BGSU Zoom News

Monday, November 9, 2015

Master of Public Administration accredited | Students engage with global education

Shannon Orr and Russell Mills (center left and right) and students in the Master of Public Administration program celebrate achieving NASPAA accreditation

MASTER OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION PROGRAM ACES ACCREDITATION

BGSU's Master of Public Administration program has achieved accreditation by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration (NASPAA), recognized as the "gold standard" in graduate programs in public affairs accreditation.

A Washington, D.C.–based, international nonprofit organization, NASPAA is the commission on peer review and accreditation.

Not only was BGSU's program accredited, it received a special commendation for its service–learning and civic engagement component.

"That's a hallmark of our program and it really makes us stand out within the region and the state," said Dr. Shannon Orr, graduate coordinator for the program, which is part of the Department of Political Science. "Ours is an applied degree, and our service–learning courses give students substantial hands–on experience through projects that benefit the community. They learn the theory and they also know how to put it into practice."

NASPAA accreditation is not common, and coming from such a program will be a boon to graduates in finding a job, according to Orr. "Employers are looking for high standards in a graduate degree," she said.

At the Embracing Global Engagement awards were (left to right) Cordula Mora, Clayton Rosati, Gabriel Matney, Jonathan Yoo, Morgan Tucker, President Mary Ellen Mazey, Andrea Haas, Andrew Menich, Christina Guenther, Trinka Messenheimer, Beatrice Guenther and Jenifer Chambers.

UNDERGRADUATES EMBRACE GLOBAL EDUCATION

The second undergraduate research conference "Embracing Global Engagement: Internships, Service– and Experiential Learning in BGSU Education–Abroad Programs" on Oct. 7 was an opportunity to hear from BGSU students who "chose last year to leave their linguistic and cultural comfort zones here in Ohio in order to take advantage of BGSU's education abroad programs," said Dr. Christina Guenther, a faculty member in German, in her introduction.

The 19 presenters studied in the U.K., New Zealand and countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. During the daylong conference, about 175 attendees listened and engaged with the presenters as they told about their often transformative and surprising experiences. Four students were chosen to receive original glass awards created by BGSU alumnus Austin Littenberg.

President Mary Ellen Mazey presented them at a Nov. 6 ceremony attended by faculty, friends and family.

COATES' 'CAMP OLVIDO' GETS LITERARY ACCOLADE

Dr. Lawrence Coates, chair of the English department, continues to garner recognition for his most recent fiction.

His novella, "Camp Olvido," published this month, has received a starred review in Library Journal in the Indie Fiction category.

According to the journal, "Winner of the 2015 Miami University Press Novella Prize, this starkly beautiful work delivers a sense of entrapment most of us can barely imagine. . . . VERDICT Simply and affectingly told, this short fiction from multi–award–winning author Coates should lead readers to his full–length novels (most recently, 'The Goodbye House')."

Read the entire review.

Hear Coates read from his work at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday (Nov. 12) in Prout Chapel as part of the Winter Wheat Festival of Writing.

'WINTER WHEAT' SOWS SEEDS OF WRITING

"Winter Wheat: The Mid–American Review Festival of Writing" celebrates its 15th anniversary Nov. 12–14. "Winter Wheat" is a celebration of literary camaraderie among writers and readers, and remains the only festival/conference of its kind in the region. The festival will draw 300 students, faculty, alumni, community members, and other writers from Ohio and beyond.

The event will take place on the Bowling Green campus and will include guest readings, over 50 writing workshops, question and answer sessions with authors, a book fair of literary journals and presses, and an open mic opportunity.

Special readers through the weekend include poet Tarfia Faizullah, fiction writer and BGSU alumnus Michael Czyzniewjski, BGSU poet Larissa Szporluk, creative writing; and fiction writer Dr. Lawrence Coates, chair of the English department.

IN BRIEF

Saxophonist Erin Rogers, who received her master of music degree from BGSU in 2005, returns to campus Nov. 16 as a member of the IKTUS Combo. Part of the Music at the Forefront series sponsored by BGSU's MidAmerican Center for Contemporary Music, the free concert begins at 8 p.m. in Bryan Recital Hall at the Moore Musical Arts Center.

Get details In Brief.