Georgia Southern Department of Public and Nonprofit Studies

Final Call To RSVP By: April 19th!!!

Dear MPA Alumni,

You are invited to the 3rd Annual MPA Awards Celebration and Graduation Banquet! This is a special evening to celebrate the 2023-2024 academic year, as well as recognize our student award winners, honor society inductees, and graduating students.

This has quickly become a signature event for the MPA program and is a special opportunity for us to come together with family and friends to recognize and celebrate your accomplishments.

This event will be held on Tuesday, April 23 from 6:00-8:30pm at GS Botanic Gardens on the Statesboro Campus (invitation attached).

In order to help us plan food and set-up accordingly, please RSVP HERE - https://tinyurl.com/yz9s6y8u no later than Monday, April 15.

Congratulations to Edie and Ebow, and Zamaria for participating in the GS4 Research Symposium on April 16th. This event provided the students with an opportunity to present extensive research on various topics to interested parties!

We would also like to thank Dean Schroeder and Dr. Blackwell for stopping by and viewing their posters!

Dear MPA Alumni,

You are invited to the 3rd Annual MPA Awards Celebration and Graduation Banquet! This is a special evening to celebrate the 2023-2024 academic year, as well as recognize our student award winners, honor society inductees, and graduating students.

This has quickly become a signature event for the MPA program and is a special opportunity for us to come together with family and friends to recognize and celebrate your accomplishments.

This event will be held on Tuesday, April 23 from 6:00-8:30pm at GS Botanic Gardens on the Statesboro Campus (invitation attached).

In order to help us plan food and set-up accordingly, please RSVP HERE - https://tinyurl.com/yz9s6y8u no later than Monday, April 15.

Two of our students have been awarded scholarships and stipends from the Georgia City-County Management Association in order to attend the 2024 GCCMA Conference in Athens, GA from March 6th - March 8th. At the conference, the students will have the opportunity to network, attend workshops, partake in professional development opportunities, and will receive honorary membership from the association. Join us in congratulating Frederick Jones Jr. and Zamaria Ball!

From March 1st - March 2nd, five of our MPA students will be traveling to Norfolk, VA to compete in the 2024 NASPAA Simulation Competition and will feature the Host Nations Simulation by DMS Academy. The competition will serve as an opportunity for students to network while also challenging these students to deliver effective and equitable policies, consider the diverse needs of various populations, interpret data to evaluate and reorient policy decisions, practice inclusive decision-making and navigate challenging and asymmetrical intergovernmental relations!

1. Sarryn Davis
2. Zamaria Ball
3. Ebow Barton-Odro
4. Olivia Davis-Ryan
5. Frederick Jones Jr.

Our very own Ryan Lofaro has been awarded a grant by the Recovery Research Institute at Mass General Hospital and Harvard Medical School to investigate recovery community centers (RCCs) in rural Georgia. RCCs offer a range of services to help individuals in recovery from substance use disorder. Through interviews and surveys with RCC directors and clients, this project aims to enhance understanding of rural RCCs, focusing on client barriers, tailored services, and attitudes towards medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD). Join us in Congratulating Professor Lofaro!

Applications for the Nu Lambda Mu International Honor Society are now open!

The Honor Society is an exclusive opportunity for students of NACC member programs dedicated to nonprofit and philanthropic education. This includes graduate and undergraduate students completing PhDs, master's degrees, tracks, concentrations, certificates, majors, and minors!

The deadline to apply is October 27, 2023. Alums and students graduating this fall are eligible to apply. You can learn more about the criteria below or by visiting their website.

If there are any more questions, they can be directed to [email protected]

It's that time of the semester! Faculty advising time! MPA students, if you haven't already, reach out to your Faculty Advisor to schedule you meeting! You can find your assigned advisor on the MPA Portal listed under Advising & Other Program Info. Advising will be from October 9th-13th!

We have some exciting news to share from the ICMA student chapter.

1) MPA Executive Track student Joshua Wilson was selected to present research at the Graduate Student Symposium at the ICMA Conference in Austin, TX in October. He received a $1000 stipend from ICMA to support his travel.

2) MPA student Zamaria Ball received a scholarship from the Student Government Association through the Eagle Elevation Fund for $700 to attend the ICMA Conference in Austin, TX and participate in the student simulation competition.

A big welcome back to all the Department of Public and Nonprofit Studies students, faculty, and staff! Welcome back for Fall 2023! Let's make it another great semester!

Shout out to our MPA students Harley Smith, Angela Washington, and Edith Santana! They participated in the NASPAA Wildfire Simulation Competition earlier this month. You made the department proud. Good luck to Harley Smith's team as they won regionals and will advance to the international competition. Go Eagles!

The Georgia Southern University student chapter of ICMA will host an informative and thoughtful panel discussion about the affordable housing crisis and local government efforts this Wednesday, November 2nd at 6:00 p.m. Statesboro City Manager Charles Penny and the City's Planning & Housing Administrator Justin Williams are featured panelists alongside Dr. Kristina Patterson of Georgia Southern. The public is invited to attend this event.