By Nat Kofi Abu-Bonsrah

Last month I participated in two special events organized by the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). On September 19, Shearman & Sterling hosted a Presidential Dialogue on the Future of U.S.-Africa Business Relations, bringing together President Kigame of Rwanda, Mr. Aliko Dangote of Dangote Group, members of the Diplomatic Core from several African countries, CEO’s of major U.S. and African firms, and other key stakeholders to discuss the business environment in Africa broadly. The dialogue gave participants an opportunity to talk about key investment opportunities across the African continent and potential ways to forge U.S.-Africa business partnerships that will contribute to increase and diversify U.S.-Africa trade and investment.

Mr. Aliko Dangote, who is Africa’s richest man, told investors to take a keen look at the agricultural sector on the continent stating that “Africa will become the food basket of the world.” In addition to agriculture, Dangote cited the need to focus on manufacturing more goods locally for domestic consumption on the continent. He also acknowledged that there are challenges that need to be tackled directly when it comes to Africa, especially tribalism and corruption. He told American investors not to be lazy but rather to go to Africa and get the real story for themselves instead of relying on outdated news and wrong perceptions of the continent. He reiterated that things have changed on the continent.

President Kigame of Rwanda touted the progress his country has made over the past 17 years since he has been in power. He focused more on the corruption that has hindered growth but expressed hope on the prospects of Africa. “Corruption is not African, it’s just corruption. People have developed a misconception that corruption is the way of life in Africa. This is far from the truth,” President Kigame stated. This misperception has affected investments coming into Africa. Both panelists concluded by saying Africa should be seen as a place where you can conduct serious business, despite the challenges.

Nat Kofi Abu-Bonsrah (left) with a fellow event participant

On September 20, I participated in the Forum on Advancing Health Priorities in Africa which brought together stakeholders from the private sector and public health community to discuss ways to make health a greater financial priority for countries in Africa. The keynote speaker, Dr. Mwele Ntuli Malecela who is the Director of the Regional Office for Africa at the World Health Organization (WHO), focused her speech on the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on Health. She stated that African governments are interested more in health now than ever before, therefore, there is an opportunity for great public/private partnerships when it comes to health. She contended that the WHO was vigorously encouraging partnerships with the private sector in accomplishing universal healthcare coverage for all African citizens. There was a Davos-style panel discussion after Dr. Malecela’ s statement which comprised of Betty Chiang, Senior Director, Head of Public Health & Medical Affairs, Gilead Sciences; Trevor Gunn, Vice President, International Relations, Medtronic; David Barash, Chief Medical Officer, GE Foundation; and Scott Ratzan, President, AB InBev Foundation. The panel discussion focused on implementing the correct enabling environment to ensure successful public/private partnerships.

Nat Kofi Abu-Bonsrah (left) pictured with Dr. Mwele Ntuli Malecela, Director of the Regional Office for Africa, World Health Organization

These events were a very great opportunity for me considering my passion for global affairs and human security and my love for the African continent. The insightfulness of the conversations and vast experiences of the many participants shed light on what I would like to do after I graduate from the University of Baltimore. I was able to network with key policymakers from various countries around the world while at the same time represent the University of Baltimore and the College of Public Affairs.

Nat Kofi Abu-Bonsrah is currently a student in the Global Affairs and Human Security graduate program and will graduate this December. His participation in the conferences was made possible by the College of Public Affairs’ Student Professional Development Fund.

The University of Baltimore’s Center for Drug Policy and Enforcement, housed in the College of Public Affairs, will manage a $2 million grant from the Office of National Drug Control Policy for the federal program known as Combating Opioid Overdose through Community-level Intervention Initiative (COOCLI). With this grant, the center will fund and study innovative local policy initiatives that provide multi-organizational rapid responses to spikes in overdoses.

Learn more about the grant.

The CDPE has two important speaking engagements coming up:

On Thursday, Oct. 5, Jeff Beeson, the CDPE’s deputy director, will join Dr. Rahul Gupta, commissioner for the Bureau of Public Health and State Health Officer, and Chad Napier, the prevention coordinator for Appalachian HIDTA, at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, to present an overview of the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program (ODMAP). ODMAP is a tool that links first responders on scene to an easy mapping tool app that can help track overdoses to stimulate real-time response and strategic analysis across jurisdictions.

On Friday, Oct. 13, Thomas Carr, the CDPE’s director, will be the featured speaker at the Loudoun Crime Commission’s quarterly meeting. The Loudoun Crime Commission is a non-profit, charitable that focuses on crime prevention and reduction. Carr will be speaking about the nation’s opioid crisis and the impact it is having on Loudoun County, Virginia and the United States.

The CDPE is part of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program, a federal program administered by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, designed to provide resources to federal, state, local and tribal agencies to coordinate activities to address drug trafficking in specifically designated areas of the country. The Washington/Baltimore HIDTA was designated in 1994 and serves Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia and parts of West Virginia.

Learn more about the Center for Drug Policy and Enforcement.
Learn more about the Washington/Baltimore HIDTA.
Learn more about ODMAP.

This fall, our research faculty will share their work and expertise at conferences and summits around the country…

Assoc. Prof. Tara Richards

On Sept. 22, School of Criminal Justice Associate Professor Tara Richards will serve as the closing keynote speaker at the University of Kentucky’s Center for Research on Violence Against Women’s annual conference titled “Campus Responses to Sexual Misconduct: Pausing to Consider the Implications.” Her talk will review the state of the issues, modes of action, and best practices for the implementation of federal requirements (Title IX, Clery Act, Campus SaVe Act). She plans to focus on the differences between problems with our current legislation/guidelines versus problems with enforcement of these regulations. She hopes that her presentation of nationally representative data/MD state institutional data (rather than anecdotes) can provide some clarity given the misinformation and oversimplification of these issues that have been hallmarks of the recent news coverage.

Learn more about the conference.

Asst. Prof. Aaron Wachhaus

D.P.A. student Lyndsay Bates

School of Public and International Affairs Assistant Professor Aaron Wachhaus and D.P.A. student Lyndsay Bates will be co-presenting at the 2017 Southeastern Conference for Public Administration (SECoPA), “Defending Public Administration in a Time of Uncertainty,” Oct. 4-7 in Hollywood Beach, FL. They will be discussing their work in UB’s Langsdale Library archives regarding structural inequality and public services in Baltimore. Wachhaus will also serve on a journal editor’s panel and present his own paper, “On the Inadequacy of Government,” looking at the structural impacts of governance in the Hollow State.

Learn more about the 2017 SECoPA conference.

UB’s College of Public Affairs is the official sponsor of the 2017 NASPAA (National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration) Annual Conference, to be held Oct. 11-14 in Washington, D.C. The theme of this year’s conference is “Confidence in Public and Nonprofit Institutions: How is it Built, How is it Lost, and How is it Regained?” and former Vice President Jospeh R. Biden will provide a keynote address. Several CPA faculty members will serve as panelists at the conference, including:

• Dean Roger Hartley (conference chair): “New Deans Roundtable”
• Schaefer Center for Public Policy Director Dr. Ann Cotten: “Exploring the Key Role of University Centers and Institutes in Engaging Urban Communities”
• Assistant Professor Mariglynn Edlins: “Exploring Service and Experiential Learning as a Valuable Tool for Public Affairs Education”
• Associate Professor Jessica Sowa: “Fostering Continuous Improvement Efforts in Online and Hybrid Public Affairs Education”
• Assistant Professor Aaron Wachhaus: “Editors Panel: Public Administration Journals and the Publishing Process”

Dean Roger Hartley

Dr. Ann Cotten

Asst. Prof. Mariglynn Edlins

Assoc. Prof. Jessica Sowa

Asst. Prof. Aaron Wachhaus

**If you’re a student and you’re interested in serving as a student volunteer at the 2017 NASPAA conference, please email Monica Queen (mqueen@ubalt.edu) for more information.

 Learn more about the 2017 NASPAA conference.

Asst. Prof. Carla Barqueiro

On Oct. 13, School of Public and International Affairs Assistant Professor Carla Barqueiro and her colleague Kate Seaman, assistant director of The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace at the University of Maryland, will present at the joint conference hosted by the International Security Studies Section (ISSS) of the International Studies Association and The International Security & Arms Control Section (ISAC) of the American Political Science Association conference (ISSS-ISAC Conference) in Washington, D.C. Their paper is titled, “Framing Interventions in an Uncertain World.” They are also presenting on Nov. 3 at the International Studies Association Conference Northeast in Providence, RI. That paper is titled, “The Ethics of Intervention in Unpredictable Times.”

Learn more about the ISSS-ISAC and ISA Northeast conferences.

Asst. Prof. Sarah Federman

Assistant Professor Sarah Federman, a new faculty member in the School of Public and International Affairs, will be presenting on the social construction of perpetrators of genocide at the American Society of Criminology’s 73rd Annual Meeting, Nov. 15-18 in Philadelphia, PA.

At the end of November, Federman will speak at the American Anthropological Association about using narrative and ethnographic methods to work with genocide testimonies.

Lastly, this fall Federman will return to Columbia University’s Historical Dialogues for her third year talking about constructions of the past, referencing largely her study of the on-going French National Railways’ (SNCF) conflict over whether the company has done enough to make amends for its wartime role in the Holocaust.

Learn more about ASC’s 2017 Annual Meeting.

Schaefer Center for Public Policy research analyst and D.P.A. student Stephanie Dolamore, Assoc. Prof. Jessica Sowa (pictured above) and UMBC faculty member Lauren Edwards will present their research at the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) Conference, Nov 16-18 in Grand Rapids, MI. Their paper is titled “Reconsidering Public-Nonprofit Relations: Police Foundations and the Role of Organized Philanthropy in Traditionally Public Services.”

Dolamore will also present a paper that she co-authored with School of Public and International Affairs Associate Professor Lorenda Naylor titled “Providing Solutions to LGBT Homeless Youth: Lessons from Baltimore’s Youth Empowered Society.”

Assoc. Prof. Lorenda Naylor

D.P.A. student Stephanie Dolamore

Learn more about the 2017 ANROVA Conference.

Dr. Katherine Marconi

On Dec. 8, School of Health and Human Services adjunct faculty member Katherine Marconi will serve as one of ten speakers at the Data Analytics Summit IV, to be held at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology. The summit, titled “Healthcare Analytics: Making the World Better,” will focus on healthcare informatics and advanced analytics that meet the demands of the health industry as it transforms to value-based care. Marconi will give a presentation titled, “Population Health Analytics Strategies: User-centered Design, Interactive Visualization, and the Ecosystem of Data around the U.S.”

Learn more about the summit.

The Online Master of Public Administration program in UB’s College of Public Affairs has been ranked 14^th in the 2017 ranking of the 30 Best Online M.P.A. Programs, according to TheBestSchools.org. The independent organization—which seeks to provide career guidance through its ranking articles, features and resources—selected UB’s online M.P.A. program based on the quality of the program, types of courses offered, the faculty, awards, rankings and overall reputation, including the reputation for effectively providing online degree programs.

UB’s online M.P.A. program is one of only 23 online programs in the nation accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA). The online program offers the same rigorous educational quality as the in-person program, but with the convenience of being able to access classes from anywhere with an Internet connection.

Learn more about UB’s online M.P.A.

Each summer, the School of Criminal Justice offers UB students the opportunity to take Comparative Issues in Criminal Justice, a course that explores current issues in criminology, criminal justice, and victims services around the world, culminating in a 10-day global immersion trip. The course, open to both graduate and undergraduate students, is taught by Associate Professor Tara Richards, who also leads the immersion trip.

This year’s course focused on gender-based violence in the United States and Spain, and had a record number of students (15) who took the class and participated in the immersion trip to Barcelona, Spain. During their time abroad, the students visited an immigration center that assists women and children, had a site visit/lecture at the Commission for Domestic and Gender-Based Violence, toured the Parliament of Catalonia and met with three members of parliament about legislation on women’s rights, and visited the Catalan Women’s Institute. They also attended multiple lectures with local service providers, and engaged in several cultural activities including touring Cavas Cordoniu (Spain’s oldest sparkling wine vineyard) and La Sagrada Familia, and taking a Catalan Cooking class.

Here are some pictures from their travels…

Learn more about Global Experiences in Criminal Justice.
Learn more about Prof. Tara Richards.
Read “Study Abroad 101: Getting a Beefeater to Smile” in the fall 2015 issue of the UB Magazine.

Tune in to WBAL-TV 11’s “11 TV Hill” this Sunday, July 16 at 11:30 a.m. when Dean Roger Hartley and several other guests will join host Jason Newton to discuss the six-month anniversary of the Trump presidency. The discussion will cover:

• the Russia investigation
• firing of FBI Director James Comey
• Special Counsel Bob Mueller
• Supreme Court appointment of Neil Gorsuch
• the travel ban
• health care overhaul
• what’s next for the Trump administration.

*NOTE: The show will re-air Sunday evening at 10:30 p.m. on MeTV Baltimore.

And listen to the Marc Steiner Show on WEAA 88.9 FM on Monday, July 17 at 11 a.m. when guests Pastor David Franklin and instructor Lisa Hodge will discuss the Baltimore Faith-Based Development Certificate Program, a collaboration between UB’s Schaefer Center for Public Policy and Enterprise Community Partners.

Jessica Sowa, associate professor in the School of Public and International Affairs and director of the M.S. in Nonprofit Management and Social Entrepreneurship program, published a new book titled The Nonprofit Human Resource Management Handbook: From Theory to Practice. The book—which Sowa co-edited with Jessica K.A. Word, an associate professor in the School of Public Policy and Leadership at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas—was published by Routledge, the world’s leading academic publisher in the humanities and social sciences.

Learn more about Prof. Sowa’s new book.
Learn more about Prof. Sowa.

School of Public and International Affairs Associate Professor Ivan Sascha Sheehan recently published three new articles:

Sheehan | Trump is right to focus on Iran’s support of terrorism | The Baltimore Sun | June 26, 2017
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-op-0626-iran-terrorism-20170623-story.html

Sheehan et al | Why the world needs a Metropolitan Compact | Citiscope | June 19, 2017
http://citiscope.org/commentary/2017/06/why-world-needs-metropolitan-compact

Sheehan | In Discussing Middle East Policy, US Should Acknowledge the Goal of Regime Change | Townhall | June 19, 2017
https://townhall.com/columnists/ivansheehan/2017/06/19/in-discussing-middle-east-policy-us-should-acknowledge-the-goal-of-regime-change-n2343186

Learn more about Prof. Sheehan.

School of Public and International Affairs faculty members Al Gourrier, Lorenda Naylor, Kelechi Uzochukwu and Heather Wyatt-Nichol all attended and presented at the 5^th Global Conference on Transparency Research, held June 19-21 in Limerick, Ireland. Doctor of Public Administration candidate Yinglee Tseng and Master of Public Administration student Evangula Brown also attended and presented at the conference.

Pictured l. to r.: Kelechi Uzochukwu, Lorenda Naylor, Kieran O’Hanlon (retired mayor of the city and county of Limerick), Heather Wyatt-Nichol, Al Gourrier, Yinglee Tseng and Evangula Brown

Learn more about the conference and read the presentation abstracts.
Learn more about Profs. Gourrier, Naylor, Uzochukwu and Wyatt-Nichol.

On June 20, Alan Lyles, professor in the School of Health and Human Services and the School of Public and International Affairs, attended the Maryland Gerontological Association’s 35^th Annual Spring Conference, held in Columbia, MD. The conference theme was “The Hidden Epidemic: Substance Use, Misuse, and Abuse in Older Adults,” and Lyles served as a panelist for the session titled, “Prescriptions & OTC Medications: Use and Abuse.”

Prof. Alan Lyles (far right)

Learn more about Prof. Lyles.

School of Health and Human Services faculty members Tina DiFranco, Elizabeth Gammon and Carol Molinari all attended the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA) Annual Meeting, June 14-16 in Long Beach, CA.

Gammon, along with colleagues from several other institutions across the country, presented research titled, “Practitioner Faculty and Other Strategies to Achieve Competencies During Disruptive Change.”

Prof. Liz Gammon (center)

During the conference, Molinari—who is a current member of the AUPHA Board of Directors—was appointed as a co-chair of AUPHA’s Undergraduate Program Committee.

Prof. Carol Molinari

Learn more about Profs. Di Franco, Gammon and Molinari.

If you didn’t make it to the spring 2017 graduate commencement ceremony on May 24, then you missed a passionate and inspiring speech delivered by Negotiations and Conflict Management graduate, Shilesha Bamberg, M.S. ’17. Here’s a video of Shilesha’s moving remarks:

On May 22, the College of Public Affairs hosted its annual Honors Ceremony, an event that celebrates the outstanding scholarly achievements of our students. The ceremony included remarks from Dean Roger Hartley and Provost Darlene Brannigan Smith, honor society inductions, and an awards presentation. The major awards presented were as follows:

• Jami R. Grant Memorial Award, School of Criminal Justice
  Recognizes a student for exceptional academic achievement in the undergraduate forensic studies program.
  2016-17 recipient: Graham Mitchell
• Johannes M. Botes Award, School of Public and International Affairs
  Recognizes a graduating student from the M.S. program in Negotiations and Conflict Management (CNCM) or the M.A. program in Global Affairs and Human Security (GAHS) in two ways: (1) for academic excellence in the Capstone Project, the final integrative research project in either program, and (2) for embodying the shared mission and spirit of the programs more broadly.
  2016-17 recipient: Bhoja Shrestha
• Dean’s Advisory Council Award
  Presented to a graduate and an undergraduate student who have done exceptional work in their classes, conducted research, published papers, completed honors projects, or initiated independent projects which have pushed them beyond the normal classroom.  The award carries with it a $1,000 prize.
  2016-17 recipients: Ashley Hester and Matthew Joseph
• Lenneal Henderson Award
  Presented to a high-achieving graduate student in the Master’s of Public Administration program.
  2016-17 recipient: Matthew Scassero, M.P.A. ’17

Matthew Scassero, M.P.A. ’17, Dean Roger Hartley and Distinguished Professor Emeritus Lenneal Henderson

Students were also inducted into the following honor societies:

• Alpha Phi Sigma (Nu Omicron), the honor society of the School of Criminal Justice
• Pi Alpha Alpha, the honor society of the Doctorate and Master of Public Administration programs
• Pi Sigma Alpha, the honor society of the Government and Public Policy program
• Upsilon Phi Delta, the honor society of the Health Systems Management programs

Pi Alpha Alpha inductees (not all pictured)

A big congratulations to all of the honorees!

The College of Public Affairs Hosts the 2017 INSS Conference

On June 6 and 7, the College of Public Affairs hosted the 2017 Integrated Network for Social Sustainability (INSS) Conference. The conference was simulcast across multiple sites, including Atlanta, GA, Charlotte, NC, and Lima, Peru, in addition to Baltimore. The theme of this year’s conference was “Smart, Connected Communities,” and David Ludlow—associate professor, European Smart Cities at the University of the West of England—served as the keynote speaker.

The conference explored the notion that while smartness and connectedness are both the product of emerging technological applications, they are also bound up in social relationships, institutions, and practices with specific historical contexts. These contexts need to be examined if emerging technological innovations are to address challenges to inclusion and equity. Participants considered the ways that technology can be integrated into and enhance social change for sustainability; at the same time, aiming to challenge the preference for technological solutions by identifying problems that exist outside of the sociotechnical system, or those for which the best solution does not depend on improved technology.

Tylis Cooper, graduate academic adviser and lecturer in the College of Public Affairs, served as the Baltimore site leader and a panelist for the “Baltimore: Technology and Urban Sustainability” session, along with Bill Kelly, retired, American Society for Engineering Education. UB student Rachael Edwards, an Integrated Arts major and student assistant in the College of Public Affairs, served on the student panel and discussed the importance of technology in the arts and the value of community inclusion to address the digital divide.

Rachael Edwards, Integrated Arts major

Tylis Cooper, graduate academic adviser and lecturer, College of Public Affairs

Learn more about the INSS.

Prof. Sheehan Moderates Premiere of National Geographic TV Film on ISIS

On June 6, Ivan Sascha Sheehan, associate professor in the School of Public and International Affairs, served as the moderator for the National Geographic Channel’s premiere of Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria and the Rise of ISIS, in Washington, D.C. The documentary, by Academy-Award-nominated director and New York Times #1 best-selling author Sebastian Junger and Emmy winner Nick Quested, traces the origins of the Syrian crisis and the rise of Islamic State.

Prof. Sheehan was invited to moderate the Hell on Earth premiere after having provided the welcome remarks for the media-only screening of LA92—another National Geographic Channel documentary—held on the UB campus in April.

Prof. Sheehan (left), Sebastian Junger (center) and Nick Quested (right) at the Washington, D.C. premiere of “Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria and the Rise of ISIS.”

Prof. Sheehan pictured with Jamal Simmons, political analyst and television commentator, who served as moderator at the media screening of “LA92” held at UB.

Learn more about Prof. Sheehan.
Learn more about Hell on Earth.
Learn more about LA92.

Dean Roger Hartley was busy last week! Check out his latest media hits…

• Quoted in Marylanders’ opinions vary on Comey’s testimony, WBAL-TV 11(June 9, 2017)
• Quoted in Coalition forms Super PAC to oppose Marilyn Mosby, The Baltimore Sun (June 9, 2017)
• Quoted in City Council flexed muscles to secure Baltimore budget deal with Pugh, The Baltimore Sun (June 8, 2017)

Learn more about Dean Roger Hartley.