New Scholarship Announced for MPA Students

The Department of Public Affairs and Sociology is pleased to announce a Student Enrichment Scholarship for Spring 2014. 

The scholarship will be awarded to students seeking a Masters of Public Affairs degree to assist with the cost of tuition, books, and other expenses associated with school attendance.  

The amount of the award varies from $1,000 to $1,500. Up to six scholarships will be awarded in Spring 2014. The deadline for submitting a scholarship application for the spring semester is January 1, 2014.

Questions about the scholarship or requests for a scholarship application form should be directed to Dr. James Harrington at james.harrington@utdallas.edu. 

Pi Alpha Alpha Sponsors Comet Cupboard Food Drive

Pi Alpha Alpha, the Public Affairs Honors Society, is collaborating with the Comet Cupboard during its “Don’t Let Hunger Hide Campaign.” Donations of cereal, canned soup, peanut butter and canned vegetables are being collected in Green Hall 2.244 through November 22.

The Comet Cupboard, which opened in October 2012, is a UT Dallas on-campus food pantry that is available to all currently enrolled students, free of charge. Students who present their Comet Card can receive up to four items each day. In order to offer this wide variety of healthy options to the more than 200 students who have begun using the service each week, the Cupboard relies on monetary donations and non-perishable food items donated by on-campus supporters and the outside community.

The Cupboard is located at MC1.604 (in the basement of the library building), and is open from noon to 6 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday, from 2 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 3 pm to 6 pm on Fridays.

For more information about the Don’t Let Hunger Hide campaign, visit the Comet Cupboard’s Facebook page.

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Nonprofit Brown Bag Slated for November 22

On Friday, November 22, the Department of Public Affairs and Sociology will conclude its 2013 Nonprofit Management and Leadership Brown Bag Lecture Series with a speech by UT Dallas’s own Drs. Doug Goodman and Paul Battaglio. Dr. Goodman and Dr. Battaglio, both associate professors of Public Affairs, will present a talk titled: “Contracting Out Human Resources in Local Government: Evidence from a National Survey.”

Each Brown Bag Lecture is held from 11:00am – 1:00pm in the Irving Hoch Seminar Room in Green Hall (GR 3.606).

Pi Alpha Alpha to Host Former Police Chief

Douglas Kowalski, former chief of the McKinney Police Department, will be the featured speaker at the next Pi Alpha Alpha event scheduled for Tuesday, November 19 at Marcus Cafe in Richardson. The meeting, sponsored by the UT Dallas chapter of the public affairs honor society, is slated for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the restaurant located at 2701 Customer Parkway.

Public Affairs faculty and students are invited to attend the event, which will include a discussion of "Emotional Labor" as well as networking opportunities.

Brown Bag Lecture Series Continues November 8

On Friday, November 8, the Department of Public Affairs and Sociology will continue its 2013 Nonprofit Management and Leadership Brown Bag Lecture Series with a presentation by Dr. Laurie Paarlberg from Texas A&M University.

Dr. Paarlberg, an associate professor in the Bush School of Government and Public Service, will give a talk titled: “Crowded Field or Evidence of Philanthropic Captial? An exploration of the impact of organizational density on United Way campaigns.”  The presentation is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. in the Irving Hoch Seminar Room in Green Hall (GR 3.606).

Organized by Dr. Young-Joo Lee, an assistant professor in Public Affairs, the lecture series allows students to meet and connect with scholars from across the United States.

“The Brown Bag lectures will provide great opportunities to meet renowned scholars and learn about current issues in the field of nonprofit management and leadership,” Dr. Lee said.

Future talks will be conducted by Dr. Doug Goodman and Dr. Paul Battaglio, both from UT Dallas.

Dr. Sabharwal Speaks on Public Administration in South Asia

Dr. Meghna Sabharwal, assistant professor in public affairs, recently traveled to India as part of a National Science Foundation grant funding a study of migration patterns among academic scientists and engineers.

She also has been busy giving lectures on public administration in South Asia. Sabharwal co-edited a new book, "Public Administration in South Asia: India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan," which compiles the work of leading scholars to provide a comprehensive analysis of the public administration settings in that area of the world. 

She recently gave a lecture on the topic in New Dehli. Read more.

Pablo Acosta Awarded William J. Pitstick Scholarship

Masters of Public Affairs (MPA) student Pablo Acosta has become the first person from UT Dallas to be awarded the William J. Pitstick Scholarship by the Urban Management Assistants of North Texas. The scholarship is awarded annually to exceptional students seeking graduate degrees in public administration, urban affairs, and related fields.

Acosta, who is currently enrolled in the MPA program at UT Dallas, will be awarded $3,500 for his academic achievement and efforts toward a career in local government.

Acosta is the first UT Dallas student to receive the William J. Pitstick Scholarship since UMANT established its scholarship program in 1995.

In addition to studying at UT Dallas, he has experience as a Management Intern for the City of Grand Prairie.