties related to german unification the north american free trade agreement (nafta) and the uruguay round negotiations leading to the world trade organization as well as other international agreements he also participated in the un conference on environment and development subsequently president young served eight years on the us commission on international religious freedom which he chaired on two separate occasions he is a member of the council on foreign relations and a fellow of the american bar foundation the reception and event are open to the public but registration is required
bush school students miguel eusse chloe verschuren and danelle hopkins were among the select number of students invited to participate in the 2016 european student conference (esc) at yale university february 5-6 2016 the students were chosen from a pool of qualified candidates worldwide and represented the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university in three policy workshops: economy and innovation transatlantic relations and immigration and integration this was my second year participating in the european student conference at yale and the experience was fantastic said chloe verschuren i am always impressed by the caliber of speakers and students in attendance and their passion for the european project i hope future bush school students interested in transatlantic issues will continue to apply for the esc the european student conference 2016 envisioning a confident europe was organized by european horizons and funded by erasmus+ and the yale school of management the annual conference seeks to bring together students from across the us and europe in order to address some of the major challenges facing the eu including immigration economic growth and security bush students had the opportunity to interact with 100 participants from over fifty-three universities around the world key speakers included the eu ambassador to the united nations the eu ambassador to the united states the vice president of the european commission for budget and human resources and the secretary general of the european parliament more than thirty conference policy papers covering a broad variety of topics relevant to transatlantic relations and european domestic and external policy will be published the european student conference was an insightful and hands-on experience said miguel eusse with an optimistic and confident view of the years ahead students policy makers and keynote speakers delved into the main issues affecting europes identity integration and security
the mosbacher institutes conversations in public policy series continued on thursday march 3 2016 with a talk by chairman richard c breeden the 24th chairman of the securities and exchange commission (sec) and former assistant to the president for issues analysis under president george hw bush he was engaged in an on-stage conversation by chairman donald e powell the 18th chairman of the fdic after welcoming remarks from the dean of the bush school of government and public service ryan c crocker and an introduction of the two chairmen by dr lori taylor director of the mosbacher institute chairman breeden delivered his prepared remarks centering on regulatory relief chairman breedens work under then vice president bush was to identify overbearing agency rules and decrease the regulatory costs and burdens imposed by those rules he insisted regulations while necessary should not hold back consumers instead appropriate financial-market regulation balances safety and soundness consumer protection and competition and efficiency breeden also insisted regulations should not prevent consumers from investing regardless of whether investments are safe or risky breeden next discussed the savings and loan crisis president bush faced when he assumed the presidency in 1989 breeden recalled president bushs determination to solve the problem no matter the pain and his insistence the program do its job president bush used his honeymoon period working with congress to ensure the crisis was addressed breeden opined that the presidents dedication to resolving the savings and loans crisis was his finest domestic accomplishment following these remarks chairman powell joined chairman breeden on stage to discuss the governments role in controlling capital markets and how the 2008 financial crisis might have been handled in hindsight in addition to his presentation chairman breeden enjoyed several meetings with students and faculty including speaking to dr taylors class on public finance and dr mary hilderbrands class on institutional and governance reform
while others might have used their winter break to relax and take time off students and faculty from the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university were busy engaging with scholars activists and diplomats in cairo egypt the trip was a part of a study abroad course issues in modern egyptian politics which focused on the politics and history of modern egypt and was taught by dr erin snider assistant professor in the department of international affairs at the bush school being granted the opportunity to travel to egypt with the bush school to examine egyptian politics on the ground was invaluable said rainie spiva a second-year student in the department of international affairs who participated in the trip we were granted opportunities to candidly interact with egyptian scholars activists civil society groups and others about the many nuances of the egyptian government and other aspects of politics that impact many facets of egyptian lives experiencing egypt from this perspective made this experience unforgettable and reshaped my approach to international affairs in the middle east during the eleven-day trip participants were able to interact with a diverse range of speakers including former diplomats with the egyptian government and american diplomats at the us embassy the group also visited the nazra center for feminist studies one of the leading centers for gender issues in egypt and the egyptian initiative for personal rights one of the leading rights organizations in the country in addition to meetings with diplomats and scholars students and faculty also had the privilege of meeting with mahmoud salem one of the most influential bloggers in the middle east who is well known for his activism on social media before during and after the arab spring while in egypt students were also able to take part in cultural immersion experiences such as trips to the pyramids at giza and sakkara trips in cairo included an excursion to coptic cairo and islamic cairo the sites of two of the most revered mosques in egypt when studying a country there is nothing like actually being there said brittany hardin tanguay a second-year student in the department of international affairs prior to embarking on our trip i had grown particularly concerned with employment issues in egypt and the lack of opportunity for egyptian youth during my time in cairo i was struck by the strict segmentation of society and the narrow window of opportunity within each sector the challenges facing future generations of egyptians which i already knew to be quite complicated are far more textured than i initially understood egypt has made headlines in recent months due to ongoing instability in the region and increasing restrictions on free speech and human rights when interacting with egyptian civil servants and diplomats snider said that listening to what people were sayingand not sayingwas illuminating interacting with activists and independent journalists also helped students gain a broader perspective on the current state of the region there are significant tensions in egypt right now said snider the government is trying to deal with a difficult economic situation and there is a militant insurgency in the sinai so there are security issues at the same time the government is constricting the rights of many organizations its incredibly valuable to be in a place where youre getting to hear from people who are daily trying to negotiate the difficulties of dealing with a constricting political space while continuing to do their work and share news about whats going on in their country theres no other program thats been able to do something like this while traveling the group always took several safety precautions including having a security detail travel with the groups bus through cairo the group also had security arrangements while staying at american university in cairo to ensure their safety while other universities cancelled their planned trips to the region snider says the unwavering support of dean ryan crocker who served as us ambassador to several countries in the middle east helped the trip continue as planned what made this trip successful was the enormous support of our dean who strongly believes that students should do hard things and go to hard places and never once faltered on whether we should go or not because he recognized inherently the importance of a trip like this said snider every student participating in the trip was able to receive a travel scholarship that helped reduce the expense of the trip the scholarships were made possible through a generous donation by the levant foundation a private nonprofit organization that seeks to further knowledge about middle eastern culture and history after the success of the first trip to egypt snider says she hopes to expand the program in the coming year rather than an eleven-day trip she said she would like to see a trip that lasted three weeks to a month allowing students to more fully immerse themselves in the culture snider says she also would like to see the trip expand beyond just cairo and include exploration of other surrounding areas still in its early stages the bush school is developing a reciprocal exchange that would allow bush students to study at the american university in cairo and egyptian students from the auc to study at the bush school overall snider says she feels the trip had a deep impact on the studentsone she hopes they will take with them into their future careers one of the most rewarding things for me was hearing our students and one of my colleagues on the trip say what an enormously rewarding experience it had been to listen to lectures with different folks at the american university of cairo and meet with egyptians working in civil society said snider these interactions completely opened their eyes and challenged ideas they had of the region the people and politics in general as a professor thats extremely rewarding to hear but it was also great to hear they all wanted to go back
brian shreck istpp fellow and arnold vedlitz istpp director have analyzed the role of public discourse in the publics debate on climate change they find that higher levels of self-reported knowledge that is how knowledgeable people believe themselves to be about climate change lead to stronger beliefs on whether human-caused climate change exists those who deny this also tend to have less factual knowledge of the issue engagement in more frequent public discourse is only significantly associated with belief in anthropogenic climate change people also engage in discourse more often the stronger their support or opposition to policies to address climate change lastly while not statistically significant results show that people who discuss climate change more frequently may be more inclined to cross the traditional party lines on policy preferences their study is based on data from istpps 2013 national public climate change survey and the researchers findings have been recently published in society & natural resources brian shreck and arnold vedlitz 2016 the public and its climate: exploring the relationship between public discourse and opinion on global warming society & natural resources doi: 101080/0894192020151095380
on march 8 2016 the scowcroft institute of international affairs at the bush school of government and public service will host colonel (r) andrew budd head of the defense capabilities section defense policy directorate nato colonel budd will give a talk entitled natos view of europe the event will take place from 12:20 pm to 1:20 pm at the george bush presidential library colonel budd joined the british army in 1975 commissioning in the royal artillery his early years were spent in appointments in germany and the uk prior to attending staff college in 1989 his staff positions have included serving in the operations division of the british army of the rhine (baor) in germany where he coordinated the deployment of uk forces to saudi arabia in gulf war i he was a founding member of the teaching staff at the kuwait staff college and was the chief of operations for the international security assistance force (isaf) in afghanistan in 2004 he spent the last ten years in nato appointments responsible for nato strategic policy development of the comprehensive approach and nato operations planning for the balkans and afghanistan his operational experience also extends to northern ireland central america and the balkans since leaving the army in january 2012 he has been employed by nato as a civilian dealing with defense policy including smart defense the event is open to the public but reservations are recommended
on march 8 2016 the scowcroft institute of international affairs at the bush school of government and public service will host dr peter hotez dean of the baylor college of medicine and president of the sabin vaccine institute who will present fighting twenty-first century disease through vaccine diplomacy the event will take place at 6 pm in the annenberg presidential conference center dr hotez is the is dean of the national school of tropical medicine and professor of pediatrics and molecular virology and microbiology at baylor college of medicine where he is also chief of the section on pediatric tropical medicine and the texas childrens hospital endowed chair of tropical pediatrics an internationally recognized expert on neglected tropical diseases he leads the only product development partnership for developing new vaccines for hookworm schistosomiasis and chagas disease he is the author of more than 300 original papers and the acclaimed book forgotten people forgotten diseases (asm press) hotez previously served as president of the american society of tropical medicine and hygiene and as founding editor-in-chief of plos neglected tropical diseases he has received many awards and honors including an appointment by the white house and state department as a united states science envoy he obtained his undergraduate degree in molecular biophysics from yale university in 1980 (phi beta kappa) followed by a phd in biochemical parasitology from rockefeller university in 1986 and an md from weil cornell medical college in 1987the event is open to the public but reservations are recommended
the mosbacher institutes second education policy workshop featured dr amy ellen schwartz the daniel patrick moynihan professor of public affairs at the maxwell school at syracuse university and the director of the institute for education and social policy at new york university on tuesday february 23 2016 dr schwartz spoke at the george bush presidential library & museum to a standing room only crowd about the impact factors beyond classroom instruction have on the educational outcomes of students previous reforms including decreasing class sizes professional development curriculum writing and rewriting finance formulas have had some success in improving student outcomes and addressing inequity but classroom instruction is only a part of childrens days what happens outside of the classroom is also very important to their holistic development dr schwartzs started her talk describing the huge longitudinal data set she has been able to collect on the largest us school district – new york city school districtand thanking various sources for sharing the data that make her research possible the data has allowed her to evaluate the outcomes relating to a number of research questions one project titled let them eat lunch explores the free and reduced lunch program proponents of the lunch program claim the initiative ensures students are eating and so more ready to learn; thus the lunch program acts as an outside of the classroom intervention that may improve students performance dr schwartz explained that qualifying students often do not take advantage of the program due to a negative stigma prompting her curiosity as to the efficacy and value of the program she looked at the impacts of a universal free meal plan and found mixed results while standardized test scores increased for some grades she also found increases in obesity for some grades dr schwartz explained the results could be attributed to a number of factors which she continues to explore in addition to this study dr schwartz touched on her research involving a summer job program designed for high schoolers in new york city the program has lowered youth unemployment and seems to have had positive impacts on test taking progress through high school and high school graduation rates moreover repeated or increased participation in the program suggested substantially increased positive effects for the students dr schwartz highlighted these results and underlined the importance of including high schoolers and their outside of the classroom/extra-curricular experience when developing education-related policy in addition to her presentation dr schwartz had several meetings with students and faculty throughout her visit she had breakfast with a group of education policy students spoke with a bush school education policy class and met with several faculty members about shared research interests dr lori taylor dr amy ellen schwartz and dr kalena cortes bush school ambassadors
on february 22 2016 the scowcroft institute of international affairs at the bush school of government and public service will host a lecture by dr mary sarotte about her latest book the collapse: the accidental opening of the berlin wall which explores both the causes and the legacy of the unexpected fall of the wall the event will take place at 5:30 pm in the george bush library the collapse was selected as a book of the week by cnn and was named a book of the year by bbc history magazine the economist and the financial times drawing from new archival research data and interviews from six countries the book describes the monumental fall of the berlin wall as a chaotic accident rather than an event planned by east german rulers and western political leaders through careful research dr sarotte reveals how separate decisions made by daring underground revolutionaries disgruntled stasi officers and dictatorial party bosses sparked an unexpected series of events culminating in the walls chaotic fall dr sarotte is a visiting professor of government and history at harvard university and deans professor of history and professor of international relations at the university of southern california her previous books include 1989: the struggle to create post-cold war europe (princeton university press 2009) which received numerous awards as well as two other books dealing with the devil and german military reform and european security she has also written for time die zeit and the economist and has appeared as a political commentator on the bbc cnn international and sky news the event is open to the public but reservations are recommended
on tuesday february 23 2016 the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university will host the second lecture of its education policy workshop series with a talk by dr amy ellen schwartz daniel patrick moynihan professor in public affairs at the maxwell school at syracuse university and director of the institute for education and social policy at new york university dr schwartz talk is entitled instruction isnt enough: how academic success is shaped by what happens outside of school and what we can do about it the lecture will begin at 5:30 pm at the annenberg presidential conference center followed by a reception immediately afterward schwartz is an economist whose research interests span a broad range of issues in education policy urban economics and public finance her current projects include an investigation of student mobility; the impact of neighborhood crime on student performance; and the impact of housing vouchers on residential location decisions and childrens educational outcomes her research interests span a broad range of issues in education policy urban economics and public finance this event is offered free of charge but reservations are strongly recommended by monday february 22 2016
david switzer istpp predoctoral research associate presented local issue severity and ideological worldviews: motivated reasoning in the case of water scarcity at the annual meeting of the southern political science association held in san juan puerto rico january 7–9 2016 in this paper switzer and his co-author istpp director arnold vedlitz investigate a theory of motivated reasoning whereby individuals beliefs and worldviews shape their interpretations of the world around them motivated reasoning results in individuals being more likely to perceive risk and call for policy action when local issues conform to their worldviews when local issues do not conform to worldviews increasing issue severity exerts little effect on risk perceptions and policy support the researchers test their theory by combining an indicator of water scarcity with data from two national public opinion surveys about water issues and analyze interactive models to predict risk perception and policy preferences they find that water scarcity drives individuals with opposing ecological worldviews even further apart
the scowcroft institute of international affairs will host a lecture by ambassador hank cohen former assistant secretary of state for african affairs about his book the mind of the african strongman the lecture will take place at the annenberg presidential conference center on february 16 2016 at 5:00 pm as an ambassador advisor to presidents and a 38-year veteran of the foreign service ambassador herman j cohen has devoted his entire professional career to african and european affairs over the years cohen grew to know every first-generation african leader – from mandela to mobutu to moammar gaddafi during his tenure as assistant secretary of state for african affairs during the first bush administration and through his role at the nsc in the reagan white house cohen worked to bring about peaceful transitions of power in south africa and namibia and helped to end conflicts in angola ethiopia and mozambique he is currently president and ceo of cohen and woods international on the board of directors for hyperdynamics oil and gas and a consultant of africa for contourglobal electric power ambassador cohens presentation is open to the public
the mosbacher institutes 2016 bank of america program on volunteerism featured bud philbrook co-founder and ceo of global volunteers on february 9 2016 mr philbrook described the advantage of the short-term volunteer model used by global volunteers to address what he contends is the most significant challenge facing the global community: human and economic development he explained to the audience gathered at the george bush presidential library & museum that governments understand the comprehensive interventions necessary to address the challenge but often do not have the means to address it directly namely money and people global volunteers and their short-term volunteers however provide the money and people to solve the problem the volunteer base attracted to global volunteers are individuals who want to help but generally have families school or occupational commitments which preclude them from being able to go somewhere for extended periods of time money is not a constraining factor for the program as it is for governments because the volunteers pay their own way global volunteers uses its human and financial resources to focus on what they believe is at the root of all global challenges: a cycle of poverty and disease they attempt to break the cycle by especially assisting expecting mothers and children under the age of two to access education nutritious food and vaccines children develop the most quickly physically and cognitively in the first 1 000 days after conception however if they do not receive adequate nutrition or are exposed to disease their growth is stunted and their full potential cannot be met if all children develop to their fullest potential the world mr philbrook said would benefit from the human capital but also from a decrease in poverty stunting and disease to break the cycle of poverty impacting hundreds of millions of children worldwide global volunteers is comprehensive in its approach of simultaneously eradicating hunger improving health and enhancing cognition focusing on just one area would only make a limited difference because all three are interrelated in their impact on the lives of individuals mr philbrook concluded his remarks by outlining the guiding principles of global volunteers: teams only go where they are invited; they work under the direction of local leaders; they have local communities determine the programs they believe are necessary for development; volunteer teams work with locals directly to accomplish the communitys goals so the changes are sustainable; teams only do what they are asked to do; and they return only as long as they are invited dr william brown a professor in the bush school of government and public service engaged mr philbrook in a short question and answer session following mr philbrooks remarks dr brown asked a mixture of questions submitted by audience members and his own prepared questions after the question and answer session dr lori taylor director of the mosbacher institute presented mr philbrook with a plaque recognizing his contributions to humanitarian relief and effective innovation in the non-profit sector during his visit mr philbrook also had several meetings with students and faculty he spoke with a bush school non-profit management class had lunch with a small group of second year bush school students of various academic concentrations and met with the staff of texas a&ms center on conflict and development l-r: dean ryan crocker dr will brown mr bud philbrook dr lori taylor dr raymond robertson bud philbrook co-founder and ceo of global volunteers bud philbrook co-founder and ceo of global volunteers and dr will brown bush school professor and director of the nonprofit management program
on monday february 1 the mosbacher institute hosted its inaugural education policy workshop with dr douglas harris a professor of economics at tulane university and the director of the education research alliance for new orleans speaking about the effects of the post-katrina new orleans school reforms on students academic outcomes after the devastating effects of hurricane katrina the new orleans school system underwent major reforms which appear to have resulted in a significant boost to student achievement however dr harris reminded the standing-room-only audience that correlation is not causation his research has been looking at the available data to determine what impact the reforms actually have had dr harris began his remarks with some background information on the public schools in new orleans prior to hurricane katrina the new orleans school district was the second lowest performing school district in the second lowest performing state and riddled with corruption after katrina several major reforms were implemented simultaneously the district fired all of its teachers allowed the teacher union contracts to expire established charter schools throughout the city replacing traditional schools and implemented a test-based accountability to determine whether schools remained open or were closed the city also received a substantial increase in school funding student achievement outcomes began to rise in 2007 the pattern has continued and presently the district is almost at the median for schools in louisiana dr harris explored other variables that could potentially have effected student achievement outcomes he examined whether demographic changes such as an increase in higher-performing wealthier students returning to the district could have influenced the test results but found the demographic breakdown remained almost completely unchanged between the pre-and-post hurricane years he wondered if schools teaching to the test had caused the upward trend but found no evidence to support the hypothesis he also checked if the interim schools students attended while the city was evacuated had increased students skills enough to account for their increased performance the impact of the variables mentioned were not significant after dr harris used matched panel data and matched pool data he concluded that the increase in student achievement outcomes was the result of the reforms put in place the increase in student achievement outcomes resulting from the reforms implemented in new orleans despite the trauma the storm inflicted on students are impressive and lead policy makers to ask if new orleans results are generalizable dr harris stated there are several reasons why the results are not generalizable first the storms destruction of the city provided an unusual opportunity to start fresh second the city implemented multiple major reforms at once making it impossible to know which had the most significant effect third the city received and continues to receive additional funding fourth the schools were in such disarray that even moderate improvements could have a large impact on outcomes finally the influx of charities and teachers offering help following the storm would be difficult to replicate dr harris concluded the conditions in new orleans allowed it to be the best case scenario for the educational reforms the presentation was followed by a question and answer period during which audience members were able to ask questions of dr harris the event ended with a reception in the librarys rotunda which allowed further conversation and reflection on the topic during his visit dr harris also spoke to a class on education policy about other research projects currently underway at the education research alliance for new orleans attended a breakfast meeting with bush school students pursuing concentrations in education policy and met with several faculty members to discuss shared research interests the mosbacher institute is thankful to dr harris for taking the time to come to the bush school to share his research and insights on such an interesting and important topic dr kalena cortes dr lori taylor and dr douglas harris
while moving from a small private liberal arts school solely focused on undergraduate education to a graduate program within a large public research university may seem like a big transition for dr raymond robertson it is a perfect fit as professor and holder of the helen and roy ryu chair in economics and government at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university robertson gets to do what he lovesimpact public policy through the study of economics and train future leaders entering public service a graduate program within a large public university is a better fit for me says robertson one all of my workeven before i started graduate schoolhas focused on applied research: how do we solve real-world problems how do we improve the lives of others second i really like working with masters students because they come in more prepared and with much more focus on making the world a better place and theyre the type of students i really want to work with a self-described economic evangelist robertson sees the study of economics as vital to any understanding of public policy among his current courses he teaches fundamentals of the global economy where he hopes students develop an ability to speak the language of economics before they enter the work force i believe economics informs just about every policy says robertson i think being able to apply some of the fundamentals of economic thinking to policy decisions would really improve policymaking in general because i think a lot of policy mistakes have been made without having that kind of thinking if students can carry that understanding with them after graduation i will be very proud while he knew from a young age he wanted to pursue a career in public policy robertson began to view economics as a way to impact public policy after spending a year teaching as a fulbright scholar in mexico i knew when i was an undergrad and even in high school that i wanted to focus on public policy for my career said robertson i thought i was going to go to law school because it was lawyers who were doing public policy but when i went to mexico it was all economists who were leading the government i realized that to impact public policy you should have a background in economics the reason i went into the phd program was because of my experience in mexico after returning from his time in mexico robertson continued his education receiving a phd in economics from the university of texas at austin during his career he has been widely published in the field of labor economics and international economics robertson has been published in the american economic review the review of economics and statistics the journal of international economics review of international economics and the journal of development economics he has also co-edited three books that draw heavily on his work in development with the world bank in washington dc and the international labor organization in geneva in addition to his academic contributions robertson is able to impact public policy as current chair of the us department of labors national advisory committee for labor provisions of the us free trade agreements in this appointed position he advises the us department of labor on labor standards and trade agreements this typically involves pulling together stakeholders from the business community private sector public sector and labor in order to get feedback on major trade initiatives he has chaired the committee since 2011 and his term was recently renewed for another three years before coming to the bush school robertson taught for more than a decade and a half at macalaster college a private liberal arts school in robertsons native state of minnesota during his time at macalaster he served both as a professor of economics and as the director of the colleges latin american studies program prior to his time at macalaster he taught as an assistant professor of economics at the maxwell school of citizenship and public affairs at syracuse university having led the latin american studies program at macalaster college robertson hopes to bring a latin america focus to his teaching at the bush school something several students have eagerly welcomed in addition to his current courses on global economy and the effects of globalization on workers he hopes to create a course examining the economic policies of latin america for the past 500 years up to today robertson says he feels right at home at the bush school and texas a&m its a perfect fit for me in every way said robertson one thing i really like about the bush school is that its ambitious i think that by encouraging the students and faculty and everyone to aim high this place has an incredibly bright future im really excited to be a part of that
professor kent portney chaired a symposium on public opinion and food-water-energy nexus policy at the food-energy-water nexus conference of the national council for science and the environment january 21 2016 in washington dc this conference brings together people from academia government agencies corporations and nonprofits to develop new understandings and explore solutions to complex scientific and environmental issues results from the 2015 energy-food-water nexus public survey conducted by the institute for science technology and public policy (istpp) were presented at the symposium justin bullock assistant professor and istpp fellow delivered research co-authored with professor and istpp fellow ann bowman on policy preferences at the nexus of water energy and food the authors investigated what factors predict support for policy actions across the areas of water energy and food overall knowledge of the relationships among water energy and food positively influences support for policy action general concern about the environment is the strongest predictor across all issue areas political party and political ideology also predict support for policy action bryce hannibal istpp post-doctoral research fellow delivered his research on social determinants and political implications of the water-energy-food nexus cognition hannibal assesses the extent of peoples awareness of the nexus and the extent to which nexus cognition influences policy preferences participants responses indicate cognition of all three nexus areas – water-energy water-food and energy-food participants with higher levels of cognition in any of these areas show higher levels of support for governmental intervention policies this support for government actions crosses over from one nexus area say water-energy to one or both of the other nexus areas manny teodoro associate professor in tamu political science and istpp fellow presented his research on brand value: who do people trust to manage the nexus this research examines the influence brand value exerts on the publics preferences for federal agency involvement in managing agricultural energy and water resources for each of these resources some participants were asked what the appropriate role or level of involvement should be for the federal government while others were asked this same question but for a specific federal agency such as the environmental protection agency for water resources for each of these resources respondents identified a stronger management role for a specific federal agency over that identified for the more generic federal government this finding carries over to the influence of political party with the exception of lower support expressed by democrats for the corps of engineers to manage water resources both democrats and republicans indicated a greater role for specific agencies to play over that of the federal government and as expected democrats overall indicated a stronger perceived role for government than republicans did
this past fall the texas a&m student government association (sga) created a new position designed to improve communication between the student body at texas a&m and the city of college station wayne beckerman a current student at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university now holds that position serving as the first student government association (sga) vice president of municipal affairs the position was created by current sga president joseph benigno in response to student concerns about certain housing ordinance changes within college station beckerman shared the concern for better communication between the a&m student body and the college station city council having been active in the sga during his undergraduate years at the university i noticed there wasnt a lot of communication between the city and students said beckerman during the spring semester i interned in austin with the student senate community affairs chairwoman; and we talked about some of the difficulties she was having since the current executive cabinet position was responsible for five different things instead of being solely focused on municipal affairs i figured someone should be able to fill that role which really got me interested in this position he added while housing ordinances were an impetus in creating the position beckerman has been communicating with the college station city council on a variety of issues including the regulation of uber and extending a retaining wall on northgate in order to prevent serious auto/pedestrian accidents beckerman and the sga have also partnered with county officials to go on neighborhood walks talking to residents in an effort to improve relations between local residents and a&m students beckermans role in municipal affairs has taken him to several community events where he has been able to receive feedback from local residents about community issues and communicate those concerns to the students after only a few months in the newly established role beckerman says he can tell communication between the city and a&m students is improving i can tell from my interactions with city officials that they are really thankful to have someone who can hear what their perspective is and bring it back to the student body and also be able to explain the student perspective to them said beckerman many times they are reading quotes from the battalion or the eagle and trying to figure out ‘is this really how the student body feels i have noticed they really appreciate these lines of communication and solidifying them within a permanent sga position is invaluable in december the college station city council voted unanimously to establish a student representative position on the council while the student representative would not be counted toward the councils quorum or be able to vote a student representative would have speaking privileges and the ability to comment on different issues that come before the city council as a bush school student beckerman has been able to draw from what he is learning in classes and apply that to his role in municipal affairs he says classes in economics and state and local government have provided a solid foundation for understanding important government issues such as the decision making behind tax policies and issues specific to state and local governments i took dr bowmans state and local class last fall and that really opened my eyes to the different theories and reasons behind some of the things you see happen in local government said beckerman that class allowed me to look through a different lens in understanding ordinances and different situations in addition to attending city council meetings and being available to city officials beckerman also keeps regular office hours each thursday from 3 pm to 5 pm on a&ms main campus (koldus student services building 126b) he hopes to get more student feedback not just from undergraduate students but from graduate students as well in order to best represent the opinions and concerns of the a&m student body to the city of college station during the coming spring semester he hopes to continue to make sure student voices are heard in important city decisions i want to continue to ensure that when a city decision is made whether it deals with uber safety in northgate or housing students voices are heard and the student body understands the citys perspective and how those decisions are made said beckerman from a broad perspective i dont know how were going to approach the different issues; but facilitating communication between both those sides is the overarching goal
tyson voelkel who assumes the presidency of the texas a&m foundation in january holds a masters degree in international affairs from the bush school of government and public service and is currently a member of the schools advisory board the us army veteran and 1996 graduate of texas a&m university will take office on january 20 2016 as head of the universitys major fundraising entity he will oversee the recently launched $4 billion lead by example campaign succeeding longtime foundation president ed davis after graduating from texas a&m where he was commander of the corps of cadets and a member of the aggie band voelkel served fourteen years as an army infantry officer with assignments in the united states europe and the middle east including two deployments in iraq in 2005 voelkel was selected by the army for a fully funded graduate fellowship at the bush school of government and public service where he earned a masters degree in international affairs during his time at the bush school he also served as the first student regent on the texas a&m university systems board of regents after graduation he taught leadership and ethics at the us military academy at west point and was an assistant coach for the military academy triathlon team voelkels organizational leadership asset management knowledge and diverse educational experience were cited as reasons for his selection as foundation president since leaving the military in 2012 voelkel has worked with private wealth management firms that serve high-net-worth investors most recently he founded testudo consulting group a boutique consultancy focused on building managing and advising high-net-worth family offices voelkel is a member of the texas a&m university board of visitors and the childrens memorial hermann hospital in houston tyson came to the bush school with a wealth of military organizational and leadership experience all of which contributed to his success here said dean ryan crocker he has remained deeply involved with the school as a member of our advisory board and exemplifies our commitment to public service he will bring that commitment and passion for a&m to this new and exciting opportunity
a donation of $1 million from the starr foundation is now providing a stable funding source for the program in integration of global markets (igm) at the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university the igm program promotes sound trade policy by addressing such issues as the modernization of international food aid programs the fairness of us import taxes the ability of global trade to improve working conditions in developing countries and the effects of specific trade agreement provisions on the us and global economies dr lori taylor director of the mosbacher institute said that having the starr endowment has enabled the institute to ramp up several trade-related activities such as the takeaway brief series and the internships in international trade program the internship program offers bush school graduate students the opportunity to gain real-world experience in some of the most influential trade-related organizations thus building their knowledge of the complex aspects of international trade and better preparing them for future careers in trade policy thanks to the starr endowment we have been able to expand our programming as well we started the mosbacher conversations in public policy series taylor said our first conversation was held on november 17 2015 and featured richard fisher formerly president of the federal reserve bank of dallas and a us trade negotiator being able to bring experts like ambassador fisher to the bush school is a significant benefit to our students she added with assets of some $15 billion the starr foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the united states it was established in 1955 by cornelius vander starr an insurance entrepreneur who founded c v starr & co and other companies which were later combined into what became the american international group inc (aig) mr starr a pioneer of globalization left his estate to the foundation which makes grants in a number of areas including education medicine and healthcare human needs public policy culture and the environment
with tensions growing between the us and russia diplomatic talks between the two countries leaders are often strained but that has not stopped students from the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m and students from the russian diplomatic academy from engaging in constructive discussions during a teleconference session each year this year about a dozen students from both programs were provided a unique and increasingly rare opportunity to share russian and american perspectives on a wide range of relevant foreign policy issues including the crises in syria and ukraine the north atlantic treaty organization (nato) missile defense us politics and the arctic this was a unique and interesting opportunity that allowed us to talk with russian diplomatic academy students about the hard-hitting issues that affect our two countries said leah crowder a second-year bush school student who participated in the teleconference while our perspectives align on some issues and differ vastly on others this experience showed that it is possible to carry on a civilized and diplomatic dialogue despite these differences informal dialogues such as these are crucially important in a time when official relationships between our countries are becoming constantly more strained the annual teleconference was initiated by an exchange between larry napper a former us ambassador and senior lecturer at the bush school and dr oleg ivanov the chairman of the department of political science at the russian diplomatic academy the academy is an arm of the russian ministry of foreign affairs within the russian government while not a university in the same way as texas a&m it is a degree-granting institution that trains russian diplomats for diplomatic assignments abroad what was surprising was the range of topics we were able to discuss said napper we did spend some time on syria and ukraine but we were able to talk about some other things too there was an interesting exchange on american politics they were very interested in the american presidential campaign and were confused at least on the republican side about the plethora of candidates out therethis coming from students in russia where theres only one candidate for the presidency who makes any difference in diplomatic relations there are multiple tracks through which nation-states interact track one consists of formal relations between world leaders and high-level officials track two involves more informal nonofficial activities among mid- and lower-level government and civil society actors focused on relationship building napper says the importance of track two interactions has only increased in light of recent developments which have further strained diplomatic relations between the us and russia we still have track oneformal diplomacy with russiabut its not very productive at this point said napper were basically in a shouting match on most issues there are some things the us and russia continue to cooperate on; but the number of those cooperative issues has become greatly reduced especially after the russian intervention in ukraine and the recent intervention in syria its a difficult time for track one diplomatic relations im a believer that when that is the case these track two nonofficial contacts are even more important than they would be in a better time bush school students enjoyed answering the questions posed by students at the diplomatic academy as well as discussing both sides of issues debated in class throughout the semester the topics ranged from more divisive issues on syria and assad to some very interesting issues like the drug trade in central asia as well as their views regarding our own presidential candidates said bryson strupp another bush school student who participated in the teleconference it was a great opportunity to learn from their own specialized training on issues and also present our own views in a candid manner in addition to the teleconference students taking ambassador nappers russia in international politics course were able to participate in a simulated summit between the us and russia which involved multiple faculty members acting as world leaders having just completed the simulated summit the teleconference provided an opportunity to be in the room virtually with real live breathing speaking thinking articulating russians said napper these russian students are not so different from the bush students in terms of age and experience although some have been to the field on both sides its a chance to see the other side in real life and in real time ryan crocker current dean of the bush school and a former us ambassador said the teleconference is another example of how the bush school is preparing students for careers in public service and international affairs this unique experience enables the future leaders of the american and russian foreign services to begin dialogue years before they meet professionally said crocker the real-world experiences bush school practitioners are able to provide todays students of diplomacy uniquely qualify them for the challenges they will face in their careers
morten wendelbo a student at the bush school of government of public service texas a&m university has been appointed to lead a multi-agency project on natural disaster response and resilience through the european institute for asian studies (eias) in brussels belgium wendelbo spent four months interning at eias where he interacted with various un agencies eu institutions the world bank major ngos and many asian african and latin american foreign missions as a result of these interactions he proposed a project researching multiple aspects of natural disaster preparedness and response including economic development and security in talking with the un food and agricultural organization i floated the idea of a project that would involve all of these stakeholders said wendelbo after securing buy-in from many of them eias asked me to lead a project series entitled ‘natural disaster resilience and response the first report in the series will look at the preparedness response to the nepal earthquakes earlier this year the second report will focus on a cooperation mechanism for disaster response in asia the research and reports will be done in cooperation with several un agencies the world bank and the eu institutions the eias unique position and good diplomatic connections in europe and asia along with its research capabilities can offer a unique opportunity to work out any ‘kinks in the proposed mechanism and related issues said wendelbo the project culminated in a forum with more than 200 people including panel discussions from the un food and agricultural organization un office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs the world bank eu humanitarian aid and civil protection commission and the european external action service the governments of japan china the philippines indonesia south korea pakistan bangladesh and several ngos including world vision also participated in preparing for this project wendelbo was able to seek guidance from bush school faculty with experience in pertinent areas such as economic development international institutions and securityi cannot imagine any better place to prepare for this project than the bush school wendelbo said bush school dean ryan crocker said that wendelbo exemplifies the bush schools values of serving others mortens initiative and persistence in the face of organizational challenges is typical of our students crocker said they are seeking new ways to serve others both at home and around the world and we are proud of their innovation and enthusiasm
threats to womens security are felt at every level of government and in every nation according to the un one in three women worldwide will experience some form of physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetimein some countries the number is as high as seven in ten more than 700 million women worldwide were married as children 250 million of those before the age of fifteen these are just some of the alarming realities that highlight the threat to women worldwide the effects of these conditions are far reaching lasting generations and undermining not only the lives of women but the security of the nations they live in for nearly fifteen years researchers have sought to highlight the effects of womens security issues through the womanstats project helmed by dr valerie hudson professor and george h w bush chair at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university because the fate of nations is integrally tied to the status of women in society the womanstats project has the potential to profoundly affect every societys understanding of itself and the most important determinants of national and international security and its current and future transformation we are trying to make visible and demonstrable the link between womens security and national security said hudson you cant legislate on the basis of anecdotes you cant make policy on the basis of stories people are telling what you need is data and some statistical analysis to show that countries that make efforts on behalf of women see those efforts repaid in greater stability and security for their nation and thats been our nicheto provide an evidentiary base for policy action womanstats began in 2001 by hudson and dr chad emmett a geography professor at brigham young university the project has grown in the past several years to include more than a dozen researchers around the world including in the uk turkey germany and columbia the database began with only 27 variables using excel; and now having exceeded the limits of excel in 2007 the databasenow onlinecontains more than 180 000 data points covering more than 350 variables and 176 countries the work of dr hudson and the womanstats project has caught the attention of the international security community hudsons research has been vetted at the united nations the us department of defense the cia and the senate foreign relations committee hudson has also presented her research at usaid the us state department un women and the department of foreign assistance and trade in australia in addition to scholars and government officials hudsons work has gained traction among the broader public as well in a recent new york times interview gloria steinem named sex and world peace as the book she would require the president of the united states to read if she could only choose one book hudsons work has also been covered in the wall street journal new york times financial times washington post bbc cnn and numerous other outlets while her work has helped raise global awareness of the links between womens security and national security hudson says increased awareness is simply the first step without awareness there cant be policies; and policies dont matter if theyre not enforced said hudson not that any policy by itself will ever make a difference for example india has laws on the books banning dowries banning selective abortions; but these things are still extremely prevalent in the society whatever is top down has to be matched by bottom up changing of norms changing of values changing of priorities and i hope to be a part of that conversation having gained the attention of prominent thinkers in the international community hudsons work has had an influence on policy womanstats data figured significantly in a recent supreme court of british columbia case which upheld canadas ban on polygamy hudson says she believes the work of womanstats has also made an impact on the larger discussion around the issue of womens empowerment in terms of whether there are people who want our data who want our analysis yes absolutely said hudson have our publications made a difference i think they have considering the sales of the books the downloads of articles and the awards the books have received while there has been some progress there is still much work to do ive definitely got a wish list said hudson child marriage must be ended child marriage mires generations in poverty ill health and ignorance polygamy effectively does the same you see very poor outcomes for children of polygamous households in places where polygamy is prevalent such as africa and the sinai in combatting threats to womens security there is always more work to do but with the help of the data provided by dr hudson and the researchers at womanstats the international community can begin to make more effective positive inroads on an issue too serious to be ignored
dr william west professor and sara lindsey chair in the department of public service and administration has been at the bush school from the very beginning he has seen it grow from a small program with fewer than twenty students to a highly regarded academic college with two departments and a student population of more than 300 although the bulk of his career has been at texas a&m west also served in the us army he graduated from west point in 1971 and was in the 82nd airborne and special forces before entering the phd program at rice university in 1976 i thought i would enjoy academic life i didnt quite understand what i was getting into but it turns out that i have enjoyed it after a year at west virginia university west moved to college station in 1981 to become an assistant professor in the department of political science at texas a&m he remained in that department for two decades conducting research on administrative institutions legislative and presidential oversight of bureaucracy and other policy areas related to public administration and public management while still in the political science department west began teaching in the bush school when it opened its doors in 1997 the bush school started as a small operation within the college of liberal arts the idea was that it would draw faculty from different units at the university political science and economics were the primary contributors but there were faculty from other academic departments as well in 2000 the school became a free-standing college within texas a&m with its own faculty it quickly expanded in size and resources with west joining as the director of the master of public service and administration (mpsa) program in 2001 the school grew tremendously when the state legislature decided to make us a college there was an expectation that we would expand significantly things have stabilized in recent years; but for ten years or so we were undergoing tremendous growth in terms of the student body and the faculty during wests time as director the mpsa program established certificate programs in homeland security and nonprofit management and was accredited by the national association of schools of public affairs and administration (naspaa) student enrollment also more than doubled from eighteen to twenty students enrolled per year to more than forty after six years west stepped down as director of the mpsa program which allowed him to devote more time to teaching and research he later reassumed the role of program director and department head an acting basis while jeryl mumpower was on leave to direct one of the divisions at the national science foundation from 2012-2015 west specializes in the study of administrative institutions regulatory policy the oversight of bureaucracy bureaucratic politics administrative law and the congress he is the author of three books and has written numerous articles in journals such as policy studies review journal of politics and economics political science quarterly journal of politics public administration review and american journal of political science west has taught several courses at the bush school during his time as a professor including accountability in public service foundations of public service and public policy formation he often has students participate in structured debates i think the debates are fun for the students to do said west it forces them to do research and make a case from a particular point of view its also good to have people work in teams which is something we stress here at the bush school as part of the learning experience many students at the bush school become quite fond of dr west and his easygoing nature and the feeling is mutual when asked what he likes most about working at the bush school and texas a&m he quickly responds its the students that make the job enjoyable i think we have very good students said west one of the things i like about aggies is how close they are to each other its a closeness that goes beyond anything im familiar with from other universities i think thats neat we also have a talented and collegial faculty who are a pleasure to work with having had a role at the bush school from its earliest days west has high hopes for the future i hope we continue the good things were doing said west i think our students are good now but i think we can do even better becoming recognized as one of the top schools in public affairs takes recruiting good students and good faculty no matter how good you are it takes time to build a reputation every year i think our reputation among our peer institutions gets better and better
right now in a small corner of texas a&m university people are preparing for one of the greatest catastrophes ever to face human civilization no theres not a den of superheroes on campus the global pandemic policy program which goes by the catchy james-bond-like acronym gp3 is gearing up for preventing disease outbreak on a global scale the program was launched by the scowcroft institute of international affairs with a conference held sept 15-17 that brought together top minds in the fields of public health medicine homeland security veterinarian medicine engineering agriculture economics psychology government and international diplomacy topics discussed included: a report on the world health organizations mishandling of the ebola crisis last year and its inability to deal with similar epidemics in the futurethe slaughter of millions of chickens in the midwest to combat a new strain of avian flu and the risks of the disease jumping to humansthe spread of middle east respiratory syndrome (mers) to south koreadisease-spreading simulations by the bill and melinda gates foundation that show how a highly infectious lethal flu could kill up to 33 million people around the world in 250 daysbased on papers presented at the three-day conference the gp3 is preparing a set of major policy recommendations directed at governments and health organizations worldwide including a plan for reforming pandemic surveillance and response systems a hotbed of pandemic experts the conventional wisdom is that its not a matter of if a virulent pandemic is going to break out but a matter of when according to these experts the world is woefully ill-prepared the 7-year-old scowcroft institute the international research arm of the bush school of government and public service considers the gp3 its signature initiative with the goal of becoming one of the leading centers for developing strategies to meet the threat it turns out that texas a&m is the ideal place for such a program since it has a unique combination of expertise and policy research to make effective recommendations on national and international levels i dont think theres any other university in the country that has all of the facilities necessary to develop solid policy said andrew natsios director of the scowcroft institute we have world-class programs in veterinary medicine agriculture engineering and the health sciences experts in these disciplines already have experience working together through the texas a&m one health initiative a multidisciplinary program to promote sustainable health for the ecosystem we have a vaccine manufacturing center that can make 50 million vaccines in four months one of only three in the united states natsios continued we have experts in legal economic and psychological aspects of a pandemic if we have a worldwide pandemic college station is the place you want to be natsios background makes him uniquely qualified to lead the effort a retired lieutenant colonel in the us army reserves and former state legislator his first job in the federal government was as director of the office of foreign disaster assistance for president george hw bush he went on to lead the us agency for international development for five years managing relief health development and reconstruction programs throughout the world don bailey 78 80 the institutes assistant director adds more experience as a retired army colonel and former head of biosecurity at the pentagon the gp3s goal of preparing for a pandemic fits into the scowcroft institutes mission because any approach to a pandemic must be global experts agree that most pandemics arise in developing countries which have weaker health care systems the best way to prevent a pandemic in the us is to stop it overseas the first line of defense should be in the developing world said natsios you cannot build a wall around the us the disease doesnt stop at the borders as we found out during the ebola scare we also know that if the pandemic is airborne it will spread through airports jay maddock dean of the school of public health said that if the gp3 had been up and running before the ebola outbreak last year it may not have spread to texas it more likely would have been contained in the early days in africa he said the problem many experts note is that much of the international ebola response was on the fly thats what were trying to avoid maddock continued the key is to take the expertise of the scowcroft institute and everyone at texas a&m and bring the best minds in the world together when were not in a pandemic situation gp3s advisory board is comprised of leaders in each of these areas of texas a&mthe college of veterinary medicine & biomedical sciences the health science center (including the college of medicine and school of public health) the college of liberal arts and the college of engineering this program takes the strengths of texas a&m and unites them on an important problem said maddock the best solutions will come through an integrated approach natsios said here at the bush school we have social scientists international relations and national security scholars and international theory and development experts he said and if were sitting in a room designing policy by ourselves were going to make mistakes and miss important aspects of the challenge we need medical doctors with us plus public health scholars and other experts that expertise combined with our knowledge of whats going on in the federal government and the developing world is whats necessary for the program to offer comprehensive non-partisan policy it could happen again recalling the year 1918 makes any pandemic expert shiver thats when a strain of especially virulent influenza called the spanish flu killed 50 to 90 million people roughly 5 percent of the global population fortunately the world has not seen such a disease-related casualty count since then other possible pandemics including the 2009 outbreak of n1h1 which infected over 1 billion people were not as lethal as feared weve dodged a couple of bullets said maddock but experts maintain that conditions are ripe for a pandemic that exceeds the destruction of 1918 many diseases that prove most threatening start in animals and spread to humans birds are a common source ebola is thought to have originated in bats mers could possibly be spread through camels milk with the increase in living standards worldwide more people are eating meat which means more animals are kept as livestock this amplifies opportunities for exposure to zoonotic (animal to human) infections especially in developing countries where people live in closer contact with animals we have people at our veterinary school that look at these types of diseases said natsios right now politicians in washington are not focusing on veterinary schools and their expertise on zoonotic diseases but they should be also problematic is a rapid rise in population and increasing urbanization today 54 percent of the global population is concentrated in cities versus less than 18 percent in the middle of the 20th century public health risks are much greater in urban areas where people are living close together natsios explained this is particularly the case in megacities in the developing world where high concentrations of people dont have reliable water supplies clean air or proper sewage disposal next factor in greater mobility people are 50 times more likely to cross international borders today than they were 100 years ago according to the gates foundation air travel is a scarily effective way to spread airborne germs as people are crammed into a small enclosed tube and then dispersed around the world this is why the gates foundations simulations of disease transmission show a highly contagious infection crisscrossing continents within weeks political issues also aid in the spread of pandemics the leaders of many countries dont want to tell the world about a disease outbreak for fear of hurting their economy or tourism this happened with the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak that originated in china in 2003 the chinese were very quiet about it maddock said we learned that the sooner we can get a global response and awareness the fewer casualties the more it stays within a country and people dont know about it the worse it gets and eventually it spirals out of control a social issue was at the heart of the ebola spread in west africa last yearthe tradition of burying the dead that included touching the bodies once people learned through mass media campaigns to stop this funeral custom the disease was brought under control natsios said emphasizing that clear factual communicationfree of misinformationis key to managing an outbreak and avoiding a panic natsios notes that many institutions responsible for disease control are hampered by political or territorial battles the gp3 is a neutral body with the sole focus of recommending policyand bailey added increasing texas a&ms visibility preventing human catastrophe to spur the gp3s effectiveness the scowcroft institute is working with the texas a&m foundation to endow two faculty chairs in global health policy at $1 million each and two post-doctoral fellowships at $55 000 each the faculty chairs would fund the work of at least one international health practitioner with expertise in developing world diseases such as ebola or mers research conducted by the post-doctoral fellows would result in pandemic policy manuscripts published in scholarly journals since the program is in its early phase we have only two full-time employees three [masters level] students and me natsios said were beginning to recruit post-doctoral fellows and other staff but it all takes time and money another goal of the gp3 is to establish an online database available to specialists around the world the database would include a digital archive of research as well as maps of global pandemic-related institutes centers and outbreaks right now there are few places that link all of the work thats been done in the 20th and 21st centuries said bailey for instance finding congressional testimony about pandemics is a challengeyou have to look in multiple places we want it all in one database at this time the gp3 operates on a two-year $200 000 grant from the deans discretionary funds at the bush school and another $200 000 from texas a&m university system funds to encourage research to build it into an international powerhouse that can make a significant difference natsios is looking for a minimum $10 million program endowment a hefty sum for sure but negligible considering whats at stake were talking about raising the policies reforms and changes needed to prepare the country and international system for staving off whats been called the most preventable catastrophe in human history said bailey were talking about keeping our grandkids alive maybe they are superheroes after all this article was written by jeannie ralston for the texas a&m foundations spirit magazine to read the article on the texas a&m foundations website please visit http://tamuimodulescom/s/1436/gid26-spirit/indexaspxsid=1436&gid=26&pgid=4052
issues related to water energy and food (wef) form a highly connected nexus; and combatting pressing issues related to any one of the resources requires a better understanding of these nexus relationships by policymakers and the public the first step in addressing this problemunderstanding public opinion and policy preferencesis the focus of a new study believed to be the first to address wef issues directly by a team of researchers from the institute for science technology and public policy (istpp) at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university water energy and food are highly integrated systemsmovement or changes in one segment changes the others said dr arnold vedlitz director of istpp energy cannot be produced without using water water cannot be provided without using energy and food cannot be grown without energy and water so there are inherent and difficult trade-offs in how these resources are used vedlitz explains public policy makers are going to have to make decisions about the allocation of resources in a manner that recognizes and preserves this system in order to help decision makers in making these decisions and for the public to accept these decisions the public needs to know and understand whats going on the project was led by kent portney a bush school professor of public policy and an expert in environmental policy and sustainability and vedlitz a professor of public policy and an expert in science and technology policy and natural resources management the research which was presented at the texas a&m system resource nexus water forum held november 17-18 in san antonio texas looked at public opinion regarding concerns about water energy and food issues; policy preferences; and personal behavioral changes involving water and energy a scientific survey was conducted in august that collected responses from a representative sample at the national level state level in texas and local level in houston the researchers found that the recognition of risks related to the wef nexus and the desire to have the government and the private sector work together to find solutions was similar across many demographic and political groups in the us and texaswith one exception while party and ideology do not seem to drive the concern for water or energy or support for certain policies there is a strong partisan divide when climate change gets introduced said vedlitz when considering how climate change gets discussed and the roadblocks to enacting policy the climate change issue creates it will be important to frame the discussion about the wef nexus so that the divide that surrounds climate change is not passed on to the nexus issue the texas a&m system resource nexus water forum was the first public outreach meeting of the area 41 institute a recent initiative created by texas a&m system chancellor john sharp intended to provide solutions to major issues faced by the state of texas the initiative provides research drawn from across various colleges and institutes within the texas a&m system that can be used by decision makers trying to tackle issues related to transportation water energy and healthcare the conference brought together several public and private sector stakeholders at the local state and national level including officials from the texas water development board the world wildlife fund the national council for science and the environment circle of blue the san antonio water system and researchers from various colleges and institutes throughout the texas a&m system many of these people are officials business leaders community leaders and environmental leaders said portney were hoping they will understand the wef nexus more as a system and understand the ways all these components play together by providing critical information to stakeholders we hope they will seek out our guidance in the future in creating effective and efficient policies researchers from istpp who are working on this project in addition to vedlitz and portney include research scientist and assistant director xingsheng liu; postdoctoral research associate bryce hannibal; senior research associate carol goldsmith; and peyton mcgee who is a graduate assistant at the bush school two other faculty members at the school dr ann bowman and dr justin bullock along with dr manuel teodoro a faculty member with the texas a&m department of political science are also members of the wef nexus research team
the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university honored its faculty and staff friday november 13 at an annual ceremony in the presidential library auditorium dean ryan crocker presided over the event praising the faculty and staff for their hard work and dedication to the mission of the bush school larry napper senior lecturer at the bush school was awarded the association of former students (afs) college level teaching award the afs teaching award recognizes encourages and rewards superior classroom teachers who maintain high expectations for their students and ensure academic rigor in their courses the award was given on behalf of afs by michael hardy a 2013 graduate of the bush school who currently serves as director of strategic engagement at afs richard mac namee received the bush foundations bush faculty excellence award which recognizes faculty members whose teaching research and public service contributions have enhanced the schools mission and its recognition as a leading school of public affairs fred mcclure ceo of the bush foundation delivered the award on behalf of the foundation two members of the bush school faculty and staff were recognized for their many years of service dr charles hermann professor and brent scowcroft chair in international policy studies was recognized for his twenty years of service; and cindy raisor director of the bush school writing program was recognized for her twenty-five years of service staff members mike cochran and jo williams received the outstanding staff recognition award which seeks to recognize outstanding staff members for their dedication enthusiasm accomplishments and contributions to the school one of the greatest assets of the bush school is our faculty and staff and the hard work they put in each year said dean crocker their commitment to excellence is what helps the bush school continue to be a premiere institution educating leaders in public service
at the mosbacher institutes inaugural conversations in public policy event ambassador richard fisher the president and ceo of the federal reserve bank of dallas from 2005 to 2015 and mr robert mosbacher jr the chairman of mosbacher energy company reflected on how intertwined the united states monetary policy is with global financial markets ambassador fisher and mr mosbacher discussed global trade and the ways countries can keep themselves economically prosperous the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy at the bush school of government and public service hosted the event at the annenberg presidential conference center it began with welcome remarks from ambassador ryan crocker dean of the bush school and introductions by dr lori l taylor director of the mosbacher institute ambassador fisher delivered remarks reflecting on his experience at the federal reserve of dallas which serves approximately 28 million citizens a large portion of fishers remarks focused on the reality of a global world which has tied united states monetary policy with the global financial markets moving forward the united states would do well fisher said to seek stability so entrepreneurs as well as small and medium businesses are able to create the jobs that drive a strong economy fisher remarked that making predictions about the economy is similar to predicting weather patterns years in advance thus while it is impossible to know what the faults in monetary policy are we can focus on creating an economic climate which encourages job creation and stability after ambassador fisher concluded his remarks mr mosbacher initiated a conversation with ambassador fisher one particularly interesting exchange concerned the current political climate for trade agreements assuming a good trade agreement was proposed mosbacher asked what could be done to obtain bipartisan support within the polarized legislature fisher responded that strong leadership must be the driving factor citing president hw bush and his secretary of commerce robert mosbacher sr as well as president clinton as examples of the kind of leadership the united states needs to make successful trade agreements mosbacher pointed out the correlation between decreased trade barriers and more robust and inclusive economic growth and that politicians would have to take a political risk to support trade the conversation next turned to china fisher said that despite their large economy and vast production the system is not efficient and is unlikely to be truly threatening to the united states because the chinese government is a control freak too willing to contain the animal spirit of commerce thus their economy will continue to be substantial but neither innovative nor efficient fisher went on to explain the best way to deal with uncertainty is to implement laws be open to structural change have a legislature who is willing to make tough choices and permit competition the solution he concluded is most certainly not to print more money dr lori taylor and ambassador richard fisher l-r: dean ryan crocker regent phil adams robert mosbacher jr ambassador richard fisher and dr lori taylor
the public service organization (pso) at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university is recognizing veterans and active members of the us military who are members of the bush school community with a wall display in the center of the school the wall features photos of each active service member and veteran along with his or her name and a brief bio the wall which will be on display during the two weeks leading up to veterans day is one of several ways the bush school seeks to honor the sacrifices made by those who serve in the military the pso wanted to create the veteran recognition wall to highlight the service aspect that is so fundamental to the bush school said erica cottingham pso president we wanted this wall to create a personal connection for bush school students and faculty to those who have served so we chose to highlight our appreciation for their service and to honor them on veterans day in addition to the wall the bush school pso will host a write a letter to a soldier campaign on veterans day in order to support the service men and women who are spending time away from their families during the holidays a booth will be set up at the bush school for students to write letters to any member of the us military; the letters will then be sent to soldiers overseas the bush school pso serves the greater bryan/college station community through various service projects throughout the year since the beginning of the school year pso has been involved in work that includes building homes for habitat for humanity cleaning up beaches in the corpus christi area and assisting with the brazos valley food bank the bush school and texas a&m have a long history of recognizing the sacrifices of veterans and current service members in addition to helping them achieve their educational goals each year through the scowcroft institute for international affairs the school hosts officers in the us army as a part of the united states army war colleges senior service college fellowship program earlier this year usa today announced that texas a&m was named the best institution in the nation for providing services to veterans transitioning into civil service careers after their military service texas a&m is home to more than 1 100 veterans and at least 2 200 military dependents who are able to take advantage of a&ms generous scholarships and financial aid for members of the military the university also has two offices dedicated to assisting students affiliated with the military and provides programs designed to support veterans in their educational pursuits
former us congressman chet edwards who represented the brazos valley area for two decades in the us house of representatives recently visited the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university to speak with students faculty and staff about leadership and public service edwards met with several members of the bush school community in the morning for an informal discussion on motivations for public service his career in the us congress and current events after meeting with two classes us state and local government and leadership in international affairs edwards gave a talk during the lunch hour entitled government and leadership edwards represented the brazos valley area in the texas senate from 1983 to 1990 and as a us representative from 1991 to 2010 shortly after graduating from texas a&m in 1974 he began his career in politics working for us congressman olin teague as a congressional aide after receiving an mba from harvard university he became the youngest member of the texas senate at the age of 30 in 2008 then senator obama listed edwards among his top four potential running mates during the morning discussion and in his class visits edwards commended students at the bush school for their desire to enter public service during a time of cynicism toward government at several points during his talks he discussed the common bond of americans in wanting to make a difference and how that was a driving force in his time in government with a career that has spanned both state and national politics edwards shared his insights on the current state of the us congress and the need for increased bipartisanship built on trust and mutual respect edwards also took time to praise president george h w bush and his commitment to public service a commitment edwards strove to emulate during his time in office congressman edwards has served the people of the brazos valley for nearly three decades in state and national government and it was a tremendous honor to host him at the bush school said dr arnold vedlitz executive associate dean of the bush school students faculty and staff who were able to attend his talks were given unique insights into leadership and government from a man who has led a commendable career in public service the talk can be viewed on the bush schools youtube channel at http://bitly/1mmjexo
the career of dr gregory gause iii head of the department of international affairs at the bush school of government and public service has led him to pursue scholarly work in kuwait saudi arabia and cairo; conduct research for multiple prominent think tanks; and teach at several premiere universities but while his career has been entirely in academia gauses initial plan was a career in the foreign service i never thought id go into academics said gause i always thought i would have a government career i took the foreign service exam; and as i was waiting for the results i went into graduate school gause was in his second year of graduate school when he learned that although he had progressed far into the process for the foreign service his exam results likely were not high enough for a commission having done well in graduate school thus far he continued his studies and received his phd in political science at harvard university after receiving his phd gause again faced a decision: whether to pursue a career in government or academia he chose the academic route and has since become a leading scholar on the international politics of the middle east with a particular interest in the arabian peninsula and the persian gulf while firmly established in academia gause is still very mindful of practitioners in the field and how his research can contribute to a better understanding of issues facing the middle east ive been writing much more for policy audiences in the last decade or so of my career said gause i like addressing those audiencesthat was an incentive for coming to a policy school i think you have to have that basis that academic foundation in order to be able to intelligently address policy audiences with insights they might not normally have gause has testified on persian gulf issues before the house committee on international relations and the senate foreign relations committee his articles have appeared in foreign affairs foreign policy security studies middle east journal and the national interest as well as in other journals and edited volumes gause says his interest in foreign affairs began early in his life i grew up in the 70s during the time of the first oil crisis and it was all tied up in fascinating political issues in the middle east said gause i saw this as something really important to the united states and that it had been understudied and it would be really interesting to focus on that and it hasnt disappointed that interest in political issues in the middle east would eventually lead gause to make several visits to the region while in graduate school he spent a year at american university in cairo to study arabic during his career he has made multiple return trips to the region including an appointment as a fulbright scholar at the american university in kuwait and as a research fellow at the king faisal center for islamic studies and research in riyadh saudi arabia the importance of visiting a region and learning its language is something gause tries to impress upon the students studying international affairs at the bush school language work is how you mark yourself as serious said gause it gives you so much more access in terms of talking to people and reading what comes out of an area its really important for anyone who wants to claim a region or a country as their expertise to learn the language prior to joining the bush school gause served as chair of the political science department at the university of vermont where he had also served as a professor and the director of the departments middle east studies program gause also taught at columbia university for several years in addition to spending a year as a visiting professor at the kennedy school of government at harvard his interest in teaching at the graduate level led him to join the bush school as head of the department of international affairs in 2014 particularly after 9/11 and the iraq war i wanted to teach students who were looking for a career in government and in the foreign policy establishment said gause the bush school is a place thats growing and being able to participate in that growth is exciting at lots of universities the first question that gets asked is ‘how can we cut at texas a&m and the bush school the first question thats asked is ‘how can we grow and that made taking an administrative position here an interesting prospect when asked about his decision to become a university professor rather than pursuing the original plan of a government career he says he has never regretted the decision if i hadnt received a very nice academic job for my first job i might have ended up in government to see what kind of career i could get there said gause but the accidents of your life history lead you places you didnt think they would i havent regretted it for a minute ive been very happy with the choice
dr arnie vedlitz executive associate dean of the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university was one of three faculty members honored for the impact their research has had in the field of energy which has been identified as one of the universitys grand challenges they were recognized during a timeout of the texas a&m–university of south carolina football game on october 31 at kyle field most of vedlitzs energy research work focuses on the relationship between energy production and use and climate change his research work specifically examines the way in which decision makers and the public view energys impact on climate and what if anything should be done about it in addition to his administrative duties vedlitz holds the bob bullock chair in government and public policy and directs the bush schools institute for science technology and public policy joining vedlitz on the football field were dr akhil datta gupta who holds the l f peterson chair in petroleum engineering and karen viero associate professor and associate department head nuclear engineering im delighted to see dr vedlitz honored in such a public venue for his outstanding contributions to the vital issue of energy said bush school dean ryan crocker i commend the university and the athletic department for their support for our distinguished faculty and for publicly recognizing the significant impacts they have on key research topics
michael k young newly appointed president of texas a&m university has also been appointed to the bush school of government and public service faculty as a professor of public policy a distinguished lawyer with broad experience in teaching and researching international law and human rights young was the fuyo professor of japanese law at columbia university law school and served as founder and director of the center for japanese legal studies and the center for korean legal studies in addition to the bush school young also holds a joint appointment with the texas a&m law school in fort worth texas i greatly appreciate the opportunity to work with students and faculty at one of the best schools of its kind in the country said young the bush schools rise to national and international prominence in a relatively short time reflects texas a&ms status as a world-class institution and our broad focus on service leadership excellence and other core values robert gates 22nd president of texas a&m former us secretary of defense and former dean of the bush school shared his excitement following the selection of young as texas a&ms president earlier in the year in mike young the board of regents has selected a leader of national stature in higher education as well as someone with a broad and diverse background said gates i am confident he will lead texas a&m to even greater success in the future i am also impressed with his focus on the needs and interests of students as well as on the research enterprise i believe he will be a great fit for texas a&m a member of the council on foreign relations president young has broad experience in public service and international affairs he served during the administration of president george h w bush as deputy legal advisor deputy under-secretary for economic and agricultural affairs and ambassador for trade and environmental affairs in the us department of state during his career president young has worked on the treaties related to german unification the north american free trade agreement and the un conference on environment and development he is a graduate of harvard law school and a fellow of the american bar foundation prior to becoming president of texas a&m in february 2015 young served as president of the university of washington a position he had held since 2011 he has more than three decades of teaching research and leadership experience in higher education and has taught at the law schools of columbia university and the university of utah young also served as dean of the george washington university law school and has been a visiting professor and scholar at three universities in japan ryan crocker current dean of the bush school said youngs legal knowledge and public service experience will be a valuable asset to the school we are deeply honored president young will have a faculty position at the bush school said crocker he held senior positions at the state department during the administration of president george h w bush and his years of teaching and research in international law and human rights as well as his broad experience in higher education will bring a unique perspective to the school
the women peace and security (wps) symposium provides a timely opportunity to address the challenges and opportunities of the wps agenda by discussing them in a bi-partisan environment developing connections between texas regional and national stakeholders this symposium was held on september 11 2015 at the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university symposium highlights | symposium agenda symposium highlights women in foreign policy conference part 1 view the women in foreign policy talk part one women in foreign policy conference part 2 view the women in foreign policy talk part two women in foreign policy conference part 3 view the women in foreign policy talk part three women in foreign policy conference part 4 view the women in foreign policy talk part four symposium agenda national security and womens insecurity why women matter in foreign policy september 11 2015 annenberg presidential conference center1002 george bush drive westcollege station texas 77843 information friday november 18 20169:30 pm – 4:30 pm registration q&a – opening seating; no reservation required11:45 am – 12:15 pmbanquet room 1011b of the annenberg pcc reception – no reservation required4:30 pm – 5:30 pmpcc lobby panels – seating is limited to 20 participants for panels location annenberg presidential conference center1002 george bush drive westcollege station texas 77843 description the women peace and security (wps) symposium at the bush school of government and public service provides a timely opportunity to address the challenges and opportunities of the wps agenda by discussing them in a bi-partisan environment developing connections between texas regional and national stakeholders program agenda the symposium will be held in the presidential dining room of the annenberg center seating for the panels audience is limited to 20 persons and is first come first serve you must arrive on time for the panel and stay for the entire panel so as not to disrupt the proceedings the q&a session will be in 1011b in the annenberg center; we will have refreshments and seating is more generous: bush school students are especially invited the closing reception is in the annenberg lobby and is open to all bush school students faculty and staff friday november 18 2016 9:30 am–9:50 am – conference welcome addressdean mark welsh iii the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university 9:50 am–10:25 am – symposium opening orientation the bush school of government and public service (tamu)why the women peace and security agenda matters why it matters to the united states and why it matters nowvalerie m hudson the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university 10:25 am–11:35 am – first plenary session: women peace and security part i the united states air forcecombat integration and other challenges/opportunities for the military servicesdeborah lee james secretary of the us air forcethe george w bush center (smu)the womens initiative of the bush centernatalie gonnella-platts deputy director the womens initiative the bush institute and bush centerthe bush school of government and public service (tamu)the bush schools program on women peace and securityvalerie m hudson the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university 11:35 am-11:45 am – break 11:45 am-12:15 pm – q&a with bush school masters students 12:20 pm–1:15 pm – panelists lunch 1:15 pm–1:25 pm – break 1:25 pm–2:30 pm – second plenary session: women peace and security part ii the institute for inclusive securitynational action plans and the new administrationdeborah cavinthe gendercide awareness projectforeign policy and gendercidebeverly hilltexas a&m university law schoolmigration waves and womensahar aziz 2:35 pm–3:30 pm – integration of women in the military services texas a&m corps of cadetsintegration in the corpsbrigadier general joseph ramirez (ret) commandantus armyintegration in the us armyltc christine rice chief women in the service/soldier 2020 dmpm hqda g-1 us armywomen in international securityintegration in the us militaryellen haring women in international security (wiis)us house of representativesreflectionsrepresentative bill flores (tx-17) 3:30 pm–3:40 pm – break 3:40 pm–4:15 pm – brainstorming: moving the ball forward (brenda oppermann moderator) finding helpful information partners and resourcesdiscussion on current and potential executive and legislative actionways to continue the discussion in washington dc 4:15 pm-4:30 pm – closing remarksvalerie m hudson the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university 4:30 pm–5:30 pm – reception (lobby)
institute director vedlitz along with senior fellow james stoutenborough and rebecca bromley-trujillo have published their article how to win friends and influence people: climate scientists perspectives on their relationship with and influence on government officials in the journal of public policy noting the increasingly important role of expert scientists in complex policy issues the researchers examine the perceptions scientists have of their influence on the policy process using the results from interviews with 514 climate scientists conducted as part of a noaa funded study the researchers explore how individual scientists perceive the collective influence of the scientific community on climate change policymaking and the nature of the relationships between scientists and policymakers these climate scientists have all been published in at least one of 13 internationally renowned scientific journals that are the most cited in the field factors considered in this study include trust contact attitudes specialization and demographics based on their analyses the researchers find that from the perspective of the scientists contact with policymakers trust and attitudes about climate change play a significant role in shaping their relationships with policymakers james w stoutenborough rebecca bromley-trujillo and arnold vedlitz 2015 how to win friends and influence people: climate scientists perspectives on their relationship with and influence on government officials journal of public policy 35(2): 269–296 doi: 101017/s0143814x15000112
this years mclane leadership in business award was presented to h e b in recognition of the grocery store chains exemplary customer service industry leadership and community involvement mr craig l boyan the president and chief operating officer of h e b spoke and accepted the award before a full auditorium of students faculty and community members on wednesday october 7 at the annenberg presidential conference center the event was hosted by the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy at the bush school of government and public service and began with welcome remarks from ambassador ryan crocker dean of the bush school dr lori l taylor director of the mosbacher institute introduced mr boyan mr boyan began his address by acknowledging the h e b members in the audience and the deep connection h e b has with college station and texas a&m mr boyan spoke about h e bs purpose and mission to be the best retailer possible in texas by investing in the lowest possible prices its partners and their families and the communities they serve and help he continued with an overview of h e bs growth: $23 billion in total sales 370 stores in texas and mexico and 85 000 partners he mentioned the macro-economics and public policy that shaped h e b throughout the years by examining how us productivity debt and gdp has affected the sales and shares in the industry he stated that despite the competition within the industry h e b is the lowest price guarantor the seventh best employer to work for in the nation and the largest philanthropic giver in texas he ended his remarks by presenting five key leadership lessons: 1) restless dissatisfaction 2) be a constant student 3) be the question 4) capture the power of others and 5) create purpose and passion in addition he stressed the importance of understanding the differences between leadership and management the talk was followed by a conversation with dr lori taylor who presented questions posed by the audience about the future of h e b food waste leadership success and community involvement as a private firm the evening closed with the presentation of the award by drayton mclane jr the awards sponsor and namesake to mr boyan who accepted it on behalf of h e b the award is conferred by the mosbacher institute and recognizes outstanding contributions in the area of business public service or community service craig boyan and dr lori taylor craig boyan receiving the mclane leadership in business award
for dr jeryl mumpower newly returned department head of the bush schools public service and administration department teaching and research have always been an act of serviceboth to the academic community and the broader public ive been very pleased to have had a career at research universities doing the things that professors at research universities do said mumpower its a great job we get to teach we get to do research and we get to engage in service to the professional community and the broader community that focus on public service is what eventually led mumpower to the bush school after a distinguished twenty-two-year career at the nelson a rockefeller college of public affairs and policy state university of new york at albany he moved to college station to accept a position as department head of the public service and administration department and joe r and teresa lozano long chair in business and government i came to the bush school in 2007 and it was a very exciting place to be said mumpower im passionate about public universities so being able to be part of a place that has a compelling vision dedicated to the promotion of government and public service and has substantial resources in place is very appealing for the past three years mumpower has been serving the broader public through a position at the national science foundation (nsf) as director of the division for social behavioral and economic sciences the nsf is an independent federal agency with an annual budget of more than $7 billion that provides funding for basic research at colleges and universities across the nation while at nsf mumpower oversaw a division of about thirty-five people and was responsible for dispersing just under $100 million to valuable research initiatives mumpowers most recent time at nsf was his third tour at the agency he previously served from 1980 to 1984 as program manager and policy analyst in the division of policy research and analysis and from 1998 to 1999 as program director for the decision risk and management science program he firmly believes in the mission of nsf to allocate federal dollars to research in order to make the best possible investments its fundamentally important to invest in knowledge said mumpower sometimes the payoffs are hard to wrap your head around because it takes years or even decades before the payoffs are evident but many times the research has an extraordinary return on investment for american taxpayers while promoting research at the nsf was highly rewarding mumpower says he is excited about once again interacting with students faculty and staff at the bush school you get to do a lot of things at nsf but you lose the ability to interact with students said mumpower i am looking forward to getting to know first-year students new to the bush school and second-year students before they head out the door mumpower will have lots of opportunities to engage students this semester while supervising a capstone team researching the potential effects of trade restrictions among us states and among north american countries capstones at the bush school are integrative team-based applied research projects required of all students and led by a faculty advisor this years capstone will be the first to partner with the texas a&m school of law with capstones you get to find out a lot about things you wouldnt necessarily know about if it werent for the opportunity to participate in the capstone said mumpower the instructors role is different from other courses since his or her role is primarily as a resource or guide in many ways you are more like a coach than a teacher in the past mumpower has taught courses in decision making in public service and risk analysis among others prior to joining the bush school mumpower served at the nelson a rockefeller college of public affairs and policy state university of new york at albany as professor of public administration public policy public health and information science and directed programs at both the masters and doctoral levels he also served in several administrative roles while at albany including associate provost dean of graduate studies dean of the school of public health interim vice provost for research and interim provost the positions ive hadbeing a chair a dean several times vice president for research and provosthave all been rewarding experiences said mumpower to be able to get up and go to work and say im a university professor and get to do a lot of different things is what has been the sweetest thing about this profession
eighteen graduate students from the bush school led by dr joseph cerami and janeen wood travelled to rome italy to take part in a study abroad course geopolitics of mediterranean security the three-week course included seminars with prominent regional scholars and leaders and visits to various international organizations including the us embassy in rome; the un food and agriculture organization; and the nato defense college where students participated in seminars by senior military and civilian researchers and faculty during this course we had the opportunity to partner with marconi university in rome which has excellent connections with scholars practitioners former ministers of defense ministers of foreign affairs and former ambassadors said cerami what we wanted to give the students was an opportunity to hear italian perspectives on european us and middle east/north african international relations the idea was to provide something unique: a program that would bring together different academic disciplines focusing on the geopolitics of the mediterranean each week day consisted of three seminars featuring speakers from a variety of backgrounds who discussed issues such as the current immigration crisis; terrorism and foreign fighters; the wars in libya iraq and syria; israel and palestine; and relations with egypt iran and saudi arabia other seminars addressed european history demographics energy security nato and the european union among the lecturers were professor carlo jean a retired italian general and former military advisor to the president of the italian republic; dr lapo pistelli former italian vice minister of foreign affairs; ambassador maurizio melani former italian ambassador to iraq; and ambassador minuto rizzo former deputy general secretary of nato current us foreign service officers from the us embassy in rome who were able to provide insights into careers in the foreign service and the unique challenges officers face also visited the group students had afternoons evenings and weekends to experience the rich culture of italy several students made good use of their free time with weekend trips to locations outside of rome including venice naples assisi and florence from enjoying italian operas to visiting the vatican museum students were able to gain a deeper understanding of the culture of italy most importantly they learned a good deal about italian and european perspectives on mediterranean regional security and the ongoing conflicts and complex european relations with the middle east and north africa the geopolitics of mediterranean security study abroad was a great opportunity and a well-planned academic course said forest clark a bush school student who participated in the trip with all that is occurring in and around the mediterranean today dr cerami and marconi university were able to tailor a unique program that centered on security-related current events their historical foundations and their geopolitical ramifications also the ability to experience the city of rome and its cultural sites was an added benefit to this wonderful bush school opportunity the trip to italy was a part of the bush schools study abroad program which typically offers trips during the winter and summer months past trips have included visits to china belgium india and germany students at the bush school are also able to take part in reciprocal exchange programs that allow students to take graduate courses at institutes of higher education around the globe partnering universities include carleton university in ottawa canada; freie university of berlin; jindal university in delhi india; national university in seoul south korea; and several universities in china including the institute for international studies in shanghai foreign affairs university in beijing and southwestern university of finance and economics in chengdu study abroad trips are an important part of the education students receive at the bush school said dr gause head of the department of international affairs by taking part in these international opportunities students are able to develop a better understanding of a region in ways only possible by actually visiting the area and interacting with the institutions and people there at the bush school we seek to provide students studying international affairs a well-rounded education study abroad trips international internships language immersions and exchange programs are a big part of that effort
over the years scholars at the bush schools institute for science technology and public policy (istpp) have seen their research results affect key public policy issues the institute has become known for providing decision makers with balanced and credible information on complex and sometimes controversial issues two articles by istpp director dr arnold vedlitz and his co-authors dr james stoutenborough dr sammy zahran and dr paul kellstedt all of whom are institute research fellows were recently cited in a report produced by the intergovernmental panel on climate change (ipcc) an international group that evaluates the science of climate change both articles (citations given below) were based on representative national surveys of us adults with climate change so provocative and opposing views offered almost daily how the public evaluates the information provided is an important factor in the debate the first article cited in the ipcc report by kellstedt zahran and vedlitz concludes that thinking one is well informed on climate change having confidence in scientists and believing ones own actions can affect change are key factors in how an individual feels about the issue the second article by stoutenborough and vedlitz examined the knowledge deficit model (kdm) which posits that the detailed knowledge scientists have about an issue versus that of the general public means that the public will not view the issue in the same way as scientists they find that individuals who have a more scientific understanding of climate change express more concern about this issue the ipcc was established in 1988 by the world meteorological organization and the united nations environment program to provide policymakers with regular assessments of the scientific basis of climate change its impacts and future risks and options for adaptation and mitigation ipcc reports are written by leading scientists who review and evaluate the research to be included inclusion in these reports is an indication of the high quality of the work done by bush school and institute scholarscitations: kellstedt paul m sammy zahran and arnold vedlitz 2008 personal efficacy the information environment and attitudes toward global warming and climate change in the united states risk analysis 28 (1): 113-26 http://dxdoiorg/101111/j1539-6924200801010x stoutenborough james w and arnold vedlitz 2014 the effect of perceived and assessed knowledge of climate change on public policy concerns: an empirical comparison environmental science & policy 37 (march): 23-33 http://dxdoiorg/101016/jenvsci201308002
ed f kruse a member of the texas a&m class of 1949 and a steadfast supporter of the bush school of government and public service and of texas a&m university died on september 23 2015 during his student years kruse was a distinguished military student in the corps of cadets and lettered on the varsity swim team after graduating with a bs in dairy manufacturing kruse returned to his family business blue bell creameries headquartered in brenham texas he held a number of positions with the company over the years becoming chairman president and general manager in 1968 and chief executive officer in 1986 edward and his brother howard 52 were among the earliest supporters of the bush school in 1998 they established the edward and howard kruse endowed directorship chair for the dean of the bush school a grant from the hr bum bright endowment for faculty chairs matched the kruses $500 000 donation creating a $1 million fund to support leading-edge research and critical needs for the college the kruses endowed scholarships have enabled numbers of aggies to continue their education and the support for faculty and teaching excellence has enabled significant improvements in the academic environment in addition to their support for the bush school the kruse family has demonstrated their commitment to academic excellence at texas a&m by significant contributions to a range of colleges and organizations including the college of agriculture and life sciences the college of medicine and the corps of cadets bush school dean ryan crocker noted that the early support of ed kruse and his family was critical to the establishment of the school the fact that the kruse family indicated their confidence in the future of the bush school from the very beginning helped others to see the value of this new academic enterprise said crocker we are honored to have known such a fine man as ed kruse and will forever be grateful for his many contributions to the bush school and texas a&m university
the 14th anniversary of 9/11 was a fitting time for activists and scholars from across the nation to come together and discuss how the status of women affects national and global security said bush school of government & public service dean ryan crocker at a conference hosted by texas a&m none of the 9/11 hijackers were women said crocker former ambassador to six middle eastern nations they came from a movement sheltered in the talibans afghanistan one of the most repressive regimes in the world when it comes to womens rights at the conference titled national security and womens insecurity: why women matter in foreign policy famed womens rights activist gloria steinem spoke via video teleconference she touched on a number of topics including her work fighting sex trafficking the culture of female subjugation and the history of gender relations there is the danger of thinking that the way things are now is human nature and cannot be changed noted steinem there have been many cultures throughout history where women and men have enjoyed equal status the kinds of hierarchical structures we are seeing today are not necessarily part of human nature society views so-called womens issues differently than those which affect men steinem asserted what happens to men is called ‘political but what happens to women is called ‘cultural calling it ‘cultural is a way of saying you cant change it but its all political…we need a foreign policy that behaves as if the female part of the population matters bush school professor valerie hudson who co-authored the hillary doctrine: sex and american foreign policy spoke of her extensive research on the link between the security and status of women and the security of nations she said womens rights are tied directly to such factors as a countrys food security economic prosperity population growth and likelihood of conflict its no coincidence she added that the most conflict-affected nations in the world are the nations where women are treated poorly hudson said there cannot be peace between the nations until there is peace between the sexes the roots of many things we value like democracy and human rights are to be found in the character of societal relations between men and women she noted how can you have democracy at the national level until you have shared power in the household you cant have democracy in a nation with autocracy in the home michèle flournoy former undersecretary of defense for policy and co-founder/ceo of the center for new american security said in her experience working with military commanders she learned that in conflict-prone areas women are reliable early warning indicators when you talk to the women you get a whole different more nuanced picture of the society she said those commanders who leverage that tend to do better she added that women must be present at the table in foreign policy decision-making donald steinberg president and ceo of world learning an international nonprofit organization that provides education exchange and development programs in more than 60 countries mentioned the importance of including all marginalized populations not just women redefining what national security means is about women but its also about lgbt indigenous populations the disabled we have to redefine who matters he emphasized it was noted by participants that much progress has been made in the fight for equality but more work needs to be done dr sima samar head of the afghan independent human rights commission who previously served as deputy chair and minister of womens affairs in the post-taliban interim administration of afghanistan said there have been many strides for afghan women including their participation in sports the police and special forces and business but corruption is causing violence against women and human rights violations she insisted not all girls have access to education…there is still a strong taliban presence several conference participants discussed the importance of womens reproductive rights; steinem asserted that reproductive rights are directly linked to climate change because overpopulation affects the environment while there are no easy solutions conference participants agreed that including more women in governance is vital they also noted the importance of listening to the needs of women in conflict-affected areas building programs for women to further their education and skills and holding leaders more accountable to promote the status and security of women other conference participants were kristen cordell senior gender advisor at usaid; c christine fair georgetown professor and former un political officer; ann marie goetz nyu professor and former un advisor; the honorable swanee hunt former ambassador to austria and chair of the institute for inclusive security; kathleen kuehnast senior advisor at the us institute of peace; robin morgan author and co-founder of the womens media center; charlotte ponticelli program director and advisor for the american committees on foreign relations; alissa j rubin new york times bureau chief; and micah zenko of the center for preventive action at the council on foreign relations hudsons co-author on the hillary doctrine patricia leidl read a prepared statement by foreign policy columnist lauren wolfe who had to cancel her appearance due to illness written by lesley henton division of marketing & communications texas a&m university
bush school students lexia arther miguel eusse julie thompson and chloe verschuren with the support of their faculty advisor dr gabriela marin thornton have launched the texas a&m chapter of european horizons (eh) a national organization seeing to foster discourse in the united states on the future of europe european horizons is a us-based non-partisan think tank devoted to exploring european identity modernizing and reforming the concept of the social market economy advancing the cause of european integration and deepening transatlantic relations to meet these ambitious goals european horizons has established a network of students professors business leaders and european decision-makers in hopes of raising awareness about europe in the us and fostering policy debates on the future of europe the organization sponsors an annual european student conference at yale university hosts a fall policy convention and publishes research and policy papers through its academic journal the review of european and transatlantic affairs the texas a&m eh chapter will join other chapters – harvard cornell columbia stanford and other universities – in a constructive dialogue that will put forward a platform of ideas for reforming the european union and setting a policy vision for its future dr thornton noted that creation of the texas a&m eh chapter by bush school students will help all texas a&m students understand european issues more fully and also provide opportunities for networking with fellow students at peer institutions around the nation all a&m students undergraduate and graduate are invited to join for more information about eh please visit the website at http://wwweuropeanhorizonsorg additional details about the texas a&m chapter of eh can be obtained from julie thompson at jmt0236@tamuedu
since its founding bush school students faculty and staff have had an international impact through internships study abroad and language immersion programs capstone projects conferences and other research endeavors during the summer of 2015 bush school students could be found in 21 countries outside the us including argentina belgium china costa rica jordan morocco and russia internationally students served in internships with the us department of state (including embassies in peru singapore and china) us european command and the us commercial service among many others domestically bush school students could be found within a variety of organizations including the us senate us department of energy us drug enforcement agency the port authority of new york and new jersey and nonprofits such as the barbara bush literacy foundation and the meadows mental health policy institute having this kind of real world experience while in school significantly enhances our students education said dr arnold vedlitz they see how government and nonprofit organizations operate and how what they are learning at the bush school relates to their career choices were grateful to the many organizations that provide this opportunity to our students bush school students seeking to learn new languages found opportunities to study through language immersions around the globe including china france germany korea russia and spain popular languages for study included arabic mandarin chinese russian and spanish the school provided a combined total of $214 500 in additional internship and language immersion funding to assist students completing unpaid internships and immersions this past year bush school faculty and students could also be found conducting research in international locations a team of students took part in recent field research conducted by dr jessica gottlieb in senegal for two months of intensive field work on how local elites influence voter behavior other recent research has included work for bosch stiftung which culminated in a trip to germany for students led by dr gabriela thornton to present their findings on trilateral relations among the us germany and china international affairs students and faculty traveled to europe this past summer including a trip to italy led by dr joseph cerami dr chris layne gave an invited lecture at the dutch foreign ministry and also spoke at a meeting co-sponsored by the university of amsterdam and the netherlands atlantic committee drs chris layne and gabriela thornton participated in a roundtable discussion on transatlantic relations in amsterdam and gave lectures at the university of bucharest during the summer of 2015 in order to highlight the many ways the school is making a global impact the bush schools student and career services and the office of communications and external relations launched the #bushgoesglobal social media initiative the purpose of the initiative which will continue through the 2015-2016 academic year is to showcase share and collect data on the activities of students faculty and staff both at home and abroad members of the bush school community participate in the social media initiative by posting pictures of themselves in their various locations on facebook twitter and instagram using the hashtag #bushgoesglobal
john m barry a prize-winning new york times best-selling author will give the keynote address at the global pandemic policy summit to be held at the bush school the keynote address presented by the scowcroft institute of international affairs (siia) and the school of public health at texas a&m is set for 5:30 pm on september 16 at the annenberg presidential conference center with a reception immediately following barrys presentation is free and open to the public in 2004 barrys book the great influenza: the epic story of the deadliest plague in history about the 1918 flu pandemic was named the outstanding book on science or medicine by the national academies of science he was the only non-scientist to serve on the governments infectious disease board of experts and has advised both the bush and obama administrations on influenza preparedness and response this conference addresses one of the timeliest topics in which the institute has ever been engaged said siia director andrew natsios given the recent ebola epidemic the issue of prevention treatment and response to pandemics has become an even more important public health issue he added seating is limited so registration is required
in this study istpp senior research fellow james stoutenborough and istpp director arnold vedlitz study stakeholders attitudes about climate change and the influence of knowledge levels information sources and institutional settings on these attitudes understanding such influences matters given the vulnerability of coastal areas to the effects of climate change such as sea level rise and hurricanes and the role of stakeholders in shaping coastal management policies using data from in-depth interviews of stakeholders along the gulf coast in florida texas and louisiana the researchers analyze various influences on stakeholders views about the existence of climate change they find that coastal stakeholders generally accept the reality of climate change this is particularly true for stakeholders who are more knowledgeable about the effects of climate change on coastal areas other factors that influence stakeholders attitudes include the sources of information used to learn about climate change as well as norms related to the types of institutions in which the stakeholders work this study is based on research conducted by istpp under a cooperative agreement (r-83023601-0) with the environmental protection agency here is the report for that project – use of science in gulf of mexico decision making involving climate change james w stoutenborough and arnold vedlitz 2015 knowledge information and views of climate change: an examination of coastal stakeholders along the gulf of mexico climate 3(4): 983–998 doi: 103390/cli3040983
dr gabriela marin thornton an instructional associate professor of international affairs at the bush school of government and public service has assumed the presidency of the texas a&m womens faculty network (wfn) the campus organization committed to encouraging and promoting the professional development of women faculty wfn uses both formal programming and informal networking to assist women faculty and also sponsors professional development opportunities addressing such issues as research teaching and retention of women faculty the wfn sponsors and supports a range of educational social and mentoring activities for women faculty said thornton were also engaged in recruiting and retaining women faculty at the university as well as creating opportunities for contact and communication among women faculty at texas a&m she said dr thornton joined the wfn steering committee in 2012 representing the bush school the committee coordinates the years program of meetings and activities including the mentoring program each year the wfn presents an outstanding mentoring award to a female faculty member who has shown special diligence in mentoring women faculty across the campus as a member of the steering committee and as the secretary of the organization dr thornton was the organizer and co-organizer of several wfn campus-wide coffee talks and luncheons in 2013 which celebrated fifty years of contributions by women at texas a&m the purpose of mentoring meetings coffee talks and luncheons is to educate and mentor texas a&m women faculty as well as to promote and celebrate their outstanding accomplishments said thornton im looking forward to this new challenge and will work tirelessly to further the objectives of the womens faculty network
the department of political science welcomes seven new scholars joining our department this fall semester! this exciting group of political scientists includes five new assistant professors an instructional assistant professor and a visiting scholar carlisle rainey an expert in statistical methodology received his phd from florida state university he joins the department from the university of buffalo where he was an assistant professor ian turner recently received his phd from washington university in st louis he is a game theorist who studies inter-branch relations in the united states timm betz and amy pond recently received their phds from the university of michigan professor betz studies the way international institutions are used for domestic political purposes professor pond uses formal models to identify challenges to economic and political development brittany perry and florian hollenbach received their phd from duke university professor perry joins our department from lafayette college where she was an assistant professor her main interests are in the race and ethnic politics with a particular interest in congress and the representation of latinos prof hollenbach joins the department from the niehaus center for globalization and governance at princeton university where he spent last year as a fellow he studies the political economy of taxation and redistribution in authoritarian regimes andrea aldrich is a phd candidate at the university of pittsburgh her research focus is on political parties and comparative legislative behavior with a focus on the european parliament on sept 1 2022 the department of political science became part of the bush school of government & public service
before earning a master of public affairs degree from the lyndon b johnson school of public affairs at the university of texas james a jim arnold jr ‘77 graduated with his bachelors degree from texas a&m where he studied political science and was involved in the student government association throughout his career arnold has drawn on his experiences as a political science major and his interest in government its worked out well because i studied something i really enjoy he said there are a lot of people who cant say that arnold had been working for the texas legislative budget board for five years when a friend asked if he would be interested in working on republican tom loefflers 1986 gubernatorial primary campaign since then he has worked on a number of political campaigns including then-agriculture commissioner rick perrys ultimately successful campaign for lieutenant governor in 1998 after working on campaigns and in government at the state and national level arnold transitioned to lobbying he said his greatest challenge especially as a lobbyist who represents many nonprofit groups is trying to convince people to do the right thing for people his career has also led him to countries around the world including turkey where he volunteered to train syrian activists for the international republican institute an organization whose goal is to foster and develop democracies around the world our goal was to at least start to talk about what would happen in a post-al-assad government because two years ago people were thinking that he wasnt going to last […] these are people who wanted better things for syria than what was happening under al-assad he said while a career in politics may sound unappealing to some arnold believes it can be an exhilarating field for people who want to make a difference somebody thats interested in politics would be somebody that wanted to do something that had larger consequences for the community or for the state he said if you like ambiguity and you like excitement and you think youre doing good work out there for your country or your state […] its a pretty exciting place to be arnold said the people he worked with on political campaigns generally believed in their party or candidate and trusted that they were doing the right thing although the political world can be tough arnold admits it can also be inspiring to work for things that you think – whether youre a republican or a democrat – are good for not only you but the broader community while he touts the years spent working on campaigns as some of the most exciting of his career he said campaigning is definitely not for the faint of heart i used to tell young people its a great profession to go into: its long hours low pay and no job security – so how could you turn something like that down on sept 1 2022 the department of political science became part of the bush school of government & public service
an article by istpp associate research scientist xinsheng liu and director arnold vedlitz along with institute senior fellows james stoutenborough and scott robinson in the peer-reviewed journal climatic change has been ranked one of the most widely read articles online by altmetric an organization that measures scholarly articles digital impact and reach the article scientists views and positions on global warming and climate change: a content analysis of congressional testimonies looked at whether the views and positions given by scientists during congressional testimony were divided or consistent on the reality and human cause of global warming and climate change altmetric currently gives this article a score of eighty-nine and notes that it has done particularly well ranking in the top five percent of all articles ever tracked by altmetric the article was also ranked number one of sixty-five articles of a similar age (published within six weeks of each other) published in climatic change traditionally publishers of scientific journals have measured the impact of a research article by the number of times it is cited in other publications by other researchers altmetric tracks collects and measures data gathered from places where professionals and members of the public talk about science onlineblogs twitter facebook message boards and mainstream newspapers and magazines this allows researchers and publishers to see what people are saying about a scholarly paper and how much attention it is receiving relative to peer articles this new way of gathering and analyzing data about a particular publications digital impact is an important step in understanding how much impact our work is having said vedlitz its especially important when the research is on a subject as critical as climate change he added the cited article can be found at: scientists views and positions on global warming and climate change: a content analysis of congressional testimonies climatic change (2015) 131:487–503 http://dxdoiorg/101007/s10584-015-1390-6
amanda rutherford has won both the association of former students distinguished graduate student award for research and the george kunze prize as the outstanding graduate student at texas a&m rutherford joined the department of political science in 2011 since then she has written ten refereed articles presented research at 18 national conferences and aided in the writing of four national grant applications she is also the recipient of numerous university and national awards i am extremely honored to be selected for this award rutherford said i am grateful to the many individuals who have mentored me and encouraged me to pursue my interests throughout my academic career individuals like my advisor ken meier challenged me to grow in ways that i would not have thought possible and i owe much of my success to them her current research seeks to understand how theories of managerial fit and top management team dynamics from private sector research apply to public agencies that are exposed to high levels of uncertainty and an array of ambiguous goals i study these questions in the context of us higher education a policy arena where demands for greater accountability have become increasingly salient and political in nature she said amanda received her phd at the may 2015 graduation and has joined the faculty of the school of public and environmental affairs at indiana university on sept 1 2022 the department of political science became part of the bush school of government & public service
alvaro gabe pereira of college station has been appointed the next student regent for the texas a&m university system by governor greg abbott he replaces outgoing student regent colton l buckley of gatesville pereira is pursuing a bachelors degree in political science from texas a&m university at college station his term will expire may 31 2016 the board welcomes mr pereira and we look forward to the benefit of his insight on vital matters from a student perspective said cliff thomas chairman of the texas a&m university system board of regents that perspective is critically important as we support all of our universities we also wish to thank mr buckley for his service and we wish him well on all of his future endeavors chancellor john sharp also welcomed the news of mr pereiras appointment the student regent always has a lot of new ideas and fresh ways of looking at our opportunities and challenges chancellor sharp said i look forward to working with mr pereira as he assumes his role as student regent governor abbott announced pereiras appointment on july 2 along with nine other student regents to their respective public universities around the state plus a student representative to serve on the texas higher education coordinating board on sept 1 2022 the department of political science became part of the bush school of government & public service
istpp staff fellows and other researchers presented recently completed studies at various academic conferences earlier this year their research uses results from the institutes 2012 national energy policy survey bullock justin 2015 framing and policy support for hydraulic fracturing: a survey experiment paper presented at the 73rd annual meeting of the midwest political science association chicago illinois april 16–19 co-authored with arnold vedlitz dr bullock also presented a variation of this paper at the southern political science association meeting in january the researchers examine the relationship between issue framing and public opinion using a unique survey-experiment of vignettes embedded in the istpp national energy policy survey these vignettes present information sources of various credibility asking whether the survey respondents would support or oppose hydraulic fracturing or fracking depending on the framing being used if it posed a risk to the local community the vignettes varied this risk by posing different odds for the extraction technique resulting in a release of cancer-causing chemicals into the local water supply the influences of these variables along with self-reported knowledge and political ideology on support for either hydraulic fracturing or fracking are examined shreck brian 2015 perceived risk uncertainty and policy preferences on hydraulic fracturing paper presented at the 86th annual meeting of the southern political science association new orleans louisiana january 15–17 co-authored with arnold vedlitz public opinion about the risks uncertainty and preferred policies for hydraulic fracturing is developing the researchers use the data from the istpp national energy policy survey to delineate the factors that influence public opinion on this critical energy issue they find that policy preferences are influenced by perceptions of risk trust in government regulators and oil companies and sources of information used policy preferences are also tempered by ideology as well as concern about national security and the economy influencing acceptance of risks related to fracking stoutenborough james w 2015 energetic women: evaluating stem initiatives on womens energy knowledge western political science association las vegas nevada april 2–4 co-authored with k lange kellee kirkpatrick and arnold vedlitz the researchers evaluate the effectiveness of federal stem education initiatives designed to decrease the gender gap in these fields and to determine whether stem initiatives had a long-term influence on this knowledge that may not be captured by traditional measures of stem education using results from the 2012 istpp national energy policy survey they analyze womens objective knowledge of energy issues using a nine question true/false battery they compared the level of womens knowledge to the mens knowledge level the researchers also analyze the knowledge levels by age group to capture the effect of various stem initiatives that were implemented during the respondents middle school years
dr valerie hudson joined the faculty of the bush school in 2012 as the george h w bush chair an expert on international security and foreign policy analysis she received her phd in political science at the ohio state university hudson is also known for her significant research on gender and issues of foreign policy and security her current work is a book due out in june 2015 entitled the hillary doctrine: how sex came to matter in american foreign policy the hillary doctrine looks at secretary clintons focus on gender policy and asks how it found a place on the to do list for future secretaries of state hudson said i couldnt see that anyone else was doing a reflection on this aspect of clintons four years as secretary of state and i felt the need to write about it the premise of the hillary doctrine is that the subjugation of women is a direct threat to the security of the united states hudson said this was not a cornerstone of american foreign policy until clinton became secretary of state another aspect of hudsons current research focuses on the question of marriage law and state stability she believes that states are often run by extended clan networks but there has been an oversight concerning women in many studies of political order a states government structure is deeply influenced by the structure of male-female relations hudson says; and societies that have changed marriage customs are the places where democracy has come into full flower which highlights the relationship between human rights and democracy hudson has received funding from the us department of defenses minerva initiative as well as an inaugural andrew carnegie fellowship to pursue research on this subject her first findings will appear in the american political science review later this year in conjunction with her writing and research hudson developed a nation-by-nation database on women (http://womanstatsorg) that has triggered both academic and policy interest from national and international agencies using this data hudson and her co-principal investigators from the womanstats project have published a wide variety of empirical work linking the security of women to the security of states this research has appeared in a number of important journals including international security the journal of peace research political psychology and politics and gender throughout her career hudson has demonstrated a strong commitment to scholarly collaboration both in her own field and in other disciplines she notes that at the bush school we look for opportunities to collaborate she has received significant research grants including from the national science foundation to support her work in international affairs her research and teaching experience is also complemented by three major teaching awards and numerous research awards recently hudson was named a distinguished scholar of foreign policy analysis by the international studies association hudson said she chose the bush school because it is a graduate school has an outstanding international affairs faculty and provides financial support for her research through her endowed chair i am delighted to finally become acquainted with aggie culture hudson said texas a&m university has a unique culture its a great place to be for our kids everyone has been friendly and there is a sense of courtesy and charm here that has gone missing in the rest of the us hudson teaches courses in foreign policy analysis women and nations and qualitative and quantitative methods for students on the national security and diplomacy track i am legendary or perhaps infamous for assigning a lot of reading when students finally realize that the readings are actually kind of a gift from me it is just a delightful experience they realize that ‘she wanted me to know something i wouldnt otherwise know and it makes the whole course better outside of the classroom hudson enjoys traveling having recently gone to new york and washington dc to conduct interviews for her book; and to belfast for a conference of women nobel peace prize winners; and to china for a conference on international security currently she is looking forward to an event here in college station in september when the bush school will hold an important conference on women and foreign policy that has attracted attendees such as michele flournoy and gloria steinem hudson has won numerous awards been published in dozens of news outlets and serves on the editorial board of several academic journals in 2009 foreign policy named her one of the top 100 most influential global thinkers her co-authored book bare branches: security implications of asias surplus male population and the research it presents received major attention from the media with coverage by the wall street journal new york times financial times washington post bbc cnn and numerous other outlets the book also received two national book awards her most recent co-authored book is sex and world peace published by columbia university press she served as vice president of the international studies association for 2011-2012 is a founding editorial board member of foreign policy analysis and also serves on the editorial boards of politics and gender and international studies review
in this study a team of istpp researchers examines the publics perceptions of the health risk posed by climate change using the institutes 2013 national climate change survey a large randomized sample of adults in the united states respondents were asked to evaluate the health risk posed to four groups themselves their community the united states and the world the results suggest that individuals evaluate the risk for each of these contexts differently statistical analyses are estimated to identify the determinants of the perceived risk perception for each group to identify their respective differences james w stoutenborough kellee j kirkpatrick m jeremy field and arnold vedlitz 2015 what butterfly effect: the contextual differences in public perceptions of the health risk posed by climate change climate 3(3): 668–688 https://dxdoiorg/103390/cli3030668
using data collected under two different institute studies istpp researchers and fellows presented their findings at three major conferences this past spring term at the first of these conferences the 86th annual meeting of the southern political science association held in new orleans louisiana january 15–17 2015 tabitha morton presented whos in charge an examination of public opinion on climate change policy management and willingness to pay in this paper morton and co-author arnold vedlitz examine whether peoples opinions of who is responsible for managing policy affect their willingness to pay for such policies and if they do how might willingness to pay be affected this important relationship merits study because cost is one of the primary factors discussed in the us climate change debate costs may be viewed differently across jurisdictions and the type of policy response broadly categorized as mitigation and adaptation policies in this study data from the institutes national climate change survey completed in 2013 are used to analyze how the publics opinions of who should be responsible for climate change policy (federal state local or private sector) affect their willingness to pay for mitigation and adaption policies while controlling for other social economic and political factors james stoutenborough presented public opinion climate change and extreme weather events: does the public believe climate science predictions at the 73rd annual meeting of the midwest political science association held in chicago illinois april 16–19 2015 in this research stoutenborough kellee kirkpatrick and arnold vedlitz use the results of istpps 2013 national climate change survey to determine whether the public believes that climate change has increased the frequency of five extreme weather events flooding drought hurricanes heat waves and tornadoes they also analyze the role recent personnel experience with such events may play in their beliefs about the causal connection between extreme weather events and climate change other potential explanatory variables including standard socio-demographic variables are included in the analytical models the results indicate that the majority of respondents think that climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events additional preliminary analyses suggest that personal experience knowledge risk perception and a number of environmental attitudes may drive these beliefs using data from the noaa-funded study utilization of science-based information on climate change in decision making and the public policy process phase ii xinsheng liu presented an evaluation of congressional testimonies concerning global warming and climate change (gwcc) to ascertain whether the views and positions that the scientists presented were substantially divided analyzing the content of 1 350 congressional testimonies from relevant hearings from 1969 to 2007 the researchers find that regardless of whether republicans or democrats controlled congress the super majority of expert witnesses indicated that gwcc is real at least caused partially by human activity and policies to combat it should be adopted therefore congress has heard the scientific consensus on this issue neither divided science nor an information deficit can adequately explain the lack of congressional action to address gwcc thus new research should explore how business interests partisan predispositions and political ideology are shaping policymakers views on gwcc this paper scientists views and stands on global warming and climate change: a content analysis of congressional testimonies was presented at the seventh international conference on climate change: impacts and responses and the climate change held in vancouver british columbia april 10–11 2015 dr lius co-authors are arnold vedlitz james w stoutenborough and scott robinson
istpp associate research scientist xinsheng liu and director arnold vedlitz along with institute senior fellows james stoutenborough and scott robinson have published their article scientists views and positions on global warming and climate change: a content analysis of congressional testimonies in climatic change this study examines whether scientists views and positions were substantially divided in their congressional testimonies regarding the reality and human cause of global warming and climate change (gwcc) the researchers performed content analysis of 1 350 testimonies from relevant congressional hearings held from 1969 to 2007 they find that the supermajority of experts called as witnesses indicate that gwcc is real at least caused partially by human activity and policies to combat it should be adopted this finding is consistent across various types of scientist groups and under different party controls of congress the researchers conclude that the largely unified gwcc consensus in the scientific community has been presented to the us congress and therefore refute the possibility of a divided science as a source of the gwcc contentions among lawmakers they further challenge the traditional view suggested by the knowledge deficit theory that simply providing additional scientific information is key to evidence-based policy making rather future research needs to shift in new directions to gain a better understanding of how business interests partisan predispositions and political ideology shape the views of policymakers xinsheng liu arnold vedlitz james w stoutenborough and scott robinson 2015 scientists views and positions on global warming and climate change: a content analysis of congressional testimonies climatic change https://dxdoiorg/101007/s10584-015-1390-6
istpp director vedlitz and his co-authors drs bromely-trujillo and stoutenborough have published their research about the level of involvement climate scientists have with environmental interest groups in climatic change climate skeptics and recent research has questioned the objectivity of climate scientists to examine this perception of bias the researchers compare climate scientists involvement with environmental interest groups to that of the general public they find compared to the general public that climate scientists are less likely to attend a demonstration or sign a petition and are neither more nor less likely to donate money to such groups rebecca bromley-trujillo james w stoutenborough and arnold vedlitz 2015 scientific advocacy environmental interest groups and climate change: are climate skeptic portrayals of climate scientists as biased accurate climatic change doi: 101007/s10584-015-1477-0
an essential part of preparing for a public service career involves practical experience for companies and nonprofit or governmental organizations at texas a&m university students at the bush school of government and public service gain this experience by conducting capstone research projects for a range of clients student teams led by a faculty advisor undertake research projects for selected private or public sector clients this past year there were twenty-three capstone projects in the international affairs (inta) and public service and administration (psa) departments each project provided important research and advice for the client two of the capstones have been selected to receive the central texas chapter of the american society for public administration (aspa) mcgrew research award the capstone selected from the psa department was entitled envisioning a bright future for new braunfels children: a community based approach to school readiness; the winning inta capstone was youth employment in ghana: conditions and determinants capstones are the cornerstone of our efforts to educate and socialize our students to be principled leaders in the fields of public service said dr leonard bright assistant dean of graduate education in the bush school these two award winners were carefully selected from among many excellent projects reviewed by the inta and psa departments he added dr mary hilderbrand the chair of the psa department award committee pointed to the creativity of the research the students engagement with the community in doing the research and the extent to which they fulfilled the purpose of the project and met the needs of the client as being among the criteria used to select the award winners the psa capstone was led by dr jenny morrison team members were herilala fanomezantsoa elizabeth hopkins and kathryn tooley the inta capstone was led by dr ren mu and team members were michael barrett andrea berrios yukuai he sean larsen miguel novoa kwame twusmasi-ankrah and camille vega both teams will be honored at a banquet in austin on may 14th and will split a prize of $1 000 from the school
brian shreck has been a predoctoral research associate for isttp since the fall of 2013 shreck a doctoral candidate in the department of political science has presented istpp research at several academic conferences this past year and will submit additional papers for consideration at upcoming conferences so far shreck has used data from two istpp national public surveys one on water policy and one on climate change to analyze the role of informal public discussion and other forms of public discourse on the policy process now having been awarded one of ten 2014-2015 energy institute fellowships selected from a pool of 60 applicants shreck will research the effects of perceived risk and uncertainty on policy preferences on hydraulic fracturing for this effort shreck will use data from another istpp national survey this one on energy policy we at istpp are so proud of brian for this recognition of his important work with us
on friday may 15 131 students from the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university will cross the stage in reed arena with masters degrees in hand seventy-two students have earned a master in international affairs while fifty-nine are graduating with a master in public service and administration less than twenty years since its founding the bush school has grown dramatically with applications increasing as the institutions reputation for academic and research excellence and principled leadership training has grown among peer institutions the school is now ranked in the top 12 percent of the 266 graduate public affairs schools in the nation according to rankings published in us news & world report it ranks thirty-third among both public and private public affairs graduate programs and twenty-first among public university programs on april 27 graduating students were awarded certificates for additional work they had completed in leadership development and writing sixty-seven students were recognized for completing requirements for the deans certificate in leadership or the writing portfolio project students in the leadership development project each created an individual leadership plan including a self-evaluation they then took part in public service leadership projects as part of the programs workshops and individual leadership coaching sessions students in the writing project aimed to improve their writing and critical evaluation skills they also created a writing portfolio to use when seeking post-graduate employment this years graduates will be working in federal state and local government as well as in the private and nonprofit sector bringing the skills they have honed at the school during their classroom work and capstone research projects this years capstones included studies on diverse issues affecting texas and other locales in the us as well as international issues relating to ghana china and iran were very proud of all our graduates and i know that each of them will make significant contributions to their chosen field of endeavor said dean ryan crocker
on april 27 sixty-seven bush school students received the deans leadership certificate as part of the bush schools public service leadership program (pslp) the awards were presented by dr joe cerami pslp director; holly kasperbauer pslp assistant director; dr bill west psaa interim department head; dr greg gause inta department head; and dean ryan crocker the students will graduate in may after completing the master of public service and administration or master of international affairs twenty-eight students were from the psaa program and thirty-nine students were from the inta program to receive the leadership certificate students develop an individual leadership plan participate in workshops and coaching sessions and demonstrate a commitment to life-long learning and leadership development through participation in service and leadership activities using the results of a self-evaluation and what they learn in workshops and individual leadership coaching sessions they demonstrate their commitment to leadership development by taking part in public service leadership projects this program is led by col joe cerami along with holly kasperbauer betty stanton second-year psaa student also received the writing portfolio certificate which is awarded to students who elect to develop a writing portfolio in addition to their degree program requirements with the help of the bush schools writing program led by cindy raisor and kara socol stanton completed an electronic portfolio containing writing samples and reflective essays the writing portfolio includes samples of work that will be useful as she seeks employment after graduation it truly is a testament to the bush schools commitment to public service and leadership that we have so many students graduating with the deans leadership certificate said bush school dean ryan crocker these students went above and beyond what was expected of them and i look forward to hearing about their contributions to public service in the future
on april 24 2015 students from the bush school of government and public service participated in the annual aggie relay for life event held in college station texas aggie relay for life is a student organization at texas a&m that works directly with the american cancer society (acs) office in bryan texas money raised goes to support acs cancer programs and cancer research in the bryan/college station area race teams participate in an all-night relay to raise awareness for and support for research for cancer the bush school team collected over $3 735 in donations for the event placing second only to the official aggie relay committee led by bush students shayan enferadi and rebecca lesemann team members originally set a goal of $2 000; but after a successful fundraising campaign that included a bake sale and talent show they passed their original goal by more than $1 500 i believe the efforts put toward relay for life reflect our namesakes claim that ‘public service is a noble calling said second-year mpsa student rebecca lesemann its the end of the semester and everyone is extremely busy but so many people were willing to go above and beyond with their efforts time and money to help such a great cause thats what being a student at the bush school is all about and im blown away by the support she added relay for life is the signature fundraising event for the american cancer society in its nine years aggie relay for life has raised over one million dollars to help fight cancer in 2015 eighty-six teams participated in the relay and collectively raised $62 555 the bush school is involved in many fundraisers and events for organizations such as habitat for humanity build make-a-wish foundation and the big event
cole blease graham jr assistant dean of assessment and diversity initiatives and professor in the department of public service and administration earned his phd from the university of south carolina in 1971 previously he received masters degrees from the northwestern louisiana state college and the university of pennsylvania grahams academic pursuits are focused in the areas of state and local government social sciences and governmental administration at the bush school graham teaches courses in public budgeting and human resource administration im focused on developing the hard skills of my students in the courses i teach graham said i have them do exercises like run budget simulations and assess employee handbooks thorough academic grounding combined with relevant application can give my students a solid start on a public service career prior to coming to the bush school graham was an assistant professor in the department of political science at the university of south carolina and a research associate in the bureau of governmental research and services graham was promoted to a full professor position at usc in 1994; but before that he served as a consultant to several health institutions other governmental agencies and private corporations at usc graham fulfilled numerous roles including vice chair of the department director of the departments mpa program dean of the college of criminal justice and interim dean for the college of liberal arts graham joined the bush school faculty in the fall of 2009 my teaching philosophy centers on academic research and field performance graham said in the classroom i orient my students toward existing research and key concepts and then we move on to practice applications that they may encounter in the workplace after they graduate in addition to his teaching responsibilities graham also serves as the assistant dean of diversity and assessment where he helps develop internal dialogue to increase diversity within the bush schools student body and assists with the schools institutional accreditation grahams deep involvement with the bush school on an academic and administrative level has given him unique insight into the benefits the bush school has to offer both its students and faculty the bush school is focused graham said the schools emphasis on public service attracts a type of student with high ideals the students at this institution are far more engaged and ready to make a difference in the world graham is particularly impressed with the resources available to the students at the bush school we have extraordinary faculty and researchers who exhibit a variety of skills graham said our career consultants are some of the best ive ever worked with and the small class sizes allow more interactive seminar-style discussion graham is also quick to emphasize what he thinks is one of the bush schools most underappreciated qualitiesthe surrounding community id like to dispel the myth that college station is some dry and dusty town graham said people hear ‘texas and they think ‘desert but that is not the case here the bush school is part of a major research universitytexas a&mwhich sits in the center of a thriving local economy and vibrant culture were a gem on the brazos river in the end graham believes the bush school presents a beautiful opportunity for students who want to step into the world of public service and administration in two years you can leave this school with the skills and resources necessary to make a significant impact and contribution to the world around you graham said there is no better guarantee than that
the institute for science technology and public policy welcomes dr bryce hannibal as a postdoctoral research associate dr hannibals academic interests include economic sociology social networks and network analysis social policy innovation and creativity and environmental sociology he received his phd and ms degrees in sociology from texas a&m university and his bs from brigham young university-idaho his dissertation work focused on innovation historical importance and career success among jazz musicians as an outcome of network characteristics dr hannibal has taught courses on globalization classical and contemporary social theory the sociology of work as well as workshops on social network analysis in both liberal arts and business school settings in addition to extending his dissertation work his current research projects include dynamic social network analysis network influences of environmental knowledge social impacts on environmental concern and influences of congressional testimony networks we are very excited to have dr hannibal join our staff and look forward to the additional theoretical perspectives and analytical expertise he brings to our research in the institute
on monday april 20 2015 will hurd the us representative for texass 23rd congressional district treated students at the bush school of government and public service to a special presentation ryan crocker dean of the bush school facilitated the talk hurd spent a majority of his time with the students fielding and answering questions about life as a congressman border and cyber security and the looming threat of isis hurd graduated from texas a&m university in 2000 with a degree in computer science he served as student body president of a&m in 1999 and is credited with uniting the student body in the aftermath of the bonfire collapse after graduation hurd worked as an undercover officer with the central intelligence agency for nine years in afghanistan pakistan and india his experience in the middle east uniquely qualifies him to speak on the developing situation involving isis in iraq and syria they way isis is leveraging social media to broadcast their message is unprecedented hurd said they are reaching tens of millions of people per day using those channels currently it is the rock star of the international terrorism world and we have to stop them when asked by a bush school student about the most effective strategies for eliminating isis hurd said it would take a collaborative effort between the us military and syria we have to destroy isis within the borders of iraq and syria hurd said the only way that is going to happen is through developing good local intelligence and cultivating relationships with people in the region following his stint in the cia hurd joined the team at cybersecurity firm fusionx as a senior advisor in this role hurd helps large manufacturers financial institutions major retailers and critical infrastructure providers tackle a wide range of complex cybersecurity challenges we spend a lot of time talking about securing our physical borders but we have to secure our digital border as well hurd said in regard to cyber attacks micro actors are having macro impacts and currently theres not a grand strategy in development to talk about digital-to-digital attacks and our response borders are of particular concern to congressman hurd he represents texass 23rd district which is not only the largest congressional district in texas but also runs along a majority of the us – mexico border hurd said he felt compelled to run for congressional office after being exposed to elected officials during his time in the cia i would brief members of congress and they would ask me what the difference was between a sunni and shiite hurd said i was shocked at the caliber of elected officials who were making decisions about these complex issues hurd took office on january 3 2015 he is the first black republican elected to congress from texas and the first former cia agent who was with the agency during the war on terrorism to be a member of congress after thirteen weeks of experience the most surprising aspect of participating in congress is the amount of hand-wringing that takes place before things get done hurd said also interesting is the amount of warmth between members of congress – even across the aisle even as a freshman congressman ive had congressmen come and ask me for advice based on my prior experience congressman hurd was on campus to give the 2015 muster speech held every year on april 21 muster is a celebration of the aggie spirit that culminates in the roll call for the absent – a recitation of all aggies that have fallen since the last muster roll call was read
twenty-two students from the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university and from brigham young university (byu) along with several faculty members recently spent ten days attending the 59th session of the united nations commission on the status of women/beijing+20 conference at united nations headquarters in new york the conference focused on the progress that has been made in implementing the beijing declaration and platform for action twenty years after its adoption at the fourth world conference on women in 1995 participants also looked at current challenges that affect the platforms implementation and the ability of women to achieve gender equality and empowerment worldwide the trip was led by dr valerie hudson who holds the george h w bush chair at the bush school hudson along with byu professors donna lee bowen and perpetua lynne nielsen is a co-principal investigator on a major department of defense minerva initiative grant studying how the overall status of women affects political and economic organization and inter- and intra-state sociopolitical conflicts around the world our goal for this trip was to gather richer and more nuanced data for our minerva initiative project by interviewing high-ranking representatives from countries and ngos (non-governmental organizations) as well as members of permanent un missions one goal was to collect data on countries and/or subjects with which weve struggled in our research said hudson we also wanted to provide the students with a unique opportunity to take part in such an important international event from which they could learn a great deal and which would enhance their future career opportunities in the world of policy the data gathered at the conference will be included in the largest and most comprehensive database on the status of women (http://womanstatsorg) which has generated both academic and policy interest worldwide it is now housed at the bush school and hudson says it has more statistical information than the world bank or the united nations she and her colleagues at the womanstats project have published a number of reports linking the security of women to the security of states i was urged to attend this event by prominent human rights lawyer yasmin jusu-sheriff she briefly explained to me some of the issues that women in sierra leone were facing since the outbreak of the ebola virus and she said schools have been shut down for a year said first-year bush school student rainie spiva this piqued my interest in how the ebola virus was affecting women and children in sierra leone; and by attending this event i was able to gather more facts on the current situation there i was also able to collect valuable data from experts to add to the womanstats database while at the conference the bush school students attended events and conference sessions; asked questions of the delegates; and where possible conducted database training their work helped expand the womanstats project list of international contacts that are willing and able to answer questions that could help fill gaps in the data they also participated in a panel at a side event sponsored by the united nations institute for training and research (unitar) which focused on the role of women in the peacemaking process bush school student gretchen koeritzer (master of international affairs 2016) said that attending the conference was the highlight of her time at the bush school this meeting at the un gave me first-hand experience of what it would be like to work for an international organization as i met with representatives from organizations and countries around the world koeritzer said i also learned how important it is to have good data when advocating for gender equality and that the womanstats project is key to that effort because it provides data that can demonstrate where significant work needs to be done to improve the status of women and it allows improvements to be tracked hudson said that the students learned about internship and job opportunities at a variety of levels within the international community first-year bush school student rachel hoorwitz who attended the conference has since been offered a summer internship with the peace and security section of un women the un entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women students were also able to work on their research skills as they attended meetings where useful data was gleaned hudson said
the midwest political science association has established a new annual award recognizing outstanding scholarship in politics public administration and public policy in honor of kenneth j meier distinguished professor and director of the project for equity representation & governance at texas a&m university the inaugural award will recognize the best paper in bureaucratic politics public administration or public policy presented at the 2015 mpsa conference and is scheduled to be presented at mpsas 74th annual conference in april 2016 at the palmer house in chicago in addition to serving as the charles h gregory chair in liberal arts at texas a&m university meier also directs the project for equity representation and governance the texas educational excellence project and the carlos cantu hispanic education and opportunity endowment and holds a joint appointment as a professor of public management at the cardiff university school of business (wales) meier is considered a leading authority in two areas of research – the role of public organizations in public policy and race and politics among meiers career achievement awards are the h george frederickson award the c dwight waldo award the john gaus award the charles levine award and the association of former students award for research he is a member of the national academy of public administration and has been an advanced institute of management fellow (united kingdom) a research fellow of the danish institute for social research and a big xii faculty fellow meier has served as president of the public management research association the midwest political science association and the southwest political science association he is also a former editor of the american journal of political science and is currently the editor-in-chief of the journal of public administration research and theory perhaps more important than his scholarship ken meier has influenced countless members of the discipline and continues to mentor graduate and undergraduate students while maintaining a highly productive research agenda he has served as a chair or member on over 60 dissertation committees and over 30 ma committees the award proposed and initially funded by meiers current and former students in the department of political science at texas a&m was first announced at this years meierpalooza an annual celebration held during the mpsa conference individuals serving as chairs and discussants at the 2015 mpsa conference may nominate outstanding papers in politics public administration and public policy for the kenneth j meier award at http://wwwmpsanetorg/awards donations may be made to the kenneth j meier award fund online at https://wwwmpsanetorg/about/donate-now/ on sept 1 2022 the department of political science became part of the bush school of government & public service
dr valerie hudson professor at the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university has received a 2015 andrew carnegie fellowship hudson who holds the george h w bush chair is one of 32 fellowship winners chosen from 301 nominations and the only one from a texas university hudson is part of the inaugural class of a major annual fellowship program from carnegie corporation that will provide support for scholars in the social sciences and humanities designed to enable scholars to devote between one and two years to research and writing the program will provide up to $200 000 to each recipient the overarching theme for the 2015 fellowship program is current and future challenges to us democracy and international order winning proposals addressed issues that included policing and race big data and privacy the impact of an aging population the safety of generic drugs and how attitudes are formed among voters the carnegie award is the result of hudsons study of how the status of women within a states social system affects its governance security and stability her research has shown that marriage customs and the way households are created are the organizing principles of a society and as such they affect all other elements of a society and the degree to which its politics and economics are stable and resilient an expert on international security and foreign policy analysis hudson was named one of the top 100 most influential global thinkers by foreign policy magazine in 2009 she developed a nation-by-nation database on women (http://womanstatsorg) using this data hudson and her co-principal investigators from the womanstats project have published a wide variety of empirical work in several major academic journals linking the security of women to the security of states her next book the hillary doctrine: sex and american foreign policy will be published in june by columbia university press in the book hudson and her co-author patricia leidl argue that far from being a soft foreign policy issue the poor treatment of women worldwide poses a threat to global prospects for peace and therefore a direct threat to us national securitya position first articulated by former secretary of state and current presidential hopeful hillary rodham clinton a free e-book preview chapter of the hillary doctrine is available from amazoncom here dr hudson said she was honored to be among the inaugural andrew carnegie fellows i greatly appreciate the support that will enable me to further what i hope will be seen as path-breaking research linking the security and status of women to national-level outcomes in stability security and governance bush school dean ryan crocker who nominated hudson for the fellowship noted that she has a well-deserved international reputation for innovative and relevant research the carnegie fellowship is yet another recognition of the impact dr hudsons work has on important policy deliberations crocker said we are delighted to have the universitys first carnegie fellow on our faculty
congress has heard the supermajority consensus on the reality and causes of climate change note scientists from texas a&m university idaho state university and university of oklahoma in a paper published in climatic change the researchers suggest looking at business interests partisan predispositions and political ideology for the hurdles to policy action different perceptions and claims among lawmakers are a major hurdle to agreeing on action to address global warming and these were thought to simply reflect scientific uncertainty says lead author xinsheng liu an associate research scientist at texas a&ms bush school of government and public service however our findings show that congressional testimonies are in fact consistent with agreement in the climate science community and that the sources of controversies must lie elsewhere the researchers even found that despite republican-controlled congresses in the united states being more likely to feature scientists with a skeptical view the majority of experts called as witnesses still indicate that global warming and climate change are real and caused by human activity they analyzed 1 350 testimonies from 253 relevant congressional hearings from 1969 to 2007 among expert witnesses who expressed a view 86 percent say that global warming and climate change is happening and 78 percent say it is caused by human activity under republican-controlled congresses a three-quarter supermajority of scientists say that it is real and anthropogenic most significant of all 95 percent of scientists giving testimonies support action to combat it the near-complete agreement in the science community has been consistently presented to the us congress the study reports the researchers therefore challenge the view that simply providing more information is key to evidence-based policy making the findings in the study could help scientists to move past the information-deficit model and shift research in new directions this includes gaining a better understanding of how business interests partisan predispositions and political ideology shape the views of policymakers because of the economic costs there can be strong political justification for denying the existence of global warming and climate change the researchers say action on climate change requires courage to face the facts by acknowledging incorporating and legitimizing the supermajority scientists views on the issue while recognizing different opinions beyond science says liu lius co-authors are arnold vedlitz professor and director of the institute for science technology and public policy (istpp) at texas a&m james stoutenborough at idaho state university and scott robinson at university of oklahoma stoutenborough and robinson recently worked at the bush school and continue to conduct research with istpp as senior fellows for the institute reference: liu x vedlitz a stoutenborough jw and robinson s (2015) scientists views and positions on global warming and climate change: a content analysis of congressional testimonies climatic change; doi 101007/s105-84-015-1390-6
women looking for bargains probably wont find them at customs the burden of tariffs falls heavilyand in many cases exclusivelyon the consumer so when the tariff on womens leather shoes is higher than the tariff on mens leather shoes (which it is) women feel the pain says dr lori taylor an associate professor at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university taylor who directs the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy at the bush school and jawad dar a graduate research assistant say that in many cases there is no difference in the tariff for mens goods and womens goods however in a surprising number of cases there are large differences the tariff on womens silk shirts for example is six times the tariff on mens silk shirts taylor says and our research has shown that the average tariff rate for womens apparel is systematically higher than the average tariff rate for mens apparel on average the tax on imported clothing for men is 119 percent while the tax on imported clothing for women is 151 percent or more than 3 percentage points higher taylor and dar have calculated that in 2014 buyers of imported clothing and footwear paid at least $330 million more in taxes than they would have paid had there been no gender-based tariffs and because higher tariffs lead to higher prices for domestically produced goods the actual burden of the tariffs was even greater so just buying goods manufactured in the us wont solve the problem says taylor prices are set in a global marketplace and are unlikely to change just because the united states imposes a tariff if the world price is $20 and the us tariff rate is 10 percent then the us consumer pays $22 regardless of whether the item was manufactured at home or abroad either way american consumers overpay and when the tariff is higher for womens goods than it is for menswear american women really overpay she added taylor and dar say that overcoming the gender bias in the tariff code could be relatively simple congress could simply declare that importers have the option of paying either the mens or womens tariff rate whichever is lower or even better congress could eliminate tariffs on clothing and footwear altogether that would be a very fair bargain for consumers she added a complete report on taylors and dars research on removing gender bias in us import taxes can be found in a takeaway publication on the institutes website http://bushtamuedu/mosbacher/
dr ann bowman was elected to the executive council of the section on intergovernmental administration and management (siam) at the march 2015 annual conference of the american society for public administration (aspa) siam is one of numerous specialized sections established and supported by the society that reflect the interests of aspa members siam focuses on the dynamic environment of governments (national state and local) as they deal with public policy problems and issues that require cross-boundary participation in order to be resolved this participation occurs horizontally and vertically among governments and increasingly includes the nonprofit and private sectors chartered in 1979 siams membership includes scholars and practitioners and is one of aspas most active sections the nine-member executive council to which bowman was elected makes policy decisions for the section and also organizes events that facilitate interaction and learning between the two groups since 1993 the section has sponsored a journal state and local government review; dr bowman served on the journals editorial board from 1991 to 1993 and again from 2012 to 2014 the section also maintains a blog that reports on developments in the field; explores techniques for improving management skills and practices; reviews significant publications policies and trends; and provides information and news about the section and its members the section sponsors two donald stone awards each year to recognize individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the practice and study of intergovernmental management dr bowman won the stone scholar award in 1998 the section also presents an award each year to the student who authors the best aspa paper on intergovernmental administration or policy this is a particularly important time for the section as it seeks to implement its recently revised mission one that embraces more of a governance perspective and broadens its focus beyond traditional intergovernmental relations said bowman
in this study istpp senior research fellow james stoutenborough istpp director arnold vedlitz and bush school graduate xin xing analyze the drivers of the publics risk perceptions related to climate change risk by focusing on three sub domains – public health economic development and the environment the researchers are able to examine whether the public weighs the risk associated with global climate change differently depending on the context the influence of the publics perceptions of these specific sub-domain risks on their general assessment of climate change risk are then analyzed the results indicate that two of the three sub-domains are predictors of the general assessment of risk understanding and therefore being able to address the publics specific concerns that drive their overall risk perceptions of a policy domain can be a critical piece of information for effective policymaking yet public opinion surveys seldom move beyond a question about general risk perception to ask about risk perceptions related to specific sub-domains this study is based on research conducted by istpp under an award from the national oceanic and atmospheric administration you can learn more about this sponsored research project here james w stoutenborough arnold vedlitz and xin xing 2015 are all risk perceptions created equal comparing general risk assessments and specific risk assessments associated with climate change human and ecological risk assessment: an international journal doi: 101080/1080703920151054924
istpp director arnold vedlitz and other isttp researchers – senior fellow james stoutenborough former student worker nick fette and research associate carol goldsmith have published their article understanding the communication of climate change risk: climate scientists perspectives of media sources and policy makers in risk hazards & crisis in public policy the authors examine the acceptance gap that has developed between climate scientists consensus that climate change is occurring due to human activity and the skepticism that many citizens and government officials express about both of these points this gap could result from the characteristics of communication between scientists and the media the public and government officials to discover how climate scientists view this gap its causes and potential solutions the authors conducted a survey focusing on the scientists assessments of three specific factorsknowledge media relations and trust james w stoutenborough robert nicholas fette arnold vedlitz and carol l goldsmith 2014 understanding the communication of climate change risk: climate scientists perspectives of media sources and policy makers risk hazards & crisis in public policy 5(4): 365–384 doi: 101002/rhc312066
on wednesday march 26 the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy at the bush school of government and public service had the privilege of hosting mr ray lahood former us secretary of transportation at the institutes 2015 conocophillips white house lecture series in recognition of his many years of exemplary public service and contributions to bipartisan leadership and policy analysis the mosbacher institute also conferred on mr lahood its good governance award the program began with welcome remarks by dr lori l taylor director of the mosbacher institute ambassador ryan crocker dean of the bush school welcomed mr lahood to the stage to address a diverse audience of faculty students media representatives and members of the community who had gathered for the evening lecture in the george bush library and museum mr lahood began his address by paying homage to the gold standard of public service rendered by former president george h w bush and to the bush school as an institution committed to fostering the spirit of public service during his lecture mr lahood highlighted the importance of bipartisanship and compromise as crucial elements of effective governance he urged the audience to demand that their representatives set aside ideological differences so they may pursue real progress by tackling glaring issues like infrastructure immigration and tax reform he ended his remarks by highlighting the dangers of partisan conflict but added that he is hopeful that in the next administration whoever may be elected there will be a fresh opportunity for cooperation in washington that will get things done the presentation was followed by a conversation with dr lori l taylor who presented questions posed by the audience and then engaged mr lahood in a discussion of his insights on issues such as the insolvency of the highway trust fund and the federal gas tax earlier in the day mr lahood met with students pursuing concentrations in public management and energy policy during these candid and interactive meetings mr lahood spoke about public management the challenges of heading a federal agency the politics and economics of corporate fuel economy standards and the future of electric and non-gas vehicles as secretary of transportation mr lahood oversaw an agency with more than 55 000 employees and a $70 billion budget in charge of air maritime and surface transportation secretary lahoods tenure was marked by landmark efforts to improve safety in various modes of transportation ranging from aviation and rail to pipelines and automobiles under his leadership improvements to americas infrastructure included building and repairs to 350 000 miles of highway 20 000 bridges and 6 000 miles of rail track students and faculty alike were very pleased to have in their midst such an influential public servant the mosbacher institute is thankful to mr lahood for taking the time to come to the bush school and make this event possible watch the video of the event here: https://youtube/gssy3pktivi
on wednesday march 26 the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy at the bush school of government and public service had the privilege of hosting mr ray lahood former us secretary of transportation at the institutes 2015 conocophillips white house lecture series in recognition of his many years of exemplary public service and contributions to bipartisan leadership and policy analysis the mosbacher institute also conferred on mr lahood its good governance award the program began with welcome remarks by dr lori l taylor director of the mosbacher institute ambassador ryan crocker dean of the bush school welcomed mr lahood to the stage to address a diverse audience of faculty students media representatives and members of the community who had gathered for the evening lecture in the george bush library and museum mr lahood began his address by paying homage to the gold standard of public service rendered by former president george h w bush and to the bush school as an institution committed to fostering the spirit of public service during his lecture mr lahood highlighted the importance of bipartisanship and compromise as crucial elements of effective governance he urged the audience to demand that their representatives set aside ideological differences so they may pursue real progress by tackling glaring issues like infrastructure immigration and tax reform he ended his remarks by highlighting the dangers of partisan conflict but added that he is hopeful that in the next administration whoever may be elected there will be a fresh opportunity for cooperation in washington that will get things done the presentation was followed by a conversation with dr lori l taylor who presented questions posed by the audience and then engaged mr lahood in a discussion of his insights on issues such as the insolvency of the highway trust fund and the federal gas tax earlier in the day mr lahood met with students pursuing concentrations in public management and energy policy during these candid and interactive meetings mr lahood spoke about public management the challenges of heading a federal agency the politics and economics of corporate fuel economy standards and the future of electric and non-gas vehicles as secretary of transportation mr lahood oversaw an agency with more than 55 000 employees and a $70 billion budget in charge of air maritime and surface transportation secretary lahoods tenure was marked by landmark efforts to improve safety in various modes of transportation ranging from aviation and rail to pipelines and automobiles under his leadership improvements to americas infrastructure included building and repairs to 350 000 miles of highway 20 000 bridges and 6 000 miles of rail track students and faculty alike were very pleased to have in their midst such an influential public servant the mosbacher institute is thankful to mr lahood for taking the time to come to the bush school and make this event possible
mary hein assistant to dean ryan crocker at the george hw bush school of government and public service was selected as a recipient of the 2014-15 presidents meritorious service awards at texas a&m university hein was honored at the 28th annual campus award presentation ceremony on february 25 2015 interim university president dr mark hussey presented the awards and noted the importance of staff to the university texas a&m is privileged to have so many outstanding employees so worthy of recognition said hussey this institution is sustained by thousands of highly capable staff members often laboring in obscurity and im delighted that we can recognize some of these dedicated employees hein has worked at texas a&m university for more than 21 years 12 of those years at the bush school in her current position for the last seven years hein has been a mainstay of the schools growth and administrative evolution dean ryan crocker said that hein has been a vital resource for the bush schools faculty and staff as well as providing outstanding support to his office at a ceremony at the bush school celebrating the award dean crocker stated marys help in orienting mea newcomer to university lifehas been invaluable she consistently goes above and beyond in helping me and our faculty bring exposure and recognition to the bush school and texas a&m her experience and deep understanding of the schools operations make mary the ‘go-to person for our faculty and staff in many situations and im very pleased to see marys outstanding performance recognized by the university all of us at the school congratulate her on this well-deserved honor the presidents meritorious service awards began in 1986 awards are presented to recognize fifteen outstanding staff employees and one outstanding team for their meritorious service to the university nominations are called for during the fall and an anonymous committee appointed by the president selects the recipients each individual recipient receives a $700 cash award a commemorative plaque and an award lapel pin the team is recognized with a plaque for departmental display each member of the team receives a cash award of $200 a lapel pin and a framed certificate of recognition awards are funded through the generosity of the association of former students and the program is sponsored by the office of the president and coordinated by human resources more information about the award program can be found online at http://employeestamuedu/pmsa
director vedlitz along with istpp fellow james stoutenborough and liu shi (former istpp research associate) have published their article probing public perceptions on energy: support for a comparative deep-probing survey design for complex issue domains in energy with an emphasis on energy issues the researchers examine the concerns about surveys of public attitudes being superficial and too fragmented to represent views comprehensively within a complex issue domain the authors take a deeper look into individuals attitudes by using an approach that looks comparatively and in-depth at sub-issues within the larger domain of energy policy in addition to being asked about general energy perceptions concerns and risks survey respondents also answered such questions about six alternative electricity generating technologies – coal nuclear natural gas hydroelectric solar and wind this allowed the researchers to apply context to individuals attitudes and discover nuances that are missed by typical surveys which tend to be relatively narrow in scope with current energy debates about hydraulic fracturing oil exploration gas prices and renewable energy it is critical that policy makers more thoroughly understand how the public views the risks and tradeoffs among these different energy sub-issues the authors use of a sub-issue comparative deep-probing survey instrument helps provide this needed insight and reveals the benefits of utilizing a sub-issue comparative deep-probing survey instrument james w stoutenborough liu shi and arnold vedlitz 2015 probing public perceptions on energy: support for a comparative deep-probing survey design for complex issue domains energy doi: 101016/jenergy201412053 https://wwwsciencedirectcom/science/article/pii/s036054421401425x
istpp senior fellow jeryl l mumpower research scientist xinsheng liu and director arnold vedlitz recently published their article predictors of the perceived risk of climate change and preferred resource levels for climate change management programs in journal of risk research using data from istpps 2013 us national public climate change survey the researchers analyze five psychometric variables associated with climate change – dread scientists level of understanding publics level of understanding number affected and the likelihood of occurrence of six threats associated with climate change responses for the threats such as sea-level rise and increased flooding were combined because they did not vary significantly respondents also rated their perceived risk and indicated the level of resources they believed should be invested in management programs to address these climate change threats each of the five psychometric variables are significant predictors of perceived risk perceived risk also strongly predicts resource level support the researchers also demonstrate that risk perceptions of climate change and policy preferences among related management options are highly predictable as a function of demographic knowledge environmental values and psychometric variables the psychometric variables are the strongest predictors jeryl l mumpower xinsheng liu and arnold vedlitz 2015 predictors of the perceived risk of climate change and preferred resource levels for climate change management programs journal of risk research doi: 101080/1366987720151043567
levi brewer and nathaniel haight both students in the master of international affairs program at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university recently traveled to portugal as part of the young ag-education innovation cooperation (yaic) team to attend the thought for food global summit the team was led by juan whiting an international agricultural development graduate of texas a&m and included andrew mccardle from texas a&m-corpus christi and shiva thompson and taya brown from texas a&m yaic aims to reduce the negative perception of agriculture and help youth create innovative agricultural practices that better their own lives and help feed the world the yaic team was one of ten finalists from around the world selected from more than 300 entries each team made a five-minute pitch about its project to judges hoping to win $10 000 in seed funding the judges were from both private and public sector entities around the world before the presentation brewer and haight spent three days working with startup pirates an organization that serves aspiring entrepreneurs to further refine their business model and create their five-minute pitch the winner was team foodfresh from bangladesh while yaic did not win the grand prize the team considers the experience a success because of the invaluable interactions and contacts they gained with other teams and representatives from ngos international organizations and private companies the best part about being in lisbon was that there were so many other teams from different parts of the world with whom to interact said brewer seeing what these other teams were doing gave us new ideas for our own project he added the yaic team left portugal with new connections fresh ideas and a stronger desire to continue working on their agricultural cooperative curriculum to help feed the world there is such a need for interest in agriculture not only to replace aging farmers but also to develop innovations that will help improve food sustainability brewer said the team also left with a more refined business model that is both sustainable and replicable among yaics next steps is creating a curriculum that will teach young people how to start and run successful cooperatives the plan is to pair youth with mentors and help them secure micro-funding to start their cooperative the mentors will also help the cooperatives identify the agricultural innovations that would work best in their areas since the yaic team believes that successful youth cooperatives will help feed people in the future brewer said his experience at the bush school complemented his interests in the future development of economics and agriculture my bush school education has definitely enhanced my experience brewer said the classes i am taking in development and economics have given me invaluable knowledge to draw upon as i help make decisions with yaic
kent portney professor in the bush schools department of public service and administration (mpsa) and senior fellow in the schools institute for science technology and public policy earned his phd in political science from florida state university and his masters from the university of connecticut dr portneys areas of expertise and interest include environmental policy urban sustainability and economic inequality portney joined the bush school faculty last fall and taught a course on environmental policy and a course in urban sustainability in the spring for a long time ive been interested in city politics and environment issues and how those two work together dr portney said i trace that interest back to growing up in new jersey and being surrounded by pollution and toxic waste prior to his appointment to the bush school portney served as the department chair in the department of political science at tufts university and directed the graduate program in public policy and citizen participation most recently he was the director of the water and research program at the center for international environment and resource policy at tufts fletcher school of law and diplomacy portney plans on using his personal expertise to enhance bush school students experience with the university my short term goal is to connect the bush school with other departments at texas a&m university dr portney said texas a&m is one of the top research institutions in the country; and theres a lot of great work being done here especially in the fields of environmental and water policy dr portney has authored or co-authored nine books on issues as diverse as economic and environmental development citizen participation and urban sustainability his book the rebirth of urban democracy earned him two awards from the american political science association he has also been awarded grants from such prestigious institutions as the ford foundation the national science foundation the spencer foundation and the polaroid foundation during his first months at the bush school dr portney said he noticed something unique about the students at the school the most compelling element about the atmosphere of this institution is how collaborative everyone is dr portney said from class projects to cooperation between students and faculty this place is truly unlike any other school ive been at students at many other places are competitive and singularly driven rather than cooperative dr portney notes that this collaborative spirit is not just limited to the students the cooperation and collaboration among faculty members is tremendous dr portney said in academia most researchers are focused on their own work; but here people are always willing to team up and tackle a policy issue together personally the work i do collaboratively is always better the synergistic quality among both the students and their professors is one of the great things about the school ultimately dr portney said he is excited about spending his time working with students and faculty members at the bush school the quality of the faculty and students is second-to-none dr portney said the culture is supportive of both research and teaching as well as the merging of the two
director of the institute arnold vedlitz istpp fellow james w stoutenborough and associate research scientist xinsheng liu have published their article the influence of specific risk perceptions on public policy support: an examination of energy policy in the annals of the american academy of political and social science the authors examine the role of risk perceptions of specific energy sources and how these perceptions affect individuals preferences for specific energy policies the researchers look at this relationship using nuclear coal and renewable sources of energy controlling for the influence of knowledge and several specific attitudinal indicators the authors find that risk perceptions are strong predictors of energy policy preferences james w stoutenborough arnold vedlitz and xinsheng liu 2015 the influence of specific risk perceptions on public policy support: an examination of energy policy in the politics of science: political values and the production communication and reception of scientific knowledge ed elizabeth suhay and james n druckman special issue the annals of the american academy of political and social science 658(1): 102–120 doi: 101177/0002716214559004
ten students from the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university along with five students from the universitys mays business school and department of economics were guests of the american bar association (aba) at the aba section of taxation midyear meetings held january 29-31 in houston the students participated in the aba transfer pricing student symposium where several presented analyses of two recent transfer pricing cases their analyses had originally been conducted as part of their course work in a transfer pricing course taught by professor lorraine eden who also arranged their participation in the meetings dr eden a professor of management and an associated faculty member in the bush school and jonathan hunt from the law firm mayer brown also took part in a second session entitled intangibles in litigation: defining and valuing compensable ‘intangibles the students attended the texas tax directors panel on new developments in transfer pricing chaired by kelly hales (ernst & young) and were guests at the aba tax transfer pricing reception the trip was made possible with financial support from the bush school the aba and ernst & young all of these events provided an opportunity for students studying transfer pricing to network with tax and transfer pricing experts in us and foreign law firms and to learn more about job opportunities and practices in the legal profession said dr eden this connection with the aba is especially important since we had such a diverse group of students participating including students from the united states china pakistan madagascar vietnam iran and ukraine eden said bush school students who presented their analyses included zike chen andrea berrios sean larsen and chris janes also presenting were lindsey cude a masters student in the department of finance and yue (nancy) zhang a phd candidate in the department of economics other students attending included heri fano shuting shan tetania zakrevska yukuai he and fatima riyaz from the bush school; and june nguyen nick jiang parsa pourankooh and sanmita nepal all masters students at the mays school
on tuesday february 3 the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy at the bush school of government and public service featured mr neal keny-guyer ceo of mercy corps at the institutes 2015 bank of america program on volunteerism under mr keny-guyers leadership mercy corps has emerged as a leading international humanitarian and development organization with ongoing operations in more than 40 countries a staff of 4 000 and global revenue of $375 million mercy corps has developed a reputation for groundbreaking and innovative programming in the worlds toughest environments following welcome remarks by dr lori l taylor director of the mosbacher institute and an introduction by personal friend ambassador ryan crocker dean of the bush school mr keny-guyer addressed a diverse audience of faculty students and non-profit representatives at an evening lecture in the george bush library and museum he provided his insights on a multitude of challenges mercy-corps and other international aid organizations experience in delivering humanitarian aid and relief to troubled regions around the world the highlights of his remarks included an emphasize on selfless public-service as a critical element in the success of international aid organizations as well as the importance of innovation in providing sustainable solutions to communities mr keny-guyer cautioned aspiring students about the diversity of challenges facing communities around the world stressing that each country is faced with unique problems and that there are no fast fixes or shiny solutions to complex challenges he went on to emphasize that community-driven market-based solutions should be part of relief efforts the presentation was followed by an on-stage conversation with bush school associate professor william brown who sought further insight from mr keny-guyer about heading up a major non-profit international development organization in response to those questions mr keny-guyer related personal anecdotes and shared memorable incidents from his tenure highlighting the importance of building personal relationships as a vital element in relief efforts earlier in the day mr keny-guyer met with students pursuing concentrations in non-profit management and international development during these candid and interactive meetings mr keny-guyer spoke about the mechanics and operational models of non-government organizations and answered students questions mr keny-guyer also took time during the day to meet with dr elsa murano director of the borlaug institute for international agriculture students and faculty alike were very pleased to have in their midst the presence of such an influential public servant the mosbacher institute is thankful to bank of america the program sponsor and to mr keny-guyer for taking the time out of his busy schedule to come to the bush school and making this event possible a video of the event will be uploaded on the mosbacher institutes website shortly
on january 13 and 14 dr joshua shifrinson an assistant professor in the department of international affairs at the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university took part in the bush librarys high school days program speaking to students from bryan and a&m consolidated high schools the title of his talk was the cold war: the long peace and its long shadow my goal was to give the students an overview of the cold war as well as to highlight why we still care about the us-soviet contest years later despite the dissolution of the former soviet union said shifrinson he noted that other texas a&m faculty members including professor jim olsen from the bush school have also taken part in the program which began in 2002 each year the high school days program brings all of the bryan-college station high school juniors to the george bush presidential library and museum for a day of wide-ranging educational experiences it is a cooperative initiative between the high school faculty and the librarys educational outreach the goal is to expand high school juniors educational horizons through seminars featuring outstanding experts in science and history as well as authors and motivational speakers the museums interactive exhibits also give the students an opportunity to participate in dynamic decision-making such as considering the issues faced by president bush in the first gulf war through the program and interactive sessions students are expected to gain a better understanding of president bushs distinguished career in public service and leadership and understand the sacrifices often required for the greater good the events are also specifically crafted to give high school students an idea of what it is like in an undergraduate classroom in order to better prepare them for college shifrinson noted that he valued the opportunity to reach out to future college students through this program adding that some might even be bush school students at some point the students were actively engaged in the material i presented and clearly interested in learning the lessons of the cold war as they relate to world politics today it is a privilege to work with the community in this way shifrinson said
robert h (bob) allen robert h allen distinguished community-minded businessman and long-time supporter of the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university passed away on january 10 2015 after graduating from texas a&m in 1950 allen led a successful business career serving as cfo and later ceo director and chairman of gulf sulfur a company which became a fortune 500 company under his leadership in 2002 the academic building west at the bush library complex was renamed the robert h and judy ley allen building in honor of the couples generous support of the bush school where allen was a long-time advisory board member after graduating from ronald reagan high school in houston allen attended texas a&m but was drafted into the 8th army shortly after entering college while stationed in osaka japan he represented the 8th army in track events at one point winning the all-japan mile run in 1947 allen graduated from texas a&m in 1950 with a bachelors in business administration and did post graduate work at the university of houston and the south texas college of lawallen began his business career with ibm but was quickly recruited to work for a growing cpa firm in houston and later gulf sulfur where he joined the company as cfo at the age of 27 he rose through the company quickly and served as chairman ceo and director from 1960 until he retired in 1982 after his long career at gulf sulfur allen served as managing partner of challenge investment partners which is active in mining ventures in the us canada and south america in 1995 governor george w bush appointed allen to the texas a&m board of regents where he served for six years in addition to his time on the advisory board of the bush school allen served on several boards including the baylor college of medicine board of trustees the texas medical center board of directors the development foundation council at the mays business school and the university of texas investment management company where he served as chairman allen was widely recognized for his business leadership and his public service he was named texas business executive of the year by the texas a&m university college of business administration and the graduate school of business and received the 1979 texas a&m university distinguished alumni award among several others
christopher layne university distinguished professor of international affairs and robert m gates chair in national security at the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university has been elected to the governing council of the international studies associations (isa) international security studies section professor layne begins his three-year term in february during the associations annual convention in new orleans the international security studies section (isss) of isa is dedicated to the study of security and conflict and has been the premier organization for connecting scholars and practitioners in international studies with well over six thousand members in north america and around the world isa is the most respected and widely known scholarly association in this field isa cooperates with fifty-seven international studies organizations in over thirty countries is a member of the international social science council and enjoys nongovernmental consultative status with the united nations a prolific author laynes most current book project after the fall: international politics us grand strategy and the end of the pax americana will be published by yale university press he is a frequent contributor to a number of scholarly and policy journals as well as to publications such as the atlantic and the new republic and major newspapers such as the new york times and the washington post layne is a consultant to the national intelligence council and a member of the council on foreign relations in may and june 2014 he was a visiting fellow at the norwegian nobel institute in oslo dr laynes election to the isss governing council is another tribute to his important contributions to the scholarly debate on international relations and american foreign policy and we congratulate him on this latest recognition of his leadership in the field said bush school dean ryan crocker
dr kalena cortes an assistant professor in the department of public service and administration at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university has won the 2014 richard a musgrave prize for her paper ranking up by moving out: the effect of the texas top 10% plan on property values the musgrave prize is awarded each year for the best article published in the national tax journal (ntj) the winners are selected by ntj editorial advisory board members who choose the article that best exemplifies the attributes of richard musgraves researchstrong analytical underpinnings rigorous argument buttressed by solid empirical evidence respect for the importance of historical and institutional factors and relevance for public policy dr cortes received a plaque at the national tax associations 107th annual conference in santa fe new mexico in november 2014 she joins previous recipients including jonathan gruber from mit; richard v burkhauser cornell university; harvey rosen princeton university; roger gordon university of california san diego; and william d duncombe and john yinger from syracuse university dr cortes earned her phd in economics from the university of california at berkeley and was formerly at the school of education at syracuse university she is a faculty research fellow at the national bureau of economic research and a research fellow at the institute for the study of labor (iza) a private independent economic research institute focused on the analysis of global labor markets dr arnie vedlitz executive associate dean congratulated dr cortes on this significant award winning the musgrave prize is a particular honor and recognizes dr cortes outstanding scholarship and her reputation in her field he said this kind of recognition further adds to the bush schools reputation for academic excellence all winners of the musgrave prize are listed in the awards section of each issue of the ntj and on the national tax associations national tax journal website at http://wwwntanetorg/about-nta/awards/71-richard-musgrave-prizehtml
istpp associate research scientist xinsheng liu and director arnold vedlitz along with former istpp post-doctorate research associate hyung sam park have published their article analyzing climate change debates in the us congress: party control and mobilizing networks in risks hazards and crisis in public policy in this study the authors determine that party control has significantly affected the dynamics of climate change debates in the us congress the results of their statistical and network analysis indicate that democratic congresses tend to seek-out scientific evidence for global climate change and advance energy-regulatory policies with a focus on mobilizing environmentalists and scientific knowledge while republican congresses tend to mobilize pro-industrial and non-scientific opinions and expand the debates by bringing in diverse witnesses who focus on the implications of international climate negotiations and the economic impacts of policy changes hyung sam park xinsheng liu and arnold vedlitz 2014 analyzing climate change debates in the us congress: party control and mobilizing networks risks hazards and crisis in public policy 5(3): 239–258 doi: 101002/rhc312062
andrew ross a professor in the department of international affairs earned his ma and phd at cornell university and his ba summa cum laude at american university ross joined the bush school faculty in august 2014 following a nine-year appointment at the university of new mexico (unm) where he served as a professor of political science; director of the center for science technology and policy; and director of special science engineering and policy research initiatives in the office of the vice president for research ross taught a course on national security and defense planning in the fall and will lead a capstone on cyber security deterrence norms and governance in the spring the capstone program was an especially attractive feature of the schools curriculum ross said i like the interdisciplinary approach the school takes toward public policy and im a fan of applied work he added the capstone will assist the united states cyber command on a number of policy issues specifically the project will explore cyber deterrence and normative issues surrounding cyber security the field of cyber deterrence is a new frontier its the next generations nuclear policy ross said there are a number of policy questions that need to be answered such as ‘how do you recognize a cyber attack and ‘how do you know who attacked you rosss capstone assignment plays toward his academic and professional background prior to his appointment at unm in 2005 ross spent sixteen years at the us naval war college where he served as a research professor in the strategic research department of the colleges center for naval warfare studies acting director of the advanced research program co-lead of the post-9/11 strategy task group professor in the national security affairs department and secretary of the navy senior research fellow he received the department of the navy meritorious civilian service award in 2002 in addition to his academic appointment ross is also a senior fellow at the institute for science technology and public policy (istpp) a nonpartisan interdisciplinary public policy institute based at the bush school the institute examines how policies are crafted to address critical issues brought about by changes in science and technology ive been working at the intersection of science technology and public policy my entire career ross said so the bush school and istpp are an excellent fit for me along with the capstone projects ross cites numerous other factors that attracted him to the school a key motivation for me was getting the opportunity to work with such great colleagues the school definitely knows how to build a great program ross said the bush school isnt that old but weve quickly established a solid reputation in public affairs in addition to working with high-caliber faculty members ross says he is regularly impressed by the quality of the students in his classes he says he is thankful for the small class size because it gives him a better platform from which to engage students the courses i teach are very hands-on in fact most of the classes taught at the school are seminar style ross said i frequently run exercises recently i split my class into two groups; and we held a debate on the militarization of space its all about applying research findings to real-world problems and issues the principal investigator and leader of several major federally funded research initiatives professor ross work on us grand strategy national security and defense planning regional security weapons proliferation and security and economics has appeared in numerous journals and books his current research is focused on three areasus grand strategy defense and military innovation and nuclear policy and strategy ross plans to develop and teach a course on nuclear policy and strategy as far as the future of his time at the bush school goes ross said hes looking forward to further interactions with students including helping them through their studies and helping them find jobs post-graduation im looking forward to doing more capstones and working with students in that capacity ross said i have a number of contacts in the businessprivate public and labsand that will hopefully present opportunities for future capstone projects as well as internship and job placement for students
not only should the united states lift its ban on exporting oil and natural gas in light of todays economic and political climate but it was wrong to ever ban such exports in the first place contend two top scholars at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university dr james griffin an authority on energy and public policy and dr gregory gause an expert on the middle east make that argument in the new issue of the takeaway published by the bush schools mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy in free trade in oil and natural gas: the case for lifting the ban on us energy exports the authors say that the us should cease to view its energy resources as a purely domestic issue but rather a global one that impacts not only global prices in energy but also international affairs griffin and gause say they believe that energy security is a world-wide problem not a us china or european union problem and that all are dependent on the world oil market as the us seeks to extricate itself from energy dependence on the middle east increase its energy security through trade and innovation and maintain a robust economy the benefits of lifting the ban on us energy exports outweigh the costs say the authors they propose that allowing us exports could add 87 million barrels per day of crude oil to the world market while also reducing possible shocks to the world economy griffin and gause also believe that lifting a ban on us natural gas exports could reassure western allies and send a message to russia to stop holding europeans hostage to its high gas prices in times of political strife griffin is a professor in the bush school and holds the bob bullock chair in public policy and finance gause a noted middle east scholar heads the bush schools department of international affairs and holds the john h lindsey 44 chair to read the full report go to http://bushtamuedu/mosbacher/takeaway/
students and one alum from the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university are launching a youth empowerment program in rwanda called the youth ag-education innovation cooperative (yaic) they have partnered with wefeedus and building bridges with rwanda (bbr) to implement the program which will begin in september 2015 levi brewer and nate haight from the bush school along with juan whiting and shiva thompson students in texas a&ms agriculture international development program are leading the project on campus also participating are taya brown who will enroll at texas a&m in the spring and currently is studying agriculture and food systems at washington state university and bush school alumnus andrew mccardle who also earned a masters degree in fisheries and mariculture from texas a&m corpus christi building bridges with rwanda is a community development program that seeks to link residents and volunteers to rebuild rwanda wefeedus provides scalable commercial aquaponic models for growing sustainable food and supporting the development of renewable energy ecosystems yaics goal is to change the negative perception of agriculture held by many young people by offering a viable agri-business model based on agri-tourism and aquaponics both emerging growth areas within agriculture they believe that unemployment can be reduced by giving young people tools that make them economically self-sufficient through entrepreneurial agri-business strategies and skills that add value to the countrys agricultural sector and also address food insecurity within rwanda yaics long-term goal is to create a model that can be replicated throughout the world bbr founder lama mugabo is currently working with youth in goshora rwanda he has engaged yaic and several universities including texas a&m to establish study abroad programs that encourage intercultural exchange and agri-tourism these overseas study programs offer american students an experience that has a significant impact both for themselves and those they help in rwanda in announcing the yaic partnership mike andrus wefeedus founder and ceo said we want to provide youth with practical experience and share our entrepreneurial spirit with young minds who will one day take responsibility for our planet wefeedus previously built a proof of concept aquaponic facility in pennsylvania and now plans to build large scale agriculture innovation centers throughout the us and abroad the centers will include aquaponic hydroponic and algae growth systems by providing financial as well as in-kind support to the yaic mission wefeedus seeks to build awareness of aquaponic facilities and demonstrate their ability to provide sustainable solutions that address global food insecurity nate haight says we think this project is a good fit with the bush schools commitment to public service as a noble calling anyone interested in supporting funding or partnering with this project can contact the yaic team at yaicteam@gmailcom or follow our work on facebook
government assistance programs like medicaid food stamps and home heating aid all play an important role in the war against poverty; but that assistance is poorly targeted say two scholars from the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy at the bush school of government and public service located at texas a&m university in a new issue of the institutes publication the takeaway dr lori taylor an economist and director of the institute and jawad dar a graduate research assistant and masters student at the bush school argue that the poverty thresholds used to determine assistance are based on poverty measures that are geographically biased and financially incomplete in the war on poverty needs a new map the authors describe the poverty measures used by the federal government to distribute aid and the factors those measurements ignore they pinpoint a key problem with the existing poverty measuresthe government uses the same poverty level in rural arkansas as in new york city as a result families in high cost-of-living areas are ineligible for assistance even though their need is greater than that of families who are receiving assistance in low cost-of-living areas it is unconscionable and clearly wasteful for federal anti-poverty programs to ignore such basic differences in need says taylor taylor and dar propose that replacing the federal poverty level with cost-adjusted poverty thresholds would allow federal benefits to be targeted more efficiently and make federal anti-poverty programs more effective they do not minimize the political difficulties noting that any changes to poverty level measures will have winners and losers; but they conclude that this change is the right thing to do to read the full report go to http://bushtamuedu/mosbacher/takeaway/
students at the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university recently participated in a video teleconference with their counterparts from the russian diplomatic academy – the institution charged with training the russian federations diplomatic service during the conference bush school and russian students discussed a wide range of issues including ukraine nato p5+1 negotiations china and middle east stability the conference was initiated by ambassador larry napper senior lecturer at the bush school and career diplomat with decades of experience in us-russia relations as well as professor oleg ivanov chairman of the department of political science at the russian diplomatic academy in moscow twelve bush school studentsa number of whom have professional and academic experience working with russian affairsexchanged ideas and opinions with some twenty russian counterparts this was a great opportunity to discuss areas of agreement and disagreement between american and russian perspectives on current world events said mark swenson a second-year student in international affairs it was good to see the differing interpretations the conversation was civil and professional with an ability to agree to disagree napper added in the wake of current events in eastern europe and the middle east informal diplomacy between each countrys citizens offers valuable insight into world events beyond official reports on the increasingly tense us-russian relationship this event is one of many that the bush school has held in recent months intended to stimulate discussion into the past present and future of the us-european relationship opportunities such as these – to engage with our russian peers to learn from professors with a wealth of experience and to work with colleagues with a depth of knowledge and experience – offer tremendous value to the education of students at the bush school said robert barron second-year international affairs student the teleconference was the second such event this year between the bush school and russian diplomatic academy both sides expressed interest in furthering the relationship in the future through collaborative conferences and joint projects
north koreas authoritarian government is responsible for the devastating famine that killed as many as 25 million of its citizens in the 1990s even though it did not deliberately set out to do so asserted andrew s natsios a former administrator of the us agency for international development (usaid) and now director of the scowcroft institute for international affairs at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university natsios offered expert testimony in washington at last weeks hearing of the un commission of inquiry into human rights in north korea unlike the stalinist famine in the 1930s which was designed to force collectivization and eliminate the kulak class of landed peasants the north korean regimes refusal to adopt policies which would have mitigated the situation was based primarily on the fear of losing power said natsios in his testimony the un commission is studying violations of the right to food and determining accountability for the great famine as well as possible crimes against humanity they will present their findings and recommendations to the uns human rights council in march in 2001 natsios published the great north korean famine a book based on extensive research with agencies and individuals involved in the area as well as interviews with north korean defectors he concluded that even if natural causes had been one of the factors contributing to the famine once it knew about the problem kim jong ils government did not act to address it he was in charge he was responsible he knew what was going on and he chose not to buy food and give it to the people natsios said the leaders had to know the effects of the famine since government reports showed huge drops in childrens heights and weights due to malnutrition it was not incompetence that exacerbated the problem but rather a deliberate policy decision that favored survival of the regime rather than aid to the population natsios said he told the commission that the north korean government has violated their obligation to protect peoples right to food by implementing misguided policies hindering aid and withholding food from those considered to be disloyal to the regime the government is responsible for the failure to feed their people to reform their economic system and for putting the maintenance of their own power above all natsios said prior to joining the bush school natsios was a distinguished professor in the practice of diplomacy at georgetown university and administrator of usaid from 2001-2006 during that time he managed reconstruction programs in afghanistan iraq and sudan
ann bowman a professor at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university was inducted as a fellow of the national academy of public administration (napa) at the organizations meeting in washington dc bowman is a professor in the department of public service and administration and holds the hazel davis and robert kennedy endowed chair in government and public service at the bush school napa is an independent nonprofit and nonpartisan organization chartered by congress in 1967 to assist government leaders in building more effective efficient accountable and transparent organizations bowman joins an elite group of some 800 other fellows including former cabinet officers members of congress governors mayors and state legislators as well as prominent scholars business executives and public administrators the academy helps the federal government address its critical management challenges through in-depth studies and analyses advisory services and technical assistance congressional testimony forums and conferences bush school executive associate dean arnold vedlitz praised bowmans record of scholarly accomplishment which led to the fellowship dr bowmans selection as a napa fellow recognizes and honors her significant contributions to the field of public policy and administration vedlitz said her research and extensive publication record have had a major effect on state-level public policy development in the areas of environment economic development land use and intergovernmental relations bowman joined the bush school faculty in 2008 coming from the university of south carolina where she was the james f and maude b byrnes professor of government she has published articles in various scholarly journals her most recent book co-authored with richard c kearney is the ninth edition of state and local government published by wadsworth her latest research explores interactions among governments particularly interstate cooperation and competition and state actions toward local governments a fulbright scholar bowman has won the donald c stone award for research given by the section on intergovernmental administration and management of the american society for public administration and has been president of three organized sections of the american political science association she is set to become president-elect of the southern political science association in 2015 being chosen a napa fellow is a career milestone bowman said napa casts a long shadow in the public sector; the academys studies of the federal system have led to important changes in agency structure and program design i look forward to participating in subsequent napa studies especially those with a state and local government focus
one of the nations leading foundations that encourages graduate students to pursue careers with the federal government in foreign policy and international affairs today announced that 14 students attending five of the nations top international studies graduate schools will comprise its 2016 class of fellows four of the foundations 14 class of 2016 fellows are first-year students at the texas a&m universitys bush school for government and public service the robertson foundation identifies and nurtures future us government leaders in the areas of national security foreign policy and international affairs the foundation provides scholarships internship stipends and additional career support to graduate students at select universities the fellows as a program requirement agree to work for the federal government for a minimum of three of their first seven years after graduation the four first-year bush school students that earned robertson foundation for government fellowships are nathenial haight charlotte karrlsson-willis gabrielle keleher and jerica ward i congratulate the new class of robertson fellows and welcome each to a growing cohort of young leaders who are committed to serving our nation both here and abroad said foundation board of directors president katherine ernst these young men and women are the fulfillment of the robertson foundation for government mission which is to meet the federal governments increasing need for young leaders as more than half of its employees become retirement-eligible in the next two years we are looking forward to working with the new fellows and they have our full support going forward there are currently 33 robertson fellows enrolled at five of nations top graduate schools for international studies and foreign affairs those schools are: tufts universitys fletcher school the maxwell school of syracuse university the university of marylands school of public policy the university of california san diegos school of international relations and pacific studies and texas a&ms bush school of government and public service of the 45 robertson fellows that have earned their masters degrees since the program started in 2010 80 percent are currently working for the federal government or in a government-related field robertson fellows are working at 11 different federal departments and agencies including the department of state the government accountability office the department of defense the department of homeland security and in the federal intelligence community and 24 robertson fellows have gone on to earn prestigious honors and awards including one fullbright scholar two presidential management fellowships three boren scholarships and 18 rosenthal fellowships
george hw bush 41st president of the united states will receive the robert schuman medal on monday november 10 during a bush school conference celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall one of the most far-reaching events in world history the schuman medal recognizes public figures who have advanced the cause of peace the construction of europe and human values through their public activities and personal commitment the presentation ceremony will take place prior to the key note address at 6 pm in the annenberg presidential conference center previous awardees have included former heads of state prime ministers members of the european parliament and leaders who have fought for human rights including former chancellor of germany helmut kohl current european commission president jean-claude juncker pope john paul ii and current chancellor of germany angela merkel president bush will be the first american awarded the medal bush school dean ryan crocker said that this prestigious honor for president bush is more than well-deserved throughout his long career in public service president bush was always mindful of human rights and the need to advance the cause of peace in the world said crocker it is especially appropriate for him to receive this recognition at a conference which revisits the world events in which he played such a major role the schuman medal was introduced in 1986 by the european peoples party (epp) and will be presented by elmar brok a member of the european parliament and current head of the foreign affairs committee the robert schuman medal is named for the french statesman who in 1950 proposed to germany and other nations ravaged by war that they establish peace between the peoples of europe on the basis of a new european community with strong democratic institutions; he is widely considered to be one of the founders of the european union the berlin wall conference at the bush school will bring together a unique group of individuals from the united states and europe to review these historic events and discuss their effect on international relations then and now many of the conference participants were directly involved in the momentous events of 1989 speakers will include lt general brent scowcroft (ret) and former secretary of state james baker both of whom were key advisors to president george hw bush on national security issues as well as bush school dean ryan crocker
on tuesday october 28 the director general of the international atomic energy association (iaea) yukiya amano spoke at the bush school of government and public service as part of his visit to texas a&m university his stop at texas a&m university was the first time the director general had visited a public us university the iaea known as the atoms for peace organization with the united nations works with member states and multiple partners worldwide to promote safe secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies amano has as director general of iaea since 2009 a position that also grants him ambassador status during his three-day visit ambassador amano visited and received briefings at the nuclear security science and policy institute operated by the dwight look college of engineering at texas a&m university; the texas a&m school of public health; college of veterinary medicine diagnostic imaging & cancer treatment center; and emergency operations training center operated by the texas a&m engineering extension service following his campus briefings ambassador amano presented an atoms for peace lecture at the bush school prior to his lecture he met with key bush school officials regarding the future of nuclear technology policies after the lecture the bush school hosted a q&a session for attendees with ambassador amano texas a&m university is the only university in the region that offers an academic degree in nuclear engineering and operates a high-energy cyclotron and two nuclear reactors
istpp director vedlitz istpp fellow james stoutenborough and rebecca bromley-trujillo have published their article public support for climate change policy: consistency in the influence of values and attitudes over time and across specific policy alternatives in review of policy research in this study the authors examine the factors that explain public preferences for climate change policy using data from two national surveys taken three years apart the researchers analyze public support for five climate change policy options to clarify the extent to which attitudes and values affect support for specific policy considerations compared to their predictive ability for generalized policy support the research reveals that time matters and that those who are liberal hold strong ecological values express greater concern for climate change and trust experts show more support for each of the five climate policy options considered the authors conclude that the results shed new light on the nuanced views of the american public toward climate change this article was based on research conducted by istpp under two grants awarded by the national oceanic and atmospheric administration james w soutenborough arnold vedlitz and rebecca bromley-trujillo 2014 public support for climate change policy: consistency in the influence of values and attitudes over time and across specific policy alternatives review of policy research 31(6): 555-583 doi: 101111/ropr12104
jerica ward master of international affairs 2015 is one of twenty students from around the nation chosen as a thomas r pickering fellow for 2014-15 ward is the first bush school student at texas a&m university to be selected for the program which is designed to attract outstanding individuals interested in a foreign service career with the us department of state the program is a collaboration between the us department of state and the woodrow wilson national fellowship foundation fellows can receive up to $37 000 annually to help cover the costs of their graduate education and also receive mentoring and professional development as they prepare to enter the foreign service ward graduated from cedarville university in ohio with a major in international studies and a minor in spanish and bible as an undergraduate she won a number of awards in the model united nations and forensic speech competitions after graduation jerica worked in the dominican republic and then as a peace corps volunteer in the philippines for two years she worked as a high school and university english/spanish teacher started a successful library project set up environmental service projects and worked as a trainer for usaid and a united nations hiv/aids initiative dean ryan crocker said that having a pickering fellow at the bush school is yet another indication of the schools academic prestige and the quality of the student body pickering fellowships are highly sought after by students interested in the foreign service and i congratulate jerica on being selected for this prestigious award crocker said the foreign service is a rewarding and challenging career and we need young people like jerica to serve our nation
scholars and russian experts will discuss the current state of russia under president vladimir putin at a nov 3 conference at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university entitled reassessing putins russia: tsarist dinosaur failed state or 21st-century predator the conference will feature presentations by noted russian experts including jim corum professor of terrorism and security studies at the university of salford uk; and david satter a leading russian scholar and former moscow correspondent among others the conference will be hosted by the bush schools scowcroft institute of international affairs and co-sponsored by texas a&ms college of liberal arts department of history and the glasscock center for humanities research the session will be held in the annenberg presidential conference center adjacent to the bush school the event is open to the public but reservations are required
co-authors lori taylor texas a&m associate professor and director of the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy at the bush school of government and public service timothy j gronberg and dennis w jansen texas a&m economics professors and mustafa u karakaplan a researcher at utah state university used cost-function analysis to simulate the consolidation the hope is that consolidating school districts will lower the cost of education by eliminating duplication of effort and enabling a better allocation of resources taylor explains it is well known that the per-pupil cost of operating a small district is much higher than the per-pupil cost of operating a larger one however there is a trade-off consolidation also reduces choice and school districts in texas are more efficient (in the sense that they produce better outcomes for the same money) where there is more choice the researchers contend that consolidating the school districts in those core counties of major metropolitan areas would lead to very large and likely very bureaucratic countywide school districts the simulation strongly indicates that such consolidations would lead to higher costs not cost savings and therefore that consolidation would be unlikely to improve student performance taylor notes she says there are many counties in texas where school districts are very small and consolidation would likely save money or enable increases in quality but the texas education code specifically called for an analysis of consolidation in these five counties where nearly all the students attend districts that are already large enough to take full advantage of economies of scale she points out the benefits of consolidation would be larger if the consolidated school district were able to close campuses but that is a very difficult proposition and it is not possible to anticipate which campuses a countywide district might choose to close the researchers conclude that although consolidation can work in these particular texas counties the school districts that result would simply be too large the bureaucratic burdens associated with very large school districts would overwhelm the gains from consolidating the smallest districts in these counties taylor notes furthermore we predict that by reducing the level of school choice this policy would increase inefficiency and increase spending in the school districts that share a metropolitan area with the new countywide districts she adds that the study confirms previous analyses that show school choice has a positive impact on school district efficiency taylor concludes by noting the important role universities can play in the policy process too often policymakers latch on to an idea that sounds good without being aware of all the likely consequences she says i think its important for the state that analyses like this be conducted especially when the findings dont align with conventional wisdom i like to think that our analysis will help the state avoid a potentially costly policy mistake
the bush school chapter of the alexander hamilton society (ahs) a university study organization has begun its second year as an active campus organization based in washington dc the ahs is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to promoting constructive debate on contemporary issues in foreign economic and national security policy membership in the bush school chapter of ahs is open to anyone who shares the principles of the organization or would like to participate in the organizations events the main purpose of ahs is to foster debate and stimulate interest in current events related to international relations and security said ahs co-president and mpia 15 student rebeca orrie a students academic experience in the bush school would be greatly enhanced by joining ahs because of the opportunities to engage with other students on these issues there are fifty-three chapters of ahs in the united statesforty-nine university chapters and four professional chapters the bush school chapter is currently ranked 2nd nationally behind ohio state university following a successful inaugural year orrie says the chapter intends to move forward and fully capitalize on the potential of the growing organization the bush school chapter of ahs has one debate and one major fundraising event planned for this year thus far orrie said the first is the ahs trivia night which proved to be a huge success in raising funds for the organization last year it is returning upon popular demand from the students the fall main event is a debate between bush school professor dr jason castillo and ohio state professor dr peter mansoor the two will be discussing americas ability to deter aggression around the world in light of recent crises involving ukraine china and the isis the debate will be held on october 16th ahs provides a unique experience for students; they can listen to debates about issues in real time orrie said this emphasis on engaging with issues and policy options is the reason i joined ahs and the reason i stepped up to serve within it i think the ahs will prove to be an invaluable part of the bush school experience
abdokarim soroush one of the leading intellectuals in the muslim world will speak at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university on the relationship between religion and politics his presentation will be on tuesday october 14 at 6 pm in the annenberg presidential conference center the event is sponsored by the bush schools scowcroft institute of international affairs (siia) and the bodman foundation after studying in the west soroush returned to iran after the revolution where he initially supported the islamicization of irans universities but eventually rebelled against the theocracy imposed under ayatollah khomeini in recent years soroush has been widely criticized in iran and elsewhere in the muslim world for his outspoken support of religious pluralism and democracy named one of the worlds most influential thinkers by time and foreign policy magazines abdolkarim soroush has been a visiting professor at harvard a scholar in residence at yale and also taught at princeton university columbia university georgetown university and the wissenschaftskolleg in berlin soroushs lecture is open to the public but reservations are required no later than october 12
the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university awarded the 2014 mclane leadership in business award to cindy b taylor president and ceo of oil states international inc on october 2 2014 the annual award recognizes a prominent figure in private business for outstanding contributions at the national level to business public service or community service a bush school student meeting with cindy taylor marked the start of the event mrs taylor met with approximately 30 students before her presentation for an interactive and candid discussion session students had a unique opportunity to engage with the speaker and request her insights on a variety of topics ranging from professional development to the future outlook of the energy industry the student meeting was followed by a reception in the rotunda of the george bush presidential library and museum the mclane award program began with dr arnold vedlitz executive associate dean of the bush school welcoming the audience and distinguished guests including drayton mclane jr the award namesake; texas a&m university system board of regents chairman phil adams; texas a&m university system board of regents member john white; and texas a&m university vice president for finance and administration jerry strawser dr lori taylor director of the mosbacher institute gave opening remarks and invited mr mclane on stage to confer the award to mrs taylor after the award presentation mrs taylor spoke about the future outlook of the energy industry and the role of technology in dealing with future energy related challenges she shared important insights on the economics of energy independence and talked about the capacity limitations of energy transportation systems the event concluded with dr lori taylor joining mrs cindy taylor on stage for a question-answer session dr taylor posed a variety of questions touching upon topics like leadership professional development and student prospects in the industry in responding to the questions mrs taylor related to her life experiences and expressed her belief in distributive leadership and learning by doing students and faculty alike were very pleased to have in their midst the presence of such a strong industry leader the mosbacher institute is very grateful to mrs cindy taylor and mr drayton mclane jr for making this event possible a video of the event will be uploaded on the mosbacher institutes website shortly
dean ryan crocker has announced the appointment of ms cindy raisor as lecturer and director of the bush schools writing program cindy earned her ba and ma in english at texas a&m with an emphasis on rhetoric composition and linguistics with over twenty-five years of experience in the field she has been a lecturer at texas a&m in the departments of english physics and chemical engineering where she taught technical writing and rhetoric and composition courses in making the announcement dean crocker said i know cindy will be a huge asset in developing our students writing skills which are so important to their future we are delighted to welcome cindy to the bush school
distinguished scholars diplomats and government officials from the us and europe will come together at texas a&m university to celebrate and discuss the fall of the berlin wall one of the most dramatic and far-reaching events in world history the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m will host a conference entitled the 25th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall and the liberation of eastern europe on nov 10 at the annenberg presidential conference center the decades-old wall separating east and west berlin was demolished 25 years ago liberating much of eastern europe from authoritarian regimes changing the face of europe and beginning the dissolution of the soviet union the conference will bring together a unique group of individuals to review these historic events and discuss their effect on international relations then and now many of the conference participants were directly involved in the momentous events of 1989 speakers will include lt general brent scowcroft (ret) and former secretary of state james baker both of whom were key advisors to president george hw bush on national security issues as well as bush school dean ryan crocker european participants will include elmar brok a member of the european parliament and current head of the foreign affairs committee; horst teltschik former security advisor to former german chancellor helmut kohl; and fredric bozo from the university of paris iii: sorbonne nouvelle ambassador larry napper of the bush school former deputy chief of mission at the us embassy in bucharest romania; ambassador robert hutchings dean of the lbj school of public affairs and former deputy director of radio free europe; and james graham wilson historian at the department of state are among the american scholars and policy experts who will participate in the conference others include jeff engel director presidential history projects southern methodist university and chris layne josh shifrinson and gabriella thornton from the bush school the event is open to the public but reservations are required
the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university awarded the 2014 mclane leadership in business award to cindy b taylor president and ceo of oil states international inc on october 2 2014 the annual award recognizes a prominent figure in private business for outstanding contributions at the national level to business public service or community service a bush school student meeting with cindy taylor marked the start of the event mrs taylor met with approximately 30 students before her presentation for an interactive and candid discussion session students had a unique opportunity to engage with the speaker and request her insights on a variety of topics ranging from professional development to the future outlook of the energy industry the student meeting was followed by a reception in the rotunda of the george bush presidential library and museum the mclane award program began with dr arnold vedlitz executive associate dean of the bush school welcoming the audience and distinguished guests including drayton mclane jr the award namesake; texas a&m university system board of regents chairman phil adams; texas a&m university system board of regents member john white; and texas a&m university vice president for finance and administration jerry strawser dr lori taylor director of the mosbacher institute gave opening remarks and invited mr mclane on stage to confer the award to mrs taylor after the award presentation mrs taylor spoke about the future outlook of the energy industry and the role of technology in dealing with future energy related challenges she shared important insights on the economics of energy independence and talked about the capacity limitations of energy transportation systems the event concluded with dr lori taylor joining mrs cindy taylor on stage for a question-answer session dr taylor posed a variety of questions touching upon topics like leadership professional development and student prospects in the industry in responding to the questions mrs taylor related to her life experiences and expressed her belief in distributive leadership and learning by doing students and faculty alike were very pleased to have in their midst the presence of such a strong industry leader the mosbacher institute is very grateful to mrs cindy taylor and mr drayton mclane jr for making this event possible drayton mclane with cindy taylor cindy taylor
on thursday september 18 2014 as part of the mosbacher institutes conversations in public policy event minister tony clement president of the treasury board of canada was scheduled to share his experiences in promoting accountability and transparency in the canadian federal government unfortunately due to urgent parliamentary business minister clement was unable to attend in person the canadian prime minister cancelled travel for all members of parliament to ensure they were present for a critical debate and vote although the event had to be canceled the mosbacher institute was able to arrange a teleconference meeting between dr cole blease grahams public budgeting class and minister tony clement the interactive session lasted for about one hour during which minister clement shared his experiences and took questions from students minister clement was thoroughly impressed by the quality of the discussion he had with the students and tweeted about the experience dr graham too was very pleased that his students got the opportunity to converse on a personal and professional level with such a distinguished public servant as minister clement class members were really impressed with minister clement and his discussion we spent at least another half hour reflecting on his presentation points and implications for best practices in public budgeting students expressed the hope they may be able to serve with an individual like minister clement in the future said dr graham students in the class were equally thrilled to have had this opportunity matthew watson second year student at the bush school felt that students learned a great deal and improved their grasp on budgeting in public service due to their interaction with minister clement: the opportunity to interact with minister clement was invaluable to me and my classmates we were able to have direct access to one of the most influential budgeting officers in the world and ask him candid questions regarding the differences in public administration budgeting and the political processes in our countries mr watson also added that in addition to being very knowledgeable about the nexus of politics finance and policy formation minister clement was able to provide insights on a number of topics affecting canada and the united states today ranging from technological advances in the public service to the performance-based budgeting movement in government affairs the mosbacher institute is very grateful to minister clement for making the teleconference possible and is pleased to be able to share a recorded video via the link above additionally the institute hopes to arrange for the minister to visit in person at some future date
in the ideological zeal and tenacity of isis the us hasnt seen such a determined enemy since hitlers germany or imperial japan says a national security policy expert at texas a&m university professor jasen castillo examines this growing terrorist threat as well as other potential dangers from the middle east and countries such as russia and north korea through the lens of his cohesion theory a framework he developed in hopes of helping analysts and strategists gauge the staying power of military forces before the us goes to war we should know what motivates an adversary and how hard it will fight explains castillo a professor at the bush school of government and public service who uses the theories and methods of social science to address problems in national security what we dont want to do is assume every opponent we face will disintegrate like the iraqi army in 2003and he adds the us should also avoid extreme optimism about the ability of technology to trump the tenacity of potential opponents especially the use of airpower in examining the staying power of military forces castillo asks why do some countrys militaries fight hard when facing defeat while others collapse the cohesion theory proposes to answer this question using two factors: the degree of control a regime holds over its citizens and the amount of autonomy the armed forces possess to focus on training for war to create resilient militaries governments face several choices: they can exert a high degree of control over the country (the former soviet union) they can allow military organizations the autonomy to train (the united states) they can do both (imperial japan) or they can fail to do either (south vietnam) castillo explains with a high degree of regime control governments instill and enforce norms of unconditional loyalty throughout the population a hard-core group of regime supporters inside the military will fight no matter the strategic circumstances and coerce others to do the same high regime control explains why hitlers germany fought to the bitter end but the kaisers germany did not in looking at troublesome areas globally castillo applies the theory finding some military forces may prove harder to defeat than others cohesion theory would suggest ethnic and sectarian division would undermine the staying power of the iraqi army he notes these are problems that also undermine the professionalism of the afghan national army the us is trying to build he finds a fight against the rising islamic state may be a hard-fought victory and fighting for their lives the assad regime in syria will also fight very hard while in eastern europe the ukrainian army does well when it fights rebels but not when it comes up against regular russian forces when this happens its units of poorly trained conscripts break and run castillo a former department of defense policy planner explores cohesion theory in his book endurance and war: the national sources of military cohesion he examines the performance of various militaries from the first and second world wars as well as the vietnam war and contends that traditional arguments on military staying power fail to address key issues one view argues the key to creating militaries with strong cohesion is through small-unit training he explains armies made up of ‘bands of brothers fight the hardest this view however ignores instances where militaries fought hard even though state terror poor training practices or terribly high casualties undermined small-unit bonds the brave performance of the soviet red army during world war ii comes to mind a second view argues a countrys ideology motivates a nations armed forces especially nationalism although ideologies sometime rally a countrys armed forces at other times they fall on deaf ears as with french military in 1940 and in mussolinis italy in world war ii and a third view claims democracies produce the militaries with the greatest staying power the historical record however suggests non-democracies − like north vietnam communist china and the soviet union − fight with equal if not more determination on the battlefield castillo contends the us should be wary of militaries with a high degree of organizational autonomy these types of armed forces can cultivate norms of unconditional loyalty and trust among their personnel these norms will motivate most units even reserve units to fight with determination and flexibility on the battlefield written by lesley henton texas a&m university division of marketing & communications
dr joshua shifrinson has won the lucian pye award for the outstanding phd thesis given annually by the department of political science at the massachusetts institute of technology (mit) shifrinson earned his phd at mit in 2013 and is an assistant professor in the ia program at the bush school the pye award was established in honor of the late professor lucian pye in recognition of his scholarly contributions to political science and his significant role as a teacher and advisor of graduate students in past years pye award winners have come from institutions around the country and the world such as the university of chicago georgetown university the university of texas-austin and the australia national university shifrinson shared this years award with michele margolis soon to be on the faculty of the university of pennsylvania at mit his research emphasis was on international relations and security studies his dissertation focused on a central question undergirding american foreign policy: when and why do rising states use supportive rather than predatory strategies to manage declining great powers finding existing arguments wanting i developed a theory arguing that rising state strategy is determined by whether the declining state can help the rising state maintain a balance of power said shifrinson his dissertation studies included significant historical research into the rise and decline of great powers especially american policy toward the ussr at the end of the cold war this case was particularly important to the project and i was privileged to gain access to president george h w bushs archives at the george bush presidential library as well as interview over 50 senior policymakers from the bush and reagan administrations said shifrinson as new documents come to light i am working to revise the history add additional cases and look forward to publishing a book that i hope will influence policymakers and scholars alike he added
jose d villalobos is an associate professor of political science and the provosts faculty fellow-in-residence in the center for civic engagement at the university of texas at el paso he received his bachelor of arts degree from the university of texas at san antonio and his doctoral degree from texas a&m university he received the george c edwards iii dissertation award for best dissertation on the us presidency awarded by the presidency research group of the american political science association in 2009 his most recent achievement is the university of texas system regents outstanding teaching award and he also was awarded uteps most distinguished faculty member award for commitment to teaching excellence earlier in 2014 his core areas of research are presidential management/policymaking and the public presidency in particular he focuses on questions that explore how and why presidential managerial and rhetorical strategies influence policymaking performance and in turn how the public influences and appraises such efforts he is also interested in studies on race/ethnicity and immigration his publications include articles in political research quarterly presidential studies quarterly administration & society public administration review of policy research international journal of public opinion research international journal of public administration international journal of conflict management contemporary politics and race gender & class dr villalobos currently serves as a board member for the presidents & executive politics section of the american political science association he recently served as the executive politics section chair for the 2013 western political science association conference and has been selected to serve as the presidential/executive politics section chair for the 2015 southern political science association conference he was also selected to serve as a keynote speaker for the mexican-american bar association of el paso and lulac prior to that he served as president of the midwest latino/a caucus section of the midwest political science association from 2008-2011 at utep dr villalobos serves as a fellow for the center for excellence in teaching and learning director of student enhancement and external relations faculty senator member of the political science departments undergraduate committee and department website manager on sept 1 2022 the department of political science became part of the bush school of government & public service
from its inception the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university has been committed to ensuring a diverse student body faculty and staff assistant dean for career and student services dr matthew upton says that a newly formed student group of diversity advocates will play a significant role in ensuring that this commitment is fully met these students will enhance our diversity programming and facilitate ongoing discussions within the school on diversity issues since we believe that is an essential part of a graduate education in public and international affairs said upton kristina miller and khrystyna konopatska will co-chair the schools student government association diversity organization for the 2014-2015 academic year other students involved in the diversity effort include caitlin carlo juan manuel pintor martinez alexander buhler-rose kwame twumasi hugo hernandez and herilala fanomezantsoa these students will facilitate discussion groups host speakers and events and serve as advocates for diversity upton said im confident they will significantly enhance our diversity program and ensure that we have a broad range of student input into all such efforts he added i am excited to become a diversity advocate at the bush school as part of my fulbright mission to increase mutual understanding between the people of the united states and the people of other countries such as madagascar said herilala fanomezantsoa a master of public service and administration student from madagascar the bush school advocates attended the national student leadership diversity conference (nsldc) in new york city july 31-august 3 2014 along with 150 students and advisors from forty-four schools and twenty-two states including the director of student affairs at a&m qatar the largest such national gathering the conference addressed the most critical topics of diversity and social justice challenging campuses today through experiential workshops keynote sessions and round table discussions teams of students explored various elements of diversity and how they affect their campuses conference workshops covered a range of topics including race and class bridging the gender divide conflict resolution and creating effective diversity programs
as someone with extensive knowledge and experience in afghanistan and around the world texas a&m bush school dean ryan crocker was a logical choice to take part in the peace through business® program (ptb) which helps educate and support women entrepreneurs across the globe crocker moderated the at&t/institute for the empowerment of womens panel discussion in dallas on july 16 at which ptb graduates talked about how empowering women in these countries can lead to economic prosperity the dallas meeting was part of the final phase of the 2014 program during which twenty-eight women from afghanistan and rwanda who have persevered through poverty and war celebrated their past achievements and their hope for a better tomorrow i firmly believe that education for women in afghanistan is essential for the countrys future said crocker i know from personal experience what it takes for women there and in other developing countries to find the courage and strength to strike out as entrepreneurs and i was honored to meet these remarkable women and hear their stories of success against sometimes overwhelming odds he said he thanked the at&t foundation for its support of this important program peace through business® is a training program designed to provide long-term business education to women entrepreneurs in afghanistan and rwanda dr terry neese former national president of the national association of women business owners and founder of the nonprofit institute for economic empowerment of women started the program in 2006 ieew now oversees the program which consists of a ten-week course in-country followed by a leadership development program and graduation in the united states neese noted that 2014 marks the eighth year of the peace through business® program we are honored to once again have the support of the city of dallas and our corporate sponsors like at&t in the ongoing effort to build a strong foundation economically socially and politically for these women and to ensure that the opportunities are sustainable she said this years participants own businesses that range from fashion to car mechanics to film production in addition to seminars and training while in dallas each of the women is paired with an american woman business owner in a matched profession lives in her home and goes to work with her each day for one week this provides a one-on-one opportunity to experience firsthand skills the women will use in their businesses when they return home on july 28 and 29 at&t and peace through business® will host the international womens economic summit at the at&t university in las colinas tx the peace through business® program will conclude with a graduation celebration at the george w bush presidential center
paul p van riper scholar teacher administrator and community activist passed away from natural causes in colorado on july 11 2014 at age 97 paul van ripers multifaceted career spanned 70+ years his teaching career included posts at northwestern university cornell and texas a&m he also held visiting positions at george washington university the university of chicago indiana university the university of strathclyde (scotland) the university of michigan the university of oklahoma and the university of utah in 1970 van riper became head of the political science department at texas a&m one year after the department was separated from history he retired from the faculty for the first time in 1981 but then returned to teach part time in the political science department and the bush school of government until 2008 under his leadership the political science department grew from 13 faculty members to 41 and during his tenure the behavioral approach was introduced to political science at texas a&m dr van riper is the author of two foundational works in public administration – history of the united states civil service (1958) and the american federal executive (1963) co-authored with w lloyd warner norman h martin and orvis f collins and numerous articles in professional journals history of the united states civil service is still considered the definitive history of the merit system in the united states bridging the historical contributions of leonard white and david rosenbloom the american federal executive remains the most extensive analysis of government and business elites in the united states in 1990 he received the dwight waldo award from the american society for public administration for lifetime contribution to the literature of public administration in 2001 the american society for public administration created the paul p van riper award to honor individuals who have made significant contributions to research teaching and service in public administration within the field of public administration van riper was known especially for his encyclopedic knowledge of the field paul pritchard van riper was born on july 29 1916 in laporte indiana his mother was a teacher and his father was both superintendent of instruction for the public schools and a local partisan activist foreshadowing pauls own intellectual interest in political science and the administration of public programs paul was the valedictorian of his high school class and attended depauw university on a rector scholarship majoring in history with a minor in social science van riper received his phd in political science from the university of chicago in 1947 majoring in public administration his dissertation written under the direction of leonard white was on the history of the us civil service while at chicago van riper became a charter member of the american society for public administration graduate school was interrupted by world war ii and paul joined the us army quartermaster corps initially serving as an officer in a black platoon (the army was segregated at the time) and eventually deploying to france as a post d-day logistics officer in france he was awarded the croix de guerre by the french government for his service van riper remained in the army reserve after the war eventually attaining the rank of lt colonel in the army reserves in 1952 paul joined the faculty at the graduate school of business and public administration at cornell university at the time the first generic school of management training individuals for careers in both business and government he had an active role in the administration of both the school and the university serving as director of the phd program for the school and secretary of the faculty both for the school and the university he was the chief administrative officer for the cornell constituent assembly tasked with reorganizing the university in 1969-70 community service played a major role in paul van ripers life he was an active member of beta theta pi social fraternity and served on its national board of directors as national vice president and for two years as its chief administrative officer he served as a member of the board of directors of the brazos valley community action agency president of the bryan-college station rotary club an active member and officer of the brazos county historical commission president (and a founder) of citizens for historical preservation (now the brazos heritage society) and a member and secretary of the advisory council for the brazos valley retired senior volunteer program (rsvp) pauls interest in historic preservation was incorporated into his personal life he and his recently deceased wife dorothy purchased and restored multiple historic houses in bryan and in college station in a coverpiece for a published oral history project on van riper former president george h w bush says pauls belief in the integrity of civil and community service has served as the foundation for bringing together public administration scholars and practitioners he believes that public administration is about practicing management not just teaching it; that it is about serving your country; and that it is about making community service central to your life and work on sept 1 2022 the department of political science became part of the bush school of government & public service
dean ryan crocker has announced the appointment of dr f gregory gause iii as the first head of the department of international affairs at the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university as professor of international affairs gause also will hold the john h lindsey ‘44 chair at the school gause comes to the school from the university of vermont where he was professor of political science served as chair of the department of political science from 2010 to 2013 and directed the universitys middle east studies program from 1998 to 2008 he is also a non-resident senior fellow at the brookings doha center gause received his phd in political science from harvard university and also studied arabic at the american university in cairo and middlebury college a noted middle east scholar for more than two decades and widely recognized for his expertise gause has focused his research on the international politics of the middle east with a particular interest in the arabian peninsula and the persian gulf he has published three books the most recent of which is the international relations of the persian gulf (cambridge university press 2010) his articles have appeared in foreign affairs foreign policy middle east journal security studies and other journals and edited volumes he has testified on gulf issues before the committee on international relations of the us house of representatives and the us senate foreign relations committee prior to his tenure at the university of vermont gause was on the faculty at columbia university and was fellow for arab and islamic studies at the council on foreign relations in new york he was the kuwait foundation visiting professor of international affairs at the kennedy school of government harvard university in fall 2009 and a fulbright scholar at the american university in kuwait in spring 2009 he was a research fellow at the king faisal center for islamic studies and research in riyadh saudi arabia in spring 2010 we are delighted to have dr gause join our faculty and provide leadership for the department of international affairs said dean crocker his reputation for superb scholarship and expertise as well as his close ties to the middle east will significantly enhance our international affairs academic programs he added
as the terrorist group isis continues to wreak havoc in iraq the international community and the media are searching for response and advice from experts on middle east conflict one of whom is former us ambassador to iraq (2007-2009) ryan crocker who currently serves as dean of the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university crocker who was also ambassador to afghanistan (2011-2012) pakistan (2004-2007) syria (1998-2001) kuwait (1994-1997) and lebanon (1990-1993) has a long history as a diplomat and foreign policy advisor since the current crisis has unfolded in iraq crockers analysis and opinions have been highly sought by some of the worlds top media outlets including cbs news cnn msnbc and the washington post crocker says he recognizes the value of responding to media inquiries and in light of his vast experience in middle east conflict feels a responsibility to give his insight in times of crisis i have every reason to believe that president george hw bush founded the bush school in order to make an impact in national and international affairs says crocker our faculty includes a wide variety of experts in homeland security and counterterrorism conflict and foreign policy defense policy and public leadership just to name a few as public servants i feel it is our duty to assist and advise when and where we can
istpp director arnold vedlitz along with istpp associate research scientist xinsheng liu and istpp fellow james stoutenborough have published their article trends in public attitudes toward climate change: the influence of the economy and climategate on risk information and public policy in risk hazards & crisis in public policy by comparing the publics perceptions attitudes and behaviors about climate change across three unique national surveys conducted in 2004 2007 and 2013 the researchers examined two competing explanations – climategate and the economic downturn for the decline in public support to enact climate change policy in the united states following the high levels of support for climate policy seen in 2007 this article was based on three separate national public opinion surveys the 2004 survey and the 2007 survey were both conducted under research grants awarded by the national oceanic and atmospheric administration the third survey was funded by istpp and completed in 2013 james w stoutenborough xinsheng liu and arnold vedlitz 2014 trends in public attitudes toward climate change: the influence of the economy and climategate on risk information and public policy risk hazards & crisis in public policy 5(1):22–37
valerie hudson a noted scholar of gender issues and of foreign policy says she was not surprised to learn that the islamic militant organization boko haram had kidnapped 300 schoolgirls in nigeria but is of the opinion leaders of that group did not expect the worldwide reaction boko haram was startled that anyone outside nigeria cared about these girls let alone that this action would create a worldwide storm states hudson who holds the george hw bush chair at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university and is an authority on international security and foreign policy analysis girls are regularly sold as brides by their fathers and women are considered chattel in that society in practical terms the subjugation of women in nigeria fuels the creation of terrorist groups she adds hudsons extensive expertise in the relationship between the status of women and a nations security was recently underscored when she was selected to receive a $900 000 minerva grant she will share the prestigious and highly competitive grant from the department of defense (dod) with three colleagues donna lee bowen and pepetua lynne nelson from brigham young university and rebecca nielsen from yale the minerva initiative a university-based social science research initiative focusing on areas of strategic importance to us national security policy was created to expand the us department of defenses basic understanding of the social cultural behavioral and political forces at work in regions of strategic importance to the us dod is also interested in gaining the knowledge it needs to help implement the national action plan for women peace and security established in 2011 through this initiative hudson and her colleagues will study how gender family legal and related issues and the overall status of women affect political and economic organization and inter- and intra-state sociopolitical conflicts this research will heighten the dods strategic forecasting ability and help them deal with terrorist threats like those posed by boko haram hudson states founded in 2002 boko haram opposes education for girls and seeks to establish a pure islamic state ruled by sharia law thereby braking what it deems westernization in a widespread climate of repression women in africa (and other parts of the world) may be denied health care and education as well as access to loans to help them create businesses and improve their status polygynymales having multiple female partners or wivesis rampant in northern nigeria facilitating terrorist recruitment and domestic violence and subjugation of women are pandemic in a recent opinion piece hudson notes that since the literacy rate among women is only 50 percent in nigeria the girls at the chibok boarding school were daughters of women who knew the importance of education and were willing to sacrifice for their girls future the kidnapping highlights the clash between two possible nigerian futures she cites two visions one in which everything is for men … to take and use for private ends power wealth women girls producing a land full of bloodshed and corruption and waste and another where men and women work together to ensure safety health progress and prosperity for all we know that women can only become active partners in building peace and preventing conflict when they are safe and able to express their experiences and make their voices heard hudson says since women make up half the earths population knowing what obstacles they face in various societies and communities is vital in developing international strategies to improve their status and assure peace she adds thanks to hudson texas a&m is now home to the largest and most comprehensive database on the status of women (http://womanstatsorg) which has generated both academic and policy interest worldwide this resource has more information than the world bank or the united nations hudson says she and her co-principal investigators of the womenstats project have published a wide variety of empirical work linking the security of women to the security of states which has appeared in such journals as international security the journal of peace research political psychology and politics and gender bush school dean ryan crocker a former ambassador and career diplomat notes that hudsons research is bringing a new and important perspective to how the united states deals with womens rights in other countries as a national security issue in our country dr hudson and her colleagues are providing vital empirical evidence of the importance of women in bringing stability and peace to their nations crocker says that is a critical interest of this country her work and teaching enhance our scholarship as we educate future leaders and public servants hudsons most recent book forthcoming in late 2014 is the hillary doctrine: how sex came to matter in american foreign policy
istpp assistant director xinsheng liu and director arnold vedlitz along with co-author liu shi have published their article examining the determinants of public environmental concern: evidence from national public surveys in environmental science & policy in the article the authors examine the changes over time in individual-level factors – socio-demographic variables political orientations and personal beliefs or worldviews about human-nature relations – that drive citizens environmental concern in the united states they found that political liberals people with higher new ecological paradigm values females and non-whites tend to be more concerned about environmental problems they also uncovered some interesting findings when compared to previous studies: a positive relationship between age and environmental concern rather than the typically seen inverse relationship and little effect of education level on environmental concern which typically has shown a positive relationship this article was based on two research projects funded by the national oceanic and atmospheric administration and another project funded by istpp and a texas sea grant (also through noaa) xinsheng liu arnold vedlitz and liu shi 2014 examining the determinants of public environmental concern: evidence from national public surveys environmental science & policy available online at https://dxdoiorg/101016/jenvsci201402006
in honor of their father the late congressman thomas ludlow ashley meredith and mark ashley created the thomas ludlow ashley endowed scholarship at the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university the scholarship will be awarded on a competitive basis and selected by a committee of faculty and staff of the school recipients will be recognized as the thomas ludlow ashley scholars during their time at the bush school representative ashley served in congress from 1954 until his retirement in 1980 representing the 9th congressional district in ohio which included his hometown of toledo a staunch liberal and a fierce advocate for landmark anti-poverty and housing legislation ashley was known as a thoughtful and skilled legislator who could create bipartisan agreement on difficult issues he was called mr housing by his congressional colleagues and worked diligently to create public housing programs in the 1960s and 1970s in particular the housing and community development acts of 1974 and 1977 ashley was known universally as lud and was a long-time friend of president george hw bush they became best friends at yale after world war ii and maintained a close friendship until ashleys death in 2010 congressman ashley was a member of the george bush foundation board of directors and never missed a meeting despite the difficulty of getting to college station from michigan i think he thought of himself in some way as an alumnus of the bush school said meredith ashley he certainly was passionate about the school and our family recognized that this kind of continuing contribution to the students would have pleased him ashleys sons mark and meredith said they want the students who receive this scholarship to understand and value the deep respect that existed between our father and the president and to know how that respect enabled two leaders of their respective parties to focus on their commonalities as opposed to their differences as they worked to serve the nation president bush recalled his friend as a dedicated and principled public servant lud ashley embodied the ethic of public service as a noble cause he said im thrilled that his name will now be associated with the bush school and that this generous donation will help us educate future principled leaders im also very grateful to mark and meredith for honoring their dad in this way he was so proud of them both former bush school acting dean and long-time friend of president george hw bush andrew card said he felt privileged to witness the close relationship between the president and congressman ashley these two gentlemenand i would use that word in its fullest sensewere loyal friends dating from the time they both served in congress said card that friendship endured over the years but neither gave up his partisanship they understood the need so often lost today to both earn and give respect to others despite partisan differences president bush always looked forward to seeing lud not only as a friend and former colleague but as a source of comfort lud ashley was a remarkable man and a dedicated public servant card said im sure president bush is very pleased that congressman ashleys name will now be forever associated with the bush school
scott robinson associate professor at the university of oklahoma and the bush schools executive associate dean arnold vedlitz have been awarded the 2014 herbert kaufman best paper award by the american political science associations (apsa) public administration section vedlitz and robinson were honored for their paper entitled organizational trust and risk communication: trust in the epa and opposition to fracking robinson now holds the henry bellmon chair of public service at ou he and vedlitz will receive the award at the 2014 apsa annual meeting in washington dc the review committee noted that public trust in political institutions is now a ‘hot button issue and that while scholars have long examined this declining trust research has mostly looked at government as a single undifferentiated entity vedlitz and robinsons work explores the trust issue as it relates to individual government agencies their research approach was cited as well-conceived timely and sets forth an interesting research agenda vedlitz is the founder and director of the institute for science technology and public policy (istpp) at the bush school since its founding in 2000 istpp has attracted over $15 million in competitive funding from federal and state agencies and has partnered with researchers from us and international universities government agencies and research centers over the years the institute has become an important resource for the study of important public policy issues and for effectively communicating research results to decision makers and the public the institutes research focuses on public policy related to environmental and natural resources emerging technologies infrastructure and built environment and health it is a pleasure to share this award with my friend and colleague dr scott robinson scott is a senior research fellow in our institute for science technology and public policy and i look forward to our continuing to work together on other public policy projects like this one
scott robinson associate professor at the university of oklahoma and the bush schools executive associate dean arnold vedlitz have been awarded the 2014 herbert kaufman best paper award by the american political science associations (apsa) public administration section vedlitz and robinson were honored for their paper entitled organizational trust and risk communication: trust in the epa and opposition to fracking robinson now holds the henry bellmon chair of public service at ou he and vedlitz will receive the award at the 2014 apsa annual meeting in washington dc the review committee noted that public trust in political institutions is now a ‘hot button issue and that while scholars have long examined this declining trust research has mostly looked at government as a single undifferentiated entity vedlitz and robinsons work explores the trust issue as it relates to individual government agencies their research approach was cited as well-conceived timely and sets forth an interesting research agenda vedlitz is the founder and director of the institute for science technology and public policy (istpp) at the bush school since its founding in 2000 istpp has attracted over $15 million in competitive funding from federal and state agencies and has partnered with researchers from us and international universities government agencies and research centers over the years the institute has become an important resource for the study of important public policy issues and for effectively communicating research results to decision makers and the public the institutes research focuses on public policy related to environmental and natural resources emerging technologies infrastructure and built environment and health it is a pleasure to share this award with my friend and colleague dr scott robinson scott is a senior research fellow in our institute for science technology and public policy and i look forward to our continuing to work together on other public policy projects like this one
bush school graduate sarah jackson is one of 41 family members friends and associates of the 41st president featured in the new documentary 41on41 which premieres worldwide on cnn on june 15th at 8 pm central time with an encore performance at 10 pm three days prior to the fathers day evening broadcast on june 12 2014 president bush will celebrate his 90th birthday in kennebunkport maine with family friends and former colleagues from his white house years funded by the george bush presidential library foundation this extraordinary profile reveals the president through first-person accounts of public and personal life experiences from 41 people who have been associated with him throughout his life the storytellers include bush family members long-time colleagues such as former secretary of state james baker press secretary marlin fitzwater and his long-time and current chief of staff jean becker; president bill clinton noted broadcaster tom brokaw and even dana carvey whose imitation of the president on saturday night live became a classic television moment bush foundation ceo fred mcclure said the goal of the film is to present president bush through the stories of his life it is more than a recounting of history – it is an engaging and uplifting profile of one of our greatest citizens that no american will want to miss mcclure said currently director of public affairs for the dallas citizens council sarah jackson has been a communications professional for almost ten years during which time she held a number of key positions in washington dc she has worked for members of congress as well as in the office of media affairs in the us state department where she collaborated on strategic media initiatives for secretary of state condoleezza rice undersecretary of state karen hughes and other senior officials jackson who graduated in 2011 from the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university with a masters in public service and administration first met the president during her orientation weekend at the school i was impressed that president bush took the time to ask us what we hoped for our futures and said how happy he was to have us at his school jackson said meeting mrs bush later in the day was an added bonus throughout her time at the bush school jackson says she met the president several times including a memorable trip to an astros game with him and fellow students i have a number of happy memories of the president says jackson i respect him as a remarkable leader and public servant yet his sense of humor and easy conversation always made me and my fellow students feel comfortable in his presence he is always so interested in what you are doing that sincere interest in others is a rare quality and i think it is a hallmark of president bushs character she added additional details on the film can be found at http://www41on41com
istpp director vedlitz along with istpp fellows douglas oxley and sammy zahran and co-authors jeremy brooks and charles lindsey have published their article abnormal daily temperature and concern about climate change across the united states in review of policy research in this study the researchers sought to examine the relationship of environmental conditions on attitudes toward climate change using results from two national surveys of us adults along with data on mean temperatures the dates of the surveys the authors demonstrate that both abnormally warm temperatures as well as abnormally cool temperatures effect the publics level of concern for climate change the researchers explore how the theoretical frameworks of availability bias mental models and implicit stimuli may explain their findings and develop implications for climate policy this article was based on a research project conducted by istpp under two grants awarded by the national oceanic and atmospheric administration jeremy brooks douglas oxley arnold vedlitz sammy zahran and charles lindsey 2014 abnormal daily temperature and concern about climate change across the united states review of policy research 31(3): 199–217 doi: 101111/ropr12067
istpp director vedlitz along with istpp fellows b dan woods and douglas oxley have published their article the effect of persuasive messages on policy problem recognition in policy studies journal in this manuscript the authors extend current theories about how individual behavior leads to policy recognition through an embedded experiment in a national survey specifically they investigate how positive and negative messages about climate change from sources of different credibility influence concern for global warming they find that people become more concerned about global warming both from receiving negative message and from receiving that message from a source they consider credible the persons political ideology affects their perception of credibility of the source the authors conclude that policy problem recognition has an attitudinal evaluation process component this article was based on a research project conducted by istpp under a grant awarded by the national oceanic and atmospheric administration douglas r oxely arnold vedlitz and b dan wood 2014 the effect of persuasive messages on policy problem recognition policy studies journal 42(2): 252–268 available online at https://dxdoiorg/101111/psj12058
on may 8 graduate certificates were awarded to bush school students who completed a certificate program the ceremony was held in the george h w bush presidential librarys orientation theater some 115 students earned certificates during the summer and fall of 2013 and the spring of 2014 semesters while some studied on campus others were located across the united states and in other countries twenty-five students were present for the event lisa brown director of extended education presided at the ceremony; and dean ryan crocker welcomed the graduates sixty-seven certificates in advanced international affairs were presented by ronald sievert director of that program dr danny davis director of the certificate in homeland security program presented certificates to fourteen graduates; and dr will brown awarded certificates to thirty-four students who earned the certificate in nonprofit management dr arnold vedlitz executive associate dean introduced the class speaker matthew d miller emergency management specialist for the dallas/ftworth international airport department of public safety who earned a certificate in homeland security these certificate programs enable both on-campus students and working professionals located away from college station to gain additional expertise in their chosen field said lisa brown weve seen steady growth in both residential and online certificate enrollment and are pleased to recognize these outstanding graduates she added
once again the bush schools nonprofit management forum has garnered praise from participating staff board members volunteers and students this years event on april 4 at the annenberg conference center brought together academic researchers consultants industry professionals and aspiring leaders in a program geared toward improving the effectiveness of nonprofits dr will brown director of the bush schools certificate in nonprofit management program opened the conference with a presentation on how strategic leadership can transform an organizations management practices he was followed by the conference keynote speaker flip flippen a leadership expert workshops were provided on various nonprofits topics rachel muir led a workshop on fundraising and tyann osborn of the osborn consulting group spoke on performance management katy avenson and kara hamann both accountants discussed strategic financial management while suzanne smith of social impact architects covered the concept of nonprofits as a social enterprise tiffany galligan too good strategy discussed how nonprofits can develop their mission into a brand; and michael wilson small world labs offered tactics for building and nurturing online communities each of these speakers addressed an issue that nonprofit staff and volunteers face regularly said brown were pleased to be able to bring well-known experts together in a forum that not only educates but also allows time for participants to network and learn from each other he added in post-session evaluations participants gave the forum high marks we appreciate the compliments and use the information in those evaluations to continue to improve the forum brown said more than 100 people attended this year representing local nonprofits as well as organizations from other cities in texas the forum was sponsored by a number of community partners: arts council of the brazos valley project unity texas association for nonprofit organizations (tano) and united way of the brazos valley
the end of the spring semester saw bush school students recognized for their extra efforts in leadership and writing development on april 22 dean crocker along with professors joe cerami larry napper and bill west; lecturer sally dee wade; and leadership and writing portfolio program assistants holly kasperbauer and kara socol presented awards for the writing portfolio project and the deans certificate in leadership this year more students than ever completed both programs with seventy-nine students receiving leadership certificates and forty-two being recognized for the writing portfolio project the students will graduate in may after completing the master of public service and administration or master of international affairs students in the leadership development project each created an individual leadership plan that examined their personal vision values knowledge skills and professional attributes using the results of that self-evaluation and what they learned in workshops and individual leadership coaching sessions they demonstrated their commitment to leadership development by taking part in public service leadership projects this program is led by col joe cerami along with holly kasperbauer sally dee wade worked to improve students writing and critical evaluation skills as they developed individual and group writing abilities and editing skills the students also created a portfolio of writing samples that will be useful as they seek employment after graduation wade noted that for the first time all the students who began the writing portfolio project completed it this year robby smith a soon-to-be mpsa graduate said she really enjoyed the opportunities for gaining critical knowledge and skills offered by these two initiatives in addition to the more traditional classroom education developing character qualities and enhancing technical skills help us all to be more prepared for the careers we aspire to and also make us more competitive in the job market she said dean crocker congratulated the students on doing the extra work that increased their writing and leadership skills its not a coincidence that texas a&m is consistently ranked amongst the top two schools for students commitment to public service and as an institution whose graduates are highly sought after he said the bush school is certainly a leader in this area crocker added that as bush school graduates expectations will be high; and he encouraged the students to stay in touch let us hear from you as your careers progress and you rise to the top of your chosen professions he said
thanks to some caring and energetic bush school students a young man with a brain tumor will be able to visit rome and learn more about his faiththe wish he submitted to the make-a-wish foundation which grants the wish of a child diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition jonathan was diagnosed with a malignant neoplasm of the brain when he began having vision problems led by ashley warrington and christine rafiekian both of whom have volunteered with the make-a-wish foundation bush school students chose to fulfill a wish submitted to the foundation in honor of the twenty-fifth anniversary of president george h w bush participating in the 500th wish for the national make-a-wish organization they worked with the schools public service organization holding several fundraising events on campus and soliciting donations from faculty staff and students on april 4 jonathon learned that his wish would be granted at a private lunch in houston with his family; friends; members of the make-a-wish organization advisory committee; and warrington and rafiekian the bush school initiative organizers warrington said the day was very speciala celebration of how far jonathan has come and an opportunity to hear his story jonathan spoke movingly thanking his family for their support through this difficult time and thanking the bush school for making his wish come true said warrington the students presented jonathan with a basket of goodies for his trip including a model of the avenger plane that president bush flew in wwii a copy of all the best signed by president bush a bush school t-shirt a personalized rosary and a rome travel book since jonathans dream is to be a pilot the gifts from president bush were especially meaningful we firmly subscribe to president bushs belief that public service is a noble calling said warrington and we believe that giving to the make-a-wish foundation honors that belief this successful project would not have been possible without the dedication of our fellow students; the schools faculty staff and alumni; and the strong moral and financial support of president and mrs bush; former acting dean andrew card; and the bush foundation she added warrington is a first-year master of public service and administration student and rafiekian is a first year student in the master of international affairs program of the students leadership and service efforts bush school dean ryan crocker said i am proud to see our students take this initiative to start a new project see it through to completion and change a young mans life while studying to be leaders and public servants for our communities and nation this successful effort is yet another testament to the dedicated leadership service and quality of bush school students
the department of political science nominated and sponsored dr clarence e sasser (73) for an honorary doctorate degree passed by resolution in april 2014 by the texas a&m university faculty senate and approved by dr mark a hussey interim president of texas a&m and the tamus board of regents dr sasser received the award for his extraordinary devotion in a lifetime career of public service in the va to help americas military veterans in his own military service dr sasser was awarded the medal of honor for his heroic actions with the us army in the republic of vietnam in 1968 while serving as a medic in november 2013 dr sasser was enshrined as the eighth aggie and the first african-american into the aggie medal of honor hall of honor in the tamu memorial student center at the special award presentation for dr sasser at the may 9 2014 graduation ceremonies dr kenneth j meier distinguished professor of political science the charles h gregory chair in liberal arts at texas a&m and director of the project for equity representation & governance in the department of political science presented dr sasser with the honorary medallion accompanying the doctorate degree left to right on stage with dr sasser during the ceremonies are dr michael benedik dean of faculties and associate provost dr kenneth j meier dr clarence e sasser (73) dr josé luiz bermúdez former dean of the college of liberal arts (holding dr sassers honorary diploma) and dr mark a hussey interim president texas a&m university on sept 1 2022 the department of political science became part of the bush school of government & public service
brian shreck istpp pre-doctoral research associate presented a paper co-authored with istpp director arnold vedlitz at the annual conference of the western political science association in seattle wa on april 18 2014 their paper in defense of informal discussion as deliberative democracy uses data from a national public water policy survey to find which factors have the greatest effect on civic engagement as well as public discourse the authors findings indicate that public deliberation does not appear to be driven by socioeconomic factors as other researchers have contended instead the authors find that problem definition and personal interests are the strongest predictors of civic engagement this paper is based on research funded by istpp the office of the vice president for research and a texas sea grant award
lisa brown has been appointed director of the office of extended education (oee) for the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university brown has been serving as interim director since september 2013 and previously beginning in 2007 served as assistant director after graduating from texas a&m with a ba in english brown earned a masters degree in adult education with a concentration in technology management from northwestern state university in natchitoches louisiana prior to joining the bush school brown worked for the department of engineering technology and industrial distributions online degree program where she created and implemented masters program processes strategy and marketing programs during her time as interim director of oee brown has expanded the online education programs by upgrading essential technology and implementing new scholarship and service opportunities for online students lisa has been a key member of our online education team working with faculty and students to strengthen and extend our online programs said bush school executive associate dean arnie vedlitz under lisas leadership im confident we will see further enhancements of this important element of our overall educational offerings which are especially critical for those students who cannot take advantage of our residency programs
istpp researchers presented three papers at the midwest political science association conference in april blurring the lines of scientific objectivity in the policy process: are climate skeptic portrayals of climate scientists as wild-eyed fanatics accurate istpp fellow james w stoutenborough presented research co-authored with rebecca bromley trujillo and isttp director arnold vedlitz the authors examine the portrayal of climate scientists as biased predictors of threat due to climate change some among the media and climate skeptics point to the affiliation of climate scientists with environmental interest groups as proof of the scientists bias using data from two national surveys the authors compare involvement of climate scientists in environmental interest groups with that of the general public this paper is based on two research projects funded by by the national oceanic and atmospheric administration deliberation public discourse and opinion on climate change brian shreck istpp pre-doctoral research associate presented a paper co-authored with istpp director arnold vedlitz at the 72nd annual meeting of the midwest political science association in chicago il on april 4 2014 shreck and vedlitz use survey data to compare and discuss individuals engagement in informal public discourse and how it affects policy opinions and beliefs regarding climate change public discourse has long been considered by democratic theorists to be a cornerstone of democratic legitimacy but this has rarely been tested on several counts the authors determined that while some public discourse is occurring it is not a strong predictor of political opinion formation this paper is based on two research projects funded by the national oceanic and atmospheric administration and another project funded by istpp and a texas sea grant the effects of overconfidence in complex domains on policy preferences: the public and their understanding of energy climate change and genetically modified organisms james w stoutenborough (istpp fellow) presented a manuscript co-authored with kellee j kirkpatrick xinsheng liu (istpp associate research scientist) and arnold vedlitz (istpp director) people are faced with complex policy issues that are beyond the abilities of most of us to comprehend evaluate and determine a preferred course of action some people may be overconfident or under confident in how well they can do this using data collected from issue-specific national public opinion surveys on energy climate change and genetically modified organisms (gmo) the authors analyze individual characteristics that are more likely to result in over or under estimation of ones understanding and how this influences ones policy preferences this paper is based on an energy survey supported by texas a&m universitys crisman institute for petroleum research in the harold vance department of petroleum engineering istpp and the office of the vice president for research; two climate change projects funded by the national oceanic and atmospheric administration; and gmo project sponsored by istpp and the institute for public policy at university of new mexico
dr arnie vedlitz executive associate dean of the bush school and director of the institute for science technology and public policy will serve as co-director of the community outreach engagement core (coec) for the center for translational environmental health research (ctehr) recently announced by texas a&m university the ctehr was named by the national institutes of health (nih) as the newest national center of excellence in environmental health science it will serve as the cornerstone for integrated environmental health research translation of research advances into practice and community outreach and engagement aimed at improving human health ctehr will be funded by a $4 million grant from nih to cover its activities for the next four years the coecs efforts will be aimed at creating bridges among center members surrounding communities and stakeholders in order to further scientific collaborations and will also be aimed at disseminating research results said vedlitz he and his istpp research staff will initiate programs aimed at identifying the educational needs of policy makers and determining the best ways to provide this information among other outcomes the results of these activities will feed into local state and regional workshops for policy makers in at-risk communities to inform them about environmental issues and exposures in order to develop strategies to address environmental health issues it is a real pleasure for me to be able to work with the other leaders of the community outreach and engagement core robin fuchs-young and tim lightfoot said vedlitz our team has the very important role of moving scientific discoveries into the policy process and into the consciousness of citizens and health opinion leaders our successful implementation of this effort will serve as an important model for later nih translational efforts he added bush school dean ryan crocker said the school is happy to be part of this new and important initiative were very pleased to be able to play a strong supporting role in this important texas a&m university system and texas a&m university health initiative combining scientific and technical health research with public policy and public outreach elements makes this nih center a very significant one indeed he added ctehr is one of only twenty-one nih centers focusing on environmental health science and is directed by dr cheryl walker of the texas a&m system health science center other partners in the cther include texas agrilife research baylor college of medicine texas a&m health science center institute of biosciences and technology (ibt) texas a&m college of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences a&ms dwight look college of engineering and the texas medical center (tmc) in houston
james w stoutenborough assistant professor at university of alabama in huntsville and istpp fellow along with arnold vedlitz istpp director have published in environmental science & policy based on results from a national public survey conducted as part of funding awarded by noaa the authors analyze two measures of knowledge about climate change – perceived knowledge and assessed knowledge perceived knowledge is the respondents self-reported level of knowledge assessed knowledge is an objective assessment of the respondents level of knowledge then using these two types of knowledge stoutenborough and vedlitz evaluate the relationship between knowledge and concern for climate change and test the knowledge deficit model james w stoutenborough and arnold vedlitz 2013 the effect of perceived and assessed knowledge of climate change on public policy concerns: an empirical comparison environmental science & policy available online at https://dxdoiorg/101016/jenvsci201308002
assistant professor erin a snider joined the bush schools masters program in international affairs in the fall of 2013 she holds a phd in politics and international studies from trinity college cambridge and focuses her research on democracy aid and the political economy of the middle east particularly egypt her other degrees include an msc in middle east politics from the school of oriental and african studies at the university of london and a ba summa cum laude from james madison university i am thrilled to be at the bush school where faculty are engaged in important scholarship that is affecting policy snider said bridging theory and practice is integral to my work and its great to be at an institution that shares and values the same sentiment dr snider currently is working on a book based on her doctoral research which looked at why democracy assistance to the middle east does not seem to have made an impact in the region her other projects focus on the political economy of the arab uprisings an area that has not been explored much in the three years since the events began dr sniders interest in the region stems back to her childhood and her fathers return from serving in the us military in turkey since then she has spent much time researching and traveling between the us and the middle east particularly egypt and morocco she was doing research in egypt as the arab spring unfolded in early 2011 it was incredibly thrilling to be there at that time snider said i hope that experience can illuminate my teaching and motivate my students to immerse themselves in the grey areas of the transitions i also hope i can convey the complexities underlying change in the region and get them to wrestle with the new political challenges emerging in the middle east she added still as a researcher snider says it can be hard to work in the region when focusing on sensitive issues like politics research can be frustrating at times she added but enormously rewarding snider said that public education has been really important in her family and that she is inspired by her grandfather who was a professor at the university of oklahoma when it comes to her teaching snider said she believes it should be interactive and dynamic this includes student-led seminar-style classes and guest speakers who join via skype adding context and nuance to the subject at hand i try to relay the passion i have for the subjects i am teaching i hope it is infectious it is incredibly rewarding to share what i am learning with students that are interested in both development and the middle east dr sniders research interests include international relations of the middle east comparative politics foreign assistance and international security democratization and us foreign policy she has published in the journal middle east policy and has a book manuscript in progress: technocrats bureaucrats and democrats: the political economy of us assistance for democracy in the middle east dr sniders experience also includes working for the us state department as well as the un association focusing on the issue of landmines that effort provided her an opportunity to travel to afghanistan which she says was a transformative experience and inspired her research on the political challenges of foreign assistance most recently she was a postdoctoral fellow in regional political economy (middle east) at the niehaus center for globalization and governance part of the woodrow wilson school of public and international affairs at princeton university while at cambridge dr snider was a gates scholar supported by the bill and melinda gates foundation in 2007-2008 she held a fulbright fellowship to study arabic at the american university in cairos arabic language institute snider says she and her husband have had a wonderful first six months in the area and have really enjoyed being here apart from research snider enjoys traveling reading music and collecting textiles from the middle east
two leading experts on the federal debt crisis spoke at the bush school at the end of january alan k simpson former us senator from wyoming and erskine b bowles white house chief of staff under president bill clinton gave the conocophillips white house lecture one of a series hosted by the bush schools mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy some 600 students and faculty attended the event including president and mrs george hw bush following their presentation andy card former white house chief of staff for president george w bush moderated a discussion and q&a session earlier in the day the two took part in a roundtable discussion with students simpson and bowles co-chaired the 2010 national commission on fiscal responsibility and reform an innovative bipartisan effort to solve the national debt problem the moderated discussion highlighted why washington failed to adopt their solution and what can be done now to fix this ever-increasing and critical national problem simpson served as senator from wyoming from 1979-1997 known as a conservative and an opponent of government regulation he is also recognized as an outspoken advocate of equal rights for all citizens bowles is a businessman and political figure from north carolina who served as white house chief of staff and later as president of the university of north carolina system bowles and simpson now co-lead the fix the debt coalition a grassroots campaign that mobilizes key communities to address the nations fiscal challenges during their presentation bowles highlighted the five key issues the nation should address if it wants to fix the debt these issueshealthcare national defense reforming the tax code ensuring social securitys solvency and addressing the interest on the debtwere included in the commissions plan which the president declined to adopt bowles noted that the us spends twice as much as any country in the world on healthcare – per capita and as a percentage of gdpyet ranks between twenty-fifth and fiftieth on such indicators as life expectancy infant mortality and others slowing the rate of growth in healthcare spending to that of the economy is critical to our future as is slowing spending on national defense we spend more on national security than the next seventeen countries combined and are bearing a disproportionate responsibility for global world peace admiral mullins got it right – our greatest national security problem is these deficits the deficit will consume every dollar of resources we need bowles said the other three issues were reforming the tax code making social security solvent and addressing the amount of interest the us pays on debt bowles noted that life expectancy averaged sixty-three years when president franklin roosevelt instituted social security; and today its seventy-nine creating an arithmetic problem by the end of this decade we will be spending more than one trillion dollars on interest on the debt that is one trillion dollars we cant spend to educate our kids build infrastructure or do high-level research on our college campuses bowles said while simpson and bowles are dissatisfied with the progress towards fixing this problem they do believe there are still measures that can be taken to alleviate some of the pressure we cant grow or tax our way out of this problem nor can we cut spending enough to get ourselves out of this problem you have to do all of it bowles said [with this debt] we wont be able to compete and win in a knowledge-based global economy its our generation of republicans and democrats who created this mess and its our job to clean it up during the event simpson and bowles received the good governance award presented by the mosbacher institute the good governance award recognizes exemplary achievements in channeling high-quality policy analysis into good governance and public service said dr lori taylor director of the mosbacher institute i am particularly pleased to be recognizing the service of senator simpson and mr bowles because their work on the commission exemplifies the spirit of public service during a time of fiercely partisan politics they contributed fresh thinking and independent nonpartisan analysis to the policy debate regarding the national debt we are honoring their service and efforts to provide nonpartisan solutions to the nations fiscal imbalances
dr laura dague an assistant professor in the mpsa program earned a phd in economics from the university of wisconsin where she was associated with the population health institute and the institute for research on poverty her doctoral fields of study were public economics and labor economics dr dagues research interests are in health economics and applied microeconomics more specifically in the structure of insurance markets prices and price-setting and how these affect peoples decisions about health insurance a member of phi beta kappa dague received a dissertation research award from the institute for research on poverty and was a fellow at the federal reserve bank of chicago dr dagues research team has been funded by the robert wood johnson foundation the uc davis center for poverty research the we upjohn institute for employment research and the state of wisconsin department of health services the more you know the less things are a mystery; so its best to know about markets in actuality dague said this includes looking at whether policy decisions make people better or worse off her recent publications focus on changes in the medicaid program and their relation to federal healthcare reform shes currently considering how medicaid enrollees respond to premiums and copayments the relationship between medicaid and the private insurance market and the effects of expanding medicaid to nontraditional populations such as low-income adults without dependent children she is also investigating how the structure of the health insurance market in chile affects insurance demand and usage of health care services her work has been published in health affairs health services research and medicaid and medicare research review dr dague also studies policy implications from the affordable care act and how medicaid will affect peoples choices and notes that no one really knows yet what the data will be or what it will show in summary dr dague says her research looks at how public policy affects health insurance and how policy affects peoples decisions fundamentally my research draws on the basic principles of economicselasticities and models based on the estimation of social welfare dague said her interest in this line of research was piqued after president obamas election and she thought about all of the issues to be tackled while working for her state representative in kansas during her undergraduate studies dr dague would often wonder where ideas discussed in committee meetings came from a professor encouraged me to take more economics classes and i realized that i think about the world in terms of peoples incentives because its very logical dague said her current publications include articles on how health insurance expansions affect low-income families and the use of auto-enrollment in medicaid programs in a june 2013 article in health affairs dague focused on healthcare usage in the state of wisconsin following an expansion of coverage to childless adults her research also looks at healthcare in chile and issues of price discrimination based on sex and age dr dagues research on health insurance and labor supply was recently cited by the congressional budget office in the budget and economic outlook at the bush school dr dague teaches courses in economic analysis public finance and healthcare policy what is rewarding about teaching isnt being in front of the classroom but the relationships i build with my students dague said i think teaching can be especially fun when we look at something new in the literature and connect it with something else thats current and interesting dague focuses on building transferable skills for her students she also wants them to learn how economists think about and talk about things in public finance she allows her students to focus on a particular policy area while in her health policy class dr dague emphasizes development of analytical skills she has some advice for students: i think its important not to be afraid of quantitative analysis understanding quantitative approaches can be key to knowing what you can reasonably believe at least know where statistics come from and how to interpret them i think its fun to be at a place where my students will soon have jobs that put them in a position to be making decisions dr dague said she really enjoys being at the bush school because the students are serious and have specific goals one of the best things about teaching graduate students she also enjoys being part of an institution where outstanding speakers are often on campus as well as other intellectual events its also fun to be at a place where my colleagues have different interests but all care about the same things dague said in addition to her work dague enjoys knitting golf traveling and spending time with her husband
arnold vedlitz along with his co-authors including istpp fellow james stoutenborough have published their article climate scientists and environmental interest groups: the intersection of expertise and advocacy in politics groups and identities in the article the authors examine the advocacy role of climate change scientists using interest group theory the authors expected that scientists who express more concern about climate change and those who think they are more efficacious are more likely to be active in environmental interest groups their data analysis indicates that this relationship holds for efficacy but not for concern this article was based on a research project funded by the national oceanic and atmospheric administration rebecca bromley-trujillo james w stoutenborough kellee j kirkpatrick and arnold vedlitz 2014 climate scientists and environmental interest groups: the intersection of expertise and advocacy politics groups and identities available online at https://dxdoiorg/101080/215655032013879726
dr reyko huang is an assistant professor of international affairs at the bush school her research focuses on civil wars rebel group dynamics state-building democratization and foreign interventions in conflict after graduating from cornell university with a dual bachelors degree in government and economics dr huang spent a few years in policy research in washington and new york this included two years as a researcher at the international peace institute a think tank that works closely with the united nations on international security issues where she co-edited a book on un peacekeeping she also attended the woodrow wilson school at princeton to earn a master of public affairs degree as much as i loved policy work i loved research and wanted to do my own dr huang said she went on to earn her phd in political science from columbia university i grew up in a multicultural family and in several different countries i was exposed to huge issues like poverty income disparity and differences in the degree of political and social rights people enjoyed across different countries – issues that made me ask ‘why is this happening why do some governments do so little to address these issues huang said when i began studying international politics as an undergraduate i was hooked in the ensuing years she worked on a research project on the civil war in sri lanka with a team at the woodrow wilson school traveling to the country to conduct interviews she also spent three months in east timor – at the time the worlds newest country – working with the un peacekeeping mission there this theme of conflict and post-conflict rebuilding is found throughout huangs research she is currently working on a book project on rebel governance in civil war and its effects on post-conflict political development when looking at democratization after civil war we often think it occurs because of western interventions there is an assumption that if outside forces dont intervene to help states emerging from conflict theyll become weak unstable and undemocratic my research questions this assumption and looks at the dynamics of the conflict itself that might lend themselves to post-conflict democratization understanding conflict dynamics is crucial if we are to have sensible policy responses and political science offers an excellent set of tools for the endeavor dr huang said she pays particular attention to how rebel groups organize and govern civilian populations during the conflict lets see what happens during the war dr huang said we dont find institutional blank states in these countries after the war rather she said wartime politics will shape peacetime politics in a separate project dr huang examines rebel diplomacy in civil war she said what was fascinating is that many of these groups engage in a great deal of diplomacy in wartime opening foreign offices and dispatching rebel ambassadors abroad they try to act like states to gain legitimacy and recognition so they can win the war and show they are actually capable of running a government dr huang said her research has been supported by the center for international security and cooperation at stanford university where she was a zukerman fellow and by the united states institute of peace where she held a peace scholar fellowship she uses both statistical analysis and qualitative methods using open sources archival material and field interviews her most recent field research was in nepal where she interviewed participants of the countrys 1996-2006 civil war against maoist insurgents her research has been published in international studies quarterly and in edited volumes among other outlets at the bush school dr huang teaches courses on contemporary civil wars state-building and state failure and transnational security issues she teaches her courses seminar-style emphasizing class discussion theoretically-informed debate and critical analysis from multiple angles she says she likes to throw out different ideas for consideration especially contrarian ideas and arguments that help students see an issue in a new light or sharpen their own thinking she also challenges her students to ask is this theory or argument really backed up by evidence is it empirically supported dr huang said the bush school has been a great place to be my research is inspired by real-world questions im academically trained but have dabbled in the policy world so i find a lot of excitement in linking serious academic research with policy issues and here at the bush school students are ambitious and do well in considering important arguments debating them and formulating their own thoughts dr huang said dr huang and her family have enjoyed getting to know texas since their arrival outside of her academic pursuits dr huang also enjoys literature poetry good food exploring and making her six-month-old daughter laugh
james w stoutenborough and arnold vedlitz have just had their article public attitudes towards water management and drought in the united states made available online by water resources management in the article the istpp researchers explore public attitudes and concern for drought issues and their risk assessment and support for various policy options for water management using two national public opinion surveys in the united states created by istpp for this purpose learn more about these surveys on istpps research webpage james w stoutenborough and arnold vedlitz 2014 public attitudes towards water management and drought in the united states water resources management available online at https://dxdoiorg/101007/s11269-013-0509-7
dr liu attended the beijing forum 2013 in china and presented research co-authored with dr ren mu entitled chinese public concerns for environmental protection: evidence from national survey data this research employs national representative public survey data and recent province-level statistics to analyze and explain chinese citizens concerns for environmental protection in china using a series of regression analyses it demonstrates that the levels of chinese citizens environmental concerns are not only rooted in individual social-economic-demographic characteristics and personal experience of pollution events but also significantly affected by regional macroeconomic conditions local environmental risks and provincial government investment in pollution treatments beijing forum is a high-profile international conference co-sponsored by peking university beijing municipal commission of education and the korea foundation for advanced studies it attracts hundreds of distinguished scholars and experts from around the world to explore the most challenging issues facing china and the international community
two leading experts on the federal debt crisis spoke at the bush school at the end of january alan k simpson former us senator from wyoming and erskine b bowles white house chief of staff under president bill clinton gave the conocophillips white house lecture one of a series hosted by the bush schools mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy some 600 students and faculty attended the event including president and mrs george hw bush following their presentation andy card former white house chief of staff for president george w bush moderated a discussion and q&a session earlier in the day the two took part in a roundtable discussion with students simpson and bowles co-chaired the 2010 national commission on fiscal responsibility and reform an innovative bipartisan effort to solve the national debt problem the moderated discussion highlighted why washington failed to adopt their solution and what can be done now to fix this ever-increasing and critical national problem simpson served as senator from wyoming from 1979-1997 known as a conservative and an opponent of government regulation he is also recognized as an outspoken advocate of equal rights for all citizens bowles is a businessman and political figure from north carolina who served as white house chief of staff and later as president of the university of north carolina system bowles and simpson now co-lead the fix the debt coalition a grassroots campaign that mobilizes key communities to address the nations fiscal challenges during their presentation bowles highlighted the five key issues the nation should address if it wants to fix the debt these issueshealthcare national defense reforming the tax code ensuring social securitys solvency and addressing the interest on the debtwere included in the commissions plan which the president declined to adopt bowles noted that the us spends twice as much as any country in the world on healthcare – per capita and as a percentage of gdpyet ranks between twenty-fifth and fiftieth on such indicators as life expectancy infant mortality and others slowing the rate of growth in healthcare spending to that of the economy is critical to our future as is slowing spending on national defense we spend more on national security than the next seventeen countries combined and are bearing a disproportionate responsibility for global world peace admiral mullins got it right – our greatest national security problem is these deficits the deficit will consume every dollar of resources we need bowles said the other three issues were reforming the tax code making social security solvent and addressing the amount of interest the us pays on debt bowles noted that life expectancy averaged sixty-three years when president franklin roosevelt instituted social security; and today its seventy-nine creating an arithmetic problem by the end of this decade we will be spending more than one trillion dollars on interest on the debt that is one trillion dollars we cant spend to educate our kids build infrastructure or do high-level research on our college campuses bowles said while simpson and bowles are dissatisfied with the progress towards fixing this problem they do believe there are still measures that can be taken to alleviate some of the pressure we cant grow or tax our way out of this problem nor can we cut spending enough to get ourselves out of this problem you have to do all of it bowles said [with this debt] we wont be able to compete and win in a knowledge-based global economy its our generation of republicans and democrats who created this mess and its our job to clean it up during the event simpson and bowles received the good governance award presented by the mosbacher institute the good governance award recognizes exemplary achievements in channeling high-quality policy analysis into good governance and public service said dr lori taylor director of the mosbacher institute i am particularly pleased to be recognizing the service of senator simpson and mr bowles because their work on the commission exemplifies the spirit of public service during a time of fiercely partisan politics they contributed fresh thinking and independent nonpartisan analysis to the policy debate regarding the national debt we are honoring their service and efforts to provide nonpartisan solutions to the nations fiscal imbalances
stoutenborough assistant professor at university of alabama huntsville and former istpp postdoctoral research associate along with sturgess istpp student worker and political science undergraduate student and vedlitz istpp director have recently published in energy policy in this article the authors examine how knowledge risk perceptions and attitudinal measures affect the publics support for nuclear energy policy by using several risk and attitudinal measures the researchers provide a detailed look at the connection between policy and risk this paper is based on results from istpps national public energy survey article citation: stoutenborough james w shelbi sturgess and arnold vedlitz 2013 knowledge risk and policy support: public perceptions of nuclear power energy policy https://dxdoiorg/101016/jenpol201306098 stoutenborough and vedlitz also had their research published in nonprofit policy forum along with their coauthors they analyze the influence of nonprofit organizations on citizen orientations to the problem of climate change this paper is based on research conducted by istpp and funded by the national oceanic and atmospheric administration you can read more about the funded project online article citation: bies angela l deanna g lee charles lindsey james w stoutenborough and arnold vedlitz 2013 citizens nonprofits and climate change policy nonprofit policy forum 4(1): 5-28 doi: 101515/npf-2012-0001
dr deborah l kerr has been a lecturer and a member of the graduate faculty at the bush school since 1999 teaching performance management public policy formation and advanced management in addition to supervising second-year capstone projects she was recognized with the universitys 2008 distinguished achievement award for teaching and with the silver star award given by the class of 2009 for outstanding service and dedication while working for the texas legislature kerr was invited to give a lecture as part of the schools inaugural lecture series the following year she was asked to teach a course; and in the fall of 2012 she began teaching two courses per semester they must have liked what i said in my first lecture she said smiling kerr said she has always taught at a university throughout her professional life as a part of her service-oriented mentality having worked in every sectorpublic private and nonprofitgives me a certain perspective that can help students translate theory to practice kerr said kerr holds degrees from saint marys college (notre dame) columbia university and the university of texas at austin where she earned her phd she has also served as an adjunct faculty member in the school of business at texas state university while an executive at the texas state auditors office (sao) kerr led the development of one of the nations first public sector balanced scorecards which in 2004 was recognized as one of the worlds best measurement systems and was selected for the balanced scorecard hall of fame kerr said sao executives were frustrated with the lack of really good and timely data to use in decision making she read about the manufacturing industrys approach to measurement and with her colleagues translated that for the public sector she also served as senior vice president at the american heart associations texas affiliate where she led the implementation of human capital systems and balanced scorecards her work in the public and nonprofit sector led to her service on the national advisory panel for human resource performance measurement at the maxwell school of government syracuse university to develop public sector performance measures for the grading government studies published by governing magazine kerr said her interest in performance management stems from two experiences one i have had some bad managers and thought ‘there must be a better way to manage what does it mean to manage well kerr said two i had a boss who was the best boss ive ever had–a cpa who was very innovative and demanding he took a risk when we began to develop our performance management system – no one had ever done it for the public sector before kerr is a co-founder and partner at affintus in austin texas a company that helps managers make better hiring decisions using technology that provides objective data on the three key job success factors: cognitive personality and work culture preferences this experience influences her teaching in the classroom ive been an executive in all three economic sectors they all have the same problems kerr said my work is a way of collecting more examples that add to the discussion on what it means to manage well and successfully kerrs work has been recognized by the society for human resource management as best practice and has been written about in financial world magazine austin woman magazine and recently in the austin american-statesman her work in performance measurement was featured in both paul nivens 2002 book balanced scorecard step by step and mohan nairs 2004 book essentials of the balanced scorecard her work also has been published in perform magazine and the journal of accountancy and has been published in italy and india she is co-author of a chapter on consulting to public sector organizations in the textbook in action: building a successful consulting practice published by astd she blogs and writes on evidence-based management at http://wwwaffintuscom dr kerr is co-host of the radio show managing os (managing operating systems) where she speaks to a national audience and spreads the word about evidence-based management at the bush school dr kerr is known for her speech at new student orientation on graduate school where she discusses the importance of ethics and self-management you are responsible for your own success you have to manage your own image learning growth and communication in all forms once students are able to do this they will be able to succeed kerr said in her leisure time kerr enjoys food and wine artisan baking with a 127-year-old virginia sourdough and being a bit of a gym rat
the scowcroft institute of international affairs at the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university hosted its namesake lt gen brent scowcroft usaf (ret) on wednesday november 13 scowcroft shared his assessment of the national security issues facing the united states today which was followed by discussion and questions moderated by andrew natsios director of the scowcroft institute professor at the bush school and former usaid administrator the program an evening with brent scowcroft was hosted at the annenberg presidential conference center with a reception following general scowcrofts remarks scowcrofts talk focused on the theme of the many new forces in the world that the us has to account for in developing a grand strategy–which leads to the us dealing with problems never dealt with before these new forces are eating away at the [westphalian] nation-state system now the forces of globalization are working in the opposite direction [of the cold war era] more and more of the things people need can only be gotten by compromise sharing and agreeing around the world scowcroft said he added that the end of the cold war marked for him a major transformation in the world environment it was a historical discontinuity the world of the cold war was a deadly serious world but it had one redeeming feature: the strategy was a given the strategy was containment scowcroft said we have a new world and the unifying strategy is no longer there we tend to use all tactics now because there is no over-right or over-arching goal that makes it easy to plan for the future that has been exacerbated by changes in the world environment scowcroft highlighted information technology (it) as being one of the most important changes in the global environment that the us has to account for in national security the general then went on to discuss the current landscape of national security in a globalized world touching on the us-china relationship india north korea the middle east and syria students were allowed to submit questions in advance some of which focused on his time in the bush administration while others focused on current national security concerns second-year masters program in international affairs student cait stadler submitted the question what is your fondest memory of president bush to this scowcroft replied i have so many that its almost impossible we used to have informal national security council (nsc) meetings some of them got pretty vigorous and sometimes heated and so on when that happened [president bush] would intervene and tell a joke and you could feel the tension leave the room scowcroft said to me that marked him and how he dealt with people he just inspired loyalty and trust and hes just a wonderful man to me he was the best prepared president we ever had in an interview after the event scowcroft talked about his motivation and offered some advice for bush school students i dont think there is anything more rewarding than working for the government–i was always working for something bigger than i was he said look for something that is challenging and that will make you eager to go to work every day this makes you continue to growsomething you are passionate about thats what the goal ought to be general scowcroft is president of the scowcroft group and is known as one of the countrys leading experts on international policy he served as national security advisor for president gerald ford and president george h w bush the only individual in us history appointed to the position under two different presidents named a distinguished graduate of west point scowcroft served twenty-nine years in the us air force during his air force career he held several academic and security positions teaching at both west point and the air force academy he later worked in the department of defense as special assistant to the director of the joint chiefs of staff and served as military assistant to president richard nixon in 1991 general scowcroft received the presidential medal of freedom the nations highest civilian honor from president george hw bush he was awarded an honorary knighthoodknight commander of the order of the british empire (kbe)by queen elizabeth ii in 1999; and he was presented the grand cross of the order of merit of the federal republic of germany in 2009 in addition to his degree earned at west point the general holds masters and doctorate degrees in international relations from columbia university
on november 20 dean ryan crocker joined president and mrs obama and many of the winners of the presidential medal of freedom at a dinner at the smithsonian museum of natural history crocker received the medal from president george w bush in 2009 the dinner was held in honor of the sixteen individuals who had received the medal earlier that day and also commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of the presidential medal of freedom by president kennedy in 1963 among those honored this year were former president bill clinton oprah winfrey country music artist loretta lynn womens rights leader gloria steinem baseball great ernie banks and the late pioneering astronaut sally ride in his remarks obama noted that president kennedy established the medal as a way to honor extraordinary civilian virtue particularly contributions to the nation and its democracy and a dedication to humanity he noted that over the years the presidential medal of freedom has recognized the creativity of writers artists and entertainers; the leadership of elected officials and public servants; and the contributions of scientists business leaders and athletes because there is no one way to contribute to the success of america
james w stoutenborough istpp postdoctoral research associate has presented nine papers at conferences over the past year eight of which come out of institute research projects and data two of his papers are highlighted below for a list of other conference presentations please visit our scholarship page in january 2013 dr stoutenborough was at the southern political science association meeting where he discussed two papers the first paper was policy diffusion and the public: public preferences regarding innovation versus diffusion dr stoutenborough is undertaking this research with dr douglas r oxley (university of wyoming former istpp post doc) and dr arnold vedlitz (istpp director) based on national public survey data the researchers apply a fresh theoretical approach to the publics preferences for developing policy for complex issuesthe second paper was climate scientists and the media: scientists perceptions of the accuracy of climate change media coverage dr stoutenboroughs research colleagues for this paper are dr kellee j kirkpatrick (university of kansas) and dr arnold vedlitz with the media providing most of the publics information on climate change understanding the quality of that information is key step toward developing sound policies
james w stoutenborough assistant professor at university of alabama huntsville and former istpp postdoctoral research associate and arnold vedlitz istpp director published timely information concerning texans attitudes toward water management issues and support for government action to support large-scale infrastructure projects to address those issues based on two statewide public opinion surveys the authors conclude that texans are willing to support government efforts to manage water but not if those efforts negatively affect the environment or agriculture their assessment of strong support for water projects by the texas public was born out in the november 5 2013 general election when the voting public overwhelmingly passed proposition 6 the water fund amendment indeed in preparation for upcoming legislative action on water management issues dr vedlitz presented the results of the texas water survey to texas state leaders back in april james w stoutenborough and arnold vedlitz 2013 public attitudes toward water management and drought in texas texas water journal 4(2): 47-61 https://journalstdlorg/twj/indexphp/twj/article/view/6997
on monday october 28 one of bear bryants infamous junction boys dennis h goehring spoke on leadership at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university goehring focused his talk on goal setting decision making and persevering through difficulties drawing on his time as a football player for texas a&m under coach paul bear bryant goehring said that bryant took the struggling aggie football team to drought-plagued junction texas for their pre-season camp of the 111 players that initially made the trip only thirty-five remained after the ten days of grueling practices in the heat the men who did return as members of bryants team led the aggies to an undefeated season and the southwest conference title two years later in 1956 goehring was on the aggie team from 1953-1956 as a guard and was an all-american in 1956 when the team was undefeated won the southwest conference championship and was ranked number five in the nation of his time on the team with the junction boys goehring said the leadership qualities he learned are discipline hard work perseverance and just knowing that if you learned all these things you could have a mission statement to believe in and chart your life around i was determined to be in the group that stayed and survived and not part of the group that left camp goehring said i think what really happened were several things that affected me – i had to make the team to stay at a&m because i didnt have a scholarship going out there to me it was hard but it was just a game and i knew coach bryant was going to change things i just knew that he was going to develop a championship team and i wanted to be on it goehring said that all of the above made coach bryant a good leader throughout history you know people who are unique – roosevelt churchill lincoln patton and eisenhower – standout people coach bryant could have been a general goehring said when he walked in there was a presence about him that was totally captivating he had the ability to mesmerize people he was smart articulate and intelligent about his mission and what he wanted to do a tribute to coach bryants success is that all of the boys who came back from junction graduated and were successful people speaking specifically to the bush school a place filled with students aspiring to be leaders in public service goehring said that the junction boys werent unique in terms of the challenge that was given to them that junction episode – everyone will have a ‘junction episode the things ive been through since then were a lot tougher if im not persevering making it through then ive failed goehring said theres a junction ongoing and if you can accept that you will be successful out of every negative there is a positive you just have to persevere through ithave the mental toughness to do it goehring added that leadership can start at any age in life you learn from all of the experiences you learn from the mistakes you make and develop leadership from that if you survive then you become leaders he said the junction era was only a few years after wwii there was a mental toughness in this country that we dont have today goehring said now leadership has to generate a different format a different way of saying ‘hey this is how were going to solve the problem if we dont muster up some leadership we will not be happy with where we end up goehring emphasized the importance of finding the job you are passionate about doing – not the job that may make you the most money after college goehring went on to have an illustrious career in both the private and public sectors that includes positions at proctor & gamble college station economic development foundation bryan business council and the us air force a long-time friend of bush school writing consultant sally dee wade this is goehrings second visit to the school wade said students can learn valuable leadership lessons from goehrings experience with the junction boys they are an icon in texas a&m history they epitomize what you can do when you have the right leadership wade said the experiences they had at junction molded them into a cohesive team they all went on to be successful at a&m but that sense of overcoming obstacles has gone on with them through all of their careers goehring started his own bank went on to do city development in college station and now is doing the same in bryan he has been instrumental in such projects as the tamu health science center location wade said his leadership has made such an impact on the cities of bryan and college station wade said overall the junction boys personify leadership teamwork and overcoming obstacles to get the job done goehring began and ended his talk with two key principles success breeds success and if theres a negative in your life find a positive goehring said
four students were recently selected to serve on the the bush school ambassadors council a new student group that represents the bush school at special events development functions and alumni and recruitment events primarily the ambassadors are student liaisons to special guests and students invited to come to the bryan/college station community the new ambassadors are courtney anigian laura griffith daphne hiatt and max shanstrom all students pursuing a degree in the masters program in international affairs (mpia) at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university there are now twenty-six members of the group chosen by the organizations selection committee the ambassadors council concept came from a group of students who convinced the administration that they could be major assets to the schools external relations activities their aim is to reinforce the schools emphasis on professionalism and discipline in public service careers members are selected for their competence social awareness dependability and integrity as well as their ability to represent the bush school brandon pichanick chief ambassador of the council said the organizations purpose is to help the school as the student body increases we believe that having students engaged in various activities can be a plus in the schools external relations activities he said our job is to be the student connection between the institutions and organizations connected to the bush school who regularly invite people to the campus he added the ambassadors seek to make sure guests feel welcome and special during their time at the bush school our members have to be as comfortable conversing with national and international guests as they are with a lost undergraduate trying to find his or her way around the school said pichanick
ambassador ryan c crocker dean of the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university has been elected to the board of directors of the global humanitarian agency mercy corps headquartered in portland crocker a highly decorated career diplomat who served nearly 40 years in the middle east held ambassadorial posts in afghanistan lebanon kuwait syria pakistan and iraq mercy corps had its beginning as save the refugees fund co-founded in 1979 by dan oneill as an emergency relief task force assisting cambodian refugees following the infamous killing fields catastrophe in 1981 mercy corps was incorporated with a mission to alleviate suffering poverty and oppression by helping people to build just secure and productive communities since then the global aid agency has generated billions of dollars in humanitarian assistance in more than 100 countries assisting children and families with cost-efficient high-impact relief and development programs through a broad range of services and innovative strategies mercy corps ceo neel keny-guyer said that crockers unique and extensive diplomatic experience and insight will be a significant asset to the organization ambassador crocker has been widely recognized as one of the state departments most experienced south asia and middle east hands: few people in the world have his knowledge and networks keny-guyer said as the middle east pakistan and afghanistan struggle with ongoing conflict and economic uncertainty he brings an invaluable perspective to mercy corps i have seen first-hand the importance of international development and diplomacy in the middle east crocker said mercy corps performs outstanding work in the region and i am honored to join the organizations board
the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy at the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university honored gary c kelly chairman of the board president and ceo of southwest airlines with the 2013 mclane leadership in business award on thursday september 26 2013 the mosbacher institute was founded in october 2009 to produce policy-oriented research in trade energy and good governance the mclane leadership in business award was established by drayton mclane jr a noted entrepreneur and chairman of the mclane group a high technology firm presented annually the award recognizes a prominent individual in the field of business for outstanding contributions in the area of business public service or community service at the national level the award highlights different roles that business plays in maintaining the economic political and social vitality of our nation under kellys leadership southwest airlines has grown into the nations largest domestic airline a twenty-seven-year southwest veteran kelly has worked closely with southwests legendary co-founder chairman emeritus herb kelleher and president emerita colleen barrett to build the nations largest airline in terms of passengersand the undisputed low-fare leader southwest airlines is celebrating forty years of consecutive profitability and was named #1 in customer satisfaction by the department of transportation for the year 2011 fortune magazine consistently lists southwest airlines among the worlds most admired corporations gary c kelly dean of the bush school ryan crocker welcomed mr kelly and other distinguished guests professor and director of the mosbacher institute jim griffin offere4d remarks and then presented the award along with drayton mclane jr and dean crocker its a real honor to be receiving this award said kelly texas a&m is a great school with great traditions i love and very much respect that you should be involved with something you are passionate about at southwest we have a history passion and dedicated employees it is a privilege to be a leader there he added that he understood that he was being recognized because of southwest airlines it is a huge honor kelly said its just another way to recognize the work of our people; and personally its very special to me texas and texas a&mthey both share rich traditions kelly said during his talk kelly focused on what he called the five cs of leadership – communication competence courage character and caringas well as the importance of an organization having purpose kelly views teamwork critical to executing the mission or purpose he cited president george h w bushs efforts to foster positive relations around the world prior to the first gulf war as a ‘real testament to teamwork if you dont know people you cant get things done kelly said you have to have courage and competency; but above all you have to care you use that wordcarewhen thinking about all aspects of the mission – clients employees investors when you have passion and are really good at something the money part will take care of itself in the forty-two years of southwest we have never had a lay-off or furlough because we have the best care for our employees why because it is the right thing to do he added dr dale thompson a business executive and founder and ceo of leadership worth following llc moderated a q&a session following kellys remarks in answer to a question posed in an interview prior to the event kelly offered the following advice to students and young professionals: work very hard on relationships purge from your mind the idea of a boss if youre confident and smart you can do things you dont have to know everything learning is all about you leading is all about turning that around and understanding your purpose he concluded
former mayor of college station ben white spoke to students faculty and staff of the bush school on monday september 30 2013 as part of the conversations in leadership speaker series before beginning his public service in college station as a planning and zoning committee member a council member and mayor white had served as the executive director of several professional associations on multiple city councils and as mayor and mayor pro tem for the city of garden ridge texas white spoke about the influence his grandfather also named ben white had on him and his public service white said he saw his grandfather as a natural people person who believed that the strength in a community was in the local people and those doing the work at the city level in the q&a following his remarks white talked about his experiences during his long career in local government when asked about working as an elected official with the paid staff white offered a good analogy he said as an executive director he met regularly with the presidentthe chief paid-staff personto make sure they were on the same page in terms of the organizations future as white explained it as the ed he was the driver of the bus (ie the organization); and it was his job to get others there safely while the president set the location of where he wanted the organization to go and if i dont get you there safely its time to find a new driver of the bus white said he continued this philosophy when he was mayor of college station as mayor white said he was always impressed with the high level of professionalism and education of those working in city government most people at the city management level have masters degrees he said i would often sit in on the management team meetings i dont believe in micromanaging but i wanted to show that i was involved and interested in what the departments were doing he added when asked for indicators of a successful team white cited lack of micromanagement by individuals on the team as well as people who are positive willing to listen to both sides of an issue and concerned with the teams progress he also favors team retreats to set priorities and determine plans for the coming year one of the signature programs white initiated as mayor was the monthly coffee with the mayor program when citizens could ask questions and interact with the mayor to further expand communication with the voters white said he would also invite the department directors to attend when asked what influential political leaders he looked up to white cited presidents harry truman and george hw bush to view the talk visit http://wwwyoutubecom/watchv=9egbuvr8tfe&list=tlwjbkvk3wjjvovl5r1zlsf7yyfcwhxx8m
on september 19 three bush school of government and public service students at texas a&m university – naaman akinola brandon pichanick and gabriella medina – attended the ceremony where president george h w bush and barbara bush presented the george bush award for excellence in public service to her highness sheikha moza bint nasser of qatar known as a global advocate for quality education and social reform the george bush foundation presents the george bush award in recognition of an individuals dedication to public service the award underscores president bushs lifelong commitment to public service a driving force behind education and social reforms in qatar for more than fifteen years sheikha moza is the chairperson of the qatar foundation for education science and community development (qf) a private nonprofit organization founded in 1995 qfs flagship project is education city a community of international universities and research institutions housed on a 1 000-hectare campus in doha qatar sheikha moza also actively spearheads projects promoting education peace and human development throughout the world in presenting the award mrs bush told the gathering that her highness sheikha mozas belief in the character and potential of her nations people is an inspiration to us all and a true example of service as a point of light texas a&m president r bowen loftin bush school dean ryan crocker and bush foundation ceo fred mcclure took part in the award ceremony medina chair of the bush schools public service organization said the trip to maine was a rewarding experience not only did i get to enjoy the beauty of maine but it was great to get to know the other bush school student organization leaders on a more personal level as well as the many leaders from texas a&m the bush school and the bush foundation she said i had the honor of being in the presence of her highness and president bush something i never imagined doing in my lifetime medina added im very grateful to those who made possible this opportunity to meet outstanding leaders in public service pichanick chief of the bush schools ambassadors council expressed similar sentiments: the opportunity to accompany dean crocker president loftin and mr mcclure and to represent the bush school and the greater texas a&m system was both an honor and a privilege few students have the opportunity to shake the hands of influential actors in international affairs and public service and i am thankful to have had the opportunity to be part of this important event akinola president of the bush schools student government association echoed their sentiments the creed of the bush school is public service and it was a true privilege to represent this institution at a ceremony honoring an individual as dedicated to serving others as sheikha moza as the leader of the bush school student body i pray that i can someday live up to the example set by both sheikha moza and president bush sheikha moza received the award after presenting the 4th george and barbara bush distinguished lecture at the university of new england (une) campus in biddeford maine which is an annual event honoring the legacy of president and mrs bush as political and community leaders all three students are in their second year of study at the bush school pursing masters degrees in public service and administration and in international affairs as a heartfelt gift to president bush they gave him colorful dress socks backstage prior to the event to view the awards presentation go to http://wwwyoutubecom/watchv=9bpo8ggwxrw
dean of the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university ryan crocker was the first speaker at this falls conversation in leadership a weekly speaker series conducted by the public service leadership program the series provides an opportunity for bush school students to hear from and interact with experienced leaders in an informal setting crocker former ambassador to afghanistan iraq pakistan syria kuwait and lebanon shared both his personal views on leadership as well as his goals for the coming academic year but spent the majority of the time answering students questions crocker listed civility humility sacrifice perseverance and the necessity to project confidence as well as the importance of developing and maintaining relationships with those who advise the leader on key decisions as important leadership characteristics hope and vision are also keys for successful leaders he added leadership is not about you as a leader but about something bigger than you the best leaders have the smallest egos crocker said and real leadership is most evident when things are not going right he also noted that good leaders set a vision for their organization and persevere to see that vision through – never giving up even when things seem hopeless during the q&a that followed his remarks crocker fielded questions on a variety of subjects from the bush school to his time as us ambassador on leadership in foreign policy crocker stated that you must have patience in the international community to be able to serve leaders of both parties you must be ready willing and able to serve whomever the american people elect as a public servant you are working for those who have received the endorsement of the american people when telling students what to do as a leader crocker said that being a leader means being able to do multiple things at once when it comes to what to avoid as a leader crocker advised to be aware of the law of unintended consequences realize the need for transparency seek counsel use your imagination and know what you dont know and what is fundamentally unknowable concerning the bush school he said his goals for the coming year include building on the schools record of success carefully allocating resources and fully utilizing the schools alumni network we are a school of public service we are a professional school with masters degrees crocker said he also praised andy cards success during his tenure as acting dean with the schools capital campaign as well as with growing the school by reaching full enrollment capacity this fall students had an opportunity to interact with both the returning dean and outgoing acting dean at the deans reception this summer in washington dc current and former bush school students in the area were invited for a time of learning and networking bush school administrators and congressmen roger williams and bill flores of texas were also in attendance i truly appreciated the opportunity to get to meet dean crocker in washington before arriving back at the bush school said second-year master of public service and administration (mpsa) student robby smith his excitement to be back at the bush school and his willingness to make time for students to learn from his experiences in public service were evident as he met everyone and lingered to discuss his plans for the school and his life experiences it was truly a privilege to be in a room with such inspiring leaders who have so greatly impacted my career and education many of us also appreciated the chance to thank andy card for all his work for us in his two years at the bush school as the academic year progresses students will have many more opportunities to learn from influential leaders through the speaker series and other events hosted by the school and its institutes
on tuesday september 10 nasir ahmad andisha ambassador of the islamic republic of afghanistan to the commonwealth of australia new zealand and the republic of fiji visited the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university andisha graduated from the bush schools masters program in international affairs in 2009 andrew natsios and dean ryan crocker former us ambassador to afghanistan iraq syria pakistan kuwait and lebanon gave a warm welcome before andishas lunchtime talk to students and faculty crocker said when he met andisha at the bush school back in 2009 he was amazed at the caliber of students the school could attract being here is like coming back home andisha said this is a place where the noble call to public service is understood [students] will not regret coming here andishas talk consisted of a discussion of current trends and future challenges in afghanistan – including positive and negative measures of progress over the past decades this was followed by a presentation of his research entitled desirability and feasibility of a policy of neutrality in afghanistan speaking on foreign policy in an interview prior to the talk andisha said the issue of afghanistan should not be looked at only from the viewpoint of 2001 its an old country – 5 000 years of history and 5 000 years of problems he said if you want to turn [the country] around you have to do a whole bunch of things we need a generation of change andisha said my generation – we are a generation of bridge-makers from the old generation of warriors with less educational opportunities to the upcoming generation andisha is very grateful for his opportunity to come to the bush school i came to the bush school as a fulbright scholar you have a choice as to where you study i started off in monterrey but then i had a choice to go to either columbia or the bush school and i picked the bush school andisha said i had already interviewed with dr gawande and ambassador napper and i knew it was the kind of place i wanted to be as a mid-rank foreign service officer it is a professional school – a school where you get a good fusion of academics and practitioner experience andisha said it was the perfect place to be coming here was really a turning point in my career as a diplomat coming in to the school i knew what i needed there are few people in afghanistan with recent experience in the us andisha said not many people have gotten to do what i did here i traveled around the us and talked to many people such as former ambassadors generals colonels and even former president bush those kinds of experiences were what our foreign ministry wanted back in kabul while at the bush school andisha focused on the international economics and development track with concentrations in trade policy and economic development in regards to his favorite courses at the bush school andisha said you should ask me which ones were not my favorites they all matter and fit into the puzzle even quantitative courses are important because they can open you up to a whole different field of study later on andisha said leaving the bush school we are generalists – we know something about everything no matter what the primary field of study is andisha recommended students cross over and take a course or two in the other program to help broaden perspective later on students will not have time to learn as many new things so they need to learn while they can upon graduating from the bush school andisha returned to kabul where he resumed work for the ministry of foreign affairs as the director general of the fifth political division (us canada australia and new zealand) from 2009 to 2011 when asked for his advice for current bush school graduate students andisha recommended students take their language learning opportunities seriously and really try their best you have so many opportunities for exposure to other cultures and to have a regional focus in the coursework you also have the chance to learn leadership skills through the leadership program andisha said make use of all the great people you have here andisha said ask questions of them talk to them there is not always going to be an ambassador crocker andy card or ambassador natsios around he added just talking to these people is enough to learn as much as you would from a months worth of study in books andisha said prior to attending the bush school andisha was the director of multilateral economic relations and international financial institutions from 2006 to 2007 earlier he worked as the chief of staff for the deputy foreign minister he later finished an advanced security studies diploma from the marshall center for european studies in garmisch-partenkirchen germany and asia pacific center for security studies in hawaii usa before joining the foreign service ambassador andisha worked with the international committee of the red cross as a field officer he also taught international relations and principles of economics at the institute of diplomacy of the ministry of foreign affairs of afghanistan andisha is currently pursuing a phd from australian national university where he is researching afghanistans policy of neutrality he hopes to complete the program in 2014
one of the first activities of the new semester saw new and returning bush school students helping the brazos valley food bank in record time the students put together 200 family boxes of nonperishable foods to be distributed to needy families the food bank is a central distribution site in the brazos valley that unites food donors volunteers and hunger-relief agencies in reclaiming and distributing surplus food to nonprofit organizations and church sponsored pantries that provide food to those in need the event was just one of many projects conducted by the schools public service organization (pso) which coordinates student volunteer efforts in addition to the valuable assistance given to the food bank this first volunteer opportunity of the new academic year was also a chance for first- and second-year students to get together and begin building relationships i wanted our first volunteer event to be in an informal setting to show how much we care about serving the brazos valley community and how committed the bush school is to public service said gabriella medina executive chairman of the pso it was fun and the new students were able to learn about bush school faculty and courses and how to ‘survive graduate school she added the work was followed by lunch at rudys barbecue and each student who participated will receive a service badge inspired by president ghw bushs vision of public service as a noble calling and committed to its mission the bush school offers a comprehensive educational experience designed to cultivate professionalism and principle in public service the bush school is now ranked in the top 12 percent of the 266 graduate public affairs schools in the nation according to rankings published in us news & world report magazine the school now ranks thirty-third among both public and private public affairs graduate programs and twenty-first among public universities more information about the bush school can be found at http://bushtamuedu/
scott robinson istpp fellow presented a paper co-authored with istpp director arnold vedlitz at the annual conference of the american political science association in chicago il on august 29 2013 their paper organizational trust and risk communication: trust in the epa and opposition to fracking explores how trust in a particular government institution rather than government as a whole contributes to the publics acceptance of policy formation respondents to a national public survey were presented with one of three randomized risk scenarios about fracking delivered by one of three randomized messengers including the epa after analyzing the resulting data the authors determined that the treatment for risk intensity significantly predicted support for fracking while the identity of the messenger did not the data for this research came from a 2012 national public energy survey supported by texas a&m universitys crisman institute for petroleum research in the harold vance department of petroleum engineering istpp and the office of the vice president for research
dr morton joins istpp as a key member of the institutes research team dr morton recently earned her phd in political science from texas a&m and she has taught as a lecturer in that department her research interests include public policy policy evaluation and public management
thirty-two graduates of the master of public service and administration (mpsa) program at the bush school of government and public service texas a&m university were recently inducted into pi alpha alpha the honor society for outstanding students in public affairs the organization has chapters at 162 universities including the bush school each of which is a member of the network of schools of public policy affairs and administration (naspaa) the global standard in public service education pi alpha alpha recognizes and promotes excellence in the study and practice of public affairs and administration members are selected on the basis of their high performance in graduate school which has prepared them for public service careers and who represent the societys ideals of integrity professionalism and creative performance bush school 2013 mpsa graduates into the society include: ana bobo andrew bobo kyle boes judson brown david cabrera warren chalklen rachael dahl crystal davis kelsey draughon andrew graham michael hardy jennifer harris nathaniel hickman carly hilley edward holland alyssa jones yunjin jung scott kenyon allison lee laura lombardo nicola mallik torey mcdaniel michael neu grace norman sarina rapini courtney rottman taylor smith warren reid squires lindsay taylor jeremy twitchell katherine white liangchen zhang pi alpha alpha is a member of the association of college honor societies the coordinating agency for collegiate honor societies which is dedicated to maintaining high standards for the recognition and promotion of academic excellence in higher education
the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university awarded second-year students in both the master of public service and administration (mpsa) and the masters program in international affairs with certificates in leadership and writing prior to graduation fifty-three students earned the deans leadership certificate while thirty completed the writing portfolio project in order to complete the deans leadership certificate students had to complete an individual leadership plan attend two leadership workshops take a core leadership course complete several leadership assessments and attend a professional coaching session students worked extensively with dr joe cerami director of the public service leadership program and holly kasperbauer assistant director to complete these requirements the writing portfolio project entailed working with sally dee wade the bush schools writing expert to edit at least two papers for a portfolio of writing samples these samples can highlight specific policy or career interests and feature students research and writing capabilities many students submit their portfolios as writing samples during their job search bush school acting dean andy card who presented students with their certificates expressed the importance of mastering both skills to help students succeed as they move through their careers during the ceremony bush school executive associate dean samuel kirkpatrick said the two programs make the bush school unique there isnt another school like this across the nation that provides this kind of leadership and writing training in addition to core academic requirements kirkpatrick said these programs set the bush school apart and will set students apart from colleagues in the workplace
a team of four students from the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university traveled to cambodia in february as part of their capstone project evaluating a community-based micro-financing program the advisor to the capstone project was dr leonard bright an associate professor in the master of public service and administration (mpsa) program at the bush school the capstones client is communitiworks (cw) a nonprofit organization that seeks to catalyze community development by facilitating investments in community-based micro financing and education cw operates on the philosophy that community-based organizations established by local leaders who understand the unique problems of their region offer the best chance for long-term economic change that will benefit both local and regional societies cw believes this type of program has a greater chance of sustainability than solutions imposed from outside the region the capstone group evaluated the impact of cws community-based micro-financing strategies in cambodia by developing evaluation questions collecting and analyzing data and reporting the findings and implications of their research to communitiworks the bush school students were in phnom penh for most of their time in cambodia since the communities they evaluated were within the city they visited schools run by a nonprofit organization and met with community leaders to get a sense of the state of education the economy and the health of the community those visits were followed by door to door surveys asking questions to evaluate overall living conditions the goal of the surveys was to form baseline measurements for cw to use in future program evaluations ashley spradlin a second-year mpsa student and a member of the team commented on how the work was conducted saying our client is relatively new in the country and we initially met some barriers as the communities werent aware of cws work overall it was a very successful experience; and the reports we compiled are impressive and show great promise she added spradlin also said that the opportunity to see the temples at angkor wat was a highlight of the trip we saw amazing and beautiful things and it was an experience unlike any other even though they are living in abject poverty the people are just warm and friendly the culture is obviously quite different but people are so pleased to be free to live even if their situations are dire she added
results of collaborative research by istpp director arnold vedlitz former associate director eric lindquist and ivan damnjanovic (civil engineering) were presented at the smart grid workshop: opportunities and challenges held april 17 2013 at texas a&m university their research is from a joint tamu-ut center grant funded by the national science foundationi/ucrc: phev/ebvs: transportation and electricity convergence texas a&m texas engineering experiment station (tees) and the smart grid center hosted the workshop research in transportation and electricity convergence mladen kezunovic ismail capar ivan damnjanovic mehrdad ehsani steven puller arnold vedlitz joe zietsman and le xieresearch in policy and societal issues tarla peterson bruce mccarl and arnold vedlitz istpps contribution to the research focuses on trends and needs pertaining to electric vehicle charging infrastructure and associated policy frameworks
on april 26 2013 dr arnold vedlitz presented results from the institutes water policy survey of texans conducted in february and march of this year to texas state leaders those in attendance included representatives of the texas water development board texas general land office texas department of agriculture legislative staff office of the governor and the h2o4 texas coalition group istpps survey results reveal that texans are very concerned about water issues especially drought and texans are willing to support policies and adopt behaviors to ensure an adequate water supply for current and future needs istpps texas water survey has also garnered media attention as the texas state legislature voted may 23 2013 to allocate $2 billion from the rainy day fund for water infrastructure and conservation projects before these monies can be spent texas voters must approve a state constitutional amendment to create the necessary funding mechanism you may read the press articles by clicking on the links below texas climate news: https://texasclimatenewsorg/wp/p=7790texas tribune: https://wwwtexastribuneorg/2013/05/29/agenda-texas-can-water-pass/
a recent survey of texas citizens revealed that contrary to some earlier predictions texans are very interested in and concerned about the quality and quantity of water in the lone star state respondents report being concerned about the increasing number and severity of droughts in texas and about the availability of enough water to serve all the states water needs the survey was led by dr arnold vedlitz director of the institute for science technology and public policy (istpp) in the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university the project and survey instrument were designed by him and other researchers at istpp the research effort was supported by the texas sea grant program the tamu vice president for research and istpp in the bush school the survey was conducted by the respected online polling company gfk in february and march of this year so the results are scientifically sound and very up to date this survey revealed that texans are very worried about our states diminishing water resources and that they are willing to see conservation methods put in place vedlitz said they are also concerned about how our water resources are managed and used he added dr pamela plotkin director of the texas sea grant program and a co-sponsor of the survey commented that one of the things i find most interesting and important in this survey is how strongly texas citizens feel about keeping water resources available for our natural environmental assets like our bays and estuaries and other environmental life-giving assets so important to our states health natural beauty and economy overall water issues ranked fifth among a list of ten major issues facing the country after government spending health care the economy and national security some 55 percent said they had experienced drought in their region in the past year and of those who had experienced drought over 95 percent said those droughts are as frequent or more frequent and as severe or more severe than ever and while most believe that short-term changes in annual rainfall are a major cause of water shortages they also cited overuse and inadequate management of water resources increased demand and climate change as additional important factors affecting drought respondents also believe that over the next five years diminishing water resources will result in more conflicts over water use higher water costs greater fire danger increased food prices a loss of recreational opportunities and damage to plant and animal species when asked about how they might personally act to alleviate water shortages a majority stated they were already reducing their water usage by watering lawns less washing their cars less frequently or using appliances more efficiently texans seem ready to accept mandatory lawn watering restrictions if that is necessary to preserve important water resources for other key agricultural economic and quality of life issues a number of possible policy options to improve water availability for now and the future received strong support including water-related infrastructure improvements (such as those now being considered by the texas legislature) (64%) education and public relations campaigns to encourage greater voluntary conservation (67%) tax incentives and tax cuts to encourage water conservation (67%) and protecting some water resources for environmental needs (71%) vedlitz concludes policy makers need to be aware of the extent of the publics concern about water issues and their willingness to support a variety of measures to help guarantee the security of the texas water supply now and in the future for more information contact dr arnold vedlitz at avedlitz@bushschooltamuedu
james w stoutenborough istpp postdoctoral research associate presented two papers at the 71st annual conference of the midwest political science association held april 11-14 2013 in chicago illinois all of these papers draw upon institute research project data in keeping with istpps mentoring of future policy makers istpp undergraduate student worker shelbi sturgess is a co-author on the public perceptions of nuclear power paper and presented with stoutenborough at mpsa sturgess is a junior political science major student government association executive council chief of staff and member of a&ms model united nationsknowledge risk and policy support: public perceptions of nuclear power james w stoutenborough shelbi sturgess and arnold vedlitz this project examines us public support for nuclear energy one year after the fukushima tragedy seeking to understand the influence of knowledge and risk perceptions on policy supportproblem definition and risk perceptions: rethinking the role of risk perceptions on political behavior james w stoutenborough and arnold vedlitz this project explores the influence of risk perceptions on policy support within three issue domains – energy climate change and terrorism stoutenborough also presented two papers he co-authored with istpp director arnold vedlitz at the annual meeting of the western political science association in hollywood ca held march 28-30the role of scientific knowledge in the publics perceptions of energy technology risks the researchers exam the effect of perceived and objective scientific knowledge on the publics risk evaluations of different energy technologies in order to more clearly connect science knowledge scientific trust and issue problem identificationcollective action and public support for pollution reducing energy policies the authors apply a collective interest model of public support to pollution reducing energy policies and behavioral changes they integrate this approach with an evaluation of the policy elites influence on the public as filtered through their trust in the policy elite stoutenborough based these papers on results from on istpps national public energy survey
on march 27 students at texas a&ms george bush school of government and public service had a unique opportunity to hear from and question tony mendez the american diplomat played by ben affleck in the oscar-winning movie argo the film was adapted from mendezs books the master of disguise: my secret life in the cia and argo: how the cia and hollywood pulled off the most audacious rescue in history as well as the article the great escape by joshuah berman it describes the rescue mission led by mendez of six united states diplomats from tehran iran during the revolutionary iran hostage crisis in 1979 mendez and his wife jonna were on campus to give a public presentation on the story behind the movie and met with bush school students prior to their evening appearance some 80 faculty staff and students heard how the couple began their cia careers while in their 20s and how both eventually became chiefs of disguise for the agency mendez is a former cia technical operative who worked as a plumber and illustrator before joining the cias technical staff he spent 25 years in the cia regularly falsifying documents crafting disguises and conducting exfiltration operations in 1979 mendez conducted operation canadian caper on which the events of argo are based the couple explained to the students the importance of disguise in intelligence work and showed a video on just how effective disguises can be both agreed that its easier to disguise a woman as a man rather than vice versa tony mendez noted that being able to create an identify that can be transformed for espionage work …is the lifeblood of the cia jonna added that working with gadgets and disguise will make you paranoid for the rest of your life! the mendezes also cited president george h w bush as their favorite cia director the gathering was a unique opportunity for the bush school students to hear about daily life in and after the cia and a valuable introduction to the broader presentation given that evening on campus where some 2 000+ people including president and mrs barbara bush watched argo following the screening bush school professor jim olson also retired from the cia moderated a question and answer session the mendezes who offered some insight into the film the actors and crew and its veracity they were technical advisors on the movie and tony mendez said the film was about 90 percent accurate but noted that while it wasnt a direct parallel to his life and the events he felt that the spirit of the film was close to his actual experience the cia awarded the intelligence star to mendez for his involvement in the iranian mission now retired mendez and his wife reside in rural maryland
the authors used data from a national survey of us adults to assess perceived risks and willingness to pay for four terrorist threats: poisoned water supply; explosion of a small nuclear device in a major us city; an airplane attack similar to 9/11; and explosion of a bomb in a building train subway or highway for both perceived risks and willingness to pay psychometric variables such as severity number affected and likelihood were far stronger predictors than were demographic variables article citation: mumpower jeryl liu shi james w stoutenborough and arnold vedlitz 2013 psychometric and demographic predictors of the perceived risk of terrorist threats and the willingness to pay for terrorism risk management program risk analysis https://onlinelibrarywileycom/doi/101111/risa12033/full this paper is based on research conducted by istpp and funded by the department of homeland security
the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy in the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university will present the annual bank of america volunteerism program april 19 featuring harriet martin vice president of community affairs for usaa the event which is free and open to the public will be held in the george bush presidential library orientation theater beginning at 4 pm although the event is open to the public advance registration is required to ensure appropriate accommodations considering space limitations organizers of the event note headquartered in san antonio with offices nationwide usaa provides a full range of financial products and services to the military and their families and is known for its corporate volunteerism and community service ms martin administers usaas charitable contributions programs and oversees the community educational initiatives and volunteer programs she also serves as president of the usaa foundation and as president of the usaa educational foundation martin holds a bachelors degree in business administration from liberty university and has completed graduate level courses in organizational leadership and development a dedicated community volunteer she has a particular interest in programs focused on education military and veteran causes and senior adults the bank of america endowed its program on volunteerism through the george bush presidential library foundation in 2000 now administered by the mosbacher institute the program is an effort to educate individuals and corporations on the importance of volunteer activities in todays society previous speakers in the series include tim russert elaine chao jenna bush john zogby curt smith and robert pease
istpp former postdoc sam park and istpp director arnold vedlitz published their research about climate hazards and risk status in sociological spectrum the authors investigate the ways in which major physical and locational climate change vulnerabilities that individuals face and the greater information they have on these vulnerabilities affect personal and political behaviors the authors find that those who have more objective information of their climate vulnerabilities and greater informational sources through interpersonal social ties within their communities are more likely to engage in personal behaviors and support policy efforts to reduce climate change dangers article citation: park hyung and arnold vedlitz 2013 climate hazards and risk status: explaining climate risk assessment behavior and policy support sociological spectrum 33(3): 219-239 https://wwwtandfonlinecom/doi/abs/101080/027321732013732900 this paper is based on research conducted by istpp and funded by the national oceanic and atmospheric administration you can read more about the funded project online
a revised edition of president george bushs collected letters all the best george bush: my life in letters and other writings has been published by scribner the new version includes letters emails diary entries and photographs from the past 15 years covering his son george w bushs presidency 9/11 his unlikely friendship with bill clinton and ruminations on life friendship and family known as a skilled and passionate letter writer this new edition show both president bushs intimate correspondence with friends and family and his perfectly mannered communication in affairs of state organized chronologically the volume begins with eighteen-year-old georges letters to his parents during world war ii when at the time he was commissioned he was the youngest pilot in the us navy readers will gain insights into bushs career highlightsthe oil business his two terms in congress his ambassadorship to the un his service as an envoy to china his tenure with the central intelligence agency and of course the vice presidency the presidency and the post-presidency bushs letters also reveal a devoted husband father and american ranging from a love letter to barbara and a letter to his mother about his missing his daughter robin after her death from leukemia to a letter to his children two weeks before nixons resignation to one written to them just before the beginning of desert storm the writings are remarkable for their candor humor and poignancy as president bush writes in his preface so what we have here are letters from the past and present letters that are light and hopefully amusing letters written when my heart was heavy or full of joy serious letters nutty letters caring and rejoicing letters…its all about heartbeat all proceeds from the book will go to the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university it can be purchased from the george bush museum store at http://wwwmuseumstorecom the book was also featured in a segment on the today show which can be viewed at: http://todaynewstodaycom/_news/2013/03/12/17282270-family-friends-share-poetic-letters-from-george-hw-bushlite
dr william brown and dr lori taylor professors in the master of public service and administration program (mpsa) were recently awarded prestigious professorships approved by dr karan l watson texas a&m university provost dr william brown dr brown associate professor and program director of the certificate in nonprofit management was appointed to the mary julia and george jordan professorship established in 1998 his research focuses on nonprofit governance and organizational effectiveness and he currently teaches courses on management and leadership of nonprofits as well as courses on social innovation and entrepreneurship brown has long been heavily involved with local and national nonprofits including consultancy work for boardsource in washington dc and big brothers big sisters of central arizona; and he has received numerous grants to support his research in the field of nonprofit management he currently serves as president of the board of directors for the united way of the brazos valley and is the faculty advisor of the public service organization at the bush school dr brown has been a professor at the bush school since 2006 dr lori taylor dr taylor also an associate professor in the mpsa program was appointed to the verlin and howard kruse ‘52/founders professorship established to honor the professors who founded the bush school including dr charles f hermann dr arnold vedlitz and dr george edwards she regularly teaches courses on economics and public finance as well as independent directed studies for bush school students taylor has been a professor at the bush school since 2003 and holds several teaching awards including the silver star award for excellence in teaching and the bush faculty excellence award taylor has served as a consultant on school finance issues for various legislative committees and state and federal agencies including the texas comptroller for public accounts and the national center for education statistics she currently advises a capstone project examining student perspectives on developmental education in texas community colleges dr brown and dr taylor are outstanding examples of the high quality of our faculty and their significant impact on public policy said acting dean andy card their public service as well as their outstanding teaching and research bring credit to the bush school and reinforce our firm commitment to reaching outside academe to help create a better world he added
students from the bush school of government & public service at texas a&m university along with habitat for humanity supporters will hold a wall-raising ceremony saturday (march 2) for a house that will be built in honor of president george hw and mrs barbara bush the ceremony is set for 8 am in bryans faith subdivision located at the intersection of east martin luther king drive and military drive over the past year students led a fund-raising effort with the help of bush school dean andrew card to raise the necessary $40 000 to sponsor the bush house student leaders said that the fund-raising process involved sending out letters and making phone calls to more than 150 people including former students faculty staff and supporters of president bush and of habitat for humanity additionally bush school students hosted fund-raisers such as a trivia night and kickball tournament and made a final push by reaching out to family friends and into their own pockets during the last few weeks of fund-raising to date the students have raised over $42 000 for habitat for humanity with the majority of donations coming in since november since the bush house will cost approximately $70 000 to build supporters can continue to donate to habitat for humanity to honor president bush organizers note the house is one of 24 new energy-efficient homes going up in the faith subdivision the five-bedroom house will be presented to andrew and stephanie ybarra and their five children on may 11 one day after the current bush school second-year students graduate volunteers including several bush school students will help build the home each saturday between the wall-raising and the home dedication students said they hope this house will not only serve as a lasting tribute to president bush long after they graduate but will also continue to connect bush school students to the community in which they live the bush school engages in numerous volunteer activities each year but this project is unique in that it is long-lasting and the philanthropy was student-led organizers emphasize
recently seven second-year master of public service and administration (mpsa) students from the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university relocated to austin texas to complete their capstone project a final requirement for all graduating bush school students tapping into the flourishing bush school former student network current students worked closely with alumni to secure jobs during the 83rd texas legislative session the bush school graduates were quite helpful to students hoping to land positions in the legislature said dr ann bowman advisor for the texas legislative capstone bush school alums met with current students gave them advice circulated job postings distributed students resumes to interested offices and provided additional contacts there were many opportunities to work with bush school alumni to secure positions in austin; and they were a constant source of support advice and job opportunities said daniel bernhard who is currently a committee intern for the senate finance committee the texas legislative capstone students networked throughout the fall semester with bush school alumni working in the capital city at various house senate committee and executive offices ultimately three bush school alums hired capstone students for their offices including matt lamon 07 current chief of staff for representative jm lozano at dr bowmans request i met with the capstone students last fall about what its like to work for the legislature; and as a result i hired two bush school students lamon said lamon is pleased with the work the students have done thus far saying he hired from the bush school because he …knew that the training was perfect for what we do at the legislature i knew these students would have the skill set and personality to thrive here the two students in representative lozanos office are currently working on substantive policy research fernando trevino was one of the two legislative aides from the bush school hired by lamon everyone that we have met in passing or from offices around ours is either from the bush school or knows someone from the bush school which i wasnt expecting trevino said adding that this made working his first session much easier thus far trevino has worked with constituents as well as helped to research draft and file a dozen bills this capstone is a clear application of our policy-based classes at the bush school as well as an experience in learning how to make differences of opinions come together and work for our district its one thing to read about the legislature and another thing to work from very early until very late to get things done he added both current and former students similarly highlight how the texas legislative capstone has added something unique to their educational experiences those of us who graduated from the bush school need to pay it forward lamon said its what were called to do as public servants and it really enhances the value of our degree to have another class of well-qualified public servants come after us lamon urged all former students to consider hiring students even as interns or project-based staff from the current-student perspective bernhard says the capstone provides practical experience that enhances classroom learning and discussion from his previous three semesters at the bush school there is a lot of discussion in class about decision making and politically driven policy development but this capstone allows on-the-ground insight into how these ideas work the bush school is much more policy focused than politically focused and its refreshing to see both in action students in the texas legislative capstone must also complete a research report this years report will focus on the states economic stabilization fund commonly referred to as the rainy day fund which bowman says is a crucial issue for the legislature this session students will analyze costs and benefits of various plans for the funds use bowman expects the report will be of interest to a subset of legislative committees; texas think tanks; and potentially the national conference of state legislatures in addition to help from bush school alumni bowman also highlighted the help of several current students with previous texas legislative experience as well as bush school dean andrew card and dr matthew upton director of career student and alumni services
texas a&m bush school graduate adrian calcaneo got more than he expected from participating in the schools study abroad program in canada last march he was inspired after graduation to start a nonprofit organization the council for north american policy which will foster an understanding of the contemporary political social and economic issues confronting the united states mexico and canada the council aims to increase public awareness and appreciation of the joint trade potential and cooperation opportunities of the region and promote the importance of a strong intra-north american working relationship particularly with energy trade security and public policy issues the council will be based in houston and already has citizens from all three north american countries as members the project will be launched next week in mexico city where ill present my concepts at universidad de las americas before a group of government officials academics students and others calcaneo said the idea occurred to me during the program in canada last year since my capstone project was based on economic development and talked about partnerships and ‘coopetition it made sense to start the organization at a country level it would not have happened without the canada experience he added calcaneo has said that he hopes the new nonprofit will be able to tap into bush school students training and skill sets several bush school students are already working with calcaneo: brenda sarmiento class of 2011; ramon gonzalez class of 2012; and jon aitchison caitlin harwood and morgan miller class of 2013 one of the reasons i wanted to start this nonprofit is to give back to the bush school calcaneo said i want to be able to provide meaningful internships and jobs and rely on the growing student network to move this organization forward during the bush schools 2012 spring break recess seventeen students spent four days in ottawa and two days in montreal visiting canadian government departments the us embassy and the paterson school of international affairs at carlton university in montreal the students took part in a graduate conference at mcgill universitys centre for international peace and security studies and visited with the canadian border services agency bush school acting dean andrew card said calcaneos initiative shows how the bush school encourages entrepreneurship in public service adrians new organization has the potential to make a significant difference in the region he said we value and encourage entrepreneurship and are always delighted to see our graduates finding new and innovative ways to serve others
dr james griffin holder of the bob bullock chair in public policy and finance has been a professor of economics and public policy in the bush school of government and public service since 2001 dr griffin or dr g as he is known by his students is a native texan and part-time rancher he holds a ba in mathematics and economics from southern methodist university and a phd in economics from the university of pennsylvania more of his background information can be found here: https://bushtamuedu/faculty/jgriffin dr g is known among bush school students as a lively but demanding professor intent on teaching students the economic way of thinking he likes to use some of his colorful experiences in the private sector and federal government as classroom examples including his trips to montana to buy prized angus bulls stories of which are familiar to any of his students dr gs teaching specialty is energy economics and policy relying on his broad experience in the oil industry and his extensive travel in the middle east students are challenged to consider policy alternatives and are encouraged to think critically of social political and economic consequences of different alternatives this is a highly engaging course demanding considerable student participation dr griffin has received numerous professional awards including a listing in whos who in economics and a humboldt fellowship in addition he serves on the editorial boards of three journals specializing in energy economics as a director at the lecg corporation dr griffin is also frequently called upon to testify regarding anti-trust and regulatory issues his research has resulted in six books and over 50 refereed journal articles his research interests span a variety of public policy areas ranging from energy policy to the effects of technological change on various industries he has maintained a long-standing interest in energy policy having co-authored the leading textbook in the field in 2009 he made the case for a carbon tax in a smart energy policy: an economists rx for balancing cheap clean and secure energy published by yale university press his current research interests are us ethanol policy and the use of fresh groundwater for fracking
the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy of the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university presented ambassador carla hills former us trade representative for president george hw bush with its annual good governance award on january 28 to a standing-room-only audience the good governance award recognizes exemplary public service and raises the visibility of advanced analysis in policymaking as part of the conocophillips white house lecture series hills spoke at the george bush presidential library dean andrew card provided welcoming remarks and dr james griffin director of the mosbacher institute introduced hills by providing background information on international trade the event was well attended by graduate and undergraduate students from texas a&m university supporters of the bush library and foundation local elected officials such as congressman bill flores and members of the local community hills discussed her role as the presidents principal advisor on international trade as well as her experience as the chief negotiator for the north american free trade agreement (nafta) hills worked closely with robert mosbacher the institutes namesake while in president bushs cabinet and said she was pleased to receive the award named in his honor hills also participated in a q&a session led by dr kishore gawande a professor in the masters program in international affairs at the bush school of government and public service during the q&a session hills also provided several suggestions on moving the doha development round the current trade negotiation round of the world trade organization forward and increasing the united states international trade these suggestions included participation in various trade alliances including a potential partnership between nafta and the european union finally hills offered advice for students interested in pursuing careers in trade and economics abroad noting the many opportunities available
paul a sabatier died february 3 2013 after a long illness dr sabatier was a key contributor and member of a multidisciplinary team on an istpp epa-funded watershed management project project researchers implemented a collaborative approach to watershed management that used extensive feedback from multiple stakeholders the results of this project germinated into a well-received book swimming upstream: collaborative approaches to management edited by paul a sabatier will focht mark lubell zev trachtenberg arnold vedlitz and marty matlock the mit press 2005 dr sabatier was well respected for his research on public policy making and his foundational role in establishing the division of environmental studies at uc davis where he taught from 1972 until his retirement in 2011 dr sabatier was especially well known for his development of the advocacy coalition theory which provides a framework for understanding the complex interactions among multiple groups involved in developing and implementing policy
istpp director dr arnold vedlitz; his istpp colleague dr xinsheng liu; former istpp graduate student charles lindsey (now with stata corp); and the late istpp fellow dr melvin j hinich recently published beyond the left-right cleavage: exploring american political choice space in the journal of theoretical politics applying spatial choice theory and using data from two national public surveys the scholars examine the american political choice space they find that beyond the left-right divide american political choice space contains a second dimension centered on range of reforms methods by which policy changes should be developed such as non-partisan or polarizing methods the national oceanic and atmospheric administration and us department of commerce grants funded the study utilization of science-based information on climate change in decision making and the public policy process which provided the data the authors used to develop this article article citation: hinich melvin xinsheng liu arnold vedlitz and charles lindsey 2013 beyond the left-right cleavage: exploring american political choice space journal of theoretical politics 25 (1): 75–104
in april texas house speaker joe straus appointed bush school acting dean andrew h card jr to serve on the select committee on economic development which was established by the texas legislature in 2011 the committee is developing objective criteria in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the states economic development policies in encouraging new investment employment and income and in retaining existing facilities and jobs the committee was also charged to evaluate existing state and local incentives and policies and make recommendations regarding their continuation elimination or modification another area of study was how incentives offered to businesses in texas compared to those available in other states and how those differences affected business decisions regarding where to invest in addition to card the 12-person select committee includes members of the legislature and representatives of the private sector they will present their report to the 83rd legislature when it convenes in january speaker straus noted that cards extensive experience in government and the private sector were of particular value to the committee as a former us secretary of transportation and white house chief of staff dean card has compiled an extraordinary record of public service to our country i am deeply honored that he agreed to serve his newly adopted home state by sitting on this committee and helping the legislature make our economic development efforts more effective and accountable to taxpayers straus said card is currently a member of the us chamber of commerces advisory board and has held senior government positions under three us presidents in addition to his service as secretary of transportation and as white house chief of staff he also worked in the reagan administration as white house liaison to governors statewide elected officials state legislators mayors and other elected officials im honored to be part of this important policy effort and have enjoyed working with my committee colleagues from both the public and private sector card said ive also been fortunate to have access to bush school faculty who have expertise in economic development and on whom i could call as our work progressed he added
since its founding in 1997 the bush school has brought speakers to campus who have addressed topics of interest to the wider community many of these events have been sell outs with seats filled by a mix of local residents bush school students and faculty in keeping with that tradition in january two noted authorities will be speaking on the texas a&m university campus: carla hills former us trade representative for president george h w bush and dr jeffrey engel director of the center for presidential history at southern methodist university and a former member of the bush school faculty by providing these opportunities to hear from prominent experts on diverse topics the bush school enriches the educational and cultural life of the community on january 28 ambassador hills will discuss her role as the presidents principal advisor on international trade as well as her experience as the chief negotiator for the north american free trade agreement (nafta) now in effect for twenty years in addition to her time as us trade representative hills also served as secretary of housing and urban development in the ford administration and as assistant attorney general as part of the conocophillips white house lecture series hills will speak in the presidential library orientation theater at the bush library beginning at 5:30 pm during her visit ambassador hills will also receive the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policys good governance award which recognizes exemplary public service and raises the visibility of advanced analysis in policymaking professor engel will discuss his new book into the desert – reflections on the gulf war at the scowcroft institute for international affairs in the bush school at 5:30 pm on january 30 in the annenberg presidential conference center in his study engel has assembled an all-star cast of contributors to reevaluate the first gulf war they examine the wars origins its unfolding its impact within the arab world and its long-term effect on military affairs and international relations president george hw bush has called the book …a must-read for those who care about americas future role in the middle east a noted historian engel is the author or editor of seven books on american foreign policy including the fall of the berlin wall cold war at 30 000 feet and the china diary of george hw bush following his presentation there will be an opportunity to meet professor engel purchase a copy of the book and have it signed please join us for these events which are open to the public reserve seats for ambassador hills lecture by contacting the mosbacher institute at mosbacher@bushschooltamuedu or by phone at (979)845-1927; for the into the desert event contact the scowcroft institute at siia@bushschooltamuedu or by phone at (979)458-8015 event press release in the eagle: hills engel to speak at bush library this month
dr kalena cortes an associate professor in the master of public service and administration (mspa) department came to the bush school from syracuse university she earned her ba in economics from the university of california at san diego (ucsd) and her phd in economics from the university of california at berkeley where her dissertation focused on how immigrants assimilate in the united states she then did a post-doctoral fellowship at princeton university during which she shifted her research focus toward education issues primarily studying various policy aspects of the texas top 10% plan in 2010 cortes publication in the economics of education review do bans on affirmative action hurt minority students evidence from the texas top 10% plan examined the effects of the texas plan on non-top 10% minority students she presented new evidence on the effects of alternative admissions policies on the persistence and college completion of minority students i found that the change from affirmative action to the top 10% plan decreased both retention and graduation rates of lower-ranked minority students dr cortes said and i found no evidence in support of the minority ‘mismatch hypothesis her research on the top 10% plan has been covered by several media outlets: inside higher ed the chronicle of higher education and the houston chronicle her emerging research interests in the economics of education and immigration policy will contribute significantly to the schools policy research program in addition dr cortes has been involved in a variety of major service activities both on campus and in her profession she is currently serving on the board of directors on the association for education finance and policy (aefp) and is a fellow at the greater texas foundation she is also the recipient of several grants and fellowships; her research has been funded by spencer foundation american educational research association greater texas foundation we upjohn institute for employment research national institutes of health and the us department of education – institute of education sciences cortes notes that coming to the bush school is ironic in that she had never visited texas a&m university despite working with a&m admissions data for many years the bush school is a very dynamic place she said theres energy in the air she also noted that the school has a lot of amazing opportunities for students to hear from and interact with prominent speakers from current and past administrations the collegiality of her colleagues also impressed cortes the bush school is great! my colleagues made me feel at home the first day i arrived ive also been very impressed with the schools students who are very hard-working she added dr cortes teaches a variety of classes including education and immigration policy quantitative methods i and quantitative methods ii i love teaching methods as numbers can be exciting she says she looks forward to sharing that enthusiasm with her students she defines her teaching style as interactive she has her students use real data to run statistical analyses which enables them to better understand the statistical topics my quantitative courses have greatly benefited from my research i integrate my empirical work into the lectures which provides my students with insights into the immediate applicability of the statistical methods being taught in class
results from istpps national public energy survey have drawn the attention of the media the survey examines the publics attitudes regarding several energy topics including issues resulting from energy generation; sources of information about energy issues; knowledge perceived risks and environmental impacts of energy sources; energy policy preferences; and willingness to pay for or alter behaviors to implement policy options below are links to some of the coverage: energywire: https://wwweenewsnet/energywire/2012/11/09/5fuelfix: https://fuelfixcom/blog/2012/11/08/am-poll-finds-support-for-renewables-but-not-gas-taxes additionally channel 40 the local abc affiliate posted a video newscast about the survey on its website titled: texas a&m takes national survey istpp conducted this survey in partnership with the tamu energy institute and the crisman institute partially funded the study additionally dr vedlitz istpp director reported on the national energy survey to the crisman institute in december 2012
dr arnold vedlitz has been an integral part of the bush school of government and public service since the idea was first put forward in the early 1990s as associate dean in the college of liberal arts (and also a professor in the department of political science) vedlitz was a key member of the team that prepared the universitys bid for the bush presidential library and museum in addition to his teaching and administrative duties vedlitz also headed the colleges center for public leadership studies (cpls) when the bush school became a reality in 1996 – initially under the college of liberal arts – he was asked to move the center to the school in those early days the school had no faculty per se but ‘borrowed faculty from the departments of political science economics and other disciplines vedlitz said he was one of the schools first official faculty members moving his academic tenure from political science to the bush school soon after the first class graduated in 1997 the bush school became an independent college; and in 2000 the cpls evolved into the institute for science technology and public policy (istpp) vedlitz was named executive associate dean under dean robert gates a position he held until 2004 i realized that trying to juggle administration scholarly research and teaching was becoming burdensome; so i decided to ‘downsize a bit and focus on my teaching and research interests vedlitz said he now holds the bob bullock chair in government and public policy and directs istpp he has also been a student advisor and a capstone advisor and has served on numerous phd committees as well as on a number of state and national committees and advisory boards including the university center for transportation mobility and the center for transportation safety at the texas transportation institute he also serves as a member of the advisory boards of the center for atmospheric chemistry and the environment the center for international business studies and the texas a&m energy institute vedlitz has a wide range of research interests focusing currently on issues on istpps research agenda such as climate change energy the environment and emerging technologies i have always been interested in science i can understand the issues and can connect them to public policy vedlitz says and istpp is the perfect venue for that connection istpp receives quite a bit of grant funding and is one of the largest and most successful policy research centers in terms of work and publications he added some of vedlitzs recently completed projects include a $74 million project funded by the national science foundation and the department of homeland security the project ari-la: a framework for developing novel detection systems focused on interdicting shielded heu was a joint venture with the nuclear security science and policy institute at texas a&m over the years istpp has also received grants from the environmental protection agency the national oceanic and atmospheric administration and others the institute has partnered with over 200 researchers at texas a&m throughout the nation and across the world on dozens of projects proposals and publications what makes the institute unique is that we are a bridge of understanding between science and technology and other participants in public policy vedlitz said we conduct research that clarifies how science and technology are understood by decision makers and the public and why they are or are not used in public policy our research shows how best to frame and communicate scientific ideas so that decision makers and the public are better informed and better equipped to make effective and efficient policy there are few centers or people who can do this and no one who does it as well as istpp does as the principal investigator co-principal investigator or senior research scientist on projects totaling $159 million in external funding vedlitzs research approach is interdisciplinary he is an entrepreneur in pulling research teams together and can quickly grasp material in a variety of fields said meg rogers assistant director of istpp he has strong ties across the university and is a conduit for the bush school in many ways people want him to be involved in projects because they know what he brings to the table she added vedlitz has been teaching and working at the university for forty years coming to texas a&m directly from graduate school he earned his ba and ma degrees in government from louisiana state university and his phd in political science from the university of houston he notes that the university has grown in many ways since he first came here and says that a&m is a good place to create things and come up with ideas the university is always open to trying new things; if you want to try something they will allow it and see what happens he says in his scarce spare time vedlitz is a motorcycle rider and has played the keyboard in several local bands
the 14th annual tour de brazos valley the bush schools yearly bike ride took place on november 10 the twenty-mile ride began at 8 am with a hardy group of students faculty and special friends meeting at the hollywood cinema on earl rudder freeway esteemed faculty including dr charles hermann dr lorraine eden and professor jim olson rode with some thirty bush school students promising …to honestly do their best not to set too fast a pace first and second year students from both the masters program in international affairs and the master of public service and administration took part organized each year by professor olson who is an avid cyclist the ride is a longstanding tradition at the bush school and according to him is one of the most exciting events of the bush schools social and athletic calendars a bush school van followed the riders providing sag service (mechanical/medical assistance) and other support the tour is a highlight of the fall semester and always enjoyed by all who participate olson said originally a forty-five-mile trek to navasota the tour route now goes from the hollywood cinema to messina hof winery where riders enjoy wine tasting and light snacks before the second half of the ride takes them through the brazos valley countryside the riders stop again at c&j barbeque for a break time with friends and some texas barbeque and then circle back to the theater in addition to students and faculty special guests over the years have included several bush school deans including dean andrew card who participated in last years ride the event is a great opportunity for students faculty and staff to get acquainted professor olson said i have been a biker for many years and wanted to share that with the bush school community
dr xinsheng liu istpp associate research scientist attended the beijing forum held in china on november 1-4 2012 beijing forum an internationally renowned conference sponsored by peking university beijing municipal commission of education and korea foundation for advanced studies brings together researchers and practitioners to promote world-class scholarship and enhance academic research in the humanities and social sciences over 300 noted scholars and policy makers from more than 30 countries regions and various international organizations participated in this years beijing forum dr liu was a specially invited scholar to present his research on environmental risks and policy challenges for more information about the beijing forum click here: https://wwwbeijingforumorg/html/folder/1-0htm
dr vedlitz has been honored with several articles in tamutimes the on-line texas a&m university magazine dr vedlitzs long-time service to the university and his pivotal role in the creation of the bush school and istpp are highlighted on the faculty/staff page this is the second time the istpp director has been featured in tamutimes the magazine also praised the quality the bush schools graduate student capstone programs and in particular the success of dr vedlitzs most recent capstone students their outstanding report on affordable housing needs and options for the houston-galveston area council of governments was used by the agency as reference material to solicit bids for a fair housing plan
on november 2 bush school faculty members and staff received awards recognizing outstanding performance and length of service acting dean andrew card presented the awards at the annual fall faculty meeting dr gabriela thornton received the association of former students college teaching award from porter garner president and ceo of the association a senior lecturer in the masters program in international affairs dr thornton is known for her extensive subject matter knowledge as well as her dedication to learning her students noted her focus on critical thinking and rational discussions in her classes skills they found very valuable after graduation characterized by her students as a caring instructor dr thornton was also honored for her strong commitment to her students welfare the bush school faculty excellence award funded by the bush foundation was presented to assistant professor william norris who was recognized for outstanding contributions to the school a specialist in asian politics and security dr norris was cited for his willingness to allow students to pursue their specific research interests in the context of his courses in addition to encouraging research dr norris was also commended by his students as having …the heart of a teacher the outstanding staff award recognizes exceptional service by full-time staff members based on their job knowledge teamwork customer service enthusiasm and professionalism two staff members were honored this year rane cunningham business coordinator was recognized for her hard work and dedication resulting in positive outcomes for the school one nominator cited cunninghams ability to juggle many tasks her willingness to serve others and her unfailingly cheerful attitude karen farnsworth an administrative coordinator in the deans office was honored for her unwavering dedication to her job excellent customer service and exemplary commitment to teamwork that allows multiple units of the college to operate seamlessly and effectively dr jim griffin was also recognized for thirty years of service griffin an economics professor at a&m from 1983-2001 before moving to the bush school is the director of the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy and holds the bob bullock chair in public policy and finance
texas a&m poll shows americans support renewable energy but dont want to pay for it at the pump a texas a&m university national energy opinion poll shows that most americans are in favor of policies supporting the development of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency but not if it means increasing the price of gasoline according to the national survey conducted by the institute for science technology and public policy (istpp) at the texas a&m bush school of government and public service in cooperation with the texas a&m energy institute 59 percent of americans support increased funding for research and development of renewable energy sources and 60 percent support tax cuts for companies to develop renewable energy technologies additionally 78 percent of the public strongly favors better fuel efficiency for cars and trucks however 683 percent of those surveyed are against increasing the price of gasoline to encourage energy savings the survey also found that americans are concerned about the national security impacts of foreign oil with 432 percent saying they believe that dependence on foreign oil threatens national security a great deal with an additional 365 percent saying that oil dependence threatens security to some extent of the respondents 648 percent feel that it is very important for the us to reduce its dependence on foreign oil furthermore 606 percent acknowledge that the us is likely to extremely likely to face a critical energy shortage in the next 10 years the national survey of us adults over the age of 18 was administered online from may 11-may 26 2012 and includes 1 525 respondents the survey also measured opinions about hydraulic fracturing a process that is increasing domestic oil and gas production reducing dependence on foreign sources the public reports limited understanding about hydraulic fracturing or fracking with only 214 percent reporting significant knowledge however the publics overall concern about hydraulic fracturing/fracking is moderate and respondents made no distinction no matter which term was used according to istpp director arnold vedlitz there seems to be no advantage or disadvantage to any group for using either term vedlitz says that americans are not significantly polarized about potential solutions to energy issues including hydraulic fracturing the public is relatively neutral regarding support for strict government regulation on natural gas he said initial analyses of the survey results seem to indicate that americans need information on energy issues particularly regarding the questions surrounding government regulation while a minority responded false to the poll statement this energy source is sufficiently regulated by the government in all six examples of energy sources most responded unsure other key findings from the survey: the public holds various views about which energy sources to focus on now to increase domestic electricity generation when ranking electricity sources 371 percent preferred solar 208 percent wind 183 percent natural gas 86 percent nuclear 79 percent hydroelectric and 73 percent coal as for favoring increased use of these energy sources 794 percent do for solar 76 percent wind 646 percent hydroelectric 517 percent natural gas 309 percent nuclear and 215 percent coalthe public shows less support for policies focused on more traditional fuel sources 518 percent support government requirements to reduce electric companies dependence on coal 478 percent support requiring electric-generating companies to build more natural gas-powered plants the public is also less enthusiastic about giving tax cuts to energy companies to increase oil and gas exploration in the us with 387 percent in favor analysis of the poll results continues and additional findings will be released as they are completed about the poll: the texas a&m national energy opinion poll examines the publics opinions on: concerns regarding various issues resulting from energy generationperceptions of risks and benefits associated with energy sourcessources of information about energy issueslevel of trust attributed to sources of informationknowledge about energy sources and their environmental impactsassessment of the importance of energy to national securityunderstanding of policy options and need for regulationwillingness to pay for or alter behaviors to implement policy optionsdegree of competence assigned to groups that recommend policy options and make policy decisions the texas a&m university national energy opinion poll was designed and conducted by istpp in cooperation with the texas a&m energy institute and funded in part by the crisman institute in the harold vance department of petroleum engineering at texas a&m university for more on the study visit: http://growingtexastamuedu/waterandenergyintexas and click on dr vedlitzs presentation
the robertson fellowship program of scholarship and internship support for bush school students at texas a&m university has been extended through 2017-2018 the program was instituted at the bush school in 2010 with a grant of $386 400 over four years from the robertson foundation for government (rffg) and is now complemented by an award of $405 700 to the school the additional funding will support twelve more students during their graduate program when combined with school resources each robertson fellow will receive an award equivalent to the full cost of attendance including summer internship support during their two years of study established by the family of the late philanthropists charles and marie robertson and named in their honor the foundations mission is to strengthen the united states by supporting educational and training programs for men and women who will enter government service robertson fellowship funds are in addition to funds normally provided to bush school students the goal is to provide a mix of resources that will cover approximately all expenses associated with completing a masters degree over two years fellowship recipients also receive additional enhancements such as subsidized health insurance and internship expenses assistance in securing federal employment working with robertson alumni on internship and career opportunities and meetings with the foundation staff in establishing the robertson fellows program the bush school agreed to recruit high-caliber students to study in the schools masters degree programs in international affairs and public service and administration eligible students must be us citizens academically qualified demonstrate and state a compelling interest in working in the us federal government and exhibit strong leadership qualities were very pleased that the robertson foundation has extended its generous support for the fellowship program at the bush school said sam kirkpatrick executive associate dean as in the past each of our robertson fellows more than meets the foundations criteria their academic achievements are impressive and are enhanced by the broad range of experiences they have had during and after their undergraduate education he added this years class of robertson fellows at the bush school includes the following quinton jones earned his degree in political science with a concentration in international politics and minors in history and managerial studies from vanderbilt university in 2012 he spent the spring of 2011 studying at the university of st andrews in scotland at vanderbilt he was active in the phi delta theta social fraternity led vanderbilt visionsan educational program working with freshmenas a vuceptor and was a teaching assistant for three semesters he also helped coach a local swim team for three summers and worked in the athletic department jones has submitted two research papers for publication one covering us detention facilities in iraq and the other the irish republican armys armed struggle in northern ireland kenneth krupa graduated magna cum laude from the edmund a walsh school of foreign service at georgetown university in 2011 with a bs degree in foreign service his major was international economics and he also had a concentration in international economic theory and policy his thesis entitled getting what you paid for the effect of bribe expectations on bureaucracy examined the nexus of bureaucracy bribe payments and bribe expectations krupa also worked in georgetowns mcdonough school of business for two years as a research assistant studying the relationship between private enterprise and legislation he was awarded a georgetown university scholarship his senior year emily mullins a 2012 magna cum laude graduate of texas a&m university earned a ba in international studiesarts and culture with minors in art and architecture history and hispanic culture she is a member of the national society of collegiate scholars (nscs) phi kappa phi and phi beta kappa and was an undergraduate research scholar an avid equestrian she competes in dressage and volunteers for the brazos association for classical horsemanship and for the gallop foundation where she teaches riding to underprivileged youths in 2011 she studied in spain managing an equestrian facility while improving her spanish she is currently working on a paper about political street art of separatist movements in galicia robert mark niegelsky graduated with highest distinction from the university of north carolina at chapel hill in 2012 with a ba degree in global studies (russia and eastern europe concentration) and minors in both english and russian culture he made the deans list all eight semesters and was inducted into phi beta kappa in 2011 in the summer of 2009 mark studied in the balkans and austria as part of uncs burch field research seminar examining the role of international organizations in the former yugoslavia during his time on campus mark spent four years as a staff writer for the daily tar heel assisted incoming students during summer orientation and interned for orange county emergency services rebekah redden a 2011 summa cum laude graduate of huntingdon college in alabama earned degrees in history and religion she attended under a full-tuition scholarship and was active for several years on the judicial board a fellow of the john jay institute redden spent four months studying and four months as a research analyst at the australian christian lobby in canberra she also studied international relations and journalism at oxford university was a lions club ambassador to europe and traveled to greece and turkey with huntingdons department of religion
dr scott robinson (associate professor bush school and istpp fellow) and istpp scholars dr xinsheng liu dr james stoutenborough and dr arnold vedlitz explore determinants for the publics trust in government agencies in their article explaining popular trust in the department of homeland security they find that political attitudes policy salience religiosity and demographic make-up strongly shape the publics levels of reported trust public administration research does not typically include political attitudes and political science research tends to leave out religiosity as both variables are important predictors of agency trust the researchers point out that it may be important to include them in future research a grant awarded through the us department of homeland security paid for the study upon which the researchers based this manuscript article citation: robinson scott e xinsheng liu james w stoutenborough and arnold vedlitz 2012 explaining popular trust in the department of homeland security journal of public administration research and theory https://jpartoxfordjournalsorg/content/early/2012/10/06/jopartmus025abstract
dr arnold vedlitz presented at water and energy in texas: solutions from texas a&m held october 3-4 2012 in college station texas he discussed findings of a new national energy survey done by istpp in association with the tamu energy institute the conference featured several keynote speakers including dr robert mace of the texas water development board; representative james l keffer chair of the energy resource committee; and david blackmon of americas natural gas alliance dr vedlitzs presentation policy challenges and opportunities focused on the publics evaluations and understanding of water and energy issues surrounding natural gas recovery through hydrofracturing techniques
the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university awarded the 2012 mclane leadership in business award to joseph m depinto president and ceo of 7-eleven inc on october 2 the annual award recognizes a prominent figure in private business for outstanding contributions at the national level to business public service or community service over 120 people attended the event at the annenberg presidential conference center including drayton mclane iii the award namesakes son; texas a&m university president r bowen loftin; and george bush presidential library foundation ceo frederick mcclure bush school acting dean andrew card gave the welcome followed by remarks from dr james griffin and an introduction from webster stickney senior executive vice president of the mclane group using his experiences at 7-eleven as an illustration depintos remarks focused on servant leadership to create positive change in corporate cultures depinto highlighted how he helped improve the culture at 7-eleven and reduced the companys outstanding debt since taking the ceo position in 2005 he serves on a variety of corporate and nonprofit boards and advisory councils 7-eleven the premiere convenience retailing company has 47 900 stores worldwide previously depinto served as an executive at pepsico inc and thornton oil corporation after depinto received the award he also participated in a conversation on leadership with a dale thompson ceo of leadership worth following llc i really enjoyed the opportunity to hear from one of todays most dynamic and innovative leaders second-year bush school student michael hardy said mr depintos success is marked by his ability to think outside the box on some of todays most difficult challenges and he is a great example for the students at the bush school to follow the mclane award aims to highlight different roles business plays in maintaining the vitality of the nation to educate youth and the public about corporate citizenship and to instill in them a dedication to public service the award is named after drayton mclane jr chairman of the mclane group who is a strong supporter of the bush school he is a member of the bush school advisory board and is the chairman of the bush schools capital campaign
the texas a&m energy institute will host water and energy in texas: solutions from texas a&m a conference to discuss water and energy in texas wednesday and thursday oct 3 and 4 the two-day conference will feature several keynote speakers including dr robert mace of the texas water development board; representative james l keffer chair of the energy resource committee; and david blackmon of americas natural gas alliance (anga) the conference will also feature a texas water and energy panel that will include dr arnie vedlitz of the bush school of government and public service who will discuss a new national energy survey that was done by the texas a&m energy institute and the institute for science technology and public policy at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m the study examines the publics opinion on several topics including concerns regarding various issues resulting from energy generation; sources of information about energy issues; knowledge about energy sources and their environmental impacts; and willingness to pay for or alter behaviors to implement policy options
in 2009 the bush school welcomed dr ann bowman to the masters in public service and administration program dr bowman was no stranger to texas a&m having taught in the department of political science from 1979 1981 before moving to the university of south carolina she was drawn back to college station by the bush schools mission of creating principled public servants dr bowman earned a degree in political science from the university of south florida her masters in government from florida state university (usf) and her phd from the university of florida during her undergraduate years she interned in washington dc with a florida congressman and was captivated by the experience which reinforced her growing interest in government and politics she returned to usf and promptly changed her major from marine science to political science after earning her masters degree dr bowman worked for the florida legislature first as an education policy researcher and later as the staff director for the elections committee dr bowman found working for the state legislature a place where she could have a real impact on public policy formulation she was able to experience another phase in the policy process when she accepted a position in county government where she had to implement state laws it wasnt too long before she realized that implementing laws was far harder than designing them eventually she returned to school to earn her phd writing her dissertation on policy innovation in local governments while at the university of south carolina dr bowman worked on projects in municipal incorporation economic development and urban green space her research culminated in the co-authoring of two books cityscapes and capital: the politics of urban development (johns hopkins university press 1995) and terra incognita: vacant land and urban strategies which was published by georgetown university press in 2004 dr bowman currently holds the hazel davis and robert kennedy endowed chair in government and public service earlier in her career she received a lincoln government fellowship at the national league of cities in washington dc and was a fulbright scholar in denmark where she taught american government and politics occasionally resorting to the computer game sim city as a teaching tool she also received the donald c stone award for research given by the section on intergovernmental administration and management of the american society for public administration she serves on the editorial boards of publius: the journal of federalism state politics and policy quarterly and urban affairs review she also served as a past president of the organized section on public policy and the organized section on urban politics of the american political science association she has been president of three organized sections of the american political science association (apsa): public policy urban politics and federalism/intergovernmental relations and has been book review editor for the journal of politics and urban affairs review currently dr bowman is a member of the editorial board of state and local government review the advisory council of publius: the journal of federalism the executive council of the section on intergovernmental administration and management of aspa and the advisory committee for the inter-university consortium for political and social researchs summer program
dr jasen castillo joined the bush school in 2007 as an assistant professor in the national security program immediately prior to his appointment he worked in the office of the undersecretary for policy in the department of defense he had previously worked at the rand corporation one of the leading research organizations in the nation and was an adjunct professor in the security studies program at georgetown university as well as a consultant for the institute for defense analysis dr castillo now an associate professor quickly became known among the students as a teacher with good wit challenging classes and one who occasionally referenced jrr tolkien to illustrate a point he encourages classroom participation preferring the socratic method of teaching as opposed to the more traditional lecture format and sees teaching as a logical extension of his research on us foreign and defense policy having worked in the defense ‘business he realized that those making policy knew little about the theories of military strategy and foreign policy and that by focusing on research and sharing the knowledge gained he would be in a position to educate potential policymakers growing up in the era of the cold war near air force bases dr castillo worried about national security policy a champion debater in high school he attended northwestern university to pursue a ba in political science his introduction to national security studies in college combined with his personal memories of the cold war led him to focus on military strategy and us foreign military policy in graduate school he attended the university of chicago for his ph d where one of his advisors was john mearsheimer a noted expert in security issues and international politics the combination of a clever wit and intelligence enable dr castillo to challenge his students while also making them laugh his research takes a critical look at some of todays very relevant and important questions on military strategy thus bringing a unique and important perspective to the bush school
a $2 million endowed gift from the hamon charitable foundation to the texas a&m foundation will benefit students and faculty practitioners at the bush school of government and public service distributions from the hamon scholarship fund will provide one or more scholarships to full-time students in good standing pursuing a graduate degree at texas a&m universitys bush school future scholarships provided by the hamon gift will play an important part in allowing our students to go into the public and nonprofit sectors and continue to make a difference at the international national state and local levels of our society said andrew card acting dean for the bush school the distinguished professor of practice in residence fellowship will be awarded to an individual of exceptional merit who has had an illustrious career in public or international affairs at the local state national or international level this individual will serve on the faculty at the bush school and will provide students with a practitioners perspectives insights and firsthand experiences in public service and policy the bush school employs a unique mix of faculty consisting of traditional distinguished academicians and practitioners who have spent a career in the public sector and can teach our students about the realities of being a public servant said jerome rektorik director of development for the bush school the hamon gift will help assure that the bush school always has practitioners on hand to share relevant knowledge in the classroom and guide students in finding employment after graduation the hamon foundation was created by nancy hamon in memory of her husband who died in 1985 jake hamon was a prominent oil and gas executive and the first such private operator to serve as president of the american petroleum institute nancy hamon enjoyed a brief career in hollywood during the 1940s but later married and became involved in philanthropic projects until her death in july 2011 the dallas-based hamon foundation supports the arts education and medicine its gift to texas a&m honors the friendship between the hamons president george hw bush and his wife barbara the gift is given in recognition of the respect held for president and mrs george hw bush and their service to our country as well as the friendship they enjoyed with jake and nancy hamon said jack roach attorney for the hamon foundation the bush school offers two masters degree programs one in public service and administration and one in international affairs ranked 21st among public universities for public affairs programs the mission of the bush school is to educate principled leaders in public and international affairs conduct research and perform service
the levant foundation of houston has donated $1 million to establish a professorship fellowship and research endowment at texas a&m universitys george bush school of government and public service the gift funded through the texas a&m foundation will promote the study of the middle eastthe professorship fellowship and research endowment are named for jamal daniel who founded the levant foundation daniel who was born in syria and lived in lebanon during his childhood is president and chairman of houston-based crest investment co the levant foundations mission is to further knowledge of the middle easts culture and history as well as the interrelations of its three monotheistic religions judaism islam and christianityjamal and his wife rania also have donated to the george bush presidential library foundation through the levant foundation in recognition of their gifts the dining room at the annenberg presidential conference center was named the rania and jamal daniel presidential dining room the center located adjacent to the bush school and library accommodates conferences banquets lectures and performances for the bush library and other texas a&m eventsthat gift prompted jamal daniel to have a conversation with bush school officials about creating a gift to support the schools academic program these discussions led to the creation of the professorship fellowship and research endowmentthe gift will provide bush school students and faculty the opportunity to learn more about the complex environment in the middle east our hope is that the levant foundation will enhance the education of texas a&m students to arm them with a greater depth of substantive knowledge in addressing middle eastern affairs said sonny hudson executive director of the levant foundation as evidenced by the crisis in syria and with high tension in lebanon turkey palestine jordan and israel a better understanding of this regions people and history is key to finding diplomatic solutions and lasting peaceful stability for the region and ultimately the world better prepared scholars diplomats politicians and military and government officers will take the mantle of leadership in the years to come
andrew s natsios former administrator of the us agency for international development (usaid) will join the bush school faculty for the academic year 2012-2013 as an executive professor as usaid administrator from 2001-2006 natsios managed reconstruction programs in afghanistan iraq and sudan he also served as us special envoy to sudan in 2006-2007 since leaving government natsios has been on the faculty of georgetown university from 1993 to 1998 natsios was vice president of world vision us the largest faith-based non-governmental organization in the world with programs in 103 countries earlier in his career natsios served in the massachusetts house of representatives and as the chief financial and administrative officer of the commonwealth of massachusetts as chairman of the massachusetts turnpike authority from april 2000 to march 2001 natsios was ceo of bostons big dig the largest construction project in american history his latest book sudan south sudan and darfur: what everyone needs to know was published in 2012 by oxford university press acting bush school dean andrew card said he was especially pleased to have andrew natsios joining the faculty i am delighted that andrew will share his extensive government nonprofit and private sector experiences and knowledge with our students card said
the institute for science technology and public policy provides opportunities for students in the bush school to enhance their graduate education through participation in research teams addressing real-world policy issues selected students from both the master of public service and administration (mpsa) and masters program in international affairs (mpia) work with research scientists practitioners and faculty on istpps interdisciplinary research projects to date more than fifty bush school students have worked with istpp researchers currently bush students are working with istpp research staff on a number of projects: conducting literature reviews; providing data entry and data analysis; and assisting in writing manuscripts for scholarly journals based on istpp research including papers on air quality and risk perception in addition to bush school students istpp employs graduate and undergraduate students from other departments and programs at texas a&m university and other us and international universities this cross-pollination provides an additional opportunity for bush students to create multidisciplinary networks that can reach beyond college boundaries istpp has also provided internship positions for several bush students further helping them with their professional development in addition to work on research proposals and projects istpp researchers teach a number of courses within the bush school including the second-year capstone class; quantitative methods courses; and courses on science and technology policy information systems management and international relations finally istpps collaborators from around the globe provide an invaluable resource for bush school students as they explore career objectives
dr vedlitz supervised a group of seven mpsa students in a 2011-2012 capstone project for the houston-galveston area council of governments (h-gac) students in the team-based and project orientated capstone projects apply what they have been learning in their bush school graduate programs to analyze a policy issue and prepare a report for a client such as a government agency nonprofit organization or private company dr vedlitz stresses that his role is one of guidance feedback and encouragement the students perform the work prepare the report and communicate with the client dr vedlitzs capstone team assessed the housing needs in vulnerable areas of houston-galveston and assessed policy options for addressing those needs the students reviewed the academic literature and cases studies analyzed the data and interviewed stakeholder to delve into how poverty crime racial segregation educational gaps and other factors affected the areas housing market they did such a phenomenal job that h-gac included the teams report as source material for companies submitting proposals to prepare a fair housing plan for the houston-galveston area
on friday may 11 225 students received their masters degree or graduate certificate from the bush school of public service at texas a&m university two ceremonies celebrated their completion jenny jopling director of extended education moderated the breakfast ceremony to honor bush school certificate students in his remarks acting dean card noted that those receiving certificates are scattered across the state nation and world continuing their graduate education either in person or via distance learning most students are full-time professionals with some on military active duty dean card noted that these students all embody [an] intense commitment to public service and dedication to being a leader of integrity and high principle the certificates were presented by the directors of the respective programs: china studies and national security dr charles hermann; advanced international affairs professor ron sievert; homeland security dr danny davis; nonprofit management dr will brown the ceremony concluded with remarks from the class speaker david vanderpool who was introduced by dr sam kirkpatrick executive associate dean of the bush school later in the afternoon bush school full-time graduate degree students were recognized for having completed their masters degree in international affairs or public service and administration this years graduation class of 105 is the schools largest one acting dean andrew card opened the ceremony extending congratulations from president and mrs bush to the graduates and noted that they leave the school as the worlds future leaders you have what it takes to meet the challenges you will face as leaders he also acknowledged the contributions of the scowcroft institutes army fellows alongside institute director larry napper the masters students were then recognized by their respective program directors: international affairs (mpia) dr charles hermann; and public service and administration (mpsa) dr jeryl mumpower following tradition one mpia and one mpsa professor along with one staff member received the silver star award for their outstanding commitment to students this years mpia professor was ambassador larry napper and the mpsa professor was dr lori taylor bill munns an mpsa student received the public service organization award for his extensive involvement in public service during his two years at the bush school following an address by adrian calcaneo class speaker dean card recognized the students challenges and personal sacrifices throughout their program and congratulated them on their achievements a reception honoring the graduates attended by faculty graduates family and friends followed
michael neu a graduate student at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university was recently awarded the 2012-2013 clarence e ridley scholarship from the texas city management association (tcma) neu was one of two recipients of the annual state award the clarence e ridley scholarship is a $5 000 educational fellowship for students who have chosen to pursue a graduate degree in public administration two graduate students from texas universities are each awarded $3 500 to be used for school-related expenses in addition each recipients university is awarded $1 500 in credit toward texas city management association and texas municipal league education events at least one student has received a grant under the program each year since 1957 neu is a master of public service and administration candidate at the bush school and is employed full-time as a multimedia coordinator at the city of college station texas neu has worked in municipal government communications for more than eight years he also served in operation iraqi freedom from 2009 to 2010 and is a staff sergeant of the texas army national guardfor more information about the scholarship program visit http://wwwtcmaorg/dev_ridleyhtml
in addition to completing their degree requirements many 2012 bush school graduates also chose to pursue one or more special certificates offered by the school those who completed the requirements for the various certificates were recognized at a luncheon on april 30 forty-one students received the deans leadership certificates which were presented by acting dean andy card; dr joe cerami director of the public service leadership program; and holly kasperbauer assistant director thirty-one students received the writing portfolio certificate which is awarded to students who elect to develop a writing portfolio in addition to their degree program requirements with the help of the bush schools writing consultant sally wade students submit and refine two or more writing selections for their portfolio taking on this additional work demonstrates again the commitment of our students to receive the most from their bush school experience said card the skills and knowledge they gained through these certificate programs will pay dividends throughout their careers he added
dr christopher layne the robert m gates chair in national security has been named a university distinguished professor by texas a&m university layne and four others join a select group of sixty-four current faculty members who hold the prestigious designation he was selected for being in the top two percent of active researchers in his field as determined by his peers in academic institutions throughout the world laynes primary fields of interest are international relations theory great power politics us foreign policy and grand strategy professor layne has written two books: the peace of illusions: american grand strategy from 1940 to the present (cornell university press 2006) and (with bradley a thayer) american empire: a debate (routledge 2006) his current book project after the fall: international politics us grand strategy and the end of the pax americana is under contract with yale university press he has published widely in leading peer-reviewed journals including international security security studies and international studies quarterly he has also published in leading policy publications including the national interest foreign policy the atlantic the financial times and the new york times dr karan l watson provost and executive vice president for academic affairs noted that the university distinguished professors represent the highest level of faculty achievement have a lasting impact on their fields of study and enhance the scholarly reputation of the university and their colleges and departments each has been recognized as a preeminent world authority in his or her field and has had a major impact that is widely recognized to have redirected scholarship in that field layne and the other new honorees were recognized on may 1 at a reception for all distinguished professors hosted by the texas a&m foundation the foundation generously provides funding for the annual $5 000 bursary that each of the new university distinguished professors will receive for the next five years
dr xinsheng liu istpp associate research scientist and his co-author dr ye yang authored the ‘china threat through the lens of us print media: 1992-2006 in journal of contemporary china yang and liu use content analysis to examine empirically how us print media portrays the ‘china threat they classify the threats into three categories: political/ideological economic or military they connect the media portrayals to military and economic developments in china and find the us media highly responsive to such changes as for the more stable political/ideological divide between the nations us media interest has declined yang and liu also analyze whether literature on realism agenda setting and information processing can account for the observed media portrayals of china article citation: yang yi e and xinsheng liu x 2012 the ‘china threat through the lens of us print media: 1992-2006 journal of contemporary china 21(76): 695-711 https://dxdoiorg/101080/106705642012666838
college station tx- dean andrew h card jr acting dean of the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university was appointed today by speaker joe straus to serve on the select committee on economic development the committee was created during the last session of the legislature to ensure economic development initiatives in texas are effective in encouraging new investment employment and income and in retaining existing facilities and jobs the committee will evaluate existing state and local incentives and policies and make recommendations regarding their continuation elimination or modification it also will study how incentives offered in texas compare to those available in other states and countries and how those differences affect business decisions about where to invest i am pleased to accept this appointment and to serve texas in helping to attract new jobs opportunities and investment to the state said dean card
the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy of the bush school of government and public service will present the annual bank of america program on volunteerism featuring robert w pease president and ceo of motiva enterprises llc on april 13 the event will be held in the annenberg presidential conference center at texas a&m university beginning at 4 pm bank of america endowed its program on volunteerism through the george bush presidential library foundation in 2000 now produced by the mosbacher institute the program is an effort to educate individuals and corporations on the importance of volunteer activities in todays society pease will be speaking on how corporations and nonprofits intersect in the area of public service elected to his current position in 2008 pease was previously president of shell trading (us) company; and prior to that vice president of supply for motiva enterprises llc he earned a bs in chemical engineering and a minor in economics from rose-hulman institute of technology and is a graduate of the executive program at the university of virginia darden graduate school of business he serves on several nonprofit boards including the united way of greater houston and the sam houston area council of the boy scouts of america he is also a member of the board of advisors of catalyst and a member of the board of trustees of rose-hulman institute of technology
doctors li (tamu) fuhrmann (tamu) and early (suny) along with istpp director dr vedlitz had their manuscript preferences knowledge and citizen assessments of the terrorism risks of nuclear power issued by review of policy research the researchers evaluate the interplay of the us publics knowledge about terrorism and nuclear security with their concerns about energy and terrorism in the ways that citizens assess the risk of national security issues they find that people who are less concerned about terrorism and nuclear security assign a lower risk to terrorists striking a nuclear power plant the authors based their scholarship on a national public survey funded by a grant awarded through the us department of homeland security article citation: li quon matthew fuhrmann bryan r early and arnold vedlitz 2012 preferences knowledge and citizen assessments of the terrorism risks of nuclear power review of policy research 29(2): 207-227 https://dxdoiorg/101111/j1541-1338201100552x
acting dean andrew card welcomed house minority leader nancy pelosi to the bush school on february 20 a capacity crowd heard leader pelosi discuss the importance of public service exemplified by george bush 41st president of the united states and barbara bush both of whom attended the presentation also in the audience were congresswoman sheila jackson lee former congressman chet edwards a&m chancellor john sharp and president bowen loftindean card moderated the discussion noting that this and other presentations demonstrated the schools commitment to bipartisan and civil discussion of major issues pelosi praised both president bush and dean card for their public service and card in turn cited pelosis service as the first female speaker of the house of representatives and the first woman to lead a major political party in congress as a breakthrough for women leader pelosi said it was a privilege to spend presidents day with president george bush: his name and his presidency are synonymous with the word ‘civility something that is badly needed she added she discussed several topics of current interest including the national debate over whether religious institutions should be required to provide their employees with contraception pelosi said that she as a devout catholic viewed the debate as intensely personal not about contraception per se but about womens right to health care part of the days activities included taking the graduation photo for second year bush school students with the president bush school mpia student kate rezabek noted how great it was to be able to interact with a former president as well as world and national leaders having president and mrs bush on campus makes such a difference to my educational experience president bush is always eager to interact with students and to discuss topics of current interest she added in another example of the schools commitment to bipartisanship james carville former lead strategist for president bill clinton and his wife mary matalin a republican political consultant will be on campus on february 24 to discuss a range of political topics
adam d williams a 2007 masters program in international affairs (mpia) graduate of the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university has received the 2012 black engineer of the year award in the category of the most promising engineer in government by black engineering and information technology magazine the publication recently recognized 35 african american engineers for their accomplishments in government industry k-12 and collegiate education community service and entrepreneurship currently williams is a senior member of the technical staff and an international security technical systems analyst at sandia national laboratories in albuquerque new mexico where he serves in a number of capacities in the areas of global security engagement nuclear nonproliferation nuclear energy development geopolitics and international security while studying mechanical engineering at texas a&m williams heard a speech on the importance of public service at the bush school and decided to pursue a graduate degree in international affairs after receiving his bs in engineering he was accepted into several prestigious graduate programs including the bush school where he chose to accept a diversity fellowship with the mpia program at the bush school today he credits the schools faculty with his successful career this is a thank you for all of the opportunities that each of them afforded me i can truly say that i wouldnt be where i am today without them i hope that i can continue to turn their good investment into success and progress on a world stage williams realized that his skills combining technical and policy expertise were unique while interning with several federal agencies after graduation he participated in a 2008 team responsible for securing venues of the beijing summer olympic games the team analyzed security measures by reporting on and designing physical protection systems williams was a site leader in mongolia and the chinese cities of shanghai chengdu and xian his success with that team led to his involvement in creating an inter-governmental agreement between the united states department of energy and the peoples republic of china to promote nuclear security safeguards and training williams knowledge and input into the government-to-government program will enable the training of nuclear security experts throughout asia and the pacific other significant projects include his involvement in the creation of gulf nuclear energy infrastructure institute (gneii) a multi-institutional multinational institute to educate future arab decision makers and nuclear power program leaders the white house office of science and technology policy named gneii as an important initiative to achieve the presidents vision of enhanced science and technology partnership with the muslim world despite his busy professional schedule williams still finds time to make a difference in his community mentoring students serving as a student liaison for the executive council of the southwest chapter of the institute for nuclear materials management and encouraging university students in the southwest towards careers in nuclear technology areas he also works with the special olympics and the albuquerque rocket reader program to help at-risk first graders improve their reading skills
professor ronald sievert is a senior lecturer and director of the certificate in advanced international affairs program he earned his undergraduate degree at st bonaventure university in western new york state and a law degree from ut-austin sievert says he decided on a law career after witnessing both military investigations and the watergate scandal which showed him how important lawyers can be he attended law school after his military service did well in the trial classes and decided to specialize as a trial attorney sievert was a trial attorney high level supervisor and international and national security advisor at the department of justice (doj) trying more than 100 cases during his law career before moving full time to academia the neat thing about that doj job was that in all cases in all investigations and in all trials our job was to see that the truth came out to see that justice was done sievert said he taught regularly at doj in washington the fbi academy and ut law school as an adjunct while still directing investigations trying cases and travelling overseas for the doj when he retired his next move was to the bush school i heard the bush school was looking for faculty in national security; and since i had heard of jim olsen chuck hermann and others i knew the bush school had a great reputation he added sieverts most recent publications include the third edition of his textbook on national security law defense liberty and the constitution and ten articles for law review journals he just completed a law review article with texas congressman michael mccaul which compares law in military trials to that found in civilian trials currently teaching national security law homeland security law and international law sievert says he is passionate about the material because it is interesting and he lived it he likes to enhance the substantive material in his courses with anecdotes from his work experience …to show how it actually works in practice he added i love teaching sievert says especially at the bush school whose strength is its mix of academics and people with work experience outside the university twenty-five years at the department of justice gave me insights i otherwise would not have had and enhanced my career as an academic he has worked on several capstone projects with the intelligence community noting that these projects have enhanced the bush schools reputation for excellence the projects are always well received when asked about current trends in his field sievert mentioned some similarities between the bush and obama administrations in their approach to national security law president bush recognized that the us was at war with al qaeda president obama also sees that and as a result has followed many of bushs policies he added that international law is especially relevant today because of globalization and because judges and administrators are increasingly incorporating international law sievert proudly cites his happy marriage and raising three daughters as his best work he loves sports and has recently taken up softball and golf as leisure hobbies but notes it is a lot easier to be accurate with a jump shot than to hit a driver consistently his favorite activities are coaching and playing with his young grandchildren
on february 3 2011 dr sharon caudle younger-carter distinguished policy maker in residence and visiting lecturer at the bush school testified before the subcommittee on oversight investigations and management of the us house of representatives committee on homeland security caudle was asked to discuss how effective the department of homeland security has been in implementing a strategy to counter emerging threats caudle was invited because of her expertise and publications on international and national homeland security strategies there were two panels of witnesses at the hearing dr caudle joined the honorable paul schneider principal at the chertoff group on the first panel the second included david maurer director of the homeland security and justice team at the us government accountability office; shawn reese analyst with the emergency management and homeland security policy of the congressional research service; and mr alan cohen deputy assistant secretary office of policy at the department of homeland security in her testimony dr caudle reviewed dhs policies and approaches to preparedness in place after presidential policy directive-8 and then addressed the challenges that should be considered by the subcommittee: should there be a fundamental change in the operational approach to meeting a national preparedness goalwhether implementation of capabilities by the ‘whole of community from the federal government to individual citizens to address the ‘maximum of maximums threats is pragmatically achievable andwhether dhs should include other longer-term emerging threats as priorities for action in its near-term strategies caudle urged the subcommittee to consider …if the current dhs strategies overweigh the opportunity costs in continuing to pursue a comprehensive capabilities approach insisting on the whole of community being prepared for a maximum of maximum event and delaying action on confronting longer-term threats the full text of caudles testimony and that of the other witnesses can be viewed at the committee website: http://homelandhousegov/hearing/subcommitte-hearing-dhs-effectively-implementing-strategy-counter-emerging-threats
on january 30 dr christopher layne who holds the robert m gates chair in intelligence and national security took part in the npr show on point the show originates from wbur in boston and is moderated by tom ashbrook layne and mike beckley a research fellow at the kennedy schools belfer science and international affairs debated the subject of american decline those interested in hearing the show can click the link below also anyone who wants to chip into the debate on american decline can post comments on the wbur web page by clicking the link http://onpointwburorg/2012/01/30/is-america-in-decline
a memorial service was held on january 26 for bush school student michael vogel who died on january 18 vogels fellow students faculty and staff members gathered to remember him in the orientation theater of the bush presidential library at texas a&m university bush school student government association president carly hilly opened the service and introduced acting dean andrew h card this is a gathering we hoped we wouldnt have to have but its a gathering for someone who represented much of what george hw bush believes is public service card said michael was a patriot he answered a noble call to service then he came to the bush school where he answered a call with a different purpose michael had a tremendous passion for the bush school but he had a deeper passion for his country card added i remember mike i praise mike i celebrate mike i care for mikes memory and i appreciate the service he gave he gave more than he took and he will continue to give in absentia he concluded several of michaels fellow students also spoke jeniece howe recalled michaels drive to excel and the time she and michael spent together studying language in el salvador gabe beddingfield read two poems that speak to the conflicting feelings that come from losing a comrade a video tribute chronicled michaels life highlighting his military service and his world travels both of which were pivotal points in his life jack hughley read an excerpt from henry david thoreaus walden one of mikes favorites to conclude the service after graduating from westerly high school in westerly rhode island and serving with the marines in iraq in 2007 michael graduated summa cum laude from the university of rhode island in december 2010 with a ba in political science while an undergraduate he was a recipient of the horatio alger military scholarship; and in 2011 he was named the david warren international relations scholar-of-the-year michael circumnavigated the globe in 2010 during his travels he was exposed to a variety of cultures in the countries of japan china viet nam india south africa and brazil he completed an internship with the strategy and policy department at the us naval war college and the potomac institute for policy studies in washington dc in the fall of 2011 mike was named a robertson fellow at the bush school his awards and decorations include expert rifleman badge combat action ribbon marine corps selected reservist medal global war on terrorism service medal sea duty ribbon and the marine corps reservist medal michael will be honored at silver taps on february 7th his family has suggested the wounded warrior project http://wwwwoundedwarriorprojectorg/ for memorial contributions
joshua bolten former white house chief of staff under president george w bush will speak at the bush school at texas a&m university on january 26 2012 mr bolten will join acting dean of the bush school andrew card in a discussion of political polarization: its causes and its cure the event is part of the conocophillips white house lecture series it will be held in the annenberg presidential conference center beginning at 5:30 pm while on campus bolten also will receive the good governance award presented by the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy the award recognizes exemplary public service and raises the visibility of advanced analysis in policymaking during the bush administration bolten also served as director of the office of management and budget and as deputy chief of staff for policy his nearly 20 years of government service include positions as general counsel to the us trade representative chief trade counsel to the senate finance committee and as an attorney in the us state department a native of washington dc mr bolten received his undergraduate degree from princeton (1976) and his law degree from stanford (1980) he serves on the boards of the us holocaust memorial museum (vice chair) the clinton bush haiti fund (co-chair) and the one campaign (where he served from january-july 2011 as interim ceo)
joshua bolten former white house chief of staff under president george w bush will speak at the bush school at texas a&m university on january 26 2012 mr bolten will join acting dean of the bush school andrew card in a discussion of political polarization: its causes and its cure the event is part of the conocophillips white house lecture series it will be held in the annenberg presidential conference center beginning at 5:30 pm while on campus bolten also will receive the good governance award presented by the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy the award recognizes exemplary public service and raises the visibility of advanced analysis in policymaking during the bush administration bolten also served as director of the office of management and budget and as deputy chief of staff for policy his nearly 20 years of government service include positions as general counsel to the us trade representative chief trade counsel to the senate finance committee and as an attorney in the us state department a native of washington dc mr bolten received his undergraduate degree from princeton (1976) and his law degree from stanford (1980) he serves on the boards of the us holocaust memorial museum (vice chair) the clinton bush haiti fund (co-chair) and the one campaign (where he served from january-july 2011 as interim ceo) the event is open to the public but seating is limited to reserve your seat contact the mosbacher institute at mosbacher@bushschooltamuedu or by phone at (979) 845-1927
acting dean of the bush school andrew h card spoke to students on monday october 3 about his leadership experiences in three white house administrations part of the schools conversations in leadership series the presentation was facilitated by the bush school student government associations speaker and leadership development program dean card began the hour-long lunch session by describing how students can discover if they and the people around them are leaders he acknowledged that the only true way to find out is to test ones own capacity he then outlined the qualities he believes are common to emerging leaders including optimism courage a love of being loved and the willingness to embrace power in elaborating on each of these qualities the dean gave students pragmatic advice about how to be effective leaders noting that leaders must be optimistic or willing to seek solutions and believe that they are part of the solution to problems in addition card said that leaders must understand the duality inherent in leadership roles: there will be times when leaders are adored and times when they are intensely disliked he clarified this duality by citing the american political system which encourages candidates to run on platforms inspiring love and devotion among constituents and then exposes elected leaders to periods of intense loneliness when constituents do not approve of their activities dean card also suggested that leaders must have the tools necessary to be a good leader; for him this means embracing power an action that followers tend not to appreciate effective leaders however realize that they can either receive or take power; and how a leader uses power determines why constituents follow him or her the use of power involves managing expectations he added and a leaders knowledge of how to manage expectations defines the tone and manner of leadership this often entails using power in one of three ways: through love fear or respect ideally card said leaders will seek respect because they recognize that they will not be loved all the time if they strive to maintain their followers admiration they will ultimately lose their respect he emphasized that leading through respect motivates people and encourages them to do what they often do not want to do leaders must realize however that commanding fear is necessary to sustain leadership during times when constituents do not agree with the leader the students not only got practical leadership advice from dean card but also enjoyed hearing real life examples of how these qualities and suggestions work as he related his personal experiences with three presidents of the united states he cited president george w bushs controversial policy shift following 9/11 establishing countries as either with us or against us in the war on terrorism as a prime example of the three ways in which leaders lead this statement caused countries to choose their allies based on fear love or respect after his presentation the dean took questions from students with topics ranging from inquiry about his toughest leadership position and how to embrace leadership as an entry-level job candidate to establishing credibility as a leader second-year mpsa student michael ghutzman said: at the bush school students are constantly given opportunities to interact with and listen to notable speakers from various fields dean card gave an outstanding talk on the topic of leadership where else would a student have the opportunity to learn leadership skills from the second longest serving chief of staff in us history
the first robertson fellows have been awarded this fall to four texas a&m university bush school of government and public service students thomas buchanan kerri eisenbach danielle menard and michael vogel began their studies in september the program was instituted at the bush school in 2010 with a grant of $386 400 over four years from the robertson foundation for government (rffg) established by the family of the late philanthropists charles and marie robertson and named in their honor the foundations mission is to strengthen the united states by supporting educational and training programs for men and women who will enter federal government serviceit is my familys hope and expectation said robertson foundation for government (rffg) chairman william robertson that the robertson fellows will choose federal government service as a long-term career by being selected for this fellowship they have already shown their interest in this career choice and they will be encouraged and steered in that direction during the course of the fellowship by rffg and the bush school with the many challenges the united states faces the federal government needs the professional talent of americas ‘best and brightest now more than ever before the first class of robertson fellows at the bush school includes: thomas c buchanan of corpus christi texas graduated magna cum laude in 2003 from texas a&m university-kingsville where he earned his bs in criminology with a minor in theater arts he served two years in the peace corps in bourgas bulgaria where he helped develop and implement an employment program for the regions turkish and roma minorities upon returning to the united states he worked as an editor specializing in translations from slavic languages to english before moving to argentina to work as chief editor for a small company he co-founded kerri eisenbach of tyler texas earned her ba in philosophy from texas a&m university graduating magna cum laude in december 2010 a member of phi beta kappa kerri won the manuel davenport prize for her service to the department and also served as an officer for the undergraduate philosophy club kerri was a member of the wiley lecture series and w a womens service organization served as a conversation partner to international students and completed both a study abroad in costa rica and service work in mexico danielle m menard of los angeles california is a 2011 bryn mawr college graduate with a ba in political science a ba in french and a minor in russian a kline fellowship supported her advanced russian studies in st petersburg during the summer of 2011 which followed spring studies at the sorbonne in paris she has held internships with several organizations including the department of defense office of the general counsel; the us trade and development agency sub-saharan africa region; the us embassy paris political section; and the think tanks and civil societies program of the university of pennsylvania michael vogel of westerly rhode island graduated summa cum laude from the university of rhode island in december 2010 with a ba in political science vogel is a former marine who assisted in the 2007 troop surge in iraq serving as a route clearance gunner in the al-anbar province while an undergraduate he was a recipient of the horatio alger military scholarship and in 2011 he was named the david warren international relations scholar-of-the-year michael circumnavigated the globe in 2010 where he was exposed to a variety of cultures in the countries of japan china viet nam india south africa and brazil rffg places special emphasis on studies related to international relations and foreign affairs and seeks to help the federal government meet its personnel needs by working with colleges and universities throughout the country as well as with federal departments and agencies that require international expertisein establishing the robertson fellows program the bush school agreed to recruit high-caliber students to study in the schools masters degree programs in international affairs and public service and administration eligible students must be us citizens academically qualified proficient in a foreign language upon graduation and must commit to working for the federal government for at least three years during the first five years after graduating each of this years robertson fellows more than meets the foundations criteria said sam kirkpatrick executive associate dean their academic achievements are impressive and are enhanced by the broad range of experiences they have had during and after their undergraduate education he added rffg funds are in addition to funds normally provided to bush school students the goal is to provide a mix of resources that will cover nearly all expenses associated with completing a masters degree over two years fellowship recipients also receive additional enhancements such as subsidized health insurance and internship expenses; assistance in securing federal employment; networking with robertson alumni on internship and career opportunities; and meetings with the rffg staff and distinguished advisory board
as one of the principal actors in the drama of the 9/11 attacks acting dean andrew card of the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university was featured in newsweeks coverage of the 10th anniversary newsweek featured the famous picture of card whispering to president george w bush in a florida schoolroom advising the president that the world trade center had been attacked in the accompanying article card said i thought he reacted exactly the right way he did nothing to introduce fear to the kids he did nothing to demonstrate fear to the media that would translate into the satisfaction of the terrorists around the world card also noted that his life changed after leaving the white house some five years later after a period of recuperation and rejuvenation he chose to work in the private sector for a number of years now returning to public service at the bush school card says he remains committed to making sure people do not forget the horror that was 9/11 and the aftermath on tuesday september 13 acting dean card spoke about the events of 9/11 his lecture reflections on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 was moderated by professors charles hermann and jeryl mumpower the event was for bush school students faculty and staff giving them a unique opportunity to hear from someone with special insights and memories of the tragic day and its aftermath second year master of public service administration student sarah andrews commented dean card reminded us of the ultimate reason why we study at the bush school: that the call to public service is neither faceless nor self-serving instead it is one where we remember and serve our fellow countrymen it is as president bush says ‘a noble calling
on september 26 george rupp president and ceo of international rescue committee will give a lecture entitled local conflicts/global challenges at the bush schools annenberg presidential conference center rupps speech is open to the public and will begin at 5:30 pm dr george rupp has been president of the international rescue committee (irc) since july 2002 as the ircs chief executive officer dr rupp oversees the agencys relief and development operations in over 40 countries and its refugee resettlement and assistance programs throughout the united states in addition he leads the ircs advocacy efforts in washington geneva brussels and other capitals on behalf of the worlds most vulnerable people before joining the irc dr rupp was president of columbia university and earlier was president of rice university while at columbia he focused on enhancing undergraduate education on strengthening the relationship of the campus to surrounding communities and new york city as a whole and on increasing the universitys international orientation during his time at rice university applications for admission almost tripled federal research support more than doubled and the value of the rice endowment increased by more than $500 million to $125 billion earlier in his career rupp was the john lord obrian professor of divinity and dean of the harvard divinity schoolthe lecture is free and open to the public but reservations are required
janet napolitano head of the united states department of homeland security will speak on september 20 at the bush schools annenberg presidential conference center her speech will address issues of homeland security ten years after the attacks of september 11 2001 secretary napolitanos presentation is part of the scowcroft institute of international affairs moss lecture series the event will begin at 5:30 pm and is open to the public janet napolitano is the third secretary of the department of homeland security (dhs) as secretary napolitano provides oversight to sixteen different units including the federal emergency management agency (fema) the transportation security administration (tsa) and the us secret service dhs also addresses security issues in the areas of science and technology budgets and appropriations health affairs and immigration prior to becoming secretary in 2009 janet napolitano was the 21st governor of arizona from 2003 to 2009 where she implemented one of the first state homeland security strategies in the nation opened the first state counter-terrorism center and led the efforts to transform immigration enforcement she was also the first woman to chair the national governors association where she helped create the public safety task force and the homeland security advisors council and in 2005 she was named one of the top five governors in the country by time magazine secretary napolitano was born in new york city and grew up in pittsburgh pennsylvania and albuquerque new mexico she graduated from santa clara university with a bs in political science and summa cum laude with phi beta kappa honors and was the universitys first female valedictorian she then received her jd from the university of virginia school of law and participated in private law practice before entering public service the lecture is free and open to the public but reservations are required
the institute for science technology and public policy (istpp) continues to publish articles in scholarly journals based on its many funded research projects the most recent publications from istpp are in the peer-reviewed journals political research quarterly and the journal of homeland security and emergency management explaining media and congressional attention to global climate change 1969-2005: an empirical test of agenda-setting theory by xinsheng liu eric lindquist and arnold vedlitz appears in the june 2011 issue of political research quarterly this article draws upon the institutes research for the project utilization of science-based information on climate change in decision making and the public policy process funded by noaa the national oceanic and atmospheric administration along with bush school associate professor scott robinson istpps xinsheng liu and arnold vedlitz co-authored public support for the department of homeland security recently published in the journal of homeland security and emergency management this article is based upon research conducted for the shield (smuggled heu interdiction through enhanced analysis and detectors) project at texas a&m university which is funded through a joint domestic nuclear detection office (dndo)/national science foundation (nsf) initiative citations for both articles available online are: robinson scott e x liu and a vedlitz 2011 public support for the department of homeland security journal of homeland security and emergency management 8 (1) article 21 https://wwwbepresscom/jhsem/vol8/iss1/21 liu x e lindquist and a vedlitz 2011 explaining media and congressional attention to global climate change 1969-2005: an empirical test of agenda setting theory political research quarterly 64 (2): 405-19 doi 101177/1065912909346744
istpp director dr arnold vedlitz guided a team of bush school students during their 2010-2011 capstone project sponsored by accenture a global management consulting technology services and outsourcing company the bush schools capstone projects involve integrative team-based applied research exploring a major public policy issue dr vedlitzs class focused on identifying the most likely elements to emerge from immigration policy reform and the demands that reform will make on federal agencies the teams analysis included a comprehensive literature review a detailed investigation of relevant case studies secondary analysis of public opinion polls and in-depth interviews with stakeholder groups the student team presented their research results to accenture executives and clients at the national press club in washington dc on tuesday may 3 2011 dr vedlitz accompanied his class to washington dc for the presentation
the texas state senate honored seven bush school master of public service and administration students for their service during the 82nd legislative session with a resolution passed on may 9 authored by state senator eddie lucio from brownsville the resolution …commended these outstanding students for their service…and wished them continued success the students were part of the first bush legislative capstone program which brought them to the capitol to work closely with legislators committees and agencies those recognized for their efforts this session were: james r close houston senate committee on international relations and trade; d benjamin maddox san antonio office of rep diane patrick; nicholas d norboge wimberly legislative liaison for the texas transportation institute; brady d olsen haltom city legislative budget board; katherine vedlitz college station office of the house democratic caucus; michael walter houston house committee on homeland security and public safety; and craig welkener allen legislative analyst with texas transportation institute dr ann bowman leads this capstone project this is an example of the kind of direct involvement in public policy that the capstone process provides for our students she said being engaged with a legislative body during a particularly challenging session gives them experience that enhances their academic knowledge she added click here to read the final capstone report
reston va; may 3 2011 – research on public policy reform by texas a&m graduate students was presented today to accenture executives and clients at the national press club in washington dc the research was conducted under the capstone project at the george bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university accenture is the first corporate underwriter of a capstone project research report the bush schools capstone project involves integrative team-based applied research focused on a major public policy issue the 2011 focus is on identifying the most likely elements to emerge from immigration policy reform and the demands that reform will make on federal agencies this type of real-world research is a valuable aspect of higher education and can help illuminate important public policy issues said president george hw bush namesake of the school of government and public service at texas a&m it encourages independent thought and analysis from the students and i salute accenture for its support for the graduate school learning experience for accenture this is a great way to support research and skill development at one of the finest higher education institutions in the country and to gain fresh perspectives from future leaders on an important issue said jim stolarski accentures managing director for public safety in the firms federal practice
houston tx the following is a statement released by former president bush 41: president obama has chosen wisely in nominating a diplomat of ryan crockers experience and consummate skill as ambassador to afghanistan and barbara and i salute our friend ryan for once again answering his countrys call to service while ryan will be sorely missed by all of us at the bush school we look forward to his return as dean when his tour of duty is completed
the following is a statement released by amb ryan crocker dean of the bush school of government and public service following his nomination as ambassador to afghanistan: i am deeply honored to have the confidence of the president the vice president and the secretary of state for this important mission the challenges are formidable and the stakes are high 9/11 came to us out of afghanistan; our enemy must never again have that opportunity i thought i had found a permanent home as dean of the bush school at texas a&m but we are a school of public service and i am proud to answer this call to serve over nine years ago i had the privilege of reopening our embassy in kabul after the fall of the taliban if confirmed i look forward to returning to build on what has been achieved in recent months working with the courageous men and women at our embassy in our military with our nato allies and the un and especially with the people of afghanistan i look forward to rejoining my old battle buddy dave petraeus however briefly and am delighted that i will have the opportunity to carry forward with another good friend and comrade general john allen
after a two-year drought the ‘dillo cup returned to its rightful home at the bush school on april 16 2011 in the 12th annual duke out for the ‘dillo softball game against the lbj school the bushwhackers delivered a thrilling 23-21 victory to a crowd of students faculty staff and alumni who gathered in college station to support the team and compete for a years worth of bragging rights the days events began with the 4th annual hall of fame game between bush school and lbj alumni staff and faculty the bush school improved their record in this game to 2-2 with an impressive show ending in a score of 20-5 six alumni four staff and one faculty member helped deliver the resounding blow to the bleeding hearts of austin the main event got off to a shaky start as the bushwhackers were behind 2-13 in the second inning but with solid hitting and aggressive running the team overcame the deficit and went into the seventh inning leading 23-18 the bleeding hearts continued to fight and looked poised to take its lead back but the bushwhacker defense prevented that from happening sixteen bush school students brought back the famed ‘dillo cup trophy to be proudly displayed in the halls of the bush school for the next year after the game the two schools put aside the rivalry to enjoy a barbecue lunch and other activities including soccer flag football and frisbee next year the bush school will look to improve its record to 8-5 when the teams meet again in austin
by miranda russ when professor larry napper first arrived at texas a&m university to study history he had only read about the vast world outside of the united states – but had never seen any of it that would soon change in ways he never imagined after graduating from texas a&m as a member of the corps of cadets company d-2 professor napper joined the united states army where he had his first opportunity to gain an international perspective while rising to the rank of captain i had always been interested in international affairs and i enjoyed reading about the world at large said napper my first opportunity in public service was as a member of the army and the traveling i did reinforced my desire to have a career that spanned national boundaries upon leaving the army professor napper received a masters in government and foreign affairs from the university of virginia his next step was to apply for the foreign service in 1974 which eventually led to a 31-year career as a united states diplomat his first assignment in the foreign service was in moscow in 1975 followed by an assignment in botswana for two years after which he returned to moscow in 1984 one of his most memorable assignments was in bucharest romania from 1989 through 1991 where he witnessed history firsthand with the collapse of the soviet union it was an incredibly interesting and exciting experience to be living there at that time the collapse of the soviet union was a monumental event said napper no one knew whether this event would occur peacefully or if there would be considerable violence attached to it with the emergence of many new states overnight there was an enormous set of tasks to perform in order to establish embassies and avoid an outbreak of violence president george hw bush did a masterful job in managing that transition said napper within ninety days we had established embassies in fifteen new countries without any significant violence he added professor nappers hard work and effectiveness as a foreign service officer was recognized when in 1995 he was appointed as the ambassador to latvia one of the newly independent states followed by an appointment as the ambassador of kazakhstan from 2001 to 2004 professor napper returned stateside in 2005 as a diplomat-in-residence at the university of houston where he was a recruiter for the foreign service soon after he was asked to share his knowledge by training future public servants as a senior lecturer at the bush school of government and public service as a second-generation aggie professor napper was thrilled to return to texas a&m and be a part of the bush school the bush school is doing a fantastic job of preparing students for careers in public service said napper it is competitive with some of the best schools in the country in terms of its academic excellence and affordable cost of education the federal workforce is aging and getting ready to retire and there is a need to replace them with a new generation of public servants im happy to be able to help with that with his background he is able to provide students a unique perspective from both an academic and practitioner standpoint his students take part in international relations simulations where they apply the theory they have learned he is also the director of the scowcroft institute of international affairs the primary research arm of the masters program in international affairs which brings numerous speakers each semester to share their experiences in international affairs with students and the community when professor napper is not teaching courses in foreign policy and former soviet union politics or bringing in world-renowned speakers through the scowcroft institute he enjoys attending texas a&m sporting events particularly football and basketball he encourages any student interested in public service and international affairs to consider training at the bush school for a career in the foreign service the foreign service officers exam is a very ‘democratic process – anyone can take it and there is no limit to how many times one can take it its a tough process but can lead to a very rewarding career napper said i enjoyed every assignment i had they were all exciting and fulfilling and the chance to serve the american people in that capacity was enormously satisfying concluded napper
rear admiral nora tyson commander of carrier strike force 2 will speak at the next seminar presented by the bush schools scowcroft institute of international affairs admiral tysons presentation will be in the bush presidential library orientation theater on march 29 at 5:30 pm admiral tysons topic is the synergy of naval service and public service a graduate of vanderbilt university admiral tyson also holds an ma in national security and strategic affairs from the us naval war college a naval flight officer since 1983 admiral tyson has had several air commands as well duty tours on the uss lexington and uss enterprise she also led the navys contributions to disaster relief efforts on the gulf coast after hurricane katrina her shore assignments include serving as executive assistant to the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and to the chief of naval operations her most recent assignment was as commander logistics group western pacific/commander task force 73
on wednesday february 23 the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy was pleased to honor peter orszag former director of the office of management and budget under president barak obama with its first good governance award at the 2011 conocophillips white house lecture dr orszag arrived at the bush school early in the day to tour the bush presidential library followed by an informal lunch with students and faculty where he discussed health care reform and offered advice for students interested in working for federal agencies after lunch dr orszag visited with and fielded questions from two bush school classes prof gina reinhardts political economy of international development and dr deborah kerrs performance management before transitioning to the annenberg presidential conference center for the lecture and award presentation in the evening bush school dean ryan crocker opened the event with welcoming remarks before ceding the podium to dr jim griffin director of the mosbacher institute who conferred upon dr orszag the 2011 good governance award dr orszag then addressed the audience about the topic of us fiscal policy the fundamental problem facing the us economy over the next five to ten years according to dr orszag is the impossibility of reducing the countrys fiscal deficit through spending cuts alone; rather the government will need to raise taxes to curb the ballooning deficit dr orszag pointed out the prominent and growing role of health care costs from medicare and medicaid in us spending and expressed his concern about political polarization in washington that prevents policymakers from tackling these and other long-term spending issues following dr orszags lecture bush school associate professor lori taylor moderated a panel consisting of dr orszag professor dennis jansen of the texas a&m university department of economics and professor george zodrow of rice university and editor of the national tax journal the panel focused generally on revenue-raising options for the us government prof zodrow explained various alternative tax options while prof jansen emphasized spending cuts which he explained must include entitlement programs in addition to discretionary spending at the conclusion of the event guests exited the auditorium for a reception in the presidential dining room
on february 18 president barack obama presented the medal of freedom the nations highest civilian honor to president george h w bush president bush joined fourteen artists athletes civil rights activists humanitarians and others in receiving the honor president obama said these medals are presented to those who have made contributions to society that speak to who we are as a people president bush received some of the loudest applause as he was honored for having devoted nearly seventy of his eighty-six years to public service starting when he joined the navy on his eighteenth birthday he served as a congressman from texas un ambassador republican party chairman us envoy to china director of the central intelligence agency two terms as vice president and one term as the 41st president his life is a testament that public service is a noble calling obama said his humility and his decency reflect the very best of the american spirit those of you who know him this is a gentleman bushs wife barbara and their children listened from the front row president bush continues his public service legacy by preparing future generations to enter careers in public service and international affairs at the school that bears his name the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university also recognized by president obama were german chancellor angela merkel poet and author maya angelou congressman and civil rights activist john lewis athletes stan musial and bill russell cellist yo yo ma investor warren buffett and artist jasper johns
baylor university president ken starr who served for four years as united states solicitor general earlier in his career will speak on the global century and the future of the rule of law feb 18 at texas a&m university starrs 6 pm presentation at the annenberg presidential conference center will be hosted by the bush school of government and public service the lecture will be open to the public but seating will be limited and rsvps are requested by planners of the event starr has a long and distinguished career in law and public service he was appointed the 39th united states solicitor general by george bush 41st president and served in that role from 1989 to 1993 after leaving government starr returned to private practice as an appellate lawyer and a visiting professor at new york university and the george mason university school of law in 2004 he was appointed dean of the pepperdine university school of law where he served until being named president of baylor last year
the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university will hold its fourth annual nonprofit management forum april 8 at the annenberg presidential conference center the forum offers nonprofit staff board members volunteers and students a full day of learning and networking titled strengthening the capacity of nonprofit organizations the forum will feature academic researchers consultants industry professionals and aspiring leaders in a program geared toward improving the effectiveness of nonprofits keynote speakers will be francie ostrower professor at the lyndon b johnson school of public affairs at the university of texas and ryan c crocker dean of the bush school last year we were at capacity for attendance said will brown director of the nonprofit management certificate program at the bush school the response from local nonprofits has been remarkable and demonstrates that we are hitting the mark in terms of what volunteers staff and boards need to strengthen their organizations were pleased to once again bring outstanding speakers and learning opportunities to our local nonprofit community he said the forum begins with registration at 8:30 am and the opening session is set for 9 am three concurrent workshops will be conducted in the morning and three in the afternoon with each addressing specific issues relevant to nonprofit organizations the event will conclude with a presentation by kenneth hall chief executive officer of buckner international as part of the bank of america program on volunteerism this final event will also be open to the general public community partners sponsoring the forum include citibank arts council of the brazos valley community foundation of the brazos valley project unity texas association for nonprofit organizations and united way of the brazos valley early registration is now open and offered at a reduced rate of $50 per person until march 1 regular registration between march 1 and march 31 will be $75 and on-site registration will be $100 students are eligible for a special rate of $25 until march 18 registration fee includes parking morning coffee lunch and afternoon refreshments
as the protests in egypt escalated bush school professor and director of programming for the scowcroft institute of international affairs jeffrey engel saw an opportunity for students to engage in what he termed a good old fashioned teach-in which was held on tuesday february 1 in the bush library auditorium a teach-in is similar to a general educational forum on any complicated issue but is usually focused on a topic involving current political affairs they are meant to be practical and participatory with experts speaking on their area of expertise and then answering questions from the audience in this case the audience was bush school students who posed questions about the rapidly unfolding events in egypt to experts from the bush school and other a&m departments leading the discussion was ryan crocker dean of the bush school as former ambassador to lebanon syria and iraq and a noted middle eastern expert crocker had shared his insights on the crisis in weekend television interviews he was joined by bush school professor dr rola el-husseini who specializes in the middle east and teaches a course on authoritarianism in the arab world dr randy kluver from the department of communications addressed how new media has been used by protestors dean crocker affirmed the speculation that the mubarek era in egypt was over crocker and dr el-husseini then went on to discuss topics such as the role of the egyptian army the muslim brotherhood and the possible ascension of mohamed el-baradei dr kluver discussed the role of social media in the organizing of protests the effects of twitter and facebook usage the rates of internet connectivity in egypt as well as the egyptian governments denial of service he reported that as a result of the internet shutdown google used recently acquired technology to allow phone calls from egypt to be transcribed to twitter accounts for the rest of the world to see this service was announced mere hours before the teach-in bush school students came prepared with questions including the reaction of iran the root causes of the protests what a future relationship with israel could look like and the relationship between the egyptian and american military dr engel thanked all the speakers and the staff of the bush library who graciously made their auditorium available at the last minute when it became apparent there would be an overflow crowd for the teach-in i encourage those interested in more on this topic to see the february 2 wall street journals opinion page which features a contribution by dean crocker to an on-line discussion of the last weeks events and the regions future said engel the piece can be found at: http://googl/lrn4o
to address the growing amount of poverty among local citizens the city of bryan bush school of government and public service and texas a&m university will host a poverty reduction initiative the event will be held february 10 and 11 2011 at 1700 groesbeck bryan like many cities in the nation bryan has seen a growing amount of poverty among its citizens in 2010 the city held a two-day workshop developed by ronnie jackson bryans coordinator of neighborhood and youth services and jeannie mcguire head of project unitya local nonprofit dedicated to helping vulnerable citizensto look at the reasons poverty was on the increase and the impact it was having on city agencies and local nonprofits later in the year bryan mayor jason bienski spoke on the issue at the national league of cities conference in which he described local initiatives to help build financial security bryans poverty reduction initiative has now been expanded to include a number of scholars from the bush school and texas a&m university who will bring their academic expertise and experience to a program focused on poverty reduction the initiative is co-sponsored by the bryan city managers office the bush school of government and public service the office of the vice president and associate provost for diversity; the texas a&m department of sociology and the race and ethnic studies institute; and the school of rural public health working with the city of bryan dr edwina dorch a professor at the bush school who specializes in how government at various levels affects child and family poverty helped to organize the upcoming meeting bringing local leaders and academic experts together is a demonstration of the ‘scholarship of community engagement philosophy a relatively new perspective in academia dr dorch said it not only acknowledgesbut actually rewardstenure-track faculty for engaging in public service to the same degree as research or teaching she added dr john powell director of the kirwin institute at ohio state university with be the keynote speaker his presentation will focus on the community opportunity model which seeks to bring opportunities into distressed neighborhoods by improving education stimulating investment and expanding employment opportunities improving housing mobility options and providing public transportation in addition to dr powell scholars from the bush school and other departments at texas a&m will take part in the meeting including the department of sociology the race and ethnic studies institute the school of rural public health and the department of educational administration and human resource development
the first time jim olson visited the bush school he had to wear a hard hat it was late in 1997 when mpia director chuck hermann gave olson then still employed with the central intelligence agency a tour of the allen building facilities he would call home for the next thirteen years after years of distinguished service with the cia olson had considered teaching as a second career; and the agencys officer-in-residence program would give him that opportunity he was slated to start his time in academia in a university far from college station when he received a call that came straight from the top cia director george tenet asked if he would consider starting his second career in texas tenet had received a request for an officer to come to texas a&m the call had come from a man who once held tenets job george bush 41st president of the united states olson felt it was an honor to answer the request of president bush and carefully contemplated the decision the fact that he had been asked by not only a former president of the united states but also by a former cia director sealed the deal president bush thought it was vitally important that the role of intelligence be included in the curriculum said olson; therefore he and his wife meredith made the joint decision to move to texas he now says joining the bush school faculty is the best decision he ever made olson remained associated with the officer-in-residence program for his first two and a half years at the bush school once he retired from the cia he continued to serve his country by remaining at the bush school to help educate the next generation of public servants olson shaped the content of his courses by including exercises that would build the skills he thought most critical to a successful career preparing students with thorough exercises and role playing presentations are part of any olson course in his course role of intelligence in security affairs professor olson has the opportunity to teach the discipline of intelligence and the vital role it plays in decision making the course is popular with bush school students because it directly relates to career interests in practical terms when designing the syllabus olson made sure to cover the issues and concepts that would help students when they joined the workforce this is a very career oriented course; it is not merely academic he said professor olson who had been under cover his entire career recognized that poise was important whether it was in the field or when delivering a presentation he describes his approach in preparing students for presentations as tough love many former students have since expressed their gratitude for the skills they gained in his international crisis management course the class allows students to assume the role of a presenter whose job is to deliver information to superiors in an agency the press or even congress in the midst of an international crisis public speaking can always cause trepidation and some students privately confide that they are just not cut out for the classs public speaking requirements and will have to drop it olson provides extra help for those students and tells them that if they continue to work hard they will improve with every presentation and promises that they will come to enjoy the opportunity to speak in public the hard work has paid off for many students with several contributing to the presidential daily briefing and one in particular who had considered dropping the course winning an award for her presentation skills from the cia upon entering professor olsons office one will find a placard on his desk with a maxim he makes sure every bush school student hears during orientation and is reminded of during the course of a visit: eschew cynicism it is the best advice i can give to any public servant you will see dishonesty corruption and careerism its easy to become cynical but you must fight to keep your idealism if you lose it you will lose the meaning of being a public servant then you will have a job just like anyone else
the bush school was pleased to welcome thomas mason general manager of the lower colorado river authority for a brown bag seminar on november 1 entitled meeting texas water needs in the 21st century: problems and solutions mason discussed his organizations role in providing water and generating electricity for texas residents as well as energy and environmental issues that will factor into future decision making one to two times per week during the academic year the bush school hosts individuals with diverse backgrounds in government and public service at lunch time brown bag seminars these discussions provide students an opportunity to meet with speakers in an informal setting and share experiences and perspectives masons visit coincides with the 75th anniversary of the lower colorado river authority which was established as a conservation and reclamation district by the texas legislature in 1934 in discussing technological innovations that can help conserve water as the population of texas grows he noted that the states diverse water resources pose important questions for public officials following the discussion mason took questions from bush school students and faculty on the regulation of groundwater statewide pipeline systems aquifer property rights and the effects of increased demand in the agricultural sector
dr christina romer former chair of president obamas council of economic advisors and currently a professor at the university of californiaberkeley visited the bush school on november 5th dr romer met with students informally and provided an insiders perspective on recent economic events she also shared personal anecdotes from her time working with president obama as well as her outlook on the economic future of the united states following her remarks dr romer took questions from students on a range of topics including the benefits of a carbon tax versus a cap and trade system for climate legislation the deficit and increasing american exports to china later that day dr romer took part in the womens economic leadership forum panel discussion moderated by dr lori taylor and hosted by the george bush presidential library foundation in addition to dr romer the panel included sheila bair chairwoman of the fdic and sallie l krawcheck president of global wealth and investment management for bank of america bair and krawcheck both appeared on the list of the 100 most powerful women compiled by forbes magazine in 2008 roman popadiuk director of the bush library foundation introduced the panel to a packed house with president george hw bush and mrs barbara bush in attendance after opening remarks by dr taylor and the panelists the discussion focused on the housing market new regulations uncertainty in the financial markets and stimulus spending the panel took questions from the audience before closing remarks prior to the forum dr romer met with george bush 41st president of the united states and complimented him on the quality of questions asked by the bush school students earlier in the day i think she was genuinely impressed by the bush school students and i know that president bush was pleased to hear that said dr taylor
george bush 41st president of the united states will host a solemn commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the beginning of military operations to liberate kuwait from occupation by saddam husseins iraq the ceremony to be held jan 20 at 5 pm at texas a&m university will include key kuwaiti representatives and top us officials who were in office with the 41st president during the historic period the office of president of bush texas a&m university and the george bush school of government and public service are organizing the program the event is being sponsored by shell oil company texas a&m president r bowen loftin will offer welcoming remarks for the commemoration at reed arena president bushs special honored guest for the commemoration is his royal highness sheikh sabah al-ahmed al-jaber al-sabah the amir of the state of kuwait president bushs honored guests for the commemoration include: his excellency the deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs of the state of kuwait sheikh dr mohammad sabah al-salim al-sabah; the 46th vice president of the united states the honorable richard b cheney; the 44th vice president of the united states the honorable j danforth quayle; the 61st secretary of state of the united states the honorable james a baker iii; the 65th secretary of state of the united states the honorable colin l powell; former national security advisor to presidents gerald ford and president bush the honorable brent scowcroft; and the honorable walter e boomer general (ret) united states marine corps in connection with this commemorative event the scowcroft institute of international affairs will host a jan 20 symposium of distinguished scholars and practitioners who will offer their assessments of the impact of the liberation of kuwait on global politics and international security in the two decades since the gulf war the symposium will take place 2-4 pm at the annenberg presidential conference center on the campus of texas a&m university participants in the symposium include sir lawrence freedman professor of war studies kings college london; michael r gordon chief military correspondent the new york times; dr richard n haass president council on foreign relations; and dr shibley telhami anwar sadat professor of peace and development university of maryland college park the symposium will be chaired by dr jeffrey a engel kruse ‘52 founders professor george bush school of government and public service texas a&m university
michael gordon chief military correspondent for the new york times will give a presentation on the recent disclosure of military information through wikileaks and the future of iraq on november 17 wikileaks is an international organization that publishes submissions of otherwise unavailable documents from anonymous sources and leaks the lecture is sponsored by the scowcroft institute of international affairs at the bush school of government and public service it will be held at the orientation theater in the bush presidential library and will begin at 5:30 pm gordon earned a journalism degree at columbia university and has been with the times since 1985 he has covered the iraq war the american intervention in afghanistan the kosovo conflict the russian war in chechnya the 1991 persian gulf war and the american invasion of panama he also has reported on the pentagon arms control weapons proliferation and other diplomatic and national security issues prior to becoming military correspondent mr gordon served as chief of the times moscow bureau during those years he made extensive contacts in chechnya which led to the award-winning documentary deadlock: russias forgotten war which he produced and hosted for cnn the film chronicled his journey into restricted areas in chechnya to capture scenes of the war michael gordon and general bernard e trainor have written two books together including the generals war: the inside story of the conflict in the gulf which covers the 1991 gulf war and the best-selling cobra ii: the inside story of the invasion and occupation of iraq which covers the iraq war that began in 2003
the bush schools newest institute the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy sponsored leadership day at the bush school on november 3 2010 the days events featured prominent scholars and individuals with proven leadership ability the title of the afternoon panel discussion was excellence in leadership: the critical role of character the panelists featured dean ryan c crocker of the bush school and two visiting experts – dr ron riggio professor of leadership and organizational psychology at claremont mckenna college and dr dale thompson the ceo of a consulting firm that advises fortune 500 companies on their choice of top managers it was a lively session in which the dean recounted some of the very tough leadership roles he faced during the pakistan earthquake disaster while dale thompson discussed the character flaws that ultimately lead highly talented ceos to destruction that evening dr griffin director of the mosbacher institute presented the 2010 mclane leadership in business award to karen katz the newly appointed president and ceo of the neiman marcus group karen katz was selected for the award because of her extraordinary achievements in retailing having led neiman marcus through a very difficult reorganization and the recent recession while still maintaining the respect of her employees joining ms katz on stage was drayton mclane a great friend and benefactor of the bush school also offering remarks at the presentation were anita perry first lady of texas and mica mosbacher honorary consul of iceland and wife of the late robert a mosbacher sr the institutes namesake the program concluded with a lively onstage conversation about the leadership experiences of karen katz with dale thompson leading the discussion
ambassador ryan crocker dean of the george bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university will be the institutions commencement convocation speaker dec 16 announced president r bowen loftin crocker joined texas a&m earlier this year after serving as us ambassador to iraq from 2007 to 2009 and earlier in his 37-year foreign service career led diplomatic missions in pakistan syria kuwait and lebanon crockers address is scheduled for 5:30 pm in rudder theatre graduation exercises will be held the following two days in reed arena the commencement exercises are set for 9 am and 2 pm friday dec 17 and at 9 am saturday dec 18 a list showing which academic colleges and schools will be awarding degrees at each ceremony can be viewed at graduationtamuedu commencement convocation which is open to the public is a relatively new texas a&m tradition in which all members of a graduating class have the opportunity to assemble together along with family members and friends in an informal setting we are delighted that ambassador crocker has graciously accepted our invitation to address texas a&ms december graduates said loftin with his vast international service and experience we are confident that he will bring a highly interesting and relevant message it is particularly appropriate to have someone with his international perspective help formally send off our new graduates with additional insight regarding the increasingly complex global society into which they are entering this event also gives another opportunity to express our appreciation to ambassador crocker for assuming leadership of the bush school and to underscore our confidence that he will guide the college to an even greater stature internationally as well as here in texas and throughout the nation loftin added crocker retired from the us foreign service last year in addition to his ambassadorship in iraq and his heading of diplomatic missions in several other middle east countries he also held posts in iran qatar and egypt as well as in washington dc additionally he has served as professor of national security strategy and later as international affairs advisor at the national war college he grew up in an air force family and attended schools in morocco canada and turkey as well as in the united states he received a ba in english and an honorary doctor of laws degree from whitman college in walla walla wash he also pursued graduate studies in public policy as a mid-career fellow at princeton university he is the recipient of numerous awards including the presidential distinguished service award the department of defense medal for distinguished civilian service and the donovan award from the national clandestine service he also holds the state department distinguished honor award award for valor the american foreign service association rivkin award for creative dissent and the robert c frasure memorial award for exceptional courage and leadership in afghanistan in 2004 president george w bush conferred on crocker the personal rank of career ambassador the highest in the foreign service he received the presidential medal of freedom americas highest civilian award in january of 2009 and later that year secretary of state hillary clinton announced the establishment of the ryan c crocker award for outstanding achievement in expeditionary diplomacy
admiral mike mullen chairman of the joint chiefs of staff met with bush school students on september 30 prior to giving a public lecture sponsored by the bush school and the scowcroft institute of international affairs mullens speech focused on the uses and limitations of military power and alternatives to military force in reducing terrorism the question and answer session for bush school students was held in the bush library orientation theater melisa woolfolk a second year mpia student noted that admiral mullen seemed quite impressed with the students and the caliber of the questions they asked mullen spoke to the students about the whole nation approach to resolving international conflicts said woolfolk the whole-nation approach focuses on employing nonmilitary alternatives to conflict resolution including education diplomacy and economic development – a philosophy shared by former bush school dean robert m gates and taught at the bush school admiral mullen was very open to taking students questions and answering them honestly and thoughtfully said woolfolk being one of the most important persons in the military it was quite an honor to have the opportunity to hear him speak above all else he stressed the importance of serving with integrity he pointed out that there are numerous nonmilitary options for public service and that every person can serve in some capacity said woolfolk the students were pleased that as mullen was preparing to leave he decided to return to shake hands and present a joint chiefs of staff challenge coin to each of the students in attendance
texas a&m president r bowen loftin was the leadoff speaker for the 2010-2011 conversations in leadership series meeting with bush school students and faculty on october 12 a part of the public service leadership program the conversations in leadership series invites prominent public servants to discuss lessons they have learned as leaders and also provides students an opportunity to ask the speakers about their leadership experiences in his presentation president loftin offered three key pieces of advice for being a successful leader – grow a thick skin dont read the blogs and dont make the same mistake twice leaders will make mistakes said loftin adding that he has made many he stressed that making errors is a natural part of the process of leadership but that it is important to learn from those mistakes dr loftin spoke of his educational background in physics and his career as a professor government consultant and researcher in discussing his current position he recounted his surprise when he learned on a sunday evening that he was being considered for the interim position the next day he received the news by text message that he had been selected and immediately began making the necessary plans to assume this new leadership role he emphasized that this kind of sudden elevation to a major leadership position often requires quick action in response to unexpected situations when asked about his trademark bowtie dr loftin advised the students to similarly have their own trademark an effective leader he noted has an ability to be remembered and connect with other people following the discussion the public service leadership program hosted a reception where dr loftin spoke with students individually to learn more about their own goals in leadership the public service leadership program was established to promote and support president george bushs goal of creating principled leaders for careers in public service and international affairs throughout the academic year the program hosts speakers workshops and self-assessments for students enrolled at the bush school
on friday october 15 the institute for science technology and public policy (istpp) in the bush school of government and public service celebrated its ten year anniversary with a rededication ceremony and reception the event was held in the bush court of the robert h and judy ley allen building on the bush school campus and was attended by president george bush 41st president of the united states; mrs bush; many of the institutes research partners from across the texas a&m university system; as well as bush school students faculty and staff president bush thanked the institute for its contributions to the bush school and its impact on public policy istpp was established in 2000 as an interdisciplinary research and service unit that would bring together the expertise required to solve complex contemporary policy problemsspeaking at the ceremony dean ryan crocker noted the significant impact the institutes research program has had on public policy istpp has earned a well-deserved reputation as a ‘go to place for organizations seeking guidance on issues requiring input from more than one academic discipline crocker said as the institute enters its second decade istpps proven ability to bring together experts in a range of fields from technology to economics to history bodes well for its future he addedthe institutes founding and current director dr arnold vedlitz noted that when the institute was being developed he and robert gates dean when istpp was established had clear goals for the institute we shared the belief that istpp would enhance the bush schools and universitys ability to disseminate research and faculty knowledge on important interdisciplinary topics and positively affect policy development economic development and solutions to problems of importance for the state of texas the nation and the international community he said istpp research is focused in four major policy areas: environmental and natural resources emerging technologies infrastructure and built environment and health policy vedlitz noted that since its inception the institute has attracted over $15 million in funding for more than twenty projects istpp has partnered with over 200 researchers from the texas a&m university system and other us universities and has had research collaborations in china germany and the united kingdom recent projects include major studies on how science information about global climate change was used by decision makers in texas louisiana and florida; public understanding of air quality issues within the state; and the future of hybrid electric vehicles istpps research program also provides opportunities for bush school students to participate in ground-breaking studies work on scholarly publications and interact with researchers from around the nation since its inception more than fifty-four bush school students have been employed by the institute to assist with a range of research projects
dr bill west who holds the sara lindsay chair at the bush school is part of a team recently awarded a grant to study how interest groups participate in and influence the federal rulemaking process professor wendy wagner of the ut school of law is the principal investigator on the $45 000 grant which was awarded by the national science foundations law and social sciences program the focus of the study is how related businesses ‘own the rulemaking process due to their ability to invest in information about complex policy issues that affect their operations and then provide that information to those promulgating the rules the data to be captured and analyzed will provide a new angle on why regulation does not work as it should and how public interest groups may or may not intervene successfully in the regulatory process
the scowcroft institute of international affairs will host lt gen john f mulholland jr commanding general for the us army special operations command for the william and dianne moss scowcroft lecture series the program is scheduled for september 13 2010 at 5:30 pm at the annenberg presidential conference center at the george bush presidential library center lt gen john f mulholland jr assumed command of the us army special operations command november 7 2008 prior to assuming that command mulholland was commanding general of special operations command central at macdill air force base fla mulholland graduated with a ba in history from furman university greenville sc in 1978 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant of infantry he earned a mmas (history) while attending the us army command and general staff college and a master of science in national security strategy from the national war college lt gen mulhollands military awards and decorations include the distinguished superior service medal and the legion of merit the william and dianne moss scowcroft lecture series brings to the george bush presidential library center and the campus of texas a&m university high profile practitioners and experts in the field of international affairs in addition it presents students the opportunity to build on their classroom experience through interaction with experts and others who shape international events
the scowcroft institute of international affairs welcomed two speakers to campus during june as part of the national security leadership program (nslp) on june 8 david mosher spoke to nslp students and guests regarding the challenges of bilateral and multilateral agreements for weapons reductions mr mosher is a senior policy analyst for the rand corporation and specializes in national security terrorism and homeland security issues his research focus includes ballistic missile defense; nuclear proliferation; and the terrorist acquisition and use of nuclear biological chemical and radiological weapons on june 22 peter s usowski gave a presentation to nslp participants on challenges facing todays intelligence community mr usowski is the director of the center for the study of intelligence at the central intelligence agency (cia) he previously served as the cias assistant inspector general for investigations as well as in various analyst and leadership positions in the national photographic interpretation center and the national imagery and mapping agencythe nslp was created to provide key livermore personnel with advanced education in national security issues the program sponsored by lawrence livermore national laboratory the bush school and the dwight look college of engineering is a year-long 12-credit-hour program that includes courses seminars and other activities upon completion of the program participants receive a graduate certificate from texas a&m university program participants are designated as fellows of the scowcroft institute of international affairs
this week the bush school welcomed 110 new students during new student orientation the bush school class of 2012 adds diversity and experience to the schools student body these students come from varied academic disciplines possess professional and military work experience and demonstrate exceptional aptitude for critical thinking and languages the incoming students launched their bush school career at a four-day orientation session dean ryan crocker personally welcomed the students encouraging them to engage in the array of opportunities at the bush school and on the greater texas a&m campus he noted that it is a rare privilege to have the schools namesake george bush 41st president of the united states on campus interacting with students dean crocker emphasized president bushs embodiment of public service and his vision to educate principled leaders committed to public service in addition to faculty and staff sessions on professionalism ethics and integrity students interacted in various teamwork and discussion settings jeryl mumpower mpsa director and charleshermann mpia director led discussion groups on three cups of tea the #1 new york times bestseller written by greg mortenson and david oliver relin incoming students were asked to read the book and then discussed related issues of diversity and globalization with their new classmates the 58 new mpia students and the 52 new mpsa students participated in a challengeworks teambuilding exercise got their first taste of the bush school leadership program and enjoyed an evening reception with faculty at maddens casual gourmet the orientation week emphasized the bush schools welcoming texas hospitality said bill tim munns an incoming mpsa 12 student i look forward to developing as a young professional among colleagues and professors who value both academic excellence and the spirit of public service munns is from hansel valley utah and is a may 2010 graduate of utah state university he is pursuing the public management track with a nonprofit management concentration
trey baker a 2006 master of public service and administration (mpsa) graduate of texas a&ms bush school of government and public service recently won a prestigious award from his employer the texas transportation institute (tti) during his time at the bush school trey worked on the high speed rail feasibility capstone project where he connected with tti as part of his research tti was impressed by treys work; and after graduation he was hired full-time as an assistant transportation researcher in ttis austin tx office he has since been promoted to associate transportation researcher my capstone research project which required us to work with real world clients on real world policy issues was extremely valuable in developing my research critical thinking and analytical abilities says baker those skills along with the experience of working with a great team and the professional connections i made have been invaluable to my career the new researcher awards are presented annually to young researchers at tti who show particular promise early in their careers award winners are nominated by their colleagues and the final selection is made by an anonymous committee each winner receives a financial stipend funded by trinity industries a long-time partner of tti in roadside safety devices trey was recognized with this award for his accomplishments in transportation policy research his astute attention to detail and his outstanding oral and written presentation skills
ryan crocker dean of the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university received an honorary doctor of national security affairs degree honoris causa during the june 10 graduation ceremonies at the national defense university the ceremony was held at fort mcnair in washington dc at which 605 students from the college of international security affairs the industrial college of the armed forces and the national war college received degrees admiral mike mullen chairman of the joint chiefs of staff was the commencement speaker considered the nations premier center for joint professional military education the national defense university is a graduate-level institution that prepares future leaders of the armed forces and other civilian agencies for high-level policy command and staff responsibilitiesdean crocker was honored by ndu for his many years of distinguished diplomatic service during his 37-year career crocker served as ambassador to iraq pakistan syria kuwait and lebanon and also had assignments in iran qatar and egypt as well as washington he served as the international affairs advisor at the national war college in 2003 among his many awards crocker holds the presidential medal of freedom the nations highest civilian honor; the presidential distinguished service award; the department of defense medal for distinguished service; the presidential meritorious service award; as well as the state department distinguished honor award in september 2004 president george w bush conferred on him the personal rank of career ambassador the highest in the foreign servicecrocker graduated with a ba in english from whitman college in 1971 and was honored by his alma mater in 2001 with an honorary doctor of laws degree he became dean of the bush school in january 2010
jeffrey engel has been named one of the topyoung historians of 2010 by george mason universitys history news network engel an associate professor holds the verlin and howard kruse ‘52 founders professorship at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university and is responsible for programming at the scowcroft institute of international affairs at the school george mason began profiling young historians who are making their mark on the profession in 2005 selections are made based on the candidates contributions to the discipline in their area of research and their commitment to scholarship and teaching those selected are also noted as being highly regarded outside academia for their expertise and many are consulted by the popular media engel received his phd from the university of wisconsin in 2001 a member of the bush school faculty since 2004 he is the author of cold war at 30 000 feet: the anglo-american fight for aviation supremacy (harvard university press 2007) which received the american historical associations 2008 paul birdsall prize awarded biannually to the outstanding work published in european military and strategic history he is also editor of the china diary of george hw bush (princeton university press 2008) the local impact of the global cold war (stanford university press 2008) and the fall of the berlin wall: the revolutionary legacy of 1989 (oxford university press 2009) his most recent work includes: rethinking leadership and whole of government national security reform co-edited with bush school professor joseph cerami and published by the strategic studies institute of the us army war college and when the world seemed new: american foreign policy in the age of george hw bush bush school executive associate dean samual kirkpatrick noted that engel represents the high quality of the schools faculty professor engels commitment to his discipline and his ongoing research efforts are reflected in his teaching because of his impressive track record and extensive research experience he helps our students understand the broad sweep of history so essential to being an effective leader in public policy kirkpatrick said we join his colleagues in congratulating him on this well-deserved recognition
bush school dean ryan crocker will speak at the world affairs council of san antonio luncheon on thursday april 29 2010 dean crocker will speak on his experience as former us ambassador to iraq pakistan syria kuwait and lebanon the event will be held at the san antonio country club registration begins at 11:30 am and the luncheon program begins at noon dean crocker also holds the edward and howard kruse endowed chair and is an executive professor at the bush school at texas a&m university
over 300 friends family and bush school colleagues gathered on april 6 at christ united methodist church in college station to honor the life and service of former dean richard a (dick) chilcoat he served as the bush schools first permanent dean from 2001 until 2008 and held the edward and howard kruse endowed chair until december 2009 among those paying tribute to dean chilcoat was george bush 41st president of the united states who was accompanied by his wife barbara ashley chilcoat his daughter; a life-long friend from west point mel case; his brother-in-law gil rodgers; and sam kirkpatrick executive associate dean of the bush school also shared remarks the singing cadets of texas a&m provided music for the service which was followed by a reception in the church annex dean chilcoats wife dixie and their children mike and ashley greeted guests at the reception which included a number of active duty and retired military personnel a graduate of the us military academy chilcoat served 42 years in the army retiring as a lieutenant general in 2000 he will be buried at arlington national cemetery on july 1
once again the bush schools founder has demonstrated continuing commitment to the bush school and its mission of preparing future leaders for public service during a week filled with a range of activities the former president and mrs bush found time to participate in bush school classes meet with the schools advisory board and host a dinner honoring dean ryan crocker having a former president take an active part in your class can be intimidating for even the most well-prepared student but president and mrs bush always bring out the best in bush school students enhancing classroom learning with important insights and relevant experiences of course when the president is on campus there is always the opportunity to visit with him informally in the hallways he is very approachable and open to photos most often taken with students cell phoneswhile visiting president bush attended three classes students in professors scott robinson and ann bowmans public management classes made a presentation on the office of national drug control policy (ondcp) which was established under mr bushs administration the presentation focused on the challenges confronting public managers when measuring performance in public service organizations in preparation for the discussion the students read a case study on the development of a performance measurement system in the ondcp in addition to the chosen topic the q&a which followed included more personal topics beginning with questions about the presidents health (ive got no complaints he said) he then offered the students advice on living well never neglect your friends and keep in touch with them throughout your life he said and do your best to keep your family going; that has given barbara and me strength over the years because family is continuity and stability he added that their 65-year marriage has been wonderfully rewarding and that barbara is one-of-a-kind they broke the mold when they made her the president said his advice to young people is to take marriage seriously; take your time; be sure and bring up your kids in a loving environment when asked about leadership president bush said that his mother set an example advising him as a young man to work hard and give the other guy credit senator prescott bush the presidents father also helped establish his value of public service whenever he was asked to serve he did said mr bush as for public service president bush said he was in love with government service and he is delighted that these students are pursuing careers in public service as ive said before public service is a noble calling and dean crocker is a wonderful example of a dedicated public servant he added i hope you will leave this school with an idea that you want to serveno matter the party or level of service if you believe that service is noble you will have a happy and successful life he concluded both the president and mrs bush attended professor jeffrey engels class on us foreign policy since 1945 a discussion of the book containing arab nationalism: the eisenhower doctrine and the middle east focused on whether there was a clash of civilizations and how decisions made under president eisenhower had affected policy today president and mrs bush listened intently to the students discussion and president bush actively participated in the discussion and questioning dr sharon caudles capstone course on organizational resiliency after hurricane ike had particular relevance to president and mrs bush dean crocker also attended the class the students presented background information on two areascameron parish louisiana and the bolivar penninsula in texasthat were devastated after hurricane ike and they discussed the differences in development of the two communities following the storm the bush-clinton coastal recovery fund provided a grant for this capstone project enabling students to conduct research on long-term recovery and resiliency issues working with the officials and community members of the two communities the students focused on shared and individual community long-term recovery and resiliency economic development goals policy options to meet these goals and the strengths and weaknesses of each including implementation challenges as part of their presentation the students noted the constraints on this research and related how they collected and analyzed data and developed their statistical analysis president bush said that this was a project near and dear to my heart having seen the devastation of a storm first hand when he had worked in the offshore drilling business mrs bush was interested in how many schools had been built and if doctors returned to the communities as he did with all the classes president bush offered to pose for individual photos with the students and his offer was eagerly accepted
professor ron sievert senior lecturer at the bush school of government and public service has conducted a legal review of the national security law policies put in place under president george w bush sieverts article which appears in the fall 2009 issue of the rutgers journal of law and public policy offers a new perspective on those actions while noting that charges that the bush administration ‘assaulted civil liberties may well be a lasting legacy sievert argues that a detached legal review of the most controversial policies leads to a dramatically different conclusion as to their constitutionality he cites specific examples including the fact that appellate courts have not overruled major portions of the patriot act nor has the obama administration proposed any significant changes in the legislation other issues addressed in the article include the continued use of military commissions to try al qaeda combatants and the use of the nsa to intercept al qaeda without fisa authorization a graduate of st bonaventure university and the university of texas school of law sievert has broad experience in national security legal issues he has worked with the fbi and us intelligence agencies on international and national security-related cases trained federal prosecutors and trained foreign judges and prosecutors on how to investigate national security cases
the bush schools third annual nonprofit management forum will be held on april 9 offering nonprofit staff board members volunteers and students the opportunity for a day of learning and networking the forum will begin at 8:30 am at the annenberg presidential conference center and conclude at 4:00 pm that evening entitled strengthening the capacity of nonprofit organizations the day-long event brings together academic researchers consultants industry professionals and aspiring leaders in a program geared toward improving the effectiveness of nonprofits last year we were at capacity for attendance said dr will brown director of the nonprofit management certificate program at the bush school the response from local nonprofits has been remarkable and demonstrates that we are hitting the mark in terms of what volunteers staff and boards need to strengthen their organizations were pleased to once again bring outstanding speakers and learning opportunities to our local nonprofit community he added this years forum begins with registration at 8:30 am and an opening session at 9 am followed by a presentation from elizabeth m darling president and ceo of onestar foundation there will be three concurrent workshops in the morning and three in the afternoon each addressing a specific issue relevant to nonprofit organizations the luncheon speaker will be lester m salamon phd founding director and principal research scientist at the institute for policy studies at johns hopkins university the day will conclude with a reception community partners sponsoring the forum include citibank arts council of the brazos valley community foundation of the brazos valley project unity texas association for nonprofit organizations and united way of the brazos valley
recent events in the united states and other countries have put terrorism back in the news four bush school faculty are included on texas a&ms ‘experts web page for their experience and expertise in homeland security terrorism and related topics among the bush school faculty listed as experts in international terrorism are assistant professor jasen castillo; sharon caudle visiting lecturer and younger-carter distinguished policymaker in residence; sara daly a lecturer and adjunct international policy analyst at rand corporation in arlington va; and james olson senior lecturer and director of the certificate in advanced international affairs program charles hermann director of the masters program in international affairs is listed as an expert in ideology of terrorism
led by texas a&m researchers the journal diplomatic history has published an extensive forum exploring the foreign policy of president george bush 41st president of the united states the topic is the primary focus of the january issue of what is considered the premier academic journal in the field and features articles by jeffrey a engel of the bush school and randy kluver director of the institute for pacific asia at texas a&m university it is rare for such a prestigious journal to devote an issue to a single topic said jeffrey engel associate professor and verlin and howard kruse ‘52 founders professor who organized and edited the journal issue through the bush schools scowcroft institute of international affairs articles include kluvers exploration of the national and diplomatic rhetoric of the 1989 tiananmen crisis a study of early russian-american negotiations over nato expansion examinations of religions role in bushs foreign policy a study of national security adviser brent scowcroft and a study of public diplomacy during the bush years this forum has been in the works at the journal for the last several years and the time seemed rightmore than 20 years after his inaugurationto produce this comprehensive look at bushs policies and their impact aided by newly available documents and records from the period engel added with some 18 percent of the more than eight million pages of documents from the bush presidency now declassified and more coming online there is clearly much more every day for scholars to review and analyze said engel so more remains to be done this assessment is an important first step
the bush schools new dean ambassador ryan crocker hit the ground running during his first week at the school crocker was appointed by the board of regents in december 2009 and arrived on campus monday january 25 during his first week crocker met with the schools faculty and staff as well as with president bowen loftin and interim provost karan watson several deans and members of the university administration crocker said he is eager to get to know the bush school students and had his first meeting with student leaders last march some 70 students got to meet and hear from dean crocker during a student-led question and answer session at an informal luncheon following the question and answer session crocker delivered the lenore and francis humphrys international lecture students also had the opportunity to engage with crocker during the dean selection process in fall 2009 in another student-led question and answer panel when i was here last march i had no idea id be returning as dean said crocker but im delighted to be here its evident that the bush school students and faculty are among the best in the nation and it is a real honor to be a part of this outstanding academic enterprise he added dean crocker is already very impressed by what hes seen and learned at the bush school im really looking forward to learning more about the bush school and its impressive range of academic programs and research institutes its clear that the school has a very bright future and that both students and faculty have a solid commitment to the principle of public service exemplified by george bush 41st president of the united states i also look forward to our combined effort to take ths great school to the next level
robert a mosbacher namesake of the mosbacher institute for trade economics and public policy at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university has died in houston after a protracted bout with pancreatic cancer a longtime friend and colleague of president george h w bush mosbacher served as secretary of commerce from 1989 to 1992 and had a long and distinguished career in public service during his time as secretary mr mosbacher was a key architect of the north american free trade association and a strong advocate for free and fair trade the board of regents created the mosbacher institute in september 2009 to enhance the bush schools ability to focus on those crucial issues and to enable faculty students and visiting fellows to explore contemporary issues in trade and economic policy dr james griffin head of the mosbacher institute noted that the institutes programs help students to better understand how trade and economics fit into the larger public policy arena this institute is a living tribute to the values robert mosbacher believed in so passionately griffin said a celebration of bob mosbachers life is to be conducted at ten oclock in the morning on wednesday the 27th of january at memorial drive presbyterian church 11612 memorial drive in houston texas in lieu of flowers the family has requested that donations be made to the mosbacher institute
the texas a&m university system board of regents has approved the appointment of ryan c crocker as dean of texas a&m universitys george bush school of government and public service effective january 25 2010 most recently ambassador crocker served as us ambassador to iraq from 2007 to 2009 upon learning of crockers selection president george h w bush said i am thrilled that ambassador ryan crocker has agreed to take the helm of the bush school and continue building on the record of academic excellence his predecessors have established it is the mission of our school to help inculcate into each of our students a commitment to public service with integrity and i can think of few american diplomats who have so embodied this concept as has ambassador crocker his becoming dean of the bush school is a great addition to the aggie family crocker was selected for the post following an extensive national search in his new role he will build on the bush schools strong programs in public service and international affairs that developed under the leadership of richard a chilcoat who served as the bush schools first permanent dean from july 2001 through december 2008 it is a tremendous honor to have ambassador crocker a distinguished international statesman and scholar join the bush school as its dean said interim president r bowen loftin ‘71 ambassador crockers appointment speaks directly to the bush schools mission of educating principled leaders in public and international affairs conducting research and performing service we look forward to his work in enriching the education and experiences of our graduate students as the bush school continues its trajectory of national prominence crocker retired from the us foreign service on april 30 2009 after a career of more than 37 years in addition to his post in iraq he led diplomatic missions in pakistan syria kuwait and lebanon in addition he has served as professor of national security strategy and later international affairs advisor at the national war college he also held posts in iran qatar iraq egypt and washington dc crocker grew up in an air force family attending schools in morocco canada and turkey as well as the us he received a ba in english and an honorary doctor of laws degree from whitman college (washington) he also pursued graduate studies in public policy as a mid-career fellow at princeton university he is the recipient of numerous awards including the presidential distinguished service award the department of defense medal for distinguished civilian service and the presidential meritorious service award he also holds the state department distinguished honor award award for valor three superior honor awards the american foreign service association rivkin award and the robert c frasure memorial award for exceptional courage and leadership in afghanistan in 2004 president george w bush conferred on him the personal rank of career ambassador the highest in the foreign service in january 2009 crocker received the presidential medal of freedom americas highest civilian award in may 2009 secretary of state hillary clinton announced the establishment of the ryan c crocker award for outstanding achievement in expeditionary diplomacy interim provost karan l watson cited crockers executive experience and almost four decades of service to the nation as key reasons for his selection ambassador crockers distinguished career as a foreign service officer and his strong managerial and communication skills will serve him well as he leads the bush school in its next stage of development said watson watson also commended a benton cocanougher professor emeritus of marketing and dean emeritus of the mays business school for his service as interim dean of the bush school for the past year
at the invitation of president george h w bush president barack obama gave the keynote address at the points of light foundations presidential forum on service on october 16 2009 the historic event was held on the campus of texas a&m university in college station texas home of the bush school of government and public service since the schools inception in 1997 the former president has actively encouraged the school to emphasize the importance of public service in government and nonprofit organizations as well as citizen volunteerism although the forum was not sponsored by the bush school a number of students assisted with the planning and helped at the event and had the opportunity to meet both presidents the presidential forum celebrated the points of light foundations 20th anniversary by honoring individual volunteers service and celebrating the tremendous increase in volunteerism during the past two decades under the foundations leadership this unique bipartisan gathering offered both presidents the opportunity to celebrate volunteer service and inspire othersespecially young peopleto continue that tradition individuals and organizations from all parts of the country that have been designated as points of light were special guests and were honored for their service and contributions many of these individuals were introduced to the audience and asked to tell their unique stories a fitting prelude to the formal program both president bush and president obama emphasized the importance of public service and volunteer engagement at all levelslocal state and national in the end service binds us to each other and to our community and to our country in a way that nothing else can obama said in introducing president obama president bush said he is absolutely right there isnt a more important time than now for us all to get involved president obama congratulated texas a&m for its students focus on community service and said he could understand why mr bush chose to locate his presidential library and school at this university what you all are doing here is precisely what he was talking about when he called for those thousand points of light and became the first president to create a white house office devoted solely to promoting volunteerism said mr obama its a vision thats changed lives across the country he added in addition to the points of light honorees the audience of 2 300 included faculty and students from the bush school and the university and nonprofit leaders from the local community they enthusiastically cheered the call for more volunteerism and were moved by the obvious affection and respect demonstrated by the two leaders as they embraced on the stage president bushs firm belief in the value of public service is reflected in the school that bears his name as evidenced by the schools development of a nonprofit management/leadership program the certificate in nonprofit management (cnpm) develops leaders for the nonprofit sector contributes to a broader understanding of nonprofits and their key role in society and supports effective management of these important organizations students in the master of public service and administration (mpsa) program can choose a concentration in nonprofit management and earn the certificate while othersincluding professionals working in nonprofit agenciescan earn the certificate via part-time or online programs offered by the bush schoola partnership with the united way of houston and course offerings in both houston and the woodlandsa community midway between houston and college stationenables working professionals to take advantage of the certificate program enhancing their leadership and management skills while helping them stay current in a dynamic and rapidly changing nonprofit environment a grant from texass onestar foundation has supported another bush school program this one for emerging young leaders which also helps meet the urgent and well-documented need for well-educated and experienced professionals in the nonprofit field president obama made clear his admiration for president bush and barbara bush and their unswerving commitment to public service george bush isnt just a president who promoted the ethic of public service long before it was fashionablehes a citizen whose life has embodied that ethic he said
dr arnold vedlitz director of the institute for science technology and public policy was invited by the howard baker jr center for public policy and the woodrow wilson international center for scholars to help organize and participate in the conference on formulation of energy and climate policy: toward an open and transparent process on june 18-19 2009 in washington dc dr vedlitz chaired a discussion panel entitled energy and climate policy and stakeholder domains: goals perspectives and interconnections this two day conference was the second event in the joint program on presidential policy-making: formulating a bipartisan energy and climate policy for america a final report including findings from this conference will be sent to president obama congressional leaders and others video of the conference can be found on the wilson centers website dr vedlitzs session can be found in part iv of the video
assistant professor joanna lahey is spending the academic year as a visiting scholar at the rand corporation in santa monica ca supported by a fellowship from the national institute on aging (nia) lahey holds a phd in economics from mit and is widely known for her research on age discrimination and how age relates to labor market outcomes she is an assistant professor at the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university nia one of the 27 institutes and centers of the national institutes of health has led the federal research program on all aspects of aging since 1974 originally focused on research relating to national security the rand corporation has expanded its research agenda to a broad range of national policy issues in business education health law and science this year laheys work has appeared in several national publications including the new york times and us news and world report as well as other media outlets she has also been asked to provide information to us sen tom harkin for his work on the age discrimination in employment act
four faculty and staff members were recognized for their achievements at the annual bush school faculty and staff awards ceremony held friday september 25 2009 the awards were presented by dr benton cocanougher interim dean of the school dr christopher layne received the college teaching award given by the association of former students nominations for this $2 500 award came from bush school faculty and students and were evaluated by a committee at the association professor layne holds the robert m gates chair in intelligence and national security at the bush school his fields of interest are international relations theory great power politics us foreign policy transatlantic security relations and grand strategy the bush school faculty award for excellence was presented to dr james m griffin in recognition of his work in teaching research and public service that is particularly relevant to the schools mission griffin holds the bob bullock chair in public policy and finance and is director of the bush schools program in the economics of public policy the $2 500 cash award was established by the bush presidential library foundation griffins research interests span a variety of public policy areas ranging from energy policy to the effects of technological change on various industries outstanding staff awards of $500 each were presented to kathryn meyer director of recruitment and beth roberts program coordinator thanks to the association of former students and the bush foundation we are able each year to recognize several of the many faculty and staff who have done outstanding work said cocanougher the individuals honored this year have shown special dedication to the mission of the bush school these awards recognize their dedication enthusiasm and an ongoing commitment to excellence he concluded
professor christopher layne who holds the robert m gates chair in national security at the george h w bush school of government and public service has been commissioned by the national intelligence council (nic) to write a paper on the unipolar exit an examination of whether us primacy is waning and if so what this means for both american grand strategy and for international politics during the 21st centurys early decades widely recognized for his research and writing on american foreign policy layne is an intelligence community (ic) associate and one of a select group of scholars who consult with the national intelligence council on a range of policy matters he is also a member of the nics study group on strategic relations to american preeminence he recently published a review essay on the waning of us hegemonymyth or reality in the international security the leading journal in the field the essay reviews five publications which address the question of whether the international system will remain unipolar or is being transformed into a multipolar system
ambassador (retired) larry napper has been named interim director of the scowcroft institute for international affairs of the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university nappers appointment was announced by dr sam kirkpatrick executive associate dean of the bush school ambassador napper is a senior lecturer at the bush school who served 31 years in the us foreign service before retiring in 2005 among his many diplomatic assignments were us ambassador to latvia (1995-1998) and us ambassador to kazakhstan (2001-2004) his service was recognized with the secretary of state career achievement award and two presidential meritorious service awards among others in 2008 ambassador napper served as co-leader of the iraq governance assessment team working with ambassador ryan crocker and general david petraeus on measures to improve governance i am pleased that ambassador napper has agreed to take on this interim assignment said kirkpatrick he will be ably assisted by dr jeff engel dr jasen castillo and former bush school dean dick chilcoat as we keep the institutes educational and research programs on track details of the search for a permanent director will be forthcoming kirkpatrick added
college station aug 25 2009 – students who drop out of high school will cost texas up to $96 billion in lost revenue and outright expenses over their lifetimes and that figure escalates as each new crop of dropouts is created concludes a study commissioned by the united ways of texas and written by the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m university a team of 10 graduate students used lost wages diminished sales tax revenue and welfare payments to calculate the costs in their report the abcds of texas education: assessing the benefits and costs of reducing the dropout rate the effects of dropouts on crime and the associated costs were also considered the calculations were based on the projected dropout rate for the class of 2012 – 122 percent to 222 percent or 40 519 to 73 692 students the united ways of texas commissioned the project with instructions to determine methods for measuring and quantifying the states dropout rates estimate the dropout rates economic impact on the state and review dropout prevention programs identifying best practices the report further notes that a reduction in high school students could save the state up to $11 billion in education-related costs each year but investing in keeping these students in school produces a substantial long-term monetary gain similar research projects called capstone projects are required of all second-year students enrolled in the bush school at texas a&m the faculty advisor for the project was lori taylor who teaches in the bush school and in texas a&ms department of economics and is also a program area leader for school finance facilities and organizations in the state of texas education research center at texas a&m the project was intended as an informative tool for policy makers legislators and other key stakeholders to use in their deliberation of education policy specific to dropout prevention within texas the summary states through the extensive research and analysis devoted to this project we believe the findings are vast and troublesome and in need of immediate attention for the wellbeing of the texas education system and economy the researchers note
born in china dr ren mu joined the bush school faculty in 2007 as an assistant professor having most recently been a research consultant at the world bank she received her ba in economics and an ma in law from nankai university after that she moved to the united states to pursue additional education eventually earning a phd in economics and an ms in statistics from michigan state university during her graduate work dr mu focused on empirical research in development economics this area aligned with her interest in numbers and helped her better understand and explain the development issues she had always found fascinating dr mus research is in the empirical microeconomics area of development economics she primarily focuses on decision making of households and individuals in the developing world through evidence-based analysis her research goal is to enhance the understanding of micro foundations for designing and implementing sound development strategies and public policies to date dr mus research can be grouped into three distinct sets of topics: (1) the determinants and impacts of human capital outcomes (2) opportunities for rural-urban migration and its impacts on rural households and (3) the effectiveness and allocations of public investments in the bush school dr mu teaches courses on global economy economic development in china and advanced economic development as well as the study abroad field trip seminars (china) and the capstone dr mus move to the bush school aligned perfectly with her research interests as well as her background her interest in economic development and her international experience and background fit very well into the bush schools international affairs department incorporating both national security and international economic development in addition dr mu brings a unique perspective to many of the ongoing international research efforts both within the bush school and the broader texas a&m community
the bush schools communications program recently was honored at the council for advancement and support of education (case) district iv conference with four awards achievement awards were presented to executive associate dean sam kirkpatrick for the bush schools youtube channel in the world wide web category the schools print newsletter in the newsletter/tabloid category and the merchandise marketing program in the specialty advertising category director of communications susan robertson graphic designer stanton ware and writer penny beaumont were recognized for their work on the newsletter while ware and robertson were awarded for the merchandise program robertson website administrator matthew henderson and graduate students mariam chaudhry and benjamin sky brown took the honors for the schools youtube channel a poster designed by ware for the schools recent cold war symposium received a special award for graphic design these awards from peers in the academic community are particularly meaningful said kirkpatrick the bush school communications professionals compete with outstanding peers from across the region and were delighted that their exceptional work was recognized by case case is the national association of university communication fundraising alumni advancement and external affairs professionals case district iv includes colleges and universities in arkansas louisiana mexico new mexico oklahoma and texas
dr benton cocanougher interim dean of the bush school of government and public service has announced the appointment of two faculty members to endowed chairs in the school dr chris layne will now hold the robert m gates chair in intelligence and national security layne is widely known for his expertise in international relations theory us foreign policy and transatlantic security relations professor layne has written two books: the peace of illusions: american grand strategy from 1940 to the present (cornell university press 2006) and (with bradley a thayer) american empire: a debate (routledge 2006) additionally he has contributed extensively to the debates about international relations theory and american foreign policy in a number of scholarly and policy journals dr jeryl mumpower director of the masters in public service and administration (mpsa) program at the bush school has been named to the joe r and teresa lozano long chair in business and government the author or editor of nine books and numerous other publications mumpowers research focuses on several areas of public policy including negotiation and bargaining environmental policy individual and group decision making processes the use of scientific expertise in public policy making and risk analysis and management in making the announcement dr cocanougher noted that these appointments recognize significant accomplishments and contributions to the holders academic disciplinebeing named to an endowed chair is one of the highest honors that can be bestowed upon a faculty member at texas a&m university said cocanougher all of us at the bush school congratulate dr layne and dr mumpower on these prestigious appointments
provost and executive vice president for academics jeffrey s vitter announced friday january 30 that the search advisory committee for the position of dean of the george bush school of government and public service has been named and will commence a search to fill this critical position vitter says i am looking forward to beginning the process to identify the new dean who will build on the tremendous momentum established under the leadership of dick chilcoat in its short existence the school has moved into the top 25 public institutions in public policy and public affairs and it is well positioned to achieve global distinction in the coming years interested members of the university community may either self-nominate or nominate potential candidates by email to deansearch@bushschooltamuedu potential candidates/nominees must have a phd other terminal degree or equivalent experience; attainment of national prominence in education government business or military; and evidence of strategic planning communication and resource allocation skills to build a preeminent educational institution nominations are not required and direct applications are welcome application packets should include: a letter of interest outlining qualifications for the position a current vita/resume and a list of three individuals (along with contact information) who could comment knowledgeably on the candidates qualifications the committee will request reference letters upon completion of a preliminary screening of the applications nominees will be contacted to request that they submit an application mr don powell former chair of the texas a&m university system board of regents and current chair of the bush school advisory board is chairing the national search for the next dean the search committee has broad membership and impeccable credentials including faculty staff former students and leaders from government and the private sector in addition to mr powell the committee members are • mr robert h allen member of the bush school advisory board former member of the texas a&m university system board of regents and current managing partner of challenge investment partners;• dr don aviles president of aviles engineering corporation and former vice chair of the texas a&m university system board of regents;• dr ann o bowman professor in the george bush school of government and public service and holder of the hazel davis and robert kennedy chair in government and public service;• mr george p bush partner of pennybacker capital llc;• dr joseph r cerami senior lecturer in the george bush school of government and public service and director of the public service leadership program;• dr eddie j davis president of the texas a&m foundation;• dr james m griffin professor in the george bush school of government and public service; director of the economics of public policy program; and holder of the bob bullock chair in public policy and finance;• dr charles f hermann professor in the george bush school of government and public service and of political science; director of the masters program in international affairs; and holder of the brent scowcroft chair in international policy;• ms alexis herman president and ceo of new ventures and former us secretary of labor in the administration of president bill clinton;• dr peter j hugill professor of geography and in the george bush school of government and public service ;• ms katie kaufman former student in the george bush school of government and public service;• dr christopher layne professor in the george bush school of government and public service and holder of the mary julia and george r jordan professorship of international affairs;• mr frank muller chair of the bush leadership development council and president of toby enterprises;• dr jeryl mumpower professor in the george bush school of government and public service and director of the master in public service and administration program;• mr james m olson senior lecturer in the george bush school of government and public service; cia-officer-in-residence; and director of the certificate in advanced international affairs program;• ms susan l robertson director of communications and external relations in the george bush school of government and public service;• dr lori taylor assistant professor in the george bush school of government and public service;• dr arnold vedlitz professor in the george bush school of government and public service; holder of the bob bullock chair in government and public policy; and director of the institute for science technology and public policy
george bush 41st president of the united states will host ryan crocker the former united states ambassador to iraq pakistan kuwait syria and lebanon on march 9 for the lenore and francis humphrys international speakers program the program is scheduled for 6 pm at the annenberg presidential conference center at the george bush presidential library center at texas a&m university free tickets are available beginning friday (feb 13) the humphrys program sponsored by the scowcroft institute of international affairs brings to the george bush presidential library center and the texas a&m campus world leaders current and past practitioners and renowned international affairs scholars the purpose of the program is to bring to public attention to relevant international issues that face the united states and to provide a dialogue in search of solutions for the promotion of world peace and stability the program is especially geared toward students who will have the opportunity to augment their academic experience by exposing them to important international issues in addition it presents students the opportunity to build on their classroom experience through interaction with world leaders and others who shape international events the program features two lectures per year one in the spring and one in the fall crocker served as the united states ambassador to iraq from march 2007 to february 2009 a career member of the foreign service ambassador crocker has also served as ambassador to pakistan kuwait syria and lebanon other notable assignments over his 37-year career with the department of state include deputy assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs director of governance for coalition provisional affairs in iraq and the international affairs advisor at the national war college ambassador crocker was assigned to the us embassy in lebanon during the israeli invasion in 1982 and the bombing of the embassy and the marine barracks in 1983 in 2002 he was sent to kabul to reopen the united states embassy in afghanistan in 2004 he was given the personal rank of career ambassador the highest in the foreign service ambassador crocker grew up in an air force family and attended schools in canada morocco turkey and the united states he holds a bachelor of arts and an honorary doctorate of laws from whitman university he is married to christine barnes a retired foreign service secretary they met in baghdad in 1979 ambassador crocker has received numerous awards and recognitions for his work in the foreign service including presidential distinguished and meritorious service awards the secretarys award for distinguished service and the department of defense medal for distinguished civilian service he received the robert c frasure memorial award for exceptional courage and leadership in afghanistan in january 2009 president bush conferred on him the presidential medal of freedom free tickets are available at the bryan-college station convention & visitors bureau kbtx-tv wtaw the bryan/college station eagle the texas a&m university msc box office and the museum at the george bush presidential library
dr christopher layne the mary julia and george r jordan professor at the bush school texas a&m university has been appointed an associate of the national intelligence council (nic) associates are a select group of scholars and experts who consult with the nic on a range of policy matters layne has also been appointed to the nics study group on strategic reactions to american preeminence this group of twenty leading scholars in international relations includes members from the nations premier institutions including harvard princeton dartmouth georgetown columbia cornell mit and the university of virginia
jeffrey a engel assistant professor at the bush school of government and public service has won the paul birdsall prize in european military and strategic history for his book cold war at 30 000 feet: the anglo-american fight for aviation supremacy published in 2007 by harvard university press the birdsall prize is awarded biennially by the american historical association (aha) to recognize the most important work in the past two years on european military or strategic history since 1870 endowed by hans gatzke of yale university and awarded biennially since 1986 the prize honors birdsalls career as a european diplomatic and military affairs historian at williams college and a us foreign service officer cold war at 30 000 feet details the struggle between the us and great britain to gain supremacy in the field of commercial aviation after world war ii and is based on extensive research done in both american and british archives we congratulate professor engel on receiving this important prize for his outstanding scholarship said dr sam kirkpatrick executive associate dean of the bush school his commitment to the highest standards of academic scholarship is representative of our faculty and the level of excellence we strive for at the bush school he added engel will receive the prize on january 3 2009 at the aha annual meeting to be held in new york city currently serving as interim director of the scowcroft institute of international affairs engel is the evelyn and ed f kruse ‘49 faculty fellow at the bush school he holds a phd in american history from the university of wisconsin-madison earned his undergraduate degree from cornell university and has studied at st catherines college oxford university prior to joining the bush school faculty engel taught at the university of pennsylvania and haverford college from 2001 -2003 he was an olin postdoctoral fellow in international security studies at yale university
college station the us senate has unanimously confirmed the appointment of dr david h mcintyre to the national security education board president bush nominated mcintyre in july mcintyre is the director of the integrative center for homeland security at texas a&m university as well as director of the graduate level certificate for homeland security at the george bush school of government and public service the senate confirmed the appointment on oct 1 the national security education board oversees the national security education program which administers grants and programs to encourage international studies the program enhances the nations ability to deal with foreign cultures and languages by delivering a steady supply of workers who are skilled in these areas board membership comprises seven cabinet-level representatives from the departments of defense state education commerce energy national intelligence and the national endowment for the humanities plus six non-federal members appointed by the president with senate confirmation the board meets periodically in washington dc about the integrative center for homeland security at texas a&m university: a unit of the division of research and graduate studies ichs explores the entire range of homeland security activities identifies educational research and outreach needs and helps match them against the many world class capabilities of the texas a&m university system
dr joanna lahey came to the bush school in 2006 after receiving her doctorate in economics from the massachusetts institute of technology (mit) as the resident expert on the economics of aging and health she has published groundbreaking work on the subject and received attention from leading media outlets for her research dr lahey also strives to give students the skills necessary to critically understand quantitative research and to separate their opinions from empirical evidence or theory dr lahey began studying economics at pomona college in claremont california having completed the requirements for a major in mathematics she wanted to broaden her academic horizons; so she looked at a second major in either linguistics or economics ultimately she decided that economics was a better fit she found economics research interesting and believed that economics could help her understand how the world works after earning her phd at mit she began a post-doctoral fellowship at the national bureau of economic research (nber) as more baby boomers approach retirement and the social security administration faces the problem of meeting its obligations to recipients one option would be to have workers remain in the workforce beyond the traditional retirement age dr lahey examined whether such a proposition was feasible for older workers in her first paper titled age women and hiring: an experimental study the paper received substantial attention for its results which indicated that younger women were 40 percent more likely to be called for an interview than those in their early 60s it also contributed to a broader discussion regarding age discrimination and retirement policy a follow-up paper involved an examination of the age discrimination in employment act of 1979 and its effect on the employment of older individuals the study found that age discrimination laws likely caused more unemployment for the very people they were crafted to help in the first place: firms became less likely to hire older workers as a result of worries over expensive litigation the two papers brought a flurry of media attention – including an appearance on cbs news – and were cited in several articles by the new york times and the wall street journal among other news outlets as her work became more widely known she was asked to represent the united states at a conference on aging held in germany in june 2009 more recent work has focused on the effects of health insurance on labor force participation and well-being of older workers and retirees dr lahey has recently been appointed a faculty research fellow in aging at the national bureau of economic research (nber) summing up her work dr lahey says i am interested in how to allow people who are 65 and older to maintain a good quality of life during the 2009-2010 academic year she took a year-long sabbatical to work at the rand corporation to continue her research in those areas dr lahey has taught courses at the bush school focusing on statistics public finance economics and policy and health policy = some students come in with math phobia and i like to think that i help alleviate that she also teaches quantitative methods ii which gives students more experience conducting multivariate regressions and provides an introduction to econometrics learning the skills necessary to understand the metrics and scope in which policy decisions are made is crucial to the success of students at the bush school dr lahey lamented that as a student she could not learn all she wanted to know about how the world works however as a professor at the bush school she gives students the ability to examine the world around them and critically analyze their areas of policy interest so they provide better solutions in whatever area they choose as a career
the bush school of government and public service at texas a&m was ranked 23rd in the nation among 201 public schools in the latest us news & world report ranking for graduate programs in public affairs the rankings conducted in fall 2007 are based on the national reputation of public affairs programs which is reflected through peer assessment surveys based on responses of deans directors and department chairs were very proud that the bush school has achieved this impressive ranking after only 10 years in existence said dean dick chilcoat the school has accomplished a lot in a very short period of time offering not only two signature masters degree programs in international affairs and public administration but also three certificate programs and a public service leadership and leader development program the certificates are advanced international affairs homeland security and nonprofit management the latter added this year we also have two outstanding research institutes the institute for science and public policy and the scowcroft institute of international affairs all of which enable us to attract a diverse group of excellent students and faculty he added measures of the bush schools progress include the growth from 12 students in its first year 1997 to 160 full-time degree students now in residence and another 350 enrolled through extended education certificate programs texas a&m university undergrads are also able to get involved early with the bush school the 5-year program at the bush school is designed to allow texas a&m undergraduates to finish both their undergraduate and masters degree within five years this program works in conjunction with the political science and economics departments at texas a&m accredited by the national association of schools of public affairs and administration (naspaa) in 2007 the master of public service and administration degree has become recognized as a very high quality program for a complete listing of these rankings and further information please visit the us news website at wwwusnewscom
dr william brown followed a non-traditional path to the bush school studying education organizational psychology and social work rather than political science or economics after earning a bs in education from northeastern university his work with emotionally disturbed children was rewarding but very stressful so he moved to the food services industry where he quickly saw the impact that technology was having on that and other industries brown decided to study organizational structure and technology so he chose a graduate degree program in organizational psychology at claremont graduate university during his graduate studies he did a lot of volunteer work including community outreach and realized that he still wanted to work with children ultimately he determined that he could best help needy children by improving those nonprofit organizations which assist and support them; his academic work has blended those two interests prior to joining texas a&m university he was an assistant professor at arizona state university where he worked as the program coordinator of their certificate in nonprofit management and leadership and was an affiliated faculty member with the center for nonprofit leadership & management as director of the certificate in nonprofit management (npm) at the bush school brown has seen first hand how the nonprofit field has grown and become more professional in the last fifteen years nonprofits now demand high quality competent people to run their organizations one reason the nonprofit management program has expanded so quickly he says the npm program now has plans to expand to the houston area to meet the need for highly-trained individuals in that city the houston area expansion complements the certificate options in college station and online the opportunity to develop the nonprofit management program was one of the things which drew dr brown to the bush school his wide and varied career experience helped him realize that …it is the ethic of public service and social responsibility of the bush school that appeals to him he sees the bush school as the appropriate place to be asking tough questions about how to make nonprofit organizations more effective and to prepare leaders who are interested in working in the nonprofit world dr brown also noted that he was attracted by the resources available to grow and develop new ideas in the nonprofit field as well as by the commitment to research and the support for faculty which he feels is unique to the bush school beyond the classroom dr brown has considerable consulting experience he has worked for filene research institute to better understand credit union boards and as a result of that relationship organized a project for bush school capstone students he has also given numerous workshop presentations focusing on nonprofit board positions term limits and boards roles in mergers and acquisitions for the past three years he has evaluated the monitoring program for big brothers big sisters in phoenix arizona he was recently named board member to the association for research on nonprofit organizations and voluntary action (arnova) and the united way of the brazos valley several of dr browns current research projects focus on nonprofit board operations one new project is looking at the role of a board chair and his/her influence on the other board members another project based in houston looks at demographic factors which influence board members ability to work effectively on boards one notable award won by dr brown is the best article award by the journal for nonprofit management and leadership for his article on the contributions boards make to organizations this award is particularly noteworthy because it was given by the journals editor