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GeorgiaStateUniversity, a unit of the University System of Georgia, is an equal opportunity
Educational institution and is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.
PAUS Self Study Page 1 January 25, 2005
MEMORANDUM
TO:Ron Henry, Provost / VPAA
GeorgiaStateUniversity
Cc:Joan Carson
Associate Provost for Institutional Effectiveness
FROM:Roy Bahl, Dean
AndrewYoungSchool of Policy Studies
DATE:January 25, 2005
SUBJECT: PAUS Self Study
I find the PAUS self-study to be excellent. It was developed by the entire faculty, with the leadership of the committee in the hands of a small group of scholars with important national reputations. The way forward suggested in this plan is to further develop a high quality program in a manner designed to achieve major national stature.with a major national reputation This clearly is a realistic goal. PAUS already stands high in the national rankings and this plan for the future convinces me that we can go higher. I think a top ten national ranking is not out of the question. With this would come higher quality students, external funding and generally more interest in what we are doing in this area at GSU.
PAUS on its own could stand as a high quality department with strong national visibility. It has already achieved this status in several areas of research. As a part of the AYSPS, and with a policy school mission as outlined in this plan, it can become something very, very special. Working in tandem with economics, it could offer a set of skills and focus that few universities could match. As the evidence in the self study and the comments by the external review team show, PAUS can build on an already strong faculty. They are regularly published in the leading journals in the public administration and public policy, and two facultyfaculty members are listed among the 20 most published in the nation in these fields. Several faculty members have gained significant national reputation as members of board of editors of the leading journals, as regular contributors to the very top journals in the filed, and as leaders in the profession. As I am sure you will read from the external team report, they are widely recognized and respected. The point is that we are asking you to invest heavily in a department that already has national reputation and a realistic chance to move into the top tier.
There is a good fit with our Atlanta comparative advantage. The focus of the department and the research is on policy analysis and management, with a specific interest in governance, and the not for profit sector. This is a perfect fit, and already the faculty are is well known in these areas. The growing MPA program and enrollments in the not for profit sector underscores the Atlanta fit. So, we are asking you to invest in an enterprise that is already on the map, and ready to move to the next level.
The strategy for PAUS to move to the next level is laid out in this document. First, they will continue to be a key component of the AndrewYoungSchool, and continue to involve themselves in the centers and in policy research. This is the special niche PAUS can play in the AYSPS mandate to improve the “design, management and evaluation” of policy. Second, they will stay the course by continuing to focus on a few areas and to invest in attracting high quality faculty and students in those areas. Third, they plan to continue to move toward excellence in the classroom. The MPA and PhD in Public Policy are already making great strides, and undergraduate enrollments are rising have risen dramatically.
I very much like the chances of this becoming a top ten national department that can bring great reputation to GSU. Imagine, a nationally recognizedstrong PAUS alongside a nationally strong economics department, feeding off each other and with a policy focus. This could give GSU the kind of a signature college that would be the envy of many universities.
To take it to the next level, however, PAUS needs additional resources as laid out in the plan.and I hope as endorsed by the external review. There just isare not enough faculty to carry off this mission to accomplish the goals and objectives set forth in the department’s strategic plan. I hope you will support this proposal, and I know the returns to GSU will be great.
I would be happy to talk further about this, and about the PAUS department’s considerable potential of PAUS to build on its considerable strengths and thereby to achieve national, indeed international, preeminence.
RB:rs
GeorgiaStateUniversity, a unit of the University System of Georgia, is an equal opportunity
Educational institution and is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.