sps spring 2010 newsletter

8/9/2019 SPS Spring 2010 Newsletter

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CoLLege of LIBerAL ArTS & SCIenCeS A N E W S L E T T E R F R O M T H E S C H O O L O F P U B LI C S E R V I C E

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2 0 0 9 2 0 1 0 VO LU M E TH REE

In the spring quarter of 2008, a group of DePaul School

of Public Service (SPS) students in MPS 500 Introduction

to Public Service played a pivotal role in launching

a pioneering nonprofit, Lincoln Park Village. Their final

projects provided a framework to start the organization

and created a partnership that continues today.

The founders envisioned a service for older residents

of the area that would enable them to remain in their

own neighborhoods and homes, with activities, social

supports and medical assistance as needed to contribute

to a vital and secure future. As a final project for the

class, professor J. Patrick Murphy assigned six students

to work with the organizations founders to develop a

strategic plan for assessing the viability of the start-up.Founding executive director Dianne Campbell says, The

input from the students strategic plan was instrumental

in the early formative stage of the organization.

Two SPS student groups created strategic plans that

focused on the fledgling organizations needs during

its development and opening. Students Kim Christensen,

Holly McDaniel and Anna Bibek wrote a marketing and

development plan with a membership recruitment

strategy. The other group of students, Deirdre Boone,

Greg Roe and Kristin Dee, developed a service offerings

plan. Both groups identified ideas and suggestions that

were implemented at Lincoln Park Village.

The marketing teams final report made five major

recommendations, all of which the Village adopted

to bolster membership and public relations. Two

suggestions by the services team became part of the

bedrock of the organization: utilizing strategic partner

professionals and a large volunteer base to provideservices, and implementing careful evaluation of services

by both members and providers. Both groups emphasized

the need for focus groups and surveys before the Village

opened. In a recent interview, board president Katherine

Zartman commented that it was interesting to reread

the reports two years later and see how thoughtful and

accurate the evaluations were. Many of the suggestions

were followed and many of the concerns raised proved to

be challenges, as predicted.

Lincoln Park Village began offering services in June 2009

and today has 150 members, more than 60 vetted service

providers, and 80 volunteers. The organization provides

its members and their families with well-being calls,access to experts on issues of aging, and help with daily

living tasks. The Village also helps the residents maintain

physical and mental fitness with a wide range of classes,

events, tours, social events and volunteer opportunities.

DePaul and Lincoln Park Village continue to cooperate

and support one another; students serve as volunteers

at the Village. Together Lincoln Park Village and DePaul

are building a strong multi-generational community and

the Village welcomes all of the SPS community to join in

the efforts.

For more information and to get involved visit

the website at lincolnparkvillage.org or e-mail

[email protected].

i n s i d e

facultyLetter from the Director:William Calzatta

Research Profile:

Mac Tavati

studentsStudent Profile:

Atw Baily

alumniAlumnus Response:

Chis Bll

study abroadThe Weavers

of Development

Living and Learning

across the Atlantic

chaddick

hayStudents Leading UrbanProgress

Spring with the

Hay Project

eventsASPA Awards and Event

Sustainability at DePaul

PAA Inauguration

Community Garden

at Cabrini-Green

feature

Lincoln Park Village members (above and below) volunteer

and socialize at a variety of community activities and programs.


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In my previous columns I discussed the systemic growth and logistics of the School of Public Service. During this year we

completed faculty searches for full-time, tenure track positions in SPSresponding to the goal to strategically increase

the capacity of the school. I am delighted to announce that SPS hired Rebecca Steffenson. Rebecca currently serves as visiting

assistant professor with DePauls Department of Political Science, and though she officially starts in September, she will be

teaching as an adjunct faculty member over the summer.

Rebecca Steffensons career in academia has focused on political science, comparative politics, social science research

methods and international studies. In addition to her work at DePaul, she has held teaching positions as the University

of Glasgow and Northern Illinois University. Rebecca served as a research fellow at the Institute of Governance, Public Policy,

and Social Research at Queens University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and as the Jean Monnet Fellow at the Robert Schuman

Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy. She is the author of Managing EU-US

Relations: Actors, Institutions and the Transatlantic Policy Process (2005, Manchester University Press UK/Macmillan US) and

numerous articles and book chapters on the transatlantic marketplace. She earned a Ph.D. from the University of Glasgow,

an M.A. in comparative politics from University College Dublin, and a B.A. in political science from DePaul University.

I congratulate Rebecca on her appointment. Her expertise complements that of the existing SPS faculty and will strengthen the

schools mission to educate interdisciplinary and global leaders.

In April we were given the news that Professor Dean Eitel has decided to retire from DePaul as of June 11, 2010. Dean served

SPS as assistant director and taught many courses for 12 years, after a long career with the federal government. Students,

alumni, faculty and staff will miss his expertise, his collegiality, and his presence in the SPS office. We hope that he will remain

n touch, and thank him for his years of service and dedication.

As I enter into the final months of my tenure as interim director of the School of Public Service, I am pleased with what we

accomplished during this academic year. Although I will be handing the reins of director back to Pat Murphy on September 1,

I look forward to remaining on the SPS faculty. Thank you all for your support this year.

Research as Service

Do academic institutions have a social responsibility to the local and

global community? And do public service programs have a responsibility

to assist in the capacity development in organizations and institutions?

Professor Marco Tavanti asks these questions in his research on academic

social responsibility and through his teaching at the School of Public

Service. For the past five years he has collaborated with Adamson

University in Manila, Philippines, a fellow Vincentian institution, to work

on participatory action research and urban poverty assessments

and evaluations to measure the impact of policies and programs on

impoverished communities. Tavanti suggests that research has the

potential to empower communities while informing public policy

decisions. Research projects are usually done about communities, about

organizations, about societies, and very few use a true participatory

approach in which community leaders and local institutions are

thoroughly involved in the process. His work in Manila exemplifies how

research can build capacity within organizational structures while

fostering social justice, community growth and systemic change.

When speaking about the research, Tavanti highlights the innate

cooperative structure of the work. The community owns the research

data, they manage the data and they use the reports we compile to

influence Filipino public policy. Through research teams composed of

SPS students, Adamson faculty and community leaders, Tavanti has

been evaluating poverty reduction

methods and social enterprises while

building skills and capacity among

impoverished communities in Manila.

Research becomes an act of service

by building capacity in communities,

rather than simply examining and

writing about them.

Tavanti integrates his participatory

research values into his teaching

by leading an SPS study abroad class

in research methods to Manila each

December. Students learn applied

methods like Participatory Poverty Assessment (PPA) and Appreciative

Inquiry Approach (AIA) while helping local communities and organizational

partners to become more effective. The class pairs DePaul students

with Adamson researchers and Vincentian volunteers to work with local

communities to gather data and implement the research findings, and

compile reports. Tavantis engaged research is an example of how

academics and universities can contribute to the development of

impoverished and struggling communities, both locally and internationally,

as well as the development of their own communities and institutions.

Marco TavantiresearCh Profile

LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR

William Calzaretta


3/8LAS.DePAuL.eDu/SPS 3

Al Gore and I have some-thing in common: we are

both from Tennessee. I was frustrated when

Gore conceded the election in 2000. I felt like

I was standing on the sidelines, and vowed never

to feel that way again.

Although I was active in student government and

College Democrats of America during my

undergraduate studies, when I was invited to

Democratic Summer Academy (a week-long,

political operative training camp at Vanderbilt

University) I felt I was jumping into the ring. For the

program finale, participants assembled campaign

models that were judged by the sponsor Vice

President Gore. Participants were then offered avariety of key political assignments. I chose to go

to West Virginia to work on a congressional

election, which was a wonderful experience even

though the campaign lost.

After this consuming experience, I moved back to

Tennessee and continued my work in politics

while finishing my bachelors degree at Middle

Tennessee State University. I helped the governor

of Tennessee with a statewide coordination

operation, and did research and coordination for

the Tennessee Democratic Party (TNDP). I was

then hired by the Wes Clark for President

campaign to manage the middle Tennessee voter

contact efforts. After John Kerry clinched the

de facto nomination, I won a promotion at TNDP

as coordinator of voter

contact for all of the

legislative races across

the state. I served as

an officer for the

Tennessee Delegation

to the Democratic

National Convention in

2004 and I was on the

convention floor when

then State Senator Obama gave his memorable

keynote address.

In 2005, I declined a job offer on Capitol Hill as

staff assistant for Congressman Bart Gordon(TN D-6th) because I wanted to focus my political

work in one specific field. I have always been

passionate about health care, so I took a job at

a substance abuse treatment center. Within

three years I was residential program director at

the center, had earned a graduate certificate in

health administration and planning from Tennessee

State University, and had continued with campaign

work, this time for the mayor of metropolitan

Nashville. I realized that my return to government

service was inevitable, and decided to pursue

a master in public administration degree at

DePaul. The commitment to service learning and

international study I found at the School of Public

Service compelled me to come to Chicago for

the next step in my public service career.

Student Achievements

This year the School of Public Service nominated

ten outstanding candidates for the US Presidential

Management Fellowship (in alphabetical order):

Rose Boras, Chris Hines, Brian Jordan,

Amber Laxton, Dan Morris, Emily Rolkowski,

Carl Seid, LaMondre Taylor,Anthony Tindall

and Zack Waisanen.

Wilmar Molina is now a consultant with Fundacin

las Golondrinas, an organization working on

conservation and environmental education in

Colombia, after a successful internship with

the foundation during the December 2009

intersession.

Incoming student Kathleen Van Tiem was invited

by Senator Durbin to testify at the Senate

Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial

Services and General Government in April, 2010.

Rahel Williams received a Fulbright-Hays Group

Projects Abroad Scholarship for an intensive study

of Swahili during the summer 2010.

Students, send us your recent milestones and

achievements including awards, new initiatives

and published works to share with the SPS

community. Please e-mail submissions to

[email protected].

Degree Candidate: Master of Public Administration

Antwon Bailey

stdts

Profile

Faculty Achievements

Woods Bowman will present a paper titled Are Nonprofits Part of the Social

Economy and How It Matters to the Association for Nonprofit and Social Economy

Research in Canada in June.

David Ehrlich will present a paper titled Innovative Finance for Energy and GHG

Reduction Projects: A Review of the Alternatives at a conference hosted by

the European Research Institute on Cooperative and Social Enterprise (Euricse)

this June in Trento, Italy.

Dean Eitel was recently appointed as the North American Regional Editor of the

Public Management Review, an international journal (based in the UK) discussing the

development of public management around the world. Dean also facilitated two

strategic planning workshops, one for the Village of Riverside and another for the

Fox River Trolley Association and Museum. He also served on the Tenneco Sons and

Daughters Scholarship Program committee to help the company select individuals

for competitive college scholarships.

J. Patrick Murphy presented a paper titled The Future of Management Education:

Values, Strengths & Practices, on April 5 at the Pontifical Catholic University of

Parana in Curitiba, Brazil and published an article, Preparing a Global Workforce in

the April issue of the Universitys magazine, Vida Academia. Also in Brazil, Murphy

presented Managing Higher Education: Moving Forward, Moving Backward, Moving

At All? at the Federal University of Santa Catarina in Florianopolis on April 30 and

Management Education: Values, Strengths & Practices at the Federal University of

Amazon in Manaus on April 9.

This summer many of our professors, alumni and students will present papers

at the International Society for Third Sector Research (ISTR) conference.

In 2010, the biennial conference will be held in Istanbul, Turkey from July 710.

Woods Bowman will present The Contribution of Corporation Law to

Civil Society.

David Ehrlich will present The Third Sectors Role in Strengthening

Consumer-Led Social Responsibility.

Ron Fernandes and Sandra Bykowski 09 will present a paper Small Water

Projects Can Do Big Things: Watershed Management in India.

J. Patrick Murphy,Victor Meyer Jr. and Lucilaine Pascucci will present

Strategies in Brazilian Nonprofit Hospitals: Convergence of Social Mission

and Sustainability.

Tamara Nezhina will present two papers, Social Entrepreneurship in America:

Effects of Ideology and Economic Crisis and Women United: New Role for

Womens Organizations in Kazakhstan.

Raphael Ogom and Lev Turner 04 will present "Civil Society Organizations,

Democratic Consolidation and a Culture of Suspicions in Sub-Saharan Africa:

Which Way Forward?"

Marco Tavanti, Elizabeth Schuering (candidate 10) and Simone Gourguechon

(candidate 11) will present The Sustainable Food Movement: The Locavore,

Slow Food, and Food First solutions to the Global Food Crisis.


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Chris Bell: Alumnus Response

On February 22, 2010 School of Public Service alumnus Chris Bell deployed

as a member of a Relief Emergency Response Unit in Haiti with the

American Red Cross. The magnitude 7 earthquake displaced more than

2 million people and caused more than 200,000 deaths. A disasterresponse professional at Booz Allen Hamilton, Chris participated on

a voluntary mission to Haiti with the support of his employer. He was part

of a five-person team that managed needs assessment and distribution

of non-food items and shelter supplies such as sanitation kits, kitchen kits,

tarpaulins, ropes, buckets and mosquito nets.

Chris was not always an emergency response expert. He began working

in the nonprofit world as a major gifts fundraiser with United Way

in Chicago. He decided to re-focus his career on international disaster

management and to obtain a graduate degree in the field. In 2001,

he moved to major gifts fundraising with the American Red Cross (ARC)

a move that combined his professional expertise with the opportunity

to learn about disaster and emergency response. In 2003, he enrolled atthe School of Public Service as a candidate for the M.S. in international

public service to prepare for his career shift.

While at SPS, Chris counseled a small international nonprofit in partnerships

with larger NGOs, such as CARE and Save the Children, to create

childrens programs in Nicaragua, the Philippines, Uganda and Thailand.

As his experience grew, he was quickly able to move into disaster

operations at ARC and involved himself fully in emergency and disaster

response. At the Red Cross he assisted in multiple emergency efforts,

deploying to Hurricane Ike as a liaison to the Federal Emergency

Management Agency (FEMA) and projects in South Africa and Panama.

Graduated with distinction from SPS in 2005, Chris now works for Booz

Allen Hamilton in the Washington D.C. area as an associate on the

Disaster Preparedness Planning and Exercise Team. Though he goes out

on special emergency missions such as to Haiti, his daily work includes

leading teams of consultants in the design and execution of disaster

exercises for Department of Homeland Security agencies such as FEMA,

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the United States

Coast Guard (USCG).

Alumnus Chris Bell worked as part of a Relief Emergency Response Unit

with the American Red Cross. (above) An example of the damage caused

by the January 12, 2010, earthquake in Haiti. (below)

almi

Debra Bachman-Zablouidil 94 published an article titled They Messed with Texas

. . . and It Worked in the Jan/Feb 2010 issue of Forum, the magazine of the Association

Forum of Chicagoland.

Carie Anne Ergo 04 began a new job as chief management officer for the City of

Aurora, Illinois in December 2009.

Denise Lyons 00 was named a Library Journal Mover & Shaker for 2010 for her work

on literacy and spearheading the South Carolina Day by Day Family Literacy Calendar.

Send us your milestones at [email protected].

Michella (Missy) McMaster 06 was named senior social entrepreneurial fellow at the

Center for Governmental Studies a t Northern Illinois University in April, 2010.

Darcy A. Nendza 05 took a new position as the executive director of the Illinois

Music Educators Association starting April 2010.

Xiaojun Wu 05, earned his MBA from Brandeis in 2007. Wu is currently a financial

analyst at Injured Workers Pharmacy in the greater Boston area. He also is

working with The Educational, Scientific and Cultural Exchange LLC (TESC) on

international educational exchange focused on China.

ALUMNIMilestones


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Living and Learning across the Atlantic:

Professor Joseph Schwieterman Reflects on Brussels

Understanding the global dimensions of economic and social problems

is a prerequisite for a career in policy analysis. It is no longer enough

to study policy problems only in a theoretical context before entering the

job market. This reality is a key reason I teach a study abroad class called

Understanding the Global Public Sector: Impact and Influence of the EU

and NATO (MPS 575) at SPS.

Held in Brussels, Belgium each spring quarter, the course focuses

on policymaking in the European Union (EU). Students and professors

alike explore the ways in which the legacy of conflict in Europe has

fostered a spirit of trans-border cooperation and a commitment to political

compromise to build a new era of unification. The city of Brussels serves

as a focal point for European lobbying and policy advocacy, and students

compare and reflect on its similarities with Washington, D.C. Most

importantly, students learn how emerging political coalitions, international

diplomacy and foreign relations influence the careers of civil servants

across the Atlantic.

The Leuven Institute for Ireland in Europe is the partner institution for this

SPS study abroad. They graciously hosted meetings between EU

officials and the SPS group, giving the students an opportunity to serve

as ambassadors from the United States. To set the stage for these

diplomatic interactions, the group traveled to the site of notorious trench

warfare during World War I, where millions of Europeans lost their lives

in conflict. Throughout the week, we enjoyed candid and free-flowing

discussions with prestigious EU executives who talked about the many

partnerships between nations that were at war so many times in the past.

Along with this forward-thinking policymaking, we also experienced the

Europeans legendary penchant for talking about problems for seemingly

endless periods before taking action. Participant Kendra D. Spearman

(candidate 2011) commented, My experience in Brussels was breath-

taking. I gained an assortment of perspectives that have increased

my understanding of the European Union and am now better able to

integrate domestic and foreign policies to think critically about pressing

issues in the United States.

The 2010 Brussels study abroad group visiting historic World War I trenches

at Vimy Ridge.

The mountain air is cool and strings of brightly colored papel picado banners drape the churches and

plazas. Cobbled streets and colonial buildings give San Cristbal de las Casas a romantic air that

attracts people from all corners of the globe. The thousands of tourists who stroll along these avenues

and through narrow shops filled with amber and textiles may not realize that this beautiful town is an

epicenter for a changing pattern of development and globalization.

Although we enjoyed the ambience, our 20-person Sustainable Development class (MPS 511) was

there to look past the main avenues, into the complex pattern that is being woven by the many

threads of development in Chiapas: indigenous communities, government, armed resistance groups,

a mestizo demographic (the majority of the Mexican population), non-governmental organizations,

civil society organizations and ultimately the mechanisms of capitalism that weave them all together.

Mexico, like many developing countries, struggles to grow and provide human rights and civil liberties

for its citizens while keeping up with the globalized world system. In Chiapas, marginalized pop-

ulations (the impoverished and indigenous people) and their civil society representatives work tirelessly

to fend off oppression and integrate themselves into the growth of Mexico and the world-wide

economy. These threads of consciousness and empowerment in the community are catalysts for creating

a sustainable development process. The fabric of society is slowly changing to accommodate the

voices and needs of the impoverished and vulnerable populations as they mobilize and become part of

the democratic process.

The process of sustainable and progressive change is extraordinary and difficult. Disparities and divergent

world views create an environment that is susceptible to conflict. A clear example is the difference

between two of the groups we met with on the trip, the Zapatistas and Las Abejas. Both organizations

are asking for human and indigenous rights to be considered in the development process of Mexico

and the world; but they are doing so in very different ways. The Zapatistas reject the authority of the

government and have taken up arms to make their opinions heard while the Las Abejas organization

promotes a mission founded on pacifism and dialogue with the state government. When internal

ideologies and approaches to change differ, the delicate thread holding a society together has thepotential to unravel. These varying interests and actors, like the colorful threads woven into one fabric,

are each vital in the process of development in Chiapas and the global community.

LAS.DePAuL.eDu/SPS 5

The Weavers of Development: A Chiapas Study

A local woman weaving in the town of

Zinacatan in the state of Chiapas. (above)

SPS student Eric Stern learns about

indigenous Mayan medicine from a

representative of Las Abejas in Chenalho,Chiapas. (below)

Authors:Amanda Fleetwood,

Simone Gourguechon and Eric Stern

Degree Candidates: M.S. International

Public Service


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Few aspects of my job are more gratifying than getting high school students excited about studying their neighbor-

hoods, notes Lauren Fischer, program manager at the Chaddick Institute. SPS graduate students working with

Chaddick offer the Students Leading Urban Progress program. Now in its fifth year, the program exposes high school

students to cutting-edge urban planning and metropolitan development techniques. This year, the program partner

school was ACE Technical Charter High School, located in Chicagos Washington Park neighborhood.

Graduate students at SPS are perfect mentors for the students. The kids learn a great deal from them during in-class

activities, site visits and field research, reports SPS student Steven Field, who helps run the program. This years

program gives students from lower-income households the opportunity to have one-on-one conversations with

prominent leaders from government and central city institutions, including the Chicago Transit Authority, Chicago

Architecture Foundation, and Active Transportation Alliance. A trip to the Near South Side seemed a particular

highlight for the students, Field says. They were fascinated by Alderwoman Pat Dowells talk describing the innovative

Bronzeville-IIT CTA Green Line station. No urban planning class in Chicago would be complete without trips to

some of the citys most diverse neighborhoods, so the group traveled by bus and train to South Chicago, Uptown and

Pilsen to see the benefits of community participation and economic development. The 2010 program concluded in

May with a luncheon at SPS, where the high school students presented their reflections and what they learned during

the program.

The Chaddick Institute thanks the SPS community, especially studentsAmy Creyer, Brian Izzo, Joan Pinnell and

Kendra Spearman, for their assistance with the program. It has been a remarkable partnership, Field concludes.

Students interested in finding out about upcoming Chaddick events and opportunities should e-mail

[email protected] or visit the Web page las.depaul.edu/chaddick.

Students Leading Urban Progress

On a neighborhood tour,SPS student Joan Pinnell

leads the group. (above)SPS student Andrew

Pizzano talks with the highschool students abouturban planning through theStudents Leading UrbanProgress program. (below)

Vincent on Leadership:The Hay Project Updates

Spring was an exciting time for The Hay Project. Project staff began a partnership with

the Ignatian Spirituality Project called Transformational Leadership with the Homeless

Initiative. The initiative team trained fourteen DePaul faculty and staff to lead spirituality

and addiction-recovery help groups for homeless people in Chicago. Facilitators guide

weekly sessions in three Chicago homeless shelters: St. Martins, Sister House, and

The Lincoln Park Community Shelter. A grant from the Vincentian Endowment Fund

in honor of the 350th anniversary of the deaths of St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise de

Marillac made this initiative possible.

On May 12, the Hay Project and the Student Leadership Institute welcomed Caryn

Bryant, human resources executive team leader at Target Corporation, as the culminatingspeaker for the Inspiring Voices: DePauls Leadership Legacy in Action series. The

20092010 series has ended, but you can review information on Caryns presentation

and other Inspiring Voices speakers on the website: leadership.depaul.edu or on the

Facebook Fan PageVincent on Leadership: The Hay Project.

The Meet. Learn. Lead. Leadership development workshops for 20092010 concluded

on May 3 with a workshop for School of Public Service students about socially

responsible leadership. This workshop series promotes and explores concepts of servant

leadership and self-leadership.

Graduate Assistants Jenny Mohan and Mandy Sharp will finish their work with The

Hay Project at the end of spring quarter. Thanks to Jenny and Mandy for their hard work;

we wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors.

chaddick

hay pjct


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Goodbye and Thanks to Gloria Simo and Dean Eitel

On May 24 the School of Public Service gave thanks and goodbyes

to professors Dean Eitel and Gloria Simo. The SPS community

gathered to honor their many years of hard work at the school and

their commitments to serve the greater good as teachers and public

servants. The reception was held in the Dublin room at SPS and

faculty, staff, students and alumni celebrated with kind words and

a roast of each colleague. On behalf of the greater SPS community,

many thanks to Gloria and Dean and good luck in your journies.

ASPA Awards and Event

The Greater Chicago Chapter of the American Society for Public

Administration (ASPA) held its annual event at the School of Public

Service on May 7. This year SPS professor Dean Eitel received

the Faculty Member of the Year Award. Also, each year one student

and one alumnus from each school earn an award. This year the

DePaul University Outstanding Student Award went toAndrew

Pizzano (candidate 2010) for his work in metropolitan planning and

assistance at the Chaddick Institute. The DePaul Model Administrator

Award for an alumni went to Dawn Melchiorre 04, policy director at

Voices for Illinois Children and an active advocate on issues of health

and service for children and families.

Public Service Abroad Colloquium: Brussels and Chiapas

Professors and students gathered to reflect on public service in the

international context and to share experiences from the most recent

trips to Brussels, Belgium and Chiapas, Mexico. The second of its

kind, the event was held on May 4 in the SPS Dublin Room with lively

discussion and great stories. The colloquium will be held quarterly

(tentatively October 5 for summer quarter study abroad) once groups

have returned from their service adventures. It is a great way to learn

about the SPS study abroad options and to share insights on global

public service.

Sustainability at SPS and DePaul

The SPS community is at the head of the movement to make DePaul University sustainable. Many SPS

students and professors are active participants in the school-wide efforts to integrate sustainable practices

into the universitys operations. The SPS initiative is led by professor Marco Tavanti, a member of the University

Sustainability Initiative Taskforce Committee.

SPS hosted Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility: A Fashion or a Global Trend with Nikos Avlonas,

co-founder and managing director of Centre on Sustainability and Excellence on March 31. DePaul University

celebrated Earth Week from April 19 through April 26 with a host of lectures, events and workshops. Pleasestay up-to-date on sustainability events through the SPS events calendar on the website, or see Marco for ways

to participate in this school-wide initiative.

vts

LAS.DePAuL.eDu/SPS 7

Professor Marco Tavantileads discussion about study

New PAA officers and members with SPS faculty andfriends at the inaugural event.

Pi Alpha Alpha Inaugural Event

On February 22, eleven SPS public administration and public policy students were

inducted into the inaugural chapter of the Pi Alpha Alpha (PAA) honor society at

DePaul University. PAA recognizes outstanding scholarship and accomplishment in

public affairs and administration, requiring member applicants to hold a 3.7 GPA

after completing 26 credit hours of their degree program. PAA is the national honor

society of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration

(NASPAA). Professor and PAA member Gloria Simo conducted the official honor society

oath, and bestowed the membership certificates, pins and banners to the SPS inaugural

members. Professor Dean Eitel is the SPS chapter advisor and a new member of PAA.

The inaugural members elected chapter officers at the event: Brian Jordan, president;

Carl Seid, vice-president; andAndrew Pizzano, secretary- treasurer. We congratulate

the new student members (in alphabetical order): Devin Bercaw, Jay Ciavarella,

Tom Cook, Eric Eizinger,Alexandra Fiedler,Anthony Goldstein, Brian Jordan,

Amber Laxton,Andrew Pizzano,Amanda Seibel and Carl Seid.

Dis DPal

Almi i gvmt ad Pblic Svic gath

The DePaul Alumni Association hosted a dinner to get to know alumni working in government and public service on

April 28. Alumni and students were invited to the Lincoln Park Campus for an evening of presentations and networking.

Alumni speakers included Will Davis, senior corporate relations officer, American Cancer Society, Illinois Division, Inc.;

Peter N. Silvestri, Cook County commissioner and Elmwood Park village president; and Claudia Valenzuela, associate

director of litigation, National Immigration Justice Center. Look out for future events related to public service and alumni

on the SPS events calendar.


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Follow SPS on FacebookEven without an Account

If you have a Facebook account, be sure to join the School of Public Service group to stay informed

about what SPS, Chaddick Institute, Hay Project, current students and alumni are doing. Dont

have a Facebook account? You can still view posted events and group activity by searching the

Web for DePaul School of Public Service Facebook and click on the wall.

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The Chaddick Institute Young Professionals (YP) group led a visit to the

Chicago Avenue Community Garden at Cabrini-Green on April 28.

The YP group explored the fascinating new phenomena of urban farming

and the local food movements. The outing was an opportunity for

students to learn and discuss how these trends relate to community

Neighborhood youth learn gardening and confidence while working

with Growing Power at the Chicago Avenue Community Garden. (left)Laurel Sims from Growing Power answers questions from the SPS

students. (above)

Chica Av Cmmity gad at Cabii-gdevelopment, rising transportation costs, access to fresh food and food

deserts, global warming and use of vacant land. An insightful tour

and presentation of the gardens and its operation was given by Laurel

Sims, Youth and Community Gardens Coordinator with Growing

Power, the local nonprofit that started the initiative.

sps spring 2010 newsletter

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