Special Programs
Gordon Sherman Lecture Series
Gordon Sherman, an alumnus of Auburn University who served as Southeastern Regional Commissioner of the U.S. Social Security Administration, endowed a Lecture Series for the MPA program to bring distinguished practitioners to campus to give public lectures and to meet with MPA students in informal settings. These annual lectures, which include a reception open to the community and a private luncheon with students, provide useful insights and offer role models for the MPA students, particularly the pre-service students.
Dr. Bowling Brings ASAP to Auburn
The American State Administrators Project (ASAP) is a national survey of state agencies and their agency executives that is conducted twice every decade. These agencies include the fields of health, transportation, economic development, the environment, small and minority business and commerce, among others. Created in 1964 by Dr. Deil S. Wright at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, this important survey project has received continuous funding by the Amelia Earhart Foundation in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Many scholars have utilized this survey to gauge the activities of state agencies and their executives in all 50 states regarding issues of fiscal austerity, legislative contacts, funding for programs, and as of late, policy impacts stemming from the events of September 11th. In its fortieth year of existence this renowned survey has been transferred to Auburn University under the co- directorship of Dr. Cynthia Bowling (Auburn Political Science Department) and Dr. Wright. The results of the ASAP project have been used in numerous journal articles, theses, dissertations, and book chapters.
Dr. Slaton Directs Election Administration Program
The MPA Program has worked with the Election Center in Houston, Texas for more than a decade to provide a certification program for elections and voter registration officials. This program won the Outstanding Noncredit Certificate Award from the National University Continuing Education Association in 1995. The program was developed by Dr. Robert Montjoy; and Dr. Christa Slaton is now the director. More than 1,000 officials throughout the United States have taken seventeen workshops taught by Auburn faculty. Professors Steve Brown, Cindy Bowling, Keenan Grenell, Kathleen Hale, Robert Montjoy, Clifton Perry, James Seroka, and Christa Slaton travel to Portland, Oregon; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Beverly Hills, California; Annapolis, Maryland; and other cities around the country to offer classes. In recent years, the elections program has employed MPA students David Stewart and John Farnell to assist in administering the certification program. The certificates are granted through Auburn University, which has established itself as a leader in the field of election reform and administration.
HUD Community Development Work Study Program
In the past several years, Auburn University has received two two-year grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to participate in HUD’s Community Development Work Study Program for the 1999-2001 and 2004-2006 funding cycles. These grants were based on a partnership among the Economic Development Institute, the MPA program, and the Master in Community Planning (MCP) program. The grants funded minority and low-income students (three in the first grant and five in the second) who worked for local governments, while pursuing Dual MPA and MCP Degrees. The work assignments were split among the City of Auburn, the City of Opelika, and the Lee County-Russell County Council of Governments.
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Last updated July 1, 2007