December 21, 2012
The Sacramento Bee reported that USC Price School of Public Policy alumnus Jay Hansen was appointed to the Sacramento City Unified School District. Hansen is the chief strategy officer for the California Medical Association, the story noted. He graduated with his MPA in 1998, and currently serves on the advisory board for the USC Price School's State Capital Center.
August 25, 2012
NBC News Los Angeles affiliate KNBC-TV ran a column by Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Price School of Public Policy about California's pension system. "It's clear that public employee pensions have emerged as a center-stage issue in California," Jeffe wrote. "What we can't yet know is how the political equation will turn out: who will win, who will lose, and who will go broke."
August 6, 2012
Voice of San Diego ran a column by Adjunct faculty member Murtaza Baxamusa of the USC Price School on a lack of affordable housing in San Diego. He wrote about changes that were put into place to improve the problem, and how the city is faring a decade later. "With the largest share of the increased cost of living being housing, much leadership is needed in the city to balance the income gap between home and work," Baxamusa wrote.
May 4, 2012
L.A. Weekly L.A. Weekly highlighted the USC Price School's Executive Education for Local Leaders program, noting that it offers current politicians lessons in public transparency and ethics, leadership, governance and environmental policy. The program's upcoming event will include 18 mayors, mayors pro tem and council members from cities ranging from West Hollywood to Diamond Bar.
April 10, 2012
The Los Angeles Times quoted Senior Fellows William Fulton and Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy about Los Angeles County supervisors.
March 14, 2012
U.S. News & World Report featured several USC schools and programs in its 2013 edition of "Best Graduate Schools." The USC Price School was ranked No. 4 for Health Policy and Management; No. 6 in Public Affairs, up from No. 7 last year; No. 6 for Public Management Administration; No. 7 for City Management and Urban Policy; No. 7 for Nonprofit Management; No. 9 in Social Policy; No. 12 for Public Policy Analysis; and No. 21 for Public Finance and Budgeting.
February 6, 2012
Hsu Jen-hui, dean of the College of Management at Shih Hsin University in Taipei, has been appointed Taiwan's deputy finance minister. Hsu, a graduate of the doctoral program at USC Price, specializes in local government finance and new institutional economics, the story noted.
January 23, 2012
The Washington Post quoted John Romley, USC Price research assistant professor and economist at the Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics, and highlighted a study he did about the increasing importance of hospital amenities in patient care.
October 9, 2011
The Columbus Dispatch quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Richard Little about Ohio State University's sale of its parking operation to a private vendor. Little is director of the Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy at USC, the story noted.
October 6, 2011
The Wall Street Journal reported that Richard Green, SPPD professor and director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, spoke before a Senate Finance Committee hearing on mortgage interest deductions. Eliminating the deduction entirely would only lead to a percentage-point decline in the nation's home ownership rate, Green said.
September 6, 2011
Capital Public Radio interviewed SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about the benefits of the California governor taking a leading role in the state tax discussion.
August 8, 2011
The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that Jack Knott, Dean of the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, helped represent universities in conversations with the federal government as it drafted new regulations designed to facilitate students' entry into public service. The existing system wasn't conducive to bringing in this younger cohort, Knott said. "Some of our best students who were interested in federal employment were very frustrated in actually trying to get a job," he added. "And when you see disasters like the recent financial crisis or Hurricane Katrina, you know you don't want a federal work force that's not as capable and competent as it might be." Knott said that he's glad to see a clear signal from the administration "that getting good people into government is a top priority."
August 1, 2011
The San Diego Union-Tribune quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe and Dan Schnur of the USC Dornsife College about California State University trustees' decision to pay the new San Diego State University president 33 percent more than his predecessor earned.
July 13, 2011
The Los Angeles Times ran an op-ed by SPPD Professor Lisa Schweitzer on whether the U.S., like Greece, might have to privatize large portions of its transportation system as a result of debt crisis. "So long as Americans refuse to even index gas taxes to inflation, let alone raise the tax outright, we won't be spending enough to maintain our transportation infrastructure, which means that its value will continue to fall," Schweitzer wrote. "That will make it difficult to attract private investment or get a fair price for state-owned assets if the government opts to privatize its transportation assets. Too many more years of disinvestment and we will have to make gun-to-the-head decisions like Greece's," she added.
July 8, 2011
Veeral Shah, Eesha Chakravartty, Rachel Liberatore and Allison Viramontes are four recent MHA graduates to discover that their real-world class projects and 1,000 hours in an administrative residency left them qualified to make instant impacts in the field of health management and policy.
July 6, 2011
The Ventura County Star reported that SPPD Senior Fellow William Fulton, who is mayor of Ventura, will not seek reelection, as a result of health issues and a desire to devote more time to his personal and professional life. The story noted that Fulton, who was elected in 2003, is author of four books, including Los Angeles Times best-seller "The Reluctant Metropolis: The Politics of Urban Growth in Los Angeles."
June 21, 2011
The Alaska Dispatch quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about Controller John Chiang's ruling that California state lawmakers must forfeit their salaries from June 15 until they pass a balanced budget.
May 26, 2011
KPCC-FM featured a recent conference on public pensions that was held at USC. Part of the problem is that the public pension issue has become a political lightning rod, said Juliet Musso, associate professor at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development. "People either view pension reform as being anti-union on the one hand, or they perceive it as being pro-government, pro-union, and people vilify public employees as getting pension benefits that are too generous," she added.
April 26, 2011
Seventy-nine students from the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development spent their spring break working with government agencies, nonprofits or consulting firms through the school's Externship Program. SPPD's Office of Career Services matches students with host organizations nationwide based on their skills and interests. They work on substantive projects and gaining real-world exposure to jobs relevant to their studies.
April 8, 2011
Johann D'Agostino, a Master of Public Administration student at SPPD, received the Rockwell Dennis Hunt Award, which recognizes an alumna or alumnus of USC who is pursuing a graduate or professional degree at the university and who is most representative of the Trojan Family's traditions and values. The award was presented at the 30th annual USC Academic Honors Convocation held on April 6 at Town & Gown.
April 6, 2011
While the U.S. reforms its health care system, the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development is following suit with a revamp of its Master of Health Administration program. "We've revised the curriculum to emphasize some of the key areas that are going to be health system priorities for the foreseeable future: issues around the quality of care, health finance, health policy analysis, management and the use of health information technology," said Michael Nichol, director of graduate programs in health.
April 3, 2011
The Los Angeles Times quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about late legislative analyst A. Alan Post.
March 25, 2011
Faculty, staff and graduate students from the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development took part in a focus-group discussion of proposed regulations for President Obama's executive order to reform student pathways into government. SPPD Dean Jack Knott played an integral part in calling for this reform of federal hiring in his role as chair of NASPAA's policy issues committee.
March 22, 2011
The Sacramento Bee quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch about county central committees.
March 11, 2011
The USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development celebrated the completion of a $1 million fundraising campaign to establish the Chester A. Newland Professorship at a Feb. 25 gala held at the university's State Capital Center in Sacramento. More than 130 alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends gathered to recognize Newland, as well as the donors who endowed the fund. USC University Professor Kevin Starr delivered the evening's keynote address.
March 9, 2011
NBC News' "NBC Nightly News" interviewed SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about this week's elections in the corruption-plagued city of Bell, Calif.
March 6, 2011
The Los Angeles Times quoted SPPD Professor Glenn Melnick about consolidation in Northern California that has given more negotiating power to a few hospital networks.
March 1, 2011
Do top city administrators reflect the growing diversity of California's communities? Student associations from the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development invited five alumni panelists to address this and related questions at "Cultivating Diverse Leadership: The Emerging Face of City Management."
March 1, 2011
After realizing that his students had done everything from founding nonprofits to raising more than $25 million for the Downtown Women's Center, USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development professor Robert Myrtle had two words to say: "Holy smokes!" Myrtle teaches "Strategic Management in the Nonprofit Sector," one of the three required courses in SPPD's popular Certificate in Nonprofit Management and Policy program.
February 14, 2011
With the help of Keith Hwang MS '83, Ph.D '92, the Cheonggye stream -- buried for more than a half-century beneath six kilometers of elevated highway -- is flowing again in downtown Seoul. Hwang, president of the Korean Transport Institute, recently visited USC to give a presentation on the stream restoration and sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Jack H. Knott, the C. Erwin and Ione L. Piper Dean and professor at the School of Policy, Planning, and Development.
February 11, 2011
The USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development reached its $1 million fundraising goal to establish a professorship honoring Chester A. Newland, the Duggan Distinguished Professor of Public Administration. A celebration will be held Feb. 25 at the USC State Capital Center in Sacramento to recognize Newland and the donors who endowed the fund.
February 11, 2011
Ronald Reagan's life, leadership and legacy were analyzed at USC by former members of the Reagan administration, journalists who covered the Reagan era, political scholars and historians at a conference Feb. 1-2 as part of the Ronald Reagan Centennial Celebration. The event was co-presented by the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development.
January 12, 2011
The Sacramento Bee reported that SPPD alumnus Matt Rexroad, of Woodland, was unanimously elected by his colleagues on Jan. 11 as chairman of the Yolo County Board of Supervisors. Rexroad is a political consultant, former Woodland mayor and former Marine, the story noted. Rexroad received his master of public administration in 2002 from the USC State Capital Center in Sacramento.
January 3, 2011
La Opinion quoted Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, senior fellow at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, about California Governor Jerry Brown.
December 8, 2010
USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development professor Terry Cooper was elected a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. Cooper, the Maria B. Crutcher Professor in Citizenship and Democratic Values at SPPD, was formally inducted Nov. 18 at the academy's annual conference in Washington, D.C. Fellows are chosen for their sustained and outstanding contribution to the field of public administration through public service or scholarship.
December 6, 2010
On Nov. 17, the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, the USC Office of State Government Relations and the USC College's Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics presented a panel discussion in Sacramento titled "A Transition of Governance in a Time of Crisis." The event, the fifth and last in a series on "Civil Discourse on the California 2010 Elections," drew more than 100 attendees to the USC State Capital Center.
November 22, 2010
The Los Angeles Times reported that SPPD Professor Daniel Mazmanian was co-director of a new Pacific Council report on climate change, and quoted him about the report. Mazmanian directs the USC Bedrosian Center for Governance and the Public Enterprise.
November 11, 2010
KPCC-FM's "AirTalk" interviewed SPPD Adjunct Professor Erroll Southers about new security procedures instituted by the Transportation Security Administration, including full-body scanners and more rigorous pat-downs.
November 6, 2010
The Bay Citizen quoted SPPD Senior Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about California Lieutenant Governor-Elect Gavin Newsom.
November 2, 2010
The Bay Citizen quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about a lack of Republican enthusiasm in the U.S. Senate race in California.
November 2, 2010
The Bay Citizen quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about the victory of California gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown.
October 26, 2010
The USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development hosted a panel -- featuring SPPD faculty, public officials and Los Angeles Times writers -- that addressed the checks and balances needed to prevent government corruption scandals like the one in the City of Bell. The event was co-sponsored by the American Society for Public Administration and the USC Judith and John Bedrosian Center for Governance and the Public Enterprise.
October 14, 2010
NBC Los Angeles news reporter Conan Nolan and political analyst Sherry Bebitch Jeffe addressed the highly contested gubernatorial and senate races, as well as the ballot initiatives, during a recent discussion hosted by the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development. The event, "The Political Future of California," was part of SPPD's 2010-11 Dean's Speaker Series, presented by the Athenian Society, the school's premier philanthropic support group.
October 6, 2010
The Daily Sound reported that SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe participated in a town forum called "Can California Be Saved?" at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.
October 1, 2010
The Riverside Press-Enterprise quoted SPPD Professor Chester Newland about factors that influence city managers' pay.
September 29, 2010
The Ventura County Star reported that SPPD alumnus and adjunct associate professor Earl Greenia has been hired to lead a Ventura County Medi-Cal plan that will serve about 110,000 low-income residents. Earl Greenia was announced as CEO of the Gold Coast Health Plan, a program triggered by California's mandate to transform Medi-Cal into a locally-run managed care system, the story noted. The new health plan is expected to process $300 million in claims a year and is set to begin early next year, the article stated.
September 29, 2010
The Riverside Press-Enterprise quoted SPPD Professor Chester Newland about the newly formed Redlands Association of Department Directors.
September 22, 2010
The Los Angeles Times quoted Professor Glenn Melnick about a struggle between City of Hope National Medical Center and City of Hope Medical Group.
September 17, 2010
La Opinion quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Mark Pisano about a civil lawsuit filed by California Attorney General Jerry Brown against the city of Bell's leaders.
September 17, 2010
Over the summer, seven students from the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development blazed trails of reform as fellows for Education Pioneers, a national organization of graduate students focusing on urban education issues through 10-week, paid positions outside the classroom.
September 16, 2010
The Christian Science Monitor quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about how the city of Bell's elected-official pay scandal has played into the California governor's race.
September 16, 2010
La Opinion quoted Mark Pisano, senior fellow at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, about a civil lawsuit filed by California Attorney General Jerry Brown against the city of Bell's leaders.
September 16, 2010
On Sep. 8, the USC School of Policy, Planning and Development and the USC Office of Government and Civic Engagement co-sponsored a policy briefing for the Sacramento policymaking community featuring professor Dana Goldman. The event, which was held at the California Chamber of Commerce, drew more 110 guests from the state capitol, state agencies, local health-related private and non-profit organizations, as well as USC students and alumni.
September 6, 2010
National Public Radio's "Morning Edition" interviewed SPPD Senior Fellow Richard Little about public-private partnerships in city parking systems. Little directs the Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure at USC.
August 31, 2010
Robert P. Biller, professor emeritus of public administration and a longtime USC administrator, died on Aug. 29 at his home, following a difficult illness. A gifted teacher, collaborative administrator and distinguished dean, Biller had played a key role in USC's development and growth for the past 25 years. He was also instrumental in merging the School of Public Administration with the School of Urban Planning and Development to form the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development (SPPD), and served as interim dean of the new school from 1998 to 2000.
August 29, 2010
The Ventura County Star quoted Professor Terry Cooper about the importance of trust in local government.
August 23, 2010
When the World Bank needed two summer interns to serve in its Beijing office, it turned to USC's School of Policy, Planning, and Development. MPA students Muge Wang and Jingjie Li proved to be the ideal candidates, thanks to their fluency in Mandarin and English, previous experience working on urban development issues in China during SPPD's international lab in Foshan and high academic standing. The students spent the summer working on an urban-rural integration project and creating a PowerPoint about the project for use by World Bank staff at global conferences.
August 17, 2010
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Richard Little about public-private partnerships in city parking systems. Little is director of the Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy at USC, the story noted.
August 14, 2010
The Daily Breeze quoted David Lopez-Lee, professor emeritus of the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, about what some perceive to be excessively high pay for city officials.
August, 8, 2010
Bloomberg News quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Richard Little about public-private partnerships in city parking systems. Little is director of the Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy at USC, the story noted.
July 26, 2010
Members of the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development's class of 2010 are ascending the ranks at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security, thanks to the Presidential Management Fellowship program. The PMF program, administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, is designed to groom future government leaders.
July 26, 2010
Kristie Hernandez works full time at the community clinic organization AltaMed Health Services and goes to school full time at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, where she is pursuing a master of public administration with a certificate in public policy. It's what she does in her spare time as a volunteer with the East L.A. Residents Association that earned her a place at this year's Women of the Year "Unsung Heroines" award ceremony, presented by Congresswoman Grace F. Napolitano.
July 23, 2010
The Los Angeles Times quoted Professor James Moore of SPPD and the USC Viterbi School about the impact the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's development of rail service has had on bus transit.
June 28, 2010
Voice of OC cited work by Professor Yan Tang of the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development. Tang, who teaches an introduction to public administration and society class, said USC has teamed up with the International City/County Management Association's California branch to expand the talent pool of Generation X and Y students interested in becoming local government leaders. The partnership includes a fellowship program, in which students compete for the opportunity to interact with city managers and receive tuition help, and specialized two-day workshops taught by a city manager.
June 24, 2010
Fifteen senior-ranking officials from Vietnam's Ministry of Planning and Investment met with faculty from the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development in May to discuss prospective collaborations in education and research. "They are seeking partnerships for developing courses and programs in public administration, public finance, project management and other topics related to regional economic development in Vietnam," said SPPD Senior Associate Dean Genevieve Giuliano.
June 7, 2010
The Financial Times (U.K.) quoted Richard Little, senior fellow at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, about infrastructure spending included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Little is director of the Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy at USC, the story noted.
May 24, 2010
Eleven graduate students representing the various master's programs in the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development launched the school's first student-adjudicated academic journal. The USC Policy, Planning, and Development Review, an online publication, aims to promote discourse among students of SPPD's professional degree programs by encouraging them to produce work that addresses important social topics.
May 1, 2010
The Los Angeles Times ran a Q&A with Jane Pisano of the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development. Pisano is president and director of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, which is undergoing a $115 million makeover, the article stated. "I've been interested in this institution long before I joined this board. When they asked me to take this on, I said yes because I felt like it was an institution that could be world class and that Los Angeles deserved a world-class natural history museum," Pisano said.
April 20, 2010
La Opinion quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Mark Pisano about Los Angeles' budget problems.
April 15, 2010
Yin Wang, a doctoral student at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, won the ninth annual paper award competition of the American Society for Public Administration's Section on Transportation Policy and Administration. She won the honor for her essay "Determinants of Utilization of Private Finance in Toll Road Development: Evidence From the United States."
April 1, 2010
SPPD adjunct associate professor Michael Kodama scribbles on the board at USC's Von KleinSmid Center, trying to keep pace with a dozen students who are calling out transportation-related news headlines during his "Transportation Planning" class. "The first part of the class is led by the students," Kodama said. "They can talk about anything they want and put me on the spot for an hour." It's a fitting way for Kodama to kick off each session, since he's been making news himself as the new executive director of the Orangeline Development Authority.
March 18, 2010
Covering many complex questions facing the nation in areas like the financial crisis, health care reform, transportation and regulation, Congressman Gary Miller spoke at a recent event sponsored by SPPD. The discussion was part of the Dean's Speaker Series presented by the SPPD Athenian Society.
March 8, 2010
Richard Callahan, associate dean and director of state capital and leadership programs at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, recently participated as a guest scholar in the Global Perspectives Program at Istanbul Aydin University in Turkey. Over the course of his two-week visit, Callahan gave lectures and held workshops on issues such as effective public sector leadership and public management.
February 13, 2010
The Santa Claria Valley Signal quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Richard Little about lease revenue bonds. Little is director of the USC Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy.
January 21, 2010
The Huffington Post ran a widely carried op-ed by SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's handling of the California budget. "Somebody should take California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger aside and remind him that you never bite the hand that feeds you -- even if you're still hungry after being fed," Jeffe wrote. "Faced with a $20 billion-plus budget deficit, a record-low approval rating and no prospect of garnering the two-thirds legislative vote required to raise taxes, he released a draconian state budget earlier this month and blamed everyone but himself for the fiscal mess that made it necessary."
December 21, 2009
With California facing a historic financial crisis, citizens statewide are looking for answers. On Nov. 12 at USC's Galen Center, some were offered and others refuted at a public forum of top policy advisers, academics and government officials. This was the inaugural event in the USC Critical Issues Forum, a new series sponsored in partnership between the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development and the USC Office of Government and Community Relations.
December 9, 2009
ABC News Los Angeles affiliate KABC-TV reported that William Fulton of the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development was appointed mayor of Ventura, Calif., by the Ventura City Council. Fulton, a senior fellow at SPPD, will serve a two-year term, the story stated.
October 5, 2009
The Los Angeles Times noted that Pasadena Police Chief Bernard Melekian, who is a doctoral of policy, planning, and development student at SPPD, will retire from his post to head the U.S. Department of Justice's Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program in Washington, D.C. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder made the announcement Oct. 5 during a national police leaders meeting in Denver, according to the story.
September 16, 2009
The USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development hosted members of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce this summer in the first stop of the Texas delegation's three-day Los Angeles tour aimed at exchanging information with local civic leaders and experts.
September 16, 2009
Erroll Southers MPA '98 has been nominated by the Obama administration to run the Transportation Security Administration. Southers is an adjunct professor at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, and he also serves as associate director of the USC Homeland Security Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events.
September 9, 2009
Richard Callahan, associate dean and director of leadership programs at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, has been appointed to a newly formed advisory board for the California Environmental Protection Agency's Department of Toxic Substances Control.
August 10, 2009
The Daily Breeze reported that the Obama administration plans to appoint SPPD Adjunct Professor Erroll Southers as head of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). In the position, Southers, MPA '98, would oversee a workforce of 50,000 airport screeners. Southers is a former FBI agent and previously served as deputy director of the California Department of Homeland Security, the story noted.
August 7, 2009
The USC State Capital Center welcomed more than 20 senior legislative staff from across the nation for an eight-day leadership and management training program. The goal is to help professionals develop and enhance critical skills such as effective communication, team building, negotiation and conflict resolution. Rich Callahan, associate dean at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, is co-director of the Legislative Staff Management Institute program.
July 25, 2009
NBC Nightly News interviewed Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development about California's budget deal. "This budget deal is, to some extent, created with chicken wire and chewing gum -- one-time fixes, accounting gimmicks." Jeffe said.
July 24, 2009
MSNBC quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about the California budget deal, which includes a plan to delay June 30 state employee paychecks by one day so they are paid during the next fiscal year. "It doesn't close the deficit," Jeffe said. "Are they going to next year shift the last paycheck over again? That doesn't solve the problem." This was an Associated Press story.
July 21, 2009
Voice of America quoted SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about California's budget deal. The compromise budget provides an immediate fix for the budget shortfall, but doesn't address systemic, long-term problems, Jeffe said. "[This is] bandaids and chicken wire, and we will be back facing this dilemma again," she predicted. "We are no closer, quite frankly, to solving this economic crisis, than we were when the budget was first declared out of balance."
July 15, 2009
The L.A. Metro Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration honored the USC City/County Management Fellowship program and its chair, William Kelly MPA '74, with the 2009 ASPA Chapter President's Award, which celebrates significant contributions to public service and developing future leaders. The program is an innovative collaboration between the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, alumni executives and the California International City/County Management Association.
July 14, 2009
NBC Nightly News interviewed SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about the California budget crisis. "[T]he eighth largest economy in the world is unable to borrow, is unable to pay its bills, and that will have an impact not only on the state economy, but on the national economy and on the global economy," Jeffe said.
July 7, 2009
The Orange County Register noted that SPPD Adjunct Associate Professor Michael Kodama has been named executive director of the project to develop a maglev train system for Southern California. Planners envision an elevated, 110-mile train line between Irvine and Palmdale, with overall costs estimated in the $12 billion range, the story stated.
June 14, 2009
BBC Radio's "Americana" interviewed SPPD Senior Fellow Sherry Bebitch Jeffe about the economic and political crises in California. "I hate to use this little cliche, but it is the perfect storm," Jeffe said. "It is the state's economy going in the tubes, it is the national economy going in the tubes, it is what we call 'ballot box budget,' the absolute rigid partisanship, and the meanness that you see up in Sacramento."
April 2, 2009
Los Angeles' "transportation transformation" was the subject of a recent panel discussion hosted by the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development. The event took place at the downtown headquarters of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). It was the third event in the SPPD Dean's Speaker series, which has focused on the revitalization of Los Angeles.
March 24, 2009
As the Obama administration prepares to disperse economic stimulus money for infrastructure, a timely new book sheds light on special districts -- the "shadow governments" that will be responsible for spending a large portion of these funds. In her book, Paying the Toll, Louise Nelson Dyble, associate director for research at the Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, documented how the bridge district grew from well-intentioned public corporation with bipartisan support to notorious organization rife with corruption.
March 18, 2009
With cargo flow down about one-third since last year, port stakeholders packed the 10th METRANS Town Hall meeting on March 11 in Long Beach. More than 1,000 people, including longshore workers, terminal operators, logistics providers and elected officials, attended the event. The topic was how to make the San Pedro Bay ports competitive and protect high-paying local jobs.
February 19, 2009
The Oregonian quoted Professor Richard Green about President Barack Obama's mortgage restructuring initiative. "It's a clever plan," Green said. "It might actually help the housing market bottom," he added. Green is director and chair of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate.
February 8, 2009
The San Diego Union-Tribune quoted Professor Chet Newland about widespread discrepancies between what a contractor charged for picking up wildfire debris and what was actually delivered at recycling centers. "They should have clear records for each of the deliveries, and they certainly should match with the billing," Newland said. "The city simply must hold them accountable -- usually it would have been before making a payment," he added.
February 4, 2009
Faculty and students at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development took part in a leadership training conference to help local government officials find solutions for public problems afflicting cities nationwide.
January 26, 2009
The USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development marked its 80th anniversary by hosting a special colloquium Jan. 16 at the Davidson Conference Center. During the conference, Dean Jack H. Knott noted that SPPD remains dedicated to advancing academic theory and making a vital impact in the world.
November 20, 2008
The Asian Pacific Islander Caucus, a new student organization at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, hosted its inaugural event -- a panel discussion at Lewis Hall addressing key issues currently facing the Asian American community.
October 14, 2008
A panel of preeminent financial experts, including USC faculty, weighed in with their insights on how Wall Street plunged into a tailspin -- and also how to remedy the ailing markets. "Multi-party greed" drove the downturn, says Raphael Bostic, professor at the USC School of Policy, Planning and Development.
June 4, 2008
Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, senior fellow at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, was interviewed on "Which Way, L.A.?" on KCRW about Tuesday's elections in California. The Los Angeles county supervisor race was whittled down to two candidates who will participate in a run-off election in November, the story stated. "It was a very interesting semi-final," Jeffe said. "I had thought that a run-off would be avoided, and I would have thought that Bernard Parks would have won [over Mark Ridley-Thomas] because his supporters are more high-propensity in what was to be a very low turnout," she said. "They are both competing for a very rare jewel in the L.A. crown: a very powerful position, with the ability to shape policy. And it's one of the few offices that still allow the exercise of power outside of the penetrating eyes of the media and the public, because it's boring and no one covers it. But developers and labor unions and businesses know all about it."
May 24, 2008
Juliet Musso of was quoted by the Los Angeles Times about the city of Vallejo's filing for bankruptcy. It appears that Vallejo negotiated contracts with employees that were too burdensome when the economy slowed down, Musso said. "It's a continuation of the story of bust-and-boom cycles in California," she explained.
Jack H. Knott, dean of the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy, called his recent trip to Asia "one of the most exciting I've ever undertaken." Between Nov. 19 and Dec. 4, he visited China, India and Hong Kong to advance the school's mission of shaping -- and being shaped by -- the world. "These are very important countries to Los Angeles, to USC and to the Price School," he said. "I was really impressed by the range of people that we were able to meet and the relationships that we solidified, as well as initiated."
The Bedrosian Center on Governance and the Public Enterprise launched its new "Lunch with a Leader" series, aimed at providing a small group of USC students the opportunity to engage with state and national leaders to discuss issues of governance and policy implementation. "Our goal is to have a series of small events where we have real, in-depth conversation," said USC Sol Price School of Public Policy Professor Raphael Bostic, director of the Bedrosian Center.
Jack H. Knott, dean of the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy, will serve as president of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA), the organization announced on Nov. 28. NASPAA is an international membership organization of graduate programs in public administration, public policy, and public affairs and is the recognized accreditor of master's programs in public affairs.
When October's Superstorm Sandy knocked out power in parts of Torrington, Conn., Mayor Ryan Bingham -- a student in the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy's online MPA program -- used social media to communicate with his residents. Through social media, he said, you "can speak directly to people, and they can speak directly to you."
U.S. Supreme Court justices may vote strategically to conceal their true ideology in order to influence the future makeup of the court, Northwestern law professor Tonja Jacobi explained during a recent discussion at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. The event was part of the Governance Salon series, which provide an opportunity for faculty and students to meet and engage with top researchers in the areas of effective government and public management.
USC Sol Price School of Public Policy Professor Janet Denhardt, DPA '91, was named a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) in recognition of her exemplary professional accomplishments in teaching, research and public service. Denhardt, the inaugural holder of the Chester A. Newland Professorship of Public Administration at the USC State Capital Center in Sacramento, will be formally inducted next month at the academy's national conference in Washington, D.C.
Over the summer, dozens of students from the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy went the extra mile through internships and international lab experiences across the globe. Price students took part in
International labs in Brazil and China; worked with key organizations like the Chinese Academy of Urban Planning and Design, Hong Kong-America Center, Shanghai Center for Sustainability; and interned at the U.S. State Department in Armenia.
Past presidents of the Korean Social Science Research Council include some of South Korea's highest-ranking officials -- among them, a former chairperson of the civil service commission, a former deputy prime minister of education and human resources development, and even the country's former prime minister. Now, a USC alumnus holds the position. Yong-duck Jung, who received his PhD in public administration from the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy in 1981, took over as president of the research council in January.
Scott Evans, who has served in leadership roles at USC hospitals for a decade, has been named the new CEO of Keck Hospital of USC and the USC Norris Cancer Hospital, both a part of the Keck Medical Center of USC. Evans has been at the forefront of numerous milestone achievements, including USC's historic purchase of both hospitals from Tenet Healthcare Corp., major improvements to hospital operations and the development of measures aimed at significantly enhancing patient care. He is currently in the Executive MHA program at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy.
Three members of the USC Price School of Public Policy's class of 2012 will put theory into practice in new positions at departments within the federal government. Raabia Budhwani MPA/MPL '12, Steven Shepherd MPL '12, and Robert Trombley MPP '12 have accepted high-level positions through the Presidential Management Fellowship (PMF) program designed to groom future government leaders and administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Shepherd will serve as a housing program policy specialist the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Trombley accepted an offer as a budget policy analyst at the U.S. Department of Education. And, Budhwani will work as a foreign affairs officer at the Department of State.
USC Price alumnae Jingjie "Ginger" Li MPA '11 and Wenting Wu MPA '11 have a lot in common. "Here we have two young ladies from Shanghai who did not know each other there but were both admitted to the Master of Public Administration program at the USC Price School of Public Policy. Now they are both working for USC with important jobs helping to foster the university's global agenda," said Professor Eric Heikkila. Li has been working full-time for the USC Price Office of International Initiatives since July 2011. In May, Wu became the new associate director of the USC Shanghai Office.
Will leaders, managers or analysts shape the future? This was the critical question that USC professor Leonard D. Schaeffer posed during the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy's Judge Widney Distinguished Lecture on April 10 at Doheny Memorial Library. As founding chairman and CEO of WellPoint, the nation's largest health benefits company, and a leader in the public, private and nonprofit sectors, Schaeffer spoke from decades of experience
The USC Sol Price School of Public Policy was among several USC schools and programs that ascended in the latest national rankings released by U.S. News & World Report . The Price School climbed to sixth place (from seventh in 2008) in the newest edition of "America's Best Graduate Schools" for public affairs.
Representatives of county and city governments joined academic policy scholars at USC to begin a yearlong series of panel discussions exploring California's realignment of services and funds in the areas of prisoner reentry, social services and redevelopment. Titled "Shifting the Burden," the series is presented by the Bedrosian Center on Governance and the Public Enterprise, which is housed at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy, and the Southern California chapter of The American Society for Public Administration.
During the fall, USC students who signed up for the course, "The Nonprofit Sector and the Public Interest," found themselves with $10,000 and a tough assignment. They had to give the money away to up to five deserving Los Angeles-based nonprofits. As part of the course, offered through the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy, professor Richard Sundeen asked each student to choose a nonprofit to research. At the end of the semester, they presented their findings to the class as persuasive pitches asking for $2,000 to $10,000 gifts to meet specific needs of the organizations.
The USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development (SPPD) has a mission to "shape the world," and more than 60 students spent their summers putting these words into action in Brazil, China, Bolivia and Australia.
When it comes to education, there actually are four Rs - reading, writing, arithmetic and reform. Over the summer, eight students from the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development concentrated on the subject of reform as fellows for Education Pioneers, a national nonprofit that recruits graduate students to explore issues in urban education through 10-week, paid summer positions outside the classroom.
From the 9/11 terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina to this year's devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the last decade has shown that disasters -- whether natural or man-made -- are inevitable and that the next one is coming soon. USC hosted the second annual International Society for Integrated Disaster Risk Management (IDRiM) conference, "Reframing Disasters and Reflecting on Risk Governance Deficits," which was co-sponsored by the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development and CREATE Homeland Security Center.
The nation's biggest employer - the federal government - already has snapped up four members of the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development's Class of 2011. Master of public administration graduates Kristina McBoyle, Marie Mazwi and Yuliya Zingertal and MPA/master of social work graduate Juliet Bui have been selected to participate in the Presidential Management Fellowship program administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and designed to groom future government leaders.
USC's Bedrosian Center on Governance and the Public Enterprise and ASPA recently hosted a panel discussion on California's public pension crisis. Moderated by professor Dan Mazmanian, the panel included Stuart Drown of the Little Hoover Commission; Ed Derman of the California State Teachers' Retirement System; Julie Butcher of the Service Employees International Union; Bruce Channing, Laguna Hills city manager; and Juliet Musso from the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development.
USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development professor Shui Yan Tang was named a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA). Established in 1967 and chartered by Congress in 1984, the academy consists of professional and academic leaders in public management.
The USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development signed a memorandum of understanding with the South Korean government to provide graduate education and training for selected officials from Korea's Ministry of Public Administration and Security.
Raphael Bostic, a professor at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, and Elizabeth Garrett, USC's vice president for academic planning and budget and a professor at the USC Gould School of Law, have been asked to join President Obama's administration in Washington, D.C.
February 24, 2009
February 20, 2009