CenTex ASPA members and their community joined together to celebrate Public Service Recognition Week 1-7 May 2000 with proclamations and awards honoring outstanding public service, teaching and research. The 16th national observance, CenTex ASPA's fifth, followed the theme, "Public Employees: Working for America".
Awards Banquet and Background
Bastrop County Judge Ronnie McDonald, Texas' youngest and one of only two African American county judges, was keynote speaker for the annual chapter awards banquet. The event this year was on Friday 5 May at Landry's Restaurant on Town Lake in Austin. Awards included Public Administrator of the Year, Elected Official of the Year, Educator of the Year and the James W. McGrew Awards for outstanding research by practitioner and student. CenTex ASPA President Doyle Pendleton presided over the evening's program which included enjoyable and moving remarks by award presenters and recipients. CenTex ASPA Parliamentarian Amy Miller introduced Judge McDonald. Judge McDonald's inspiring and entertaining speech was a definite highlight. It will be hard for his audience not to think of the public service message in the tale of the three little pigs. A bio and picture of this dynamic new leader in Central Texas is at http://www.main.org/aspa/mcdonald.htm. Reuben Leslie, Jr., CenTex ASPA Webmaster and ASPA National Council Member, gave an overview of Public Service Recognition Week, and Doyle Pendleton read proclamations from Austin Mayor Kirk Watson and President Bill Clinton.The awards have a rich history. They began in 1968 under the auspices of the Austin Society for Public Administration (Austin SPA), which had previously been an early chapter of ASPA. In 1995, CenTex ASPA and other organizations including the Austin SPA committed to observing Public Service Recognition Week every year to make a united effort to restore public confidence in government. In 1997, the organizations merged and began presenting the awards during Public Service Recognition Week to coincide with the national observance.
Administrator, Official, and Educator of the Year
Larry Gilley, City Manager of San Marcos, was named Public Administrator of the Year. SWT Professor and ASPA National Council Member Howard Balanoff presented the award to Mr. Gilley, noting that his former student has been city manager 11 years, leading the city's government through many challenges to great achievements. Mr. Gilley thanked his staff and family and encouraged and congratulated others like him who "aspire to be a bureaucrat".Ronnie Earle, Travis County District Attorney was named Elected Official of the Year. The award was presented by CenTex ASPA Council Member Vicki Skinner, who described Mr. Earle's 30 year career of public service and a few of his many innovative crime prevention, victim assistance, and community-building projects. Mr. Earle thanked his staff and family and said expressed appreciation for the administrator's vital role.
Prof. Gary Chapman, LBJ School of Public Affairs, UT-Austin, was named Public Administration Professor of the Year. CenTex ASPA Council member Wayne Thornton noted many achievements and recognitions of Prof. Chapman, including recent acknowledgement from Texas Monthly. Prof. Chapman thanked the members of CenTex ASPA for the honor and for the warm welcome he has received since moving to Central Texas,where he said he has ancestral roots and feels at home. Prof. Chapman was also recognized for his significant contribution as plenary speaker at the first Texas ASPA conference in October 1999 and for making his popular Internet and Public Policy course available in the evenings onsite at a state agency.
James W. McGrew Research Awards
The practitioner award went to Jo Wicker, Assistant Director, Personnel Services Division, Texas Association of School Boards, for Going, Going, Gone: A Handbook of Practical Responses to the Texas Teacher Recruitment and Retention Problem. LBJ School Professor Ken Matwiczak described the committee's review process and the significant positive impact that the well written and practical handbook is having on school districts statewide in trying to find new ways to hire and keep good teachers. Ms. Wicker thanked CenTex ASPA, her co-workers, and SWT instructors, for the honor and she in turn honored educators and adminsitrators whose work she supports, noting in exemplary achievement test scores by the students of her husband, Weldon Wicker.Pat Shields thanked her committee who reviewed the James W. McGrew Research Award nominees and presented the awards in the student category. The winner was Christine McCormick, Class of 2000, Southwest Texas State University MPA program, for Intensive Supervision Probation: Assessing Texas Programs. Ms. McCormick thanked CenTex ASPA, her SWT instructors and other supporters. Runner up in the student category was Cherry Luedtke, Class of 2000, Southwest Texas State University MPA program, for Distance Education Programs in Texas Community and Technical Colleges: Assessing Student Support Services in a Virtual Environments. Ms. Luedtke also thanked CenTex ASPA, her SWT instructors and other supporters.
Honorable Mention in the student category went to Sam Wilson, Class of 2000 SWT MPA program, for An Impact Evaluation of the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation Performance Contract-Incentive Recoupment Program and Emilie Williams, Class of 2000, LBJ School of Public Affairs, UT-Austin for Citizen Participation in Local Government Decision-Making.
Abstracts of the honored papers for 2000 and the e-mail addresses of the authors are on the CenTex Chapter's website at http://www.main.org/aspa/mcgrew00.htm. The 1999 honorees are also online at http://www.main.org/aspa/mcgrew99.htm. Criteria established for judging the research are listed at http://www.main.org/aspa/criteria.htm. CenTex ASPA encourages nominations year-round, and provides conference tuition scholarships for award winners whose papers are accepted for presentation at the national ASPA conference. The next national conference is scheduled for 10-13 March 2001 in Newark, NJ.
Planning for Next Year
CenTex ASPA's observance of Public Service Recognition Week was boosted by free resources from Public Employees Roundtable, the consortium of national organizations working together to improve the morale of the nation's public servants and restore public respect for public service careers. Additional support from the Greater Texas Federal Credit Union.It is never too early to plan for next year's observance during the first week of May. Like many community spirited participatory traditions, every organization can easily create meaningful events and join with the nationwide effort to honor public service. To learn more and obtain free resources from the national sponsors, contact the Public Employees roundtable at PO Box 44801, Washington, DC 20026-4480, telephone 202-401-4344 or fax 202-401-4433, or see the webpage at http://www.theroundtable.org.
For more information and links to the selection criteria, winning research, authors' emails, and bios of the winners, see the online story at http://www.main.org/aspa/psrw00f.htm. See also summary of PSRW 1999 at http://www.main.org/aspa/psrw99f.htm for additional ideas and resources.
by Reuben Leslie, Jr.