The National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration has honored UD's Jeff Raffel.

Public affairs award

SPPA professor Jeff Raffel recognized by national association

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12:23 p.m., Nov. 3, 2011--The National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA), the leading organization of graduate programs in public administration, public policy and public affairs, recently awarded University of Delaware Prof. Jeffrey Raffel with a Special Service Citation.

Raffel, the Charles P. Messick Professor of Public Administration at the School of Public Policy and Administration (SPPA), was honored  “for his extraordinary service and leadership to NASPAA for over 15 years, with deep appreciation for [his] many contributions to public service in the U.S. and internationally,” said NASPPA President Frances Berry, at the association’s annual conference in Kansas City, Mo., in October.

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“Jeff Raffel has been a national leader in public affairs education and scholarship for decades,” added SPPA Director Maria Aristigueta. “And through his service as president and officer of NASPAA, he has helped to strengthen public affairs programs across the nation and to bring significant recognition to the University of Delaware public affairs programs.”

In 2009, Raffel became the first UD representative to serve as NASPAA president.  He was the University's principal representative to NASPAA from 1980 to 2007, and was on the NASPAA Executive Council from 1996-99. From 2001-05, Raffel was a member of the Commission on Program Review and Accreditation and served as its chair from 2003-05.

“The NASPAA award is especially significant since it was bestowed at the initiative of the Executive Council as an expression of the high regard for Jeff’s national leadership of public affairs education, research and public service,” said Dan Rich, professor of public policy and former University provost. 

Raffel was chair of the NASPAA Standards 2009 Steering Committee, and spearheaded the development of new accreditation standards. Part of his contributions led to the revisions of standards and for non-U.S. programs to be eligible to apply for accreditation.  As a result, leading international programs are now using NASPAA standards, setting the precedence for high-quality programs in the fields of public affairs and administration around the world.

About Raffel

With a research focus on educational policy, school desegregation and public management and privatization, Raffel has published in leading journals in the areas of public administration, educational policy and urban affairs. 

A faculty member at UD since 1971, Raffel served as SPPA director from 1997-2007, and previously as the director of the Master of Public Administration program for six years.  He was also the University’s first Public Sector Fellow, serving as special assistant for intergovernmental relations to Gov. Pete du Pont in 1978.

Raffel earned his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in political science and his undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Rochester.

About NASPAA

Founded in 1970, NASPAA’s 280 members confer more than 10,000 master’s degrees annually. NASPAA’s mission is to ensure excellence in public service education and promote the ideal of public service, and it is the specialized accreditor of master degree programs in public affairs.  The University of Delaware School of Public Policy and Administration has been a NASPAA member since the 1970s.  

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