A Message from Public Administration Chair Dr. Jeffrey Diebold

Program strength

Despite the difficult circumstances and challenges that we all have encountered over the past year, there is much to celebrate about our MPA and Ph.D. programs. The MPA program remains one of the “Best Public Affairs Programs” in the country (ranked #47 overall and #33 among public universities). We are also excited to begin offering courses this summer in a new specialization within the MPA program in Data Analytics. This specialization will help our students learn how to leverage data in order to extract meaningful information and actionable insights that can improve organizational performance in the public and nonprofit sectors. 

The outcomes for our Ph.D. program and Ph.D. students are likewise impressive. Over the past two years, we have graduated 11 students, more than half of whom have entered tenure-track positions or post-doc positions. Over the same period, our Ph.D. students published 21 research articles, and before COVID-19 limited travel, made 38 presentations of their research at leading conferences in their respective fields. 

Faculty excellence

I am proud to announce that the university recognized three of our faculty members for their exceptional scholarship and excellence in the classroom. NC State recognized Dr. Jennifer Kuzma for her outstanding research with her induction into the University’s Research Leadership Academy, an award given to the leading scholars at NC State. The university also recognizes early-career faculty members as emerging academic leaders for their scholarship and significant achievement through the University Faculty Scholars (UFS) program. This year saw the induction of Dr. Jason Coupet into the UFS program. We also expect NC State to announce that it is awarding Dr. Christopher Galik with an Outstanding Teacher Award for his incredible work in the classroom. Other faculty members are receiving similar accolades and distinctions from peers in their respective fields. Dr. Amanda Stewart received the President’s Award for her innovative research in the field of nonprofits from the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA), the leading community of scholars in the field of nonprofits. It has been a remarkable year for our faculty. They richly deserve the recognition they have received from the university and their community of scholars.

Finally, a big thanks to each of you for your ongoing commitment to PA. From the generous donations to the MPA scholarship and discretionary funds, to attending annual alumni events, to the reputation benefits we accrue by counting you as alumni, we are so grateful for your support.