Public Administration > News & Events > Archive 2005
News & Events 2005
- Napsipag Conf. (Dec. 2005)
- Capstone Adopted (Sept. 2005)
- 20th Anniversary Celebration (May 2005)
- Community Speakers Program
- Visiting Professor from Khon Kaen University, Thailand (March 2005)
- Visiting Professor from the University of Victoria, British Columbia (Feb. 2005)
- PUBA Alum, Rick Karasaki, Honored by Govenor (Feb. 2005)
- Visiting Scholar from the Academy of Management, Mongolia (Spring 2005)
Napsipag Conference
Professors Chris Grandy and Dick Pratt, along with visiting scholar Tsedev Damiran, attended the second annual conference of the Network of Asia and Pacific Schools and Institutes of Public Administration and Governance, held between December 4-7, 2005, at the China National School of Administration in Beijing. Tsedev and Pratt presented a paper on institutional change in Mongolia since the Soviet departure, and Grand and Pratt gave a paper on innovations in structure and pedagogy in the PUBA program.
NAPSIPAG was created with strong support from the Asian Development Bank. Its mission is to build relationships among Asia-Pacific schools and institutes. The conference had about 200 attendees from 40 countries. There were sections on Enlarging Citizen Participation, Innovations in Governance and Public Service, and Strategies that Help or Hinder Societal Harmony. There was also a special section on Teaching.
After some discussion at the plenary session delegates decided to admit PUBA to the network as a full, rather than associate, member because of its strong Asia and Pacific links.
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Top left: Chris Grandy and Dick Pratt w/colleagues from the Academy of Management in Mongolia. Top right: Dick and Akif Syed, a PUBA graduate, now with the National Training Institute in Pakistan. Left: Conference delegates at the plenary session that adopted the organization’s new constitution. |
PUBA Capstone Recommendations Unanimously Adpoted
On September 22, 2005, the University of Hawai'i Board of Publications (BoP) unanimously adopted recommendations proposed by a Public Administration Program capstone group. The capstone group, consisting of Gabriel Gutierrez, Shane Jordan, Vijayan Munusamy, Glenn Reyes Jr., Alfred Scott, and Eric Tompkins, conducted a review of BoP practices and procedures in 2004. The review included a survey of best practices for college newspapers across the U.S., an on-line survey of current and past stakeholders of BoP, and interviews with the management of award-winning college publications across the country. The work was completed and presented to BoP in December 2004.
In the September 22, 2005, meeting, a new Board of Publications considered and adopted all of the capstone group's recommendations without dissent. Board Treasurer, Jeff McNeill, said that the Board seeks to transform itself and that the Capstone group's recommendations were "self-evidently useful and wise."
PUBA is 20!
On May 11, 2005, the Public Administration Program celebrated its 20th anniversary. PUBA is a graduate program in the College of Social Sciences dedicated to enhancing public service leadership and increasing the effectiveness of public institutions.
(Pictured left: Presentation of "birthday cake.")
About 150 people attended a dinner and program held in the Kapiolani Community College dining room. The event included proclamations from the Governor, both houses of the state legislature, signed by every member of each chamber; the City Council, signed by all its members; and all of our federal representatives. There was an address by Pamela Spratlen, a Diplomat-in-Residence at the East West Center; presentations by past cohort classes; a slide showing the Program's history; donations to the Program made by individuals and classes; and, not to be ignored, a wonderful buffet dinner prepared by the staff at KCC.
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| Left: Pam Spratlen, Keynote Speaker; Above (right): Dick Pratt, Robbie Alm, Ed Porter, Charlene Young, and Tom Brislin; Lower left: Bill Melemai, current student; Middle right: Proclamations in the PUBA office; Lower right: Class of 1995 w/ Proclamation. |
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Community Speakers Program
PUBA is in the process of developing a speakers program that will be used to address issues facing people in public service. It will be in a downtown location. This is something the Program has wanted to initiate for some time. A better budgetary situation and generous donations to the Program now make it possible. Charlene Young will coordinate set-up of the new Speakers Program.
Visit of Sukanya Aimimtham
In March 2005, PUBA hosted Professor Sukanya from Khon Kaen University in northeast Thailand. Professor Sukanya and the development administration faculty have hosted Dick Pratt on his visits to their school. While here she visited the Board of Water Supply to learn about their organizational reforms; met the director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies; talked with individual PUBA faculty members; and sat in on classes. Upon her return to Khon Kaen she assumed the position of associate dean of External Affairs.
Visit of John Langford
John Langford is a professor in the School of Public Administration at the University of Victoria in Victoria, British Columbia. His areas are public service ethics, public/private partnerships, and change in public organizations. He spent a week in Honolulu in February of 2005 as a visitor to PUBA. While here he gave advice to a capstone group working on public/private partnerships for recycling in Honolulu; met with the faculty to talk about possible connections between the programs; and sat in on classes. His wife, Kate Seabourne, heads the distance learning program at UVic and while here she met with Manoa distance learning officials. Pictured right: Dick Pratt, left and John Langford, right.
PUBA Alum Karasaki Honored by Govenor
February 7, 2005, Rick Karasaki (MPA, 2001) was honored by Governor Linda Lingle upon being named Firefighter of the Year (2004) by the Honolulu Fire Department (HFD). Karasaki received the commendation for his work with the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress in designing a certification program for HFD personnel in fire fighting techniques.
Pictured below: William Melemai (Core Year 2004-2005) introduces Governor Lingle who presented the commendation to Fire Fighter 3 Karasaki (right).
Visiting Scholar Tsedev Damiran
Tsedev Damiran has been a Visiting Scholar with PUBA since the beginning of the Spring 2005 semester. Dr. Tsedev was until recently the vice Rector of the Academy of Managment in Ulaanbataar, Mongolia. Prior to that he was the head of the School of Public Administration. The Academy is the largest professional education and training institution in Mongolia.
Dr. Tsedev received his doctorate in the Soviet Union. In the early 1990s he helped to write the constitution adopted by Mongolia after the end of the Soviet presence. He is working with Dick Pratt on a project analyzing the waves of reforms, originating locally and internationally, that have affected public officials and public institutions since the process of post-communist transition began.
