|•| calendar
|•| announcements
|•| in print
|•| presentations
|•| deans' travel

This is the last @Large for the 2005-06 year. We will resume publication, Friday, September 1, 2006. Throughout the summer, please continue to send your items for inclusion in the SPEA online calendar to moorhead@indiana.edu. Have a great summer!

IPFW Criminal Justice Program honors Former State Senator, Sheriff, Charles ‘Bud’ Meeks, who spent a lifetime in public service. In recognition of his unwavering support of the people of Allen County and Northeast Indiana, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) is pleased to announce the naming of the Charles ‘Bud’ Meeks Criminal Justice Program. IPFW Chancellor Michael A. Wartell made the announcement May 1 at a dinner honoring the late statesmen. “‘Bud’ always cared about IPFW and how its students were being educated. He also was very passionate about law enforcement and wanted those who followed it as a career to be educated in all aspects of the job. We wanted to find a way to honor Bud’s memory on this campus, and we believe this is the most appropriate thing we can do.”

The Kokomo School of Public and Environmental Affairs Advisory Board recently presented four diligent North Central Indiana community leaders with the 2006 Public Service Awards. The winners were honored during the inaugural SPEA Public Service Award luncheon held on April 27 in the Kelley Student Center. These four individuals have made significant contributions to their north central Indiana communities. Recipients are Robert P. Messey of Howard County, Phillip V. Nichols of Tipton County, Judge Julian L. Ridlen of Cass County, and James R. Walker of Miami County. District 23 State Representative William C. Friends delivered the keynote address on public service during the event. SPEA campus Dean Robert Dibie said the award winners all employed the leadership mentality and processes taught in SPEA. By honoring their actions, students – the leaders of this region – and all citizens are encouraged to use their abilities in greater civic engagement. Dibie expressed his thanks to the SPEA Advisory Board members for their help in coordinating the award nominations, scholarship donations, and the luncheon.

During the weeks surrounding the 4th of July, Randall Baker, IUB, will be visiting South Africa at the behest of the State Department to conduct a lecture tour of several cities and universities in that country. The themes are built around his upcoming book Why America Isn’t Europe. During this semester he has conducted a 700-level seminar that linked graduate students at Indiana University with students at the University of Pretoria.

Babcock University in Nigeria has invited Robert Dibie, IUK, to provide the keynote speech for the institution’s annual International Conference on Corruption and Challenge of Human Development on June 13-14. In his planned address, “Civil Society and Transformation in Africa: A Critical Analysis of the Path to Sustainable Development,” Dibie will propose that, in a world where the only constant is change, traditional approaches to learning cannot meet the challenges of the future. “That is one the reasons why the SPEA graduate programs focus on developing applied research skills for managing public and nonprofit opportunities,” Dibie said. “SPEA degrees are designed for students who look forward to careers with local and globally competitive organizations at the forefront of their fields.” Also, in March 2006, Dibie served as the guest speaker at the University of Technology Kingston, Jamaica, Research Forum, where he spoke on “Comparative Research: The Dynamics of Globalization and Public Affairs.” In his presentation, Dibie stated that Indiana University provides well established links with business, government, nonprofit organizations, and academic institutions throughout the United States and around the world. “These links enable our students to do research on topics that are critical to the success in the evolving global environment,” he said.

Burney Fischer, IUB, was a speaker, representing the Bloomington Tree Commission, at the Bloomington Arbor Day Tree Planting Ceremony on April 28 at Crestmont Park.

Otis Grant, IUSB, conducted a day-long workshop entitled “Ethical Decision Making in a Rational Choice World” in Goshen, IN on April 21st. The workshop was sponsored by the Governor’s Commission for a Drug-Free Indiana in conjunction with the Elkhart County Local Coordinating Council (LCC) and the Elkhart County Counselors Organization (ECCO).

Kirsten Grønbjerg, IUB, was quoted in an article from the May 1 edition of the Indianapolis Star entitled “Turmoil, tenacity follow 2 deaths” by Tim Evans (tim.evans@indystar.com).

Sheila Kennedy, IUPUI, spoke at the Indianapolis Center for Inquiry on “Religion and Public Policy Conflicts” on April 23. And on April 29, Sheila was the luncheon speaker at the Annual Meeting of Indianapolis' League of Women Voters; her topic was “Our Vanishing Right to Privacy.”

Seth Payton, a doctoral student in SPEA’s Public Affairs program at IUB, has been awarded a dissertation fellowship by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy for “The Capitalization of Systematic and Assessor-Related Assessment Error: A Spatial Approach”.

Philip Rutledge (Emeritus, IUB, IUPUI, IUN) delivered the 2006 Bellmon Public Policy Lecture at the University of Oklahoma last month. The lecture was in honor of Oklahoma’s two-time governor and two-term U.S. Senator Henry Bellmon.”

Ruey-Der (Richard) Twu, IUB, has been awarded a grant of $4,430 for “A Study of Factors Influencing Reported Fundraising Efficiency of Nonprofit Arts Organizations” from the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Harvard University.