NASPAA, the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration is holding its annual NASPAA conference, Building the New Civic Square, virtually Oct. 14 - 16.
NASPAA is a DC-based nonprofit association for United States and international schools of public policy and affairs. In addition to providing the accreditation for public policy schools, NASPAA offers continuing education in the field by engaging in civic engagement research and education.
Building the New Civic Square is the theme of this year’s conference, which has “only become more timely given the events of the past year,” says Robert C. Orr, NASPAA president and dean of the School of Public Policy. Orr opened the conference with a video welcome that stressed the importance and urgency of rebuilding the civic square.
The conference is focused on networking within public policy and affairs academia, as well as recognizing the significance the professional degree has in addressing the needs in the domestic and global agenda.
The New Civic Square must be “inclusive and resilient,” says Orr. The conference includes sessions on COVID-19, education and inclusivity in the career and academic field.
SPP faculty and staff are participating by hosting a range of sessions across policy topics and academic priorities, from civic engagement to undergraduate and career programming.
Thursday, Oct 15 sessions featuring SPP faculty and staff include the following panel discussions:
- Core Competencies in Undergraduate Education Skills for the Civic Square: Jennifer Littlefield
- Bridges to Somewhere Leveraging Higher Education Assets to Close Divides: Paul Brown
- Launching and Sustaining Undergraduate Programs in Professional Policy Schools: Nina Harris
- Belonging and Building Inclusion In Classrooms, Among Colleagues, and Around Policy Tables: Patricia Bory, Roger L. Worthington, Alana Hackshaw
Friday, Oct 16 sessions include the following panel discussions:
- The Communities We Want The Role of Policy Schools in Inclusive State and Local Governance: Paul Brown, House Majority Leader Eric Luedtke
- Engagement 360 Making Experiential Education More than a few Lines on a Resume: Theodore Caruthers
- Circling the Civic Square Exploring Curricular, Institutional and Policy Contours of Global Public Affairs Education: Dr. Angela Bies, Dr. Thomas Hilde
- Adapting Nonprofit Management and Social Entrepreneurship Programs in a Pandemic: Robert Grimm, Sara Gallagher
- Promoting Student and Civic Engagement through Student Affairs: Bryan Kempton
Follow along with the conference on NASPAA’s Twitter and SPP’s coverage of the event. Find the full virtual conference program here.