The Exchange - Affiliation
With each TPS newsletter, we not only reach out for updates from our distinguished alumni, current students, and faculty, we also have a special theme that we use to create a conversation. The theme of the Spring/Summer 2018 TPS newsletter is "affiliation," focused on how current students, alumni, and faculty engage with the communities in which they are affiliated, as well as public administration as a discipline and profession. We've selected a portion of the responses we received, and we proudly showcase those below.
Mel Matthews, 2015 MPA & Nonprofit Management Certificate
How do you give back to the world?
I teach college students and give community lectures on my subject of expertise - sleep medicine - quite frequently.
What advice would you give to current students for how to meaningfully engage with their communities, their professions, and the world in general?
You will be happiest when you complete your educational goal and live up to your potential. Then, you will find yourself surrounded by folks that you can relate to.
Dr. Candace Warner, 2016 PhD
Are you involved with any professional organizations? If so, what do you find rewarding about these professional affiliations?
Women in Technology in Tennessee (WiTT), National Organization of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), Pathway Women's Business Center, Middle TN Society for Human Resource Management, and the Nashville Technology Council Diversity Committee. I love talking to members of these organizations and seeing their successes, particularly women entrepreneurs who are passionate about social responsibility.
Are you involved with any community groups? If so, what do you find rewarding about these communal affiliations?
Yes. As a Board Member of the Restorative Justice Center of Tennessee (RJCT). A recently formed organization, the RJCT focuses on rehabilitation of former offenders and incorporating community involvement in that process.
How do you give back to the world?
My passions land solidly in social justice and fostering inclusion for all demographic groups. I'm passionate about women's issues, poverty, and the intersection of race and ethnicity. I teach sociology on a daily basis and love opening student minds to these areas. My business, people3, Inc. is focused on diversity and inclusion efforts in private organizations. In addition, I continue to serve as the India study abroad Program Director for TnCIS (Tennessee Consortium for International Studies) and expose students to Indian culture during the summer. I love what I do in all aspects.
What advice would you give to current students for how to meaningfully engage with their communities, their professions, and the world in general?
Join professional and community organizations and network. Take on committee work, but then do the work. It's not enough to join and not contribute. People pick up on that and it follows you. Hard work still pays off. Learn what others are doing and learn from them.
Hellyn Riggins, 1992 MPA
Are you involved with any professional organizations? If so, what do you find rewarding about these professional affiliations.
Tennessee City Management Association, American Planning Association, American Institute of Certified Planners, and the Tennessee American Planning Association. All of these organization provide support, information and learning opportunities.
How do you give back to the world?
Mission Travels. Animal Rescue/Spay/Neuter
What advice would you give to current students for how to meaningfully engage with their communities, their professions, and the world in general?
Ask questions, really listen and take yourself out of your comfort zone to learn more in areas of which you have no experience.
Michael Stratton, 2010 MPA & Nonprofit Management Certificate
Are you involved with any community groups? If so, what do you find rewarding about these communal affiliations.
Yes, Phoenix Rising is an nonprofit organization that assists adult males with reentry to society after incarceration. Observering men maintain their sobriety, find and maintain meaningful employment, and witness changed lives is rewarding.
What advice would you give to current students for how to meaningfully engage with their communities, their professions, and the world in general?
Volunteer your time and your talents, and eventually it will pay forward.
Dr. Meg Streams, Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration
Are you involved with any community groups? If so, what do you find rewarding about these communal affiliations.
I have served as a volunteer mentor with TN Achieves for the past three years, working with students from Stratford High, which is my neighborhood’s high school. This is associated with the TNPromise last-dollar scholarship program, a key part of the Governor’s Drive to 55 agenda to improve educational attainment in the state. I have enjoyed meeting these young people who are considering their post-secondary next steps, particularly because as a faculty member I work with graduate students at later stages of their educational development. Seeing high schoolers thinking about their life and careers reminds me of how challenging those decisions are in today’s fast-changing society, however.
Are you involved with any professional organizations? If so, what do you find rewarding about these professional affiliations.
I am involved with the Southeastern Conference for Public Administration, which is the regional association affiliated with ASPA (our national public administration society); after attending SECoPA with students and colleagues over the years, I have now gotten involved more actively as a board member. I find it exciting to join others from the Southeast, engaged in practice as well as scholarship, each fall and learn together. I attend my specialty national conferences, the Association for Budgeting and Financial Management (ABFM) and the ASPA Section on Intergovernmental Administration and Management, when I can. But SECoPA provides an annual, accessible chance to hear about a broad spectrum of PA topics - I find this breadth valuable for my teaching, particularly at the MPA level. It is essential for those who consider themselves professionals to be involved with the organizations tied to their area of work which also support those coming up in the profession, and I’m lucky to have the opportunity to have been involved with TN-ASPA, SECoPA, and ASPA sections ABFM and SIAM. Nothing makes me happier than to see our students and alumni get actively involved with these and other professional associations. It’s the best way to keep learning and keep growing!
How do you give back to the world?
Maybe this question is too big for me <smile>. To my mind the jury is out: the net of what we gave to the world will only be clear when we leave it. Striving to treat the others we come in contact with properly each day that we are here is difficult enough to achieve, without worrying about a “legacy” of giving back - paradoxically, preoccupation with that “legacy” sometimes leads to over-focus on self.
What advice would you give to current students for how to meaningfully engage with their communities, their professions, and the world in general?
I don’t think there is one way to accomplish this; I think I perhaps serve others best when I focus carefully on engaging in ways that play to my “strong suits.” That might mean not taking on every opportunity. That’s something I only learned as I grew older. There are many tasks and ways in which I can put in effort but be ineffective—so rather than feel guilty about that, I’d rather seek opportunities where what I do have to offer might be useful.
Dr. Mark Fulks, 2006 MPA, 2016 PhD
Are you involved with any community groups? If so, what do you find rewarding about these communal affiliations.
I serve on the Board of Directors for the Southern Appalachian Ronald McDonald House Charities, Inc. It is rewarding to help those in need during medical emergencies. I also serve on the Board of Directors of The Jeremiah School, a non-profit school for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders. It is rewarding to see the progress that our students make in our special programming, which they cannot find in the public school system.
Are you involved with any professional organizations? If so, what do you find rewarding about these professional affiliations.
I am involved with the American Bar Association and the Tennessee Bar Association. Both of these organizations serve the legal profession and undertake projects designed to improve the profession and the justice system. An important component of each organization's mission is the provision of legal services and representation to those who cannot afford to hire attorneys.
How do you give back to the world?
I give back to the world through community service.
What advice would you give to current students for how to meaningfully engage with their communities, their professions, and the world in general?
It is important to get involved with charitable organizations through volunteer work and service on their boards of directors. Find an organization that has particular meaning to you and work to advance the cause. The successes may be small, but they will be more rewarding that anything else that you do in your professional life. Involvement in professional organizations is also important. These organization provides the means for you to improve and develop your professional skills.
Dr. Ken Chilton, Associate Professor, Department of Public Administration
Are you involved with any community groups? If so, what do you find rewarding about these communal affiliations.
I'm working with Metro Human Relations on a report that focuses on Poverty in Nashville. I'm also working with a group of housing advocates on a series of reports that explore affordable housing, rental displacement, and factors driving up housing prices in the city. I also work "A VOICE", a grassroots network of advocates working to articulate policies on behalf of those in need.
What advice would you give to current students for how to meaningfully engage with their communities, their professions, and the world in general?
There is no guidebook on how to get engaged. It has been my experience that most organizations welcome the skills that our students and faculty have. The challenge is how do we translate our skills to the challenges we are passionate about? Personally, I've reached out to organizations and like-minded scholars who share my passions. Then, it's simply a matter of digging in and adding value. It's not enough to show up to the meetings. You have to provide valuable insights and take on responsibilities. And, you have to like to work for free!
Stephen Smith, Doctoral Student
Are you involved with any community groups? If so, what do you find rewarding about these communal affiliations.
I am involved with a number of community organizations, including Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity and Preston Taylor Ministries. The aforementioned organizations allow me to influence positive change in youth development and mentorship.
Are you involved with any professional organizations? If so, what do you find rewarding about these professional affiliations.
I am a member of Leadership Health Care (LHC) and the National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE). Both organizations afford an abundance of opportunities to grow as a health care professional and develop meaningful relationships with professionals, both locally and nationally.
How do you give back to the world?
I strive to use my time and talents to serve others and make a positive impact for those to come after me. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to empower future health care providers through facilitating meaningful engagement and development programs and mentor both elementary and college students through my involvement with Preston Taylor Ministries and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, respectively.
Tunu Kinebrew, 2006 MPA
Are you involved with any community groups? If so, what do you find rewarding about these communal affiliations.
I'm involved with the Tennessee State University alumni chapter and I am a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. I find it most rewarding sharing with young people my experiences in attending college and encouraging them to seek higher education opportunities. I let young people know they should always stay informed whether it is through workshops, certificate programs or even at local two year colleges.
Are you involved with any professional organizations? If so, what do you find rewarding about these professional affiliations.
I am involved with the Greater Cincinnati chapter of ASPA as a Board member and the Ohio Public Health Association as the Vital Statistics section chair. With both organizations we organize events that allow professionals to share information and stay up to date on current topics.
What advice would you give to current students for how to meaningfully engage with their communities, their professions, and the world in general?
Look at information and talk to people to understand the needs of that particular community. Working with the community can often lead to solving many of the challenges that are occurring in the community.
Dr. Cliff Lippard, 1995 MPA, 2012 PhD, Adjunct Faculty Member, Department of Public Administration
Are you involved with any community groups? If so, what do you find rewarding about these communal affiliations.
I recently joined the board of Friends of Shelby, a nonprofit organization that helps preserve, protect and enhance historic Shelby Park and Bottoms in East Nashville. I like giving back to support this community gem that has given me so much happiness over the years. Plus, the fundraisers--the East Nashville Hot Chicken Festival and the Cornelia Fort Pickin' Parties--are a lot of fun.
Are you involved with any professional organizations? If so, what do you find rewarding about these professional affiliations.
I'm a longtime ASPA member. I enjoy the opportunity to meet other professionals in my field and attend conferences. I also get a lot of benefit out of ASPA's Public Administration Review (PAR) and State & Local Government Review journals.
How do you give back to the world?
I'm a devoted parent and public servant. I actively engage with my neighbors and my community.
What advice would you give to current students for how to meaningfully engage with their communities, their professions, and the world in general?
Don't just go through the motions. Don't spend your life "just working" and watching TV.
Eric Richardson, 2015 MPA & Health Administration and Planning Certificate
How do you give back to the world?
I donate money to food banks and soup kitchens. I also donate to environmental organizations.
What advice would you give to current students for how to meaningfully engage with their communities, their professions, and the world in general?
Community is what you make of it. You can be as involved or disengaged as you want, but there a lot more benefits from being engaged and involved.
