UB’s College of Public Affairs and Jacob France Institute in the Merrick School of Business will serve as lead university partner on a new USA Sustainable Cities Initiative (USA-SCI) led by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and Climate Nexus. Baltimore has been selected as a model city for the project, which supports the UN’s newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals, a series of global aspirations and priorities designed to take on major sustainable development challenges. The University’s role, as established by SDSN, will be to provide support and guidance as the city expands its capabilities regarding sustainable development.

UB’s efforts in the USA-SCI initiative in Baltimore will be led by Ivan Sascha Sheehan, associate professor and director of the M.S. in Negotiations and Conflict Management program in the College of Public Affairs, and Seema Iyer, associate director of the Jacob France Institute and research assistant professor in the Merrick School of Business. UB will collaborate with University of Maryland National Center for Smart Growth and Communities Without Boundaries International.

Learn more: http://www.ubalt.edu/news/news-releases.cfm?id=2357

Lauren Samuelsen, a student in the M.S. in Global Affairs and Human Security (GAHS) program, has been accepted to present her paper “Domestic Peace and Homeland Security Structures” at the 2016 International Studies Association (ISA) Conference. The ISA represents over 100 countries, has more than 6,500 members worldwide, and is the most respected and widely known scholarly association in international studies. The ISA conference, one of the largest conferences in the field, attracts scholars and students from around the world.

“The faculty in the Global Affairs and Human Security program could not be more proud of Lauren for having a paper accepted for presentation at the ISA Conference,” said Associate Professor Sascha Sheehan, who is co-director of the GAHS graduate program. “This is an extraordinary accomplishment for a graduate student since ISA is among the largest and most distinguished international meetings for political scientists held annually. Lauren has worked as a graduate assistant, secured a competitive internship with the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, and maintained a near perfect GPA, and she will be a fine ambassador for the GAHS program and the College of Public Affairs at the spring 2016 conference.”

The ISA Conference will be held March 16-19 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Opportunities to present research at conferences or attend professional meetings or trainings provide students with important learning experiences as well as a way to network and explore careers. To help support these types of opportunities for students in the College of Public Affairs, Dean Roger Hartley has launched a new Student Professional Development Grant Program.

“The Student Professional Development Grant Program is my way of encouraging an engaged learning experience and helping students build networks in their intended career field,” Hartley said. “By taking advantage of professional development opportunities, our students will not only develop complementary career skills and make valuable connections, but they will also help raise the visibility of the college.”

This pilot program will support airfare, car mileage, overnight stay, or a registration or fee for a banquet. Applications must demonstrate the value of the proposed opportunity to the student’s education and professional development, as well as the benefits to the college. Additionally, students must provide a short letter or email of support from a faculty member. And upon completion of the experience, students must also submit a one- to two-page summary and reflection paper to the dean.

Several students have already taken advantage of the new program, including M.P.A. student and Schaefer Center for Public Policy graduate fellow, Ken Weaver. Ken accompanied School of Public and International Affairs Assistant Professor Aaron Wachhaus to the Southeastern Conference for Public Administration held in Charleston, South Carolina in early October. Aaron and Ken gave a presentation entitled, “Building Healthy Communities,” which was the culmination of a project they’d been working on together on behalf of the Schaefer Center.

“I made lots of contacts with both academics and practitioners in public administration, and just had a great time,” said Ken in his reflection paper. “I learned even more by attending lots of panels and participating in many discussions. This was not only a big help to my professional development, but also my personal development.”

Students are eligible for a single grant for up to $500 in the 2015-16 academic year. For more information or to apply for a Student Professional Development Grant, contact Stephen Shirley, senior budget analyst at sshirley@ubalt.edu or 410-837-6209.

In the latest issue of Baltimore OUTloud, College of Public Affairs Academic Adviser Kristen Tull offers perspective on coming out and higher education. “National Coming Out Day is recognized at many universities across Maryland and the country,” said Tull. “Administrators, faculty, and staff can and should play an integral role in the support of this day. Becoming a mentor and a role model is a good first step.”

Tull’s piece is the college’s second contribution to Baltimore OUTloud‘s new feature column called “Out on Campus,” dedicated to higher education and the LGBTQ experience. Earlier this month, Dean Roger Hartley kicked off the new column with a piece about public service and why it matters now more than ever.

Read “Coming Out and Higher Education” by Kristen Tull.

Read “Public Service Needs You” by Roger Hartley.

Criminal justice graduate student, Sonce Reese, gives extensive commentary in a new New York Times video called, “Uniting a Divided Baltimore.” The video was part of a front-page feature in the Oct. 20 edition of The New York Times that covered the University of Baltimore’s “Divided Baltimore” class. The video focuses on the different ways that the city is dealing with problems of economic disparities, segregation and other issues that led to the civil unrest of last spring.

Watch the video.

Read the article.

Learn more about “Divided Baltimore.”

George Julnes, professor in the School of Public and International Affairs, has been selected as the recipient of the 2015 Paul F. Lazarsfeld Evaluation Theory Award from the American Evaluation Association (AEA). This prestigious award is presented to an individual whose written work on evaluation theory has led to fruitful debates on the assumptions, goals, and practices of evaluation, according to the AEA website.

Julnes, who in addition to teaching, directs the Doctor of Public Administration program, has led and consulted on evaluation projects funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Social Security Administration. He also is a section editor of the American Journal of Evaluation and on the editorial boards of Evaluation and Program Planning, New Directions for Evaluation, and the International Review of Public Administration.

“George’s winning of the AEA’s Lazarsfeld Award is a major career achievement,” said College of Public Affairs Dean Roger Hartley. “All you have to do is take a look at the award’s past winners—it’s a who’s who of evaluation scholars. Everyone here in the College is very proud of George’s achievement.”

Julnes will receive the award at the AEA’s annual conference in Chicago on Nov. 13.

Learn more about George Julnes.