MPA Student Features
Thanks to the encouragement of Dr. Sandy Reinke, several of her students
received national recognition with the publication of their collaborative work
entitled "The Importance of Public Service Values." An article based upon
their research was published in Ethics Today in volume 4, number 2 (winter
2001). The students, who were enrolled in Dr. Reinke's research methods
and quantitative methods classes last year, include Rachel Towery Honderd,
Carmen Landy, Eric Marcano, Trent O’Neill, Amy Poston, Peggy Seigler, and
Catherine Tuthill. Ethics Today is the section publication of the American
Society for Public Administration’s Section on Ethics.
MPA student Robin Bengtson presented her paper, "Medicaid and Other State
Responses to Heathcare Accessibility for the Poor" at the Georgia Public
Administration Academic Conference on March 1. The conference, held in
Athens, is annually sponsored by the Georgia chapter of the American
Society for Public Administration as a means of encouraging MPA students
to present and publish their research findings. Robin will graduate in May.
Her capstone research is a process analysis of the barriers to heathcare
accessibility among the indigent, predominately rural populations.
MPA students Linda Grijalva and Robyn Freeh presented a paper based upon
their research at the Georgia Political Science Association annual conference
in Savannah February 1. It was entitled, "Measuring the Unmeasurable:
Evaluating Services for Victims of Abuse." Robyn will graduate in May and
Linda will complete her studies in August. Linda plans to pursue a doctoral
degree and is writing her capstone as a dissertation prospectus. Robyn’s
capstone is a program evaluation of the delivery system of healthcare insurance
for children.
The Georgia Association of County Executives awarded two scholarships to
Augusta State University MPA students for 2001-2002. Margaret (Peggy)
Seigler, director of Public Relations for the Augusta Metropolitan Convention
and Visitors Bureau, will graduate from the program in May.
Helen Bratton is program coordinator for the Richmond/Burke Job Training
Authority/Welfare to Work Program. She will complete the degree program next year. The
scholarships were announced by Steve Szablewski, Columbia County
administrator. Szablewski serves as president of the Georgia Association of
County Executives and he is on the Community Advisory Board of the MPA Program.
Alumni Feature
Katherine H. Sweeney, MPA class of 1999, received the Golden Key Award at
the Augusta State University Alumni Association awards ceremonies January
26. She was installed as president of the ASU Alumni Association at the annual
meeting on that date as well.
Faculty Features
In the past year Dr. Sandy Reinke organized a panel for the American Society
for Public Administration's 62nd Annual Conference in Newark, New Jersey entitled
Servant Leadership and Ethics. She also presented a paper at the 24th Annual
Teaching Public Administration Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, titled Teaching
Teamwork Through Research. She served as 2001 Program Organizer for the
Southeastern Conference on Public Administration (SECOPA) annual meeting in
October in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She chaired the panel on teaching innovations
at the 2002 annual meeting of the Georgia Political Science Association.
Dr. Gwen Wood was elected president of the Georgia Political Science Association
at its annual meeting February 2 in Savannah. She served as vice president and
program chair of the association’s 2002 conference.
Dr. Paul Harris served as panel chair and discussant for the Georgia Public
Administration Academic Conference on March 1 in Athens. The conference was
sponsored by the Georgia chapter of the American Society for Public Administration.
He will chair the political science panel at the Third Annual Student Research and
Fine Arts Conference March 20 which is sponsored by the ASU chapter of the
National Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. Dr. Harris is currently chair of the Faculty
Policies Committee of Augusta State University. This is highest-ranking faculty
governance committee at the University.
