Dean, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

December 7, 2004

Roy Bahl

Georgia State University

Dear Dean Bahl,

I have carefully reviewed the Department of Public Administration and Urban Studies’ Self-Study Report for Academic Program Review. Professor Willoughby and her committee have done a commendable job; it provides a thorough and accurate description of the Department and its programs according to the required APR template for the review period in question. Enclosed you will find a CD with the entire self-study including all appendices, tables, and other materials required by the current APR template.

The self-study charts the evolution and continuing development of a department that has risen to many challenges over the past three years. These include dramatically increasing enrollments on the undergraduate and graduate levels that stressed the department’s capacity to meet demand while it sustained very high levels of research productivity, external funding, and a wide variety of service contributions. The self-study describes a department that is strong across almost all areas of evaluation and one that is well within reach of national prominence in several of areas of specialization within a few years. The Department of Public Administration and Urban Studies (PAUS) clearly is central to the School and University Strategic Plans in areas such as policy, basic and applied research, and community service on all levels from metro-Atlanta to the global community.

I am confident that the assessment of departmental performance, strengths and weaknesses, and accomplishments with regard to goals and objectives established in 1994 offers a solid foundation for the program goals and objectives for the next APR cycle described in Section I of the self-study. Achieving these second-generation goals and objectives will move the Department to “the next level” of excellence and enhance its already strong contribution to establishing the Georgia State University as “one of the nation’s premiere research institutions in an urban setting” and the Andrew Young School as “the highest rated policy school in the South and one of the highest ranked in the nation by 2007.”

This self-study documents the Department’s contributions with regard to growing enrollments and graduation rates, production of scholarly research and publication, success in attracting external funds, community service, and teaching excellence. Over the course of the last year or so, the Department faculty has considered and been involved in the formulation of the three primary goals set forth in the self-study:

· To advance high quality undergraduate education and graduate programs central to the University, the School, and PAUS.

o Continued development of the Joint Ph.D. Program as a core departmental research and teaching activity that graduates students able to compete for placements at first-rank universities and policy analysis – evaluation organizations

o Advance, update, and streamline the already strong MPA program

o Build the MS UPS program as a mechanism for graduate-level public policy studies and professional studies

o Implement a BS in Public Policy that has been approved by the faculties of the Department and the School

o Implement a student – faculty exchange program with Northumbria University in the United Kingdom

· Implement and resource planned enhancements to an already nationally recognized research faculty.

o Recruit, hire, support, develop, and retain highly qualified junior faculty who are committed to instructional excellence, research scholarship, community service in targeted areas of public policy and public management

o Establish and sustain a necessary infrastructure of senior faculty needed to exert leadership in priority areas for the School and the Department such as nonprofit policy and administration, health policy, environment, and public finance, and education

o Takes steps needed to build support for faculty efforts to attract external funding for all forms of research including projects housed by research centers of the School

o Support domestic and international training initiatives of the School

· Take steps to advance and sustain teaching excellence on all levels of departmental instruction.

o Implement needed technological innovations such as Vista, distance learning systems, and other ways supporting teaching excellence and productivity

o Enhance the effectiveness of programs to support faculty career development as instructors including senior faculty mentoring and co-teaching collaborations with junior faculty

o Develop and implement multiple effective outcomes assessments systems for programs, specializations, and individual courses

As the self-study points out, PAUS has managed to accomplish a great deal with existing resources and despite losing several key faculty to retirement and other institutions. Achieving the goals set forth above will require additional full time tenure track faculty, especially on the assistant professor level. These needs are particularly evident as the Department seeks to deliver both a strengthened MS UPS program that offers strengths in those policy fields central to the strategic plans of the School and University and a high quality BS in Public Policy. Similarly, the Joint Ph.D. in Public Policy requires sustained PAUS faculty contributions to its core and policy field specializations. Currently, the faculty and staff are sustaining levels of effort that exceed overall capacity when instructional load, funded research efforts, and service commitments on the departmental, School, and University levels are combined. New faculty resources will be needed to sustain our already considerable accomplishments over the course of the review period and to move our programs to the next level of excellence.

The members of the self-study committee—Professors Willoughby (Chair), Thomas, Streib, and Lewis—have done an excellent job and should be thanked for their hard work.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. We look forward to discussing the self-study with you at the appropriate time.

Sincerely,

Lloyd G. Nigro

Professor and Chair