News & Events
November 3, 2009 - Election Day
The 2009 races in Virginia are being closely watched for signs that there is a Republican resurgence..read more
October 29, 2009
*MPA Director Posner Testifies on Capitol Hill *
Dr. Paul Posner, gave a testimony on Capitol Hill before the Senate Budget Committee Task Force on Government Performance on October 29, 2009. The hearing explored opportunities for improvement to federal program evaluation and performance initiatives and provided updates on current executive branch efforts.
The Senate Budget Committee is responsible for drafting the annual budget plan for Congress, monitoring action on the budget, and recommending changes in the budget process for the federal government. The new Task Force on Government Performance will assist the Committee in its monitoring and oversight capacity. Also, the Task Force will examine current federal program measurement systems that have been designed to ensure that the policies are implemented efficiently and achieve the intended result.
Dr. Posner conveyed to the committee that, “Your decision to create a Task Force on Performance, chaired by Senator Warner, marks an important step forward for this committee and the Congress as a whole in integrating a performance perspective into the budget process.” To read Dr. Posner’s entire testimony, click [here]
October 15, 2009
PIA Grad Programs co-host NASPAA Conference reception
Pictured are Susanna Marking, MPA student, and Ann Ludwick, Graduate Student Coordinator, at the 2009 NASPAA Conference reception at Top of Town in Arlington, Virginia. The National Assoc. of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) is our accrediting body. The 2009 conference was held this year in Arlington. See NASPAA's website here: http://www..naspaa.org .
October 13, 2009
4:30 - 6:30 p.m.
PIA Alumni Society hosts - Deficits All Around: Can Governments Work Together to Solve Common Fiscal Problems?
Location: Rayburn House Office Building, Gold Room (2168)
Alumni Association Post Event - 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Tortilla Coast
September 26, 2009
Dr. Posner and MPA students pictured on campus at intramural field #1 after a game of Budgetball.
What is Budgetball?? Budgetball is an active sport of quick passes, tough defense, and bold comebacks designed to increase awareness of the national debt and reward strategic thinking and collaborative problem-solving around the issues of fiscal responsibility. More info: www.budgetball.org
September 10th, 2009
PIA Welcome Back Reception (Graduate Programs)
September 17, 2009 - International Security in a Multi-Polar World
5/15/2009
2009 WAYNE F. ANDERSON AWARD FOR DISTINGUISHED PUBLIC SERVICE
Ray Morrogh, BS Public Administration ’79, JD ’82, is a commonwealth attorney for Virginia in Fairfax County.
Morrough was recently invited by the chief justice of the Virginia Supreme Court to serve as a faculty member of the Virginia State Bar’s Harry L. Carrico Professionalism Course, a nationally acclaimed program for new lawyers in Virginia. Besides fulfilling his duties as a commonwealth attorney, he is involved in the community, serving as a member of the Fairfax Criminal Justice Advisory Board and the National District Attorneys Association, as well as chair of the Fairfax County Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program. His community involvement includes coaching sports through the Fairfax Police Youth Club and working on the Fairfax County Initiative Against Youth Violence.
4/15/09
*Fiscal Wake Up Tour Comes to Mason*
FAIRFAX, Va. -- The Fiscal Wake-Up Tour is a nationwide series of Town Hall forums focusing on the country’s long-term fiscal challenges. The Tour aims to explain in plain terms why budget analysts of diverse perspectives are increasingly alarmed by the nation’s fiscal outlook. The Fiscal Wake-Up Tour has been profiled in “60 Minutes” and a recent documentary entitled /I.O.U.S.A./
"One thing that Democrats and Republicans can agree on is that our nation's current fiscal policy is not sustainable over the long-term. Our children’s economic future is at risk, which is something no one wants. Changing course will require hard choices such as scaling back future entitlement promises, increasing revenues to pay for them, or -- most likely -- a combination of both. Because these choices are politically difficult, the active involvement of the American people is critical. Without greater understanding of the problem among the public, community leaders, business leaders and home state media, elected leaders are unlikely to break out of their comfortable partisan talking points and unlikely to find solutions,” said Robert L. Bixby, executive director of The Concord Coalition.
(L to R) Robert L. Bixby, Concord Coalition; Eugene Steuerle, Peterson Foundation; Nicola Moore, Heritage Foundation; Joseph J. Minarik, Committee for Economic Development.
“The nationwide Fiscal Wake-Up Tour aims to cut through the usual partisan rhetoric and stimulate a more realistic public dialogue on what we want our nation’s future to look like, along with the required trade-offs. As demonstrated by the most recent election results, voters are tired of partisan gridlock. This gives both parties an opportunity and a duty to begin working together on the real problem we face. Ensuring a sound fiscal future for our children should certainly be high on their list,” Bixby said.
More info -- www.concordcoalition.org
The Concord Coalition is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to balanced federal budgets and generationally responsible fiscal policy. Former U.S. Senators Warren Rudman (R-NH) and Bob Kerrey (D-NE) serve as Concord's co-chairs and former Secretary of Commerce Peter Peterson serves as president.
4/1/09
Upcoming Events:
*April 8th "America's Kingdom: Myth-Making on the Saudi Frontier"
Professor Robert Vitalis 7:30pm Johnson Center Bistro
*April 13th "Measure for Measure and the Properties of Government"
Professor Conal Condren, Emeritus Professor at the University of New South Wales 12:00noon Robinson Hall A 203 "Brown Bag"
*April 15th "Fiscal Wake Up Tour" Forum Program 4:00-6:00pm JC Cinema
*April 24th "Pi Alpha Alpha Graduate Honors Dinner" 6:00-8:30pm
SUB II Rooms 5-7
*April 29th "Harold Gortner Distinguished Speaker Series" featuring
Alice Rivlin "Saving Market Capitalism" 4:00-6:00pm SUB II Ballroom
3/25/09
Dr. Paul Posner becomes ASPA President
MIAMI, FL - The Department of Public & International Affairs is proud to announce that MPA Director Dr. Paul Posner was officially inducted as President of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) at the 2009 70th Annual Conference held in Miami.
3/20/09
* Congratulations to the following professors in our department who were nominated for the GMU 2009 Advisor of the Year Award:
*Dr. Peter Balint
*Dr. Char Miller
*Dr. Ginta Palubinskas
*Dr. David Wilsford
1/22/09
- Professor Jim Burroughs welcomes PIA graduate students in the MPA and Political Science programs at Spring New Student Orientation held on January 15, 2009 at the Fairfax campus.
1/6/09
- The Northern Virginia Public Service Fellows cohort #5 hosted an ethics forum on December 9, 2008. The event, titled "Preserving the Integrity and Reputation of your Local Government - Ethics and Third Parties," was held at the Fairfax campus. Pictured(L to R) are PIA assistant professor Lehn Benjamin, Martha Perego, and The Honorable Tom Davis. More about this program can be found at www.thirdpartyethics.net.
1/5/09
- Running the Government: Mason Partners with Consultants to Guide
Public Administration:
http://gazette.gmu.edu/articles/12979/When Barack Obama takes over the job of president later this month, he will oversee a federal workforce of nearly two million. And these federal workers will in turn manage an even larger contractor workforce of more than 7.6 million. Mason's Department of Public and International Affairs is partnering with consulting companies to educate these
workforces about the pressing issues that face modern government management.
Check out archives of past news and events in PIA
