THREE DECADE CELEBRATION

Inside the MPASA Executive Board

meyer and I am about to

complete my first year in

the MPA program, govern-

ment track. No stranger to

Pace University, I gradu-

ated last spring with a

Happy spring! I hope

you are all as relaxed as

possible although re-

search papers, finals and

capstones are right

around the corner! Since

this is the first time our

executive board is pro-

ducing the MPASA

newsletter, I want to take

a chance to introduce

myself and the rest of the

2011-2012 board. My

name is Vinnie Birken-

Table of Contents

2 Advisor’s Corner

3 Your Voice

4 Social Media

5 Student Spotlight

6 Event Recap

April, 2012

Volume 2, Issue 1

Newsletter

For 33 years, the

MPA program has been a

staple in the Westchester

community providing a

masters level education

for a myriad of profes-

sionals seeking higher

employment opportuni-

ties. The program was

founded by visionary Sal

Prezioso in January 1979

as a way to educate

county employees who

could greatly benefit from

the public service based

curriculum. Enrollment

jumped to over 200 stu-

dents during the fall se-

mester that year due to a

unique contract with the

Westchester County So-

cial Services Department.

Students were able to

choose from 2 tracks:

Government and Social

Services. While the Social

Services track was even-

tually dropped in the

1980s, the government

track was eventually

joined by the 3 other cur-

rent possibilities: health

care management, non-

profit management and

environmental manage-

ment.

Students have al-

ways appreciated and

benefited from the pro-

grams hands on approach

that produces countless

public officials who are

able to apply the lessons

they learn in the class-

room to practical use in

non-profit organizations,

health care agencies,

elected and appointed

government positions and

countless others. Second

semester, non-profit man-

agement student Yeerang

Jang says “When I came

to Pace as a freshmen un-

dergraduate I hadn’t heard

of the MPA program. I

began to hear many up-

perclassmen that I looked

up to mention the benefits

of an MPA from Pace and

it made me realize it was

a perfect way to combine

my skills and leadership

abilities into helping oth-

ers- that is why I chose

this program and my track

and it Continued on Page 4

Continued on Page 3

MPASA Advisor ’s Corner

Page 2

sional attitudes about health care

reform; Olga P. Martinez-Pitillo

will reflect on lessons learned for

improving employment retention

among African Americans;

Shakira Croce will examine the

impact of social marketing on a

nonprofit, and Anna Vidiaev will

examine higher education and the

United Nation’s Principles for Re-

sponsible Management Education.

Your studies here at Pace

University are intended to ground

your educational experience in the-

ory and practice to inform your

professional career. Networking is

a key ingredient for successful

governance in today’s collabora-

tive public service environment.

Whether your interests lie in health

care, nonprofits, government, or

environmental studies, the ability

to build a strong network of alli-

ances and associations is critically

important to accomplishing our

missions today. While you work

on your capstone research, keep an

eye out for a professional confer-

ence that would be a great oppor-

tunity to showcase your talents and

to add to your personal network.

Dr. Hillary Knepper, Assis-

tant Professor, MPA Program, has

served as an advisor to the

MPASA since its inception. She

has greatly influenced MPA stu-

dents classroom and co-curricular

experience since joining the fac-

ulty at Pace University in 2010.

As a professor, one of my

greatest thrills is to have students

recognized for their hard work in

their graduate studies. One way to

accomplish this is for students to

present their research at profes-

sional conferences within our dis-

cipline. For many students here in

the MPA program at Pace, present-

ing their capstone research at a

professional conference is the logi-

cal culmination of their studies

here. This opportunity presents

our students with great networking

possibilities. It also highlights the

caliber of student we have here at

Pace University! I also consider

these presentations as an opportu-

nity for creating internship con-

tacts for future Pace students. This

past academic year has been espe-

cially busy for our recent MPA

graduates. At the 2011 Northeast

Conference of Public Administra-

tion (NECOPA), held at John Jay

College of Criminal Justice in

New York City in October, I

served as the discussant and mod-

erator for a panel that consisted of

Meghan Brennan Seixas, MPA-

The Evolution of International Aid

in Rwanda; Emilie Guidat, MPA-

NGO Intervention in Mali, Africa:

A Comparative Analysis between

French and American Delivery

Models; Omar Small, MPA- Start-

ing Point: An Exploration of An

Orientation Program For The City

of New Rochelle; and Stephen D.

Shallo, MPA- Law Enforcement

& Autism: Are Local Police Offi-

cers Trained to Handle Situations

Involving Autistic Individuals? I

was so proud of our students!

Their presentations were profes-

sional, succinct, and compelling.

The students responded to ques-

tions from the audience with

aplomb. It wasn’t just me who

thought the students performed

well. Conference participants

made a point of telling me how

impressed they were with our stu-

dent’s presentations.

Now we’re doing it again.

Recent Pace MPA graduates will

be presenting their capstone re-

search at the 66th New York State

Political Science Association Con-

ference, held at Wagner College in

New York City on April 20-21,

2012. If you see them, wish them

good luck! Ryan Cangialosi will

explore the emerging market for

lobbyists in today’s bureaucracy;

Richard E. Riegel will discuss the

potential for alternative staffing

models within police departments

in Westchester County; Sherlon

McKenzie will consider profes-

Inside the MPASA Executive Board … continued from page 1

The MPASA Executive

Board is here to serve as your

voice to the department and uni-

versity. All MPA students are en-

couraged to reach out to one of the

following Executive Board mem-

bers if you have any questions or

concerns with MPASA, the pro-

gram, your classes etc. Over the

last 2 semesters we have sought to

create a more active presence

amongst the student body through

programs and outreach that gives

you the opportunity to create a co-

curricular experience that enriches

your time as a graduate student.

We are always looking for new

ways to create these bonds so

please do not hesitate to make sug-

gestions to each of us! Good luck

on finals and have a safe and re-

laxing summer!

-Vincent Birkenmeyer

Bachelor’s of Arts in History with

minors in Pre-Law studies and Po-

litical Science. Pace University

provided me with many service

and leadership opportunities dur-

ing my undergraduate studies

which played a large part in my

decision to pursue a Master’s of

Public Administration.

Mehrnaz Tamami, Vice

President: Mehrnaz is a 2nd year

MPA student who is enrolled in

the non-profit management track.

She received a Bachelor of Arts

degree in English Literature and an

MBA from Shiraz University in

Iran. She lives in White Plains and

works for Information Technology

Services for the graduate Center

while also serving as a graduate

research assistant within the MPA

program.

Rebecca Page, Secretary:

Rebecca (Becca) is finishing up

her 1st year in the MPA program

and is enrolled in the health care

management track. Her Bachelor’s

degree comes from Pace Univer-

sity where she was involved in

many campus activities and ma-

jored in Communications. She cur-

rently lives in White Plains and is

a graduate assistant for Dyson Col-

lege of Arts and Sciences in under-

graduate advising.

Matthew Landau, Treas-

urer: Matt will be graduating from

the MPA program, government

track this semester. He received

his first Master-level degree in

teaching from Pace University’s

School of Education in 2011 and

his Bachelor’s degree from Bing-

hamton University where he ma-

jored in Political Science. He is

currently a Residence Director,

working for the Office of Residen-

tial Life in Pleasantville. Matt has

also been granted the honor of

speaking at this year’s graduation

as the graduate student commence-

ment speaker for 2012.

Your Voice in 2011-2012

Page 3 Volume 2, Issue 1

Rebecca Page (Secretary), Vincent Birkenmeyer (President), Matt Landau (Treasurer), Mehrnaz Tamami (Vice-President)

Three Decade Celebration… continued from page 1

throughout the last year with great

efforts by the current and past

MPASA executive board, Dyson

College and the MPA program.

We are looking forward to an

amazing evening, if you have any

questions please contact

pacempa@pace.edu.

was one of the best decisions I

have made!” Yeerang and other

current students will have a chance

to meet and network with alumni

of our program at the much antici-

pated 3 Decade Celebration on

April 17th, 2012 at the Tudor

Room on the Law campus. This

cocktail reception will give current

and past MPA students a chance to

celebrate the accomplishments of

the program, meet local leaders in

the fields we seek employment in

and network with a vast array of

future and potential colleagues.

The event has been planned

Social Media Not just connecting with friends, but professionals too

Page 4

date on what is currently going on

in the MPA program. To like a

Facebook page simply type

“MPASA” in to the search bar,

click on the page, and then click

the like button. Once you do this

the MPASA page will show up in

your newsfeed like your friends

would. Happy job hunting!

-Rebecca Page

MPASA Secretary 2011-2012

“All one needs is a computer, a

network connection, and a bright

spark of initiative and creativity to

join the economy.”- Don Tapscott

Social media has played

such a large role in the lives of

young people the past few years.

Recently social media has made its

way into the lives of those in their

40’s and 50’s as well, not only to

keep in touch with old friends but

to make job connections. Websites

like Facebook or Twitter have

evolved into websites for network-

ing and job searching. This is

where LinkedIn and ePortfolio

have evolved from.

LinkedIn is designed solely

to connect professionals, who may

be looking for a job or looking to

hire someone. The user creates a

profile based off their resume.

Linked In has made itself ex-

tremely user friendly by allowing

one to simply upload your resume,

then LinkedIn reads your resume

and picks out each job or leader-

ship position and updates your

profile for you. Then the user can

update a profile picture, join

groups, or job search at will.

LinkedIn will even send you

emails with suggested jobs that

you may be interested in.

ePortfolio is another job

search engine that allows profes-

sionals to connect. ePortfolio is

very similar to LinkedIn in the

sense that it is solely here to help

the user find a job or to help em-

ployers search for a new hire. The

layout of ePortfolio is slightly dif-

ferent, some like LinkedIn’s layout

better, others prefer ePortfolio. Ei-

ther way having an account with

each website can be crucial to

finding a job. As Pace students we

access our ePortfolio account

through Blackboard, using the

same log in we use for our email

and portal.

The Masters in Public Ad-

ministration Student Association

has also created a Facebook page

so current students can keep up-to-

Nekeisha De Verney, origi-

nally from the island of Trinidad

and Tobago came to America to

pursue her higher education. She

decided to enroll at Morgan State

University where she received a

Bachelor of Arts in Political Sci-

ence. She is in her final semester in

the MPA program, where her con-

centration is Health Care Admini-

stration.

However, it is Nekeisha’s

commitment to Pace University

which is why the MPASA Execu-

tive Board has chosen her as the

Student Spotlight for the spring

2012 semester. Nekeisha has been a

Residence Hall Director for the past

two years on the Pleasantville cam-

pus, where she mentors and advises

students on a daily basis. Nekeisha

also enjoys spending time helping

others outside of her residence hall.

She can be seen helping beautify the

community that she loves so much.

Nekeisha has been a true

asset to the MPA program, and to

Pace University as a whole. The les-

sons she has learned inside the

classroom have already paid divi-

dends at Pace University, and will

undoubtedly help her in the future.

The MPASA Executive Board

wishes her the best of luck in her

future endeavors

-Matthew Landau

MPASA Treasurer 2011-2012

Student Spotlight

Page 5 Volume 2, Issue 1

Nekeisha De Verney, always

willing to lend a helping hand!

A special thanks to Chris Ramos for all of his hard work and dedication to

MPASA. Chris will be completing his Masters

degree in May. His unparalleled devotion to

MPASA has made it possible to establish an organization which we

can now all benefit from. The MPASA

executive board wishes Chris the best of luck in

his future endeavors.

-MPASA Executive Board

classroom. Health Care track MPA

student Becca Page says “the

happy hours have been a great way

to have some fun at the end of a

tough week, with your peers who

understand the work involved in

being a full time graduate student

while balancing other responsibili-

ties.” Look out for flyers and in-

vites to the next MPASA Happy

Hour, we hope to see you there!-

Vinnie Birkenmeyer

Many students pointed out

to us that they did not feel a

strong, personal connection to the

program. We heard many great

stories about amazing classes, sup-

portive professors and rigorous

workloads, but in our first semes-

ter as an Executive Board many

students noted that there are not

many opportunities for them to

meet one another outside of the

classroom. The idea for social

hours after classes was first

brought up by MPASA Vice Presi-

dent Mehrnaz Tamami who noted

similar successful ventures that

had taken place in White Plains

with other graduate and law stu-

dents of the University. Local bar

and restaurant, Ron Blacks was

more than willing to accommodate

us, happy to work with Pace Uni-

versity students whenever they get

the chance, according to their man-

agement team. As of now, we have

hosted two happy hours and have

been very pleased with the turn

out. We hope as these types of

events become staples within the

program, more and more students

will take the opportunity to engage

with one another outside of the

Inside the Social Scene: The MPASA Hits the Town

Pi Alpha Alpha, national honor society of Public Affairs

and Administration will be inducting its newest class of

the Pace University chapter on Thursday May 3rd at

4:30pm in rooms 206 and 208.

Congratulations to all of the inductees!

MPASA Executive Board 2011-2012

Vincent Birkenmeyer-President

Mehrnaz Tamami, Vice-President

Rebecca Page, Secretary

Matthew Landau, Treasurer