UpDate - Vol. 12, No. 22, Page 1
March 4, 1993
Joseph Pika to head new governor's commission

     Joseph Pika, associate professor of political science and
international relations, has been appointed by Gov. Thomas Carper as
executive director of the Commission on Government Reorganization and
Effectiveness.
     Pika will oversee an examination of Delaware state agencies for
possible reorganization, something not done since 1970 when the state
adopted a cabinet-style government. Gov. Carper calls the commission "one
of the most important efforts" of his administration in 1993.
     For the project, Pika will be on partial leave from the University
with some teaching assignments, and he will continue to serve as associate
chairperson of the department.
     Pika called his new assignment a "challenge and an enormous task," but
said he is looking forward to it since it dovetails with his academic
interests and his involvement in politics for the past 10 years.
     "The University is delighted to be of assistance in your effort to
study the organization of Delaware's government," President David P.
Roselle wrote in response to Gov. Carper's request for Pika's services.
"The University shares your enthusiasm for the potential benefits to the
citizens of Delaware of the commission's labors. We are proud that the
University can serve as a resource in this exciting project," Roselle said.
     Edward Ratledge, director of the Center for Applied Demography and
Survey Research, also will serve on the commission, which will be chaired
by Lt. Gov. Ruth Ann Minner.
     Pika holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Johns Hopkins
University and a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin, and he has
conducted research on the American executive branch, focusing on
presidential management, federal bureaucracy and organizational theory.
     Author of numerous articles, he also has co-written two books: The
Presidential Contest with Zelma Mosley, assistant professor of political
science, and Richard Watson, of the University of Missouri, and The
Politics of the Presidency with Norman C. Thomas, of the University of
Cincinnati, and Watson.
     He and Janet Johnson, associate professor of political science and
international relations, recently have been conducting research on Delaware
interest groups, such as Common Cause, and their interaction with state
agencies and the legislature. Their work will be included in an upcoming
collection of essays on interest groups, published by Pennsylvania State
University.
     Pika received the Chancellor's Award for Teaching Excellence at the
University of Wisconsin at Madison in 1978, and the University of
Delaware's Excellence in Teaching Award in 1987 and the Excellence in
Advising Award in 1992.
                                        -Sue Swyers Moncure