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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 |