UD to host conference of university public service organizations in April 2017

10:12 a.m., April 22, 2016--The University of Delaware’s Institute for Public Administration (IPA) will welcome the annual conference of the Consortium of University Public Service Organizations (CUPSO) to campus in April 2017. 

Laura Meadows, CUPSO president and director of the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government, announced IPA’s selection as 2017 host at the most recent annual conference, which was hosted by Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, on April 6-8. 

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“We’re excited to welcome our colleagues to the University of Delaware campus in Newark and look forward to a series of stimulating presentations and conversations about the roles universities play in tackling major public challenges,” said IPA Director Jerome Lewis.

Founded in 1979 and originally aimed at supporting the efforts of public-service institutes at southern universities, CUPSO’s membership now covers 24 states ranging from New Jersey, Georgia and Florida to Colorado, Idaho and Utah. Member institutes enable data-driven policy making, provide research and technical assistance to improve government management practices, and develop the leadership skills of current and future public sector leaders.

IPA professional staff members Chris Kelly, Troy Mix, Sarah Pragg and Kelly Sherretz joined Lewis and CUPSO colleagues at the 2016 conference in Athens. 

The gathering provided “a unique opportunity to network with other university-based public service organizations and engage in productive discussions on topics that are high on the agendas of organizations such as ours,” said Mark Weinberg, founding dean of Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs.

Conference highlights included a workshop focused on cultivating an entrepreneurial approach to the development of public service initiatives, a welcome from Ohio University President Roderick McDavis, and remarks from John Carey, chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education, on the importance of university public service activities. 

Mix presented as part of a plenary panel on fostering innovation and developing the next generation of leaders at university public service institutes. He highlighted the need to communicate clear organizational expectations about the value of innovation and create processes that provide safe spaces for developing and testing novel public service approaches. 

Following this presentation, Mix joined colleagues from Wichita State University, the University of Virginia, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in facilitating breakout sessions aimed at crafting solutions to monetary and operational challenges to innovation. 

Established in 1973, IPA is a unit of the School of Public Policy and Administration that addresses the policy, planning, and management needs of its partners through the integration of applied research, professional development, and the education of tomorrow’s leaders.