Accomplishments
and Events |
Presidential Administrative Fellows
Please welcome Jessica Fern, Allison Rohde, Cameron Smither, and Chelsea Ullman, who are graduating from GW undergrad programs and will be joining the Trachtenberg School as Presidential Administrative Fellows.
From left to right, starting from the 3rd (third) from the left, Presidential Administrative Fellows Chelsea Ullman, Allison Rohde, Jessica Fern and Cameron Smither.
The American Association for Budget and Program Analysis (AABPA) announced that Kathryn Vesey (MPP '12) is one of five finalists for the 2012 Marykathryn Kubat Award for Graduate Student Research. With the Kubat Award, AABPA seeks to encourage student research and critical thinking that will prepare students for the budget and program issues they will encounter in their careers, particularly those in the public service. Kathryn is conducting research in the federal budget treatment of capital spending.
Congratulations to Brooke Bohnet (MPA '12) and Nicole Stein (MPA '12) for having their paper entitled "A Case Study on the Use of Performance Measurement: Pollution Prevention Information Network Grant Program," selected for presentation at the Center for Accountability and Performance Panel at the upcoming ASPA Conference on May 4th in Las Vegas.
We are very proud to have four finalists for the Presidential Management Fellow class of 2012. Congratulations to Brooke Bohnet (MPA '12), Patrick Campbell (MPP '12), Kevin Maskornick (MPP '12), and Carli Wuff
(MPP '12).
The Trachtenberg School is proud of graduating MPA student, Dominique Harris (MPA '11), who was a featured speaker at the commencement ceremony for the entire Columbian College! Commenting on being selected to speak, Dominique said, "The past two years have been about what I really feel GW stands for: living a life of service and stewardship. I am really excited that I have had the opportunity to be a part of the Trachtenberg legacy and rich history, and I look forward to the long-term friendships and relationships that I will continue to pursue after GW."
Dominique Harris
Presidential Administrative Fellows
Congrats also to Jessica Mann and Eric Thibault who are graduating from GW undergrad programs and will be joining the Trachtenberg School as Presidential Administrative Fellows.
New PAFs, including Jessica Mann (3rd from right) and Eric Thibault (far right)
Helping Pilot the Wikipedia Public Policy Initiative
Starting in fall 2010, Trachtenberg students began making a difference in the Wiki world of public policy through the Wikipedia Public Policy Initiative. The Trachtenberg School is among the first in the nation to participate in this pilot project sponsored by the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that oversees Wikipedia. The goal is to improve the quality of public policy-related articles on Wikipedia through student contributions.
Wikimedia has selected Erin Farr and PJ Tabit, both graduate students at the Trachtenberg School, to serve as campus ambassadors for the program. Professor Donna Infeld, director of the MPP program, is a leader on the project. In addition to George Washington University, seven other universities are currently on board: Harvard, Georgetown, George Mason, Indiana University, Lehigh University, Syracuse University, and University of California at Berkeley.
Trachtenberg School participants in the Wikipedia Public Policy Initiative
Studying in Africa
Three Trachtenberg School masters students, Raina Aronowitz (2010), Paige Ingram (2011), and Zach Hauser (2011), each spent part of the past summer in Cape Town, South Africa taking classes through study abroad programs offered by New York University. While Paige and Zach enrolled in “International Environmental Policy and Sustainable Development,” Raina took classes in “Community Health: A Society in Transition.”
Zach Hauser and Paige Ingram in South Africa
Fulbright scholar Daniela Chacon Arias plans to use her GW learning and experience to found a public affairs nonprofit in her native Ecuador. (read more here)
Daniela Chacon Arias
Natalie Kaplan, BA (Human Services)/MPA student, helped organize the Hunger Banquet – an intentional oxymoron – Kaplan hoped to raise awareness about hunger (read more here).
MPP student Amy Schultz recently wrote an op-ed piece published in the Washington Post, titled "The Best Way to Curb Vagrancy in Washington?" The article can be read here. |
Scholarships
and Awards |
Roback Award Winners
Congratulations to Rachel Evans (MPA'13) for winning the Herbert Roback Scholarship. The Scholarship is administered by the National Academy of Public Administration, and awarded to exemplary master's students in public administration, public and international affairs, and political science.
Rachel Evans, MPA '13 with Dr. Kathryn E. Newcomer, Director of the Trachtenberg School
The 2011 winner of the prestigious Herbert Roback Scholarship was Vanessa Forsberg (MPP'12).
Vanessa Forsberg, MPP'12
The 2010 winners of the prestigious Herbert Roback Scholarship were Rebecca Hinze-Pifer (MPP '11) and Allyson Criner (MPA '11).
Allyson Criner and Rebecca Hinze-Pifer
2010-11 Scholarships
The Trachtenberg School congratulates the following students who were awarded these scholarships for this school year:
- Dominique Harris, MPA - Public Service Academy Fellowship
- Allyson Criner, MPA - Turner Non-Profit Leadership Development Student Endowment Scholarship in Public Administration
- Kaitlin Welborn, MPA - Joel T. Broyhill Endowment Scholarship in Public Administration
- Rachel Bryan, MPP - Public Administration Endowment Scholarship in Public Administration
- Shannon Burke, MPA - Public Administration Endowment Scholarship in Public Administration
- Wesley Martin, MPA - Public Administration Endowment Scholarship in Public Administration
- Ashleigh Goldberg, MPA - David S. and Anne Elizon Brown Endowment Fellowship in Public Administration
- Maria Crossman, MPA - The Rockwood H. Foster Endowment Scholarship Memorial Fund in Public Administration
- Rebecca Hinze-Pifer, MPP - Trachtenberg-Wang Endowment Fellowship in Public Policy
Masters student award recipients
AABPA Awards
For the second year in a row, a Trachtenberg School graduate student has been awarded the Marykathryn Kubat Award for Student Research. The competition is sponsored by the American Association for Budget and Program Analysis (AABPA), the leading professional organization for federal budgeting and program analysis professionals since the mid 1970s. Three more Trachtenberg School students were finalists (out of seven total finalists in the competition).
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| Student Association Activities |
Student leaders at the Trachtenberg School organized a major forum on March 3rd, 2011: DISASTERS: Closing the Gap between Public Expectations and Responder Capabilities. The event brought together policy experts and practitioners, and focused on how graduate students will be able to apply their academic training to emerging issues in the field.
TSPPPA students introducing forum panelists
In early September, 2010, the Public Policy and Public Administration Student Associations hosted the annual fall retreat in Prince William Forest, Virginia. With record-breaking participation and significant involvement from second year students, this year’s retreat was extremely successful. The boards also organized several social events, including a trip to “Jazz in the Park” and Fall Ball, a semiformal event at the Elliott School. Students were also given the opportunity to network with peers throughout the DC consortium of schools as our board took a more active role with the Graduate Public Affairs Council of DC (GPAC).
Students participate in a variety of fall retreat activities
In addition to social events, the MPAA and PPSA boards also organized volunteer opportunities and hosted professional development events. The boards encouraged student engagement in the greater DC community by participating in events such as a Habitat for Humanity build and the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk. Professional development resources such as the peer mentor program and writing workshops were offered to help students plan for future internships and careers.
On Saturday, April 25th, MPAA and PPSA participated in Hands On DC, a city-wide work-a-thon doing improvement projects for DC public schools. (read more here)
For more information about the MPP and MPA student associations, click here. |
