Director's Message

The School of Public and Nonprofit Administration (SPNA) at Grand Valley State University took some major strides forward during 2004. A new degree program the Master of Health Administration (MHA) officially began in the fall, providing health care professionals in West Michigan with a new opportunity to enhance their careers and better serve the community. Graduates of this program have the opportunity to take the lead in helping the health care industry to tackle the many challenges it faces in the coming years.

We're also pleased to observe the achievements of our Master of Public Administration (MPA) alumni. The SPNA was honored when Henry Dungey (MPA, 2000) and his family sponsored a new scholarship, the Henry and Juanita Dungey Excellence Award, which will provide $1,000 each year for an outstanding minority public administration major in his or her junior year at Grand Valley State University. All of us at the SPNA greatly appreciate Henry's dedication to public service and love for his parents, which will be remembered each year when this award is given.

In May, at our annual Pi Alpha Alpha event, Grand Valley President Mark A. Murray signed a formal agreement with the University of Economics (CUE) in Krakow, Poland. The agreement provides an opportunity for two students from Poland to receive graduate assistantships each academic year to pursue MPA or MHA studies at Grand Valley. Also established by the agreement is a joint MPA program offered in Poland, with one Grand Valley faculty member traveling there each year to teach. The first faculty member to teach in the MPA program at CUE is Professor Paul Mavima, who will teach a course in managing international nongovernmental organizations (NGO) that will also be offered for Grand Valley students. The two universities also agreed to jointly host the annual conference of the Public Administration Theory Network (PAT-NET) in Krakow, June 9-11, 2005. The SPNA is pleased to be able to take the lead in expanding Grand Valley's relationship with CUE, which has been in place since 1975.

The SPNA faculty members were especially productive in scholarship and community service during 2004 and I can only highlight some of their achievements. Dan Immergluck published a book, Credit to the Community (M.E. Sharpe, 2004), which represents the cutting edge of scholarship on the community reinvestment act. The revised edition of Unmasking Administrative Evil (by Dan Balfour and G.B. Adams) was published in 2004, also by M.E. Sharpe. Donijo Robbins published two journal articles, several book chapters, and professional reports on the heels of her promotion to associate professor with tenure. Paul Mavima has been especially active in providing applied research to the community, as has Rich Jelier. Our two newest faculty members, Steve Borders and Jane Sponholz, are both working on funded research that serves the community and strengthens the curriculum in health administration. These and other faculty-led activities reflect the SPNA's commitment to excellence in teaching enhanced by active scholarship.

Danny L. Balfour
Director