Meeting Minutes - March 31, 2016

PAD Advisory Board

Meeting Minutes

Friday, March 31, 2016

I.          Call to order:

            Dr. Sheila Toppin, Advisory Board Coordinator, called the meeting to order at 2:25 pm at     Clark Atlanta University, Robert W. Woodruff Library, Exhibition Hall.

           

            Attendees:

            Board Members: Dr. Timothy Etson, Dr. Priscilla Oliver, Ms. Abby Turano, Ms. Bettina

            Gardner

            Absent Board Members: Mr. Keith Barker, Ms. Angela Etson, Mr. Tharon Johnson, Mr. Marshall Taggart, Sir Jose Bright.

            PAD Faculty: Dr. Henry Elonge, Dr. Rhonda Franklin, Dr. Oyebade Oyerinde,

            Dr. Sheila Toppin.

            MPA Students: Mr. Earl Watson, Ms. Tiffany Brown, Ms. Rozana Aljohani.

            Introductions: Dr. Toppin provided welcoming remarks and thanked the Advisory           Board members and all in attendance for their partnership and support. Attendees introduced themselves. 

II.        Approval of Minutes from November 15, 2015 meeting: Ms. Abby Turano made a        motion to approve meeting minutes, Ms. Bettina Gardner 2nd the motion. Meeting minutes were approved by the board after the language on the feedback to the Advisory Board Feedback section was revised.

III.       Old Business:

A. NASPAA Reaccreditation: Dr. Elonge, Chairperson, provided the following overview of Clark Atlanta University, the Department, and ASPAA Accreditation Standards. The PAD is accredited by the Network of Schools in Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA). Accreditation occurs in 7 year cycles. The PAD has been accredited three times: 1997, 2003, 2010. The University pays annual dues to NASPAA which provides Core Competencies for all Public Administration Programs – Nationally & Internationally. The PAD has requested a one-year reaccreditation extension due to leadership and staffing changes. The next accreditation visit is scheduled for 2016-2017 academic year with the self-study in 2015-2016. The PAD expects full Advisory Board Involvement in the Site Visit through interviews with Site Visit Teams and having knowledge of PAD Program & NASPAAA Standards.

B. CAU & PAD Updates: Dr. Elonge advised the Public Administration Department is in the process of hiring a new faculty for Fall 2016. He is encouraged by the direction of the new CAU President Dr. Ronald Johnson and is hopeful the PAD will continue to receive support and sound academic leadership. Regarding Faculty Development, Drs. Toppin and Oyerinde had favorable responses in teaching, research, and service on their Third Year Reviews by the School of Arts and Science Promotion and Tenure Committee.

III.       New Business:

A. PASA Update & Banquet: Dr. Franklin invited the Board Members to attend the PASA banquet on Saturday, April 2, 2016, in the Thomas W. Cole Research Center.  PASA President Earl Watson provided an overview of PASA events for 2016.

B. Guest Speaker Invitations:  Dr. Toppin invited the Board members to serve as guest speakers for the PAD classes.

B. PAD Mission Statement & NASPAA Standard 5 – Matching Operations with the Mission: Dr. Elonge provided an overview of the NASPAA Reaccreditation Process and the Self-Study requirements. Board members and attendees were provided a copy of the NASPAA Standard 5 – Matching Operations with the Mission. Standard 5.1 Universal Required Competences requires the program to adopt a set of required competencies related to its mission and public service values. The PAD’s self-study will be based on the following Required Competences: 1. To analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems and make decisions; 2. To lead and manage in public governance; 3. To communicate and interact productively with a diverse and changing workforce and citizenry. Board members and attendees were then asked to provide preliminary feedback on the following questions:

1. What do you expect PAD students to know and be able to do? Group response summary: computer skills (Micro Soft Office Suite), reputable sources, professionalism, communication skills, ability to think on their feet, fiscal management, critical thinking, problem solving, technology integration, social media ethics & utilization, HRMIS, GIS.

2. How would you assess how well students are meeting these student learning expectations? Group response summary: internship outcomes, project based courses, evaluation of students (i.e., assessment & presentations)

3. How do you use assessment results for continuous program improvement? Discussion tabled due to lack of time.

4. How does the mission align with the PAD’s mission? Discussion tabled due to lack of time.

E. Committee Assignments: Dr. Toppin provided an overview of the Advisory Board’s Committees. Board members discussed their experience and willingness to serve on the following committees:

Fundraising: Rationale:  NASPAA Accreditation Standard 6 Matching Resources with the Mission Section 6.1 Resource Adequacy: The program will have sufficient funds, physical facilities, and resources in addition to its faculty to pursue its mission, objectives, and continuous improvement.

Chairperson: Dr. Oyerinde

Members:

Mentoring: Rationale: NASPAA Accreditation Standard 5 Matching Operations with the Mission: Student Learning Section 5.4 Professional Competencies: The program will ensure that students learn to apply their education, such as through experiential exercises and interactions with practitioners across the broad range of public affairs, administration, and policy professions and sectors.

Chairperson: Dr. Franklin

Members: Dr. Timothy Etson, Ms. Abby Turano, Ms. Bettina Gardner

Recruiting: Rationale: NASPAA Accreditation Standard 4 - Matching Operations with the Mission: Serving Students Section 4.1 Student Recruitment: The program will have student recruitment practices appropriate for its mission.

Chairperson: Dr. Toppin

Members: Dr. Priscilla Oliver

IV.       Adjournment

            Meeting adjourned at 3:58 p.m.