California State University, Sacramento
Public Policy & Administration/International Affairs

COMMUNICATOR

September 30, 1998
The Communicator is the official program newsletter serving the students of the Graduate Programs in Public Policy and Administration and International Affairs at California State University, Sacramento.

Please note: this is an archived newsletter. The links and other information are NOT current.


Director's Corner

Faculty

Alumni

Contributions

Announcements

Career Opportunities

Student Jobs

Scholarships,
Grants, Fellowships...

Dates to Remember

Past Newsletters

DIRECTOR'S CORNER

Both the PPA and IA programs expect to grow a little bit in the near future, adding perhaps a faculty member or two over the next few years. In order to help us plan for this modest degree of growth, I would like to urge past and present IA and PPA students to answer the following question:
What two courses would you like to see added to the core or elective courses, and why?

The faculty have informally suggested a number of areas including:

  • For PPA: health policy, energy policy, environmental policy, program evaluation, econometric methods, family/child policy, state and local policy, education policy, and comparative public policy. Also, personnel, or ethics.
  • For IA: International political economy, immigration policy, international finance and trade policy, Asian-Pacific policy concerns, international environmental policy, and methodology.

What about YOUR ideas and suggestions. Where should we grow, and why? Please give me a telephone call (916/278-4944) or e-mail (wasterj@csus.edu) with your ideas and suggestions. I promise to not only be grateful (in advance!) for your suggestions, but toinclude any and all suggestions we receive into our planning process in the next few years.

Thanks and best wishes,

Bob Waste
IA And PPA Director

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FACULTY

Cristy Jensen (Graduate Program in Public Policy and Administration) is busy with Russian projects. CSUS has received two new funded projects to allow us to continue work in Russia. Both projects will involve the exchange of faculty to help develop distance learning capacity in the Russian Far East. The project focusing on public policy and administration was one of only 10 funded by the Academic Liaison Office of USAID after a very competitive application process. Professor Jensen will serve as Project Director for both projects and will depart September 29, 1998 on a planning and assessment trip to Vladivostok, Sakalin, and Petropavlovsk. Ric Brown, Associate VP for Research and Grad Studies, and Spencer Freund, AVP for Computing Services, will also be part of the team.

Peter Detwiler (Graduate Program in Public Policy and Administration) presented his "Capitol Observations" at the annual conference of the California Association of Local Agency Formation Commissions (CALAFCO) in San Luis Obispo in early September. Reviewing the LAFCOs' performance after 35 years, Detwiler gave them the following grades: for following state policy only C+, for using their statutory powers a B, for carrying out procedures an A, and for oversight activities an "incomplete." He called on the LAFCOs to use their existing powers to do a better job of discouraging urban sprawl. Detwiler and program director Bob Waste may be helping CALAFCO run a planning project in the San Joaquin Valley.

Detwiler also was a guest speaker on "public policy formulation" at USC's new School of Policy, Planning, and Development. Sharing duties with staffers from both of the Los Angeles City Charter Reform Commissions, Detwiler spoke to a graduate class conducted by USC Professor Juliet Musso. Musso's course stresses the "craft" of policy advising.

Rob Wassmer, Graduate Program in Public Policy and Administration, was invited, along with other academics in the region, to be on a panel of experts that appeared before Valley Vision's September 18, 1998 Board of Director's Meeting in Folsom to discuss urban and regional challenges facing the Sacramento Metropolitan Area. This panel was the first coordinated effort of the newly formed Capital Region Institute of which CSUS is a strong supporter.

Wassmer, also appeared on a panel of academic experts that discussed "Proposition 13: Consequences and Considerations" at the September 24, 1998 Center for California Studies Conference on "California's Taxing Evolution: The Legacy of Prop. 13" in Sacramento. He discussed his work on county fiscal stress in California related to the adoption of Prop.13. This research, done with MPPA graduate student Chuck Anders, is supported by a grant from the Public Policy Institute of California.

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ALUMNI

Contratulations to Christopher Cabaldon (MPPA 1994)and Maria Sampanis (MA in IA 1986)! They have each been nominated by the department to be honored at this year's Alumni Honors Luncheon. The Luncheon will be October 15, 1998 and is hosted by the CSUS Alumni Association.

Here is the link to the CSUS Alumni Association website http://www.csus.edu/alum/.

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CONTRIBUTIONS

Eileen Roush, one of our PPA students, was in Russia this month participating in two projects funded by the United States Information Agency and the Eurasia Foundation. She gave lectures in Kaluga and Vladivostok on state and local taxation. Follow this link to read her electronic postcards.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

Free books!!
Several of our PPA faculty cleaned out their offices this summer. As a result, there is a stack of free books outside of Bus 3038. Please stop by and help yourselves!!

New PPA/IA Bulletin
We are updating our communications system. We will be implementing a new PPA/IA Bulletin ListProc. As of November 30, 1998 the old PPA/IA Bulletin will no longer be used to post information.
What is the PPA/IA Bulletin?
This is a list that is provided through your e-mail. You must have an e-mail account to subscribe. It is designed for PPA and IA Graduate students in either program at California State University, Sacramento. It is designed to provide information pertaining to the programs and about available jobs that come to the attention of the faculty and staff. This new system will allow members to access old messages that have been archived. Once you subscribe further information about the Bulletin will be supplied.
If you have any questions please contact the department office at (916) 278-6557 or suzi_byrd@csus.edu.
Who can subscribe?
This listproc is specifically for PPA student, IA students, faculty, and related persons. However, if you are a business and would like to post a job or internship pertaining to the areas of Public Policy and Administration or International Affairs only, please send to PPA-IA-Bulletin-L@CSUS.EDU. Anything posted will be subject to department approval.
How to subscribe!
Please subscribe to this new list using the following instructions.
To subscribe to this list, send a message to:

LISTPROC@CSUS.EDU

With the two-line message:

subscribe PPA-IA-BULLETIN-L Bulletin<your first and last name>
end

For example, Suzi Byrd would send the following message to LISTPROC@CSUS.EDU:

subscribe PPA/IA-BULLETIN-L Bulletin Suzi Byrd
end

Winter Commencement
December 18, 1998
ARCO Arena

3:30 p.m.
College of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies
Doors open and candidates assemble at 3:00 p.m.

PEACE CORPS
Find out about Peace Corps opportunities in Education, Business, Construction, Health, and Agriculture when recruiters visit.
SACRAMENTO
Information Mettings and Slide Presentations:
Wednesday September 30
Clunie Community Center
601 Alhambra Blvd.
7:00-8:30 p.m.
Thursday October 8
CSUS Career Center
2000 Lassen Hall
1:00-2:00 p.m.
Thursday October 8
Sierra 2 Center for the Arts, Green Room
2791 24th Street
6:30-8:00 p.m.
For more information, call (800)424-8580.
Or go to
www.peacecorps.gov

ASPA
Sacramento Chapter Presents:
1998/1999 Public Adminstrators Reception

Date: Wednesday, October 14, 1998
Time: 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Place: Sierra Health Foundation, 1321 Garden Highway (take Garden Highway exit off I-5, head West)

Join us for a kick off of the 1998/99 ASPA Sacramento season. The reception will include hors d'oeuvres and light refreshments, with an opportunity to socialize with other members and Sacramento area administrators. The highlight of the evening will be a talk by Dr. Crsity Jensen, from the CSUS Graduate Program in Public Policy and Adminstration. Dr. Jensen is currently project director for the Partmership with Kaluga Institute of Municpal Governemtn, Kaluga Russia, Eurasia Foundation Grant, as well as director of the Community Mediation Center Project in St. Petersburg and Kaluga. Since 1988, she has been involved in other international programs involving some of the former Soviet Union republics, and presented the paper "Lessons Learned: Russian/American Partnerships in the Last Four Years" in 1997.
For questions, please call John Kehoe at 322-5630 or Richare Hill at 323-3065.
Program is free, non-members welcome.

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CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

California Voter Foundation
The California Voter Foundation (CVF) is seeking a full-time staff person to help the organization launch and manage a new membership program. CVF, a non-profit, non-partisan organization pioneering the field of digital democracy since 1994, has earned widespread recognition for its cutting-edge voter education projects. This year, CVF will launch a new, state-of-the-art membership program designed to ensure the organization's long-term self sustainability. The Membership Director will be responsible for implementing and managing a membership program that will utilize Internet technology to recruit, service and retain CVF members. The program will solicit individual members as well as news organizations, corporations, academic departments and statewide associations.
Qualities: The ideal candidate for this position should possess the following qualities:
Intelligence; maturity; experience working in a professional office; self-directed; an outgoing, entrepreneurial, enthusiastic and creative nature; a team player; familiarity with California politics and election issues; and a willingness to explore the use of new technologies in membership development and services.
Skills and Experience:
The ideal candidate for this position will have skills and experience in some or all of the following areas:
Membership and fundraising experience, including experience recruiting and servicing members; strong writing, public speaking, organizational, social, computer (preferably Mac) and Internet skills; good "customer service" skills and experience working directly with the public; experience with nonprofit organizations; a bachelor's degree; and experience with database management.
Duties and Responsibilities:
CVF's Membership Director will work closely with CVF's President and technology consultants to develop and manage the membership program, including marketing, implementation, outreach and oversight. Specific Duties include:

  • Use new technologies, including email, web site appeals and online and online membership forms to recruit new CVF members and develop a membership base from existing supporters and web site users;
  • Raise awareness of CVF through public speaking engagements and other forms of outreach;
  • Set up meetings and public appearances with prospective members, including community organizations, news organizations, corporations, statewide associations and academic departments;
  • Follow up with prospective members both in written and personal contact and ensure that contributions are promptly received, recorded and acknowledged;
  • Develop and implement benefits packages for various levels of membership, including: an electronic newsletter; members' online forums on CVF's web site; solicitations of members' input regarding future CVF programs; and regular organizational updates;
  • Manage CVF's membership database, track contributions and update member information;
  • Handle member requests, cultivate good relationships with CVF members and provide consistent, high quality service to members;
  • Explore the feasibility of direct mail and telemarketing programs;
  • Monitor the success of CVF's membership program and track the program's progress.

Terms of Employment:
Full-time position. Salary: $30-40,000, DOE, plus benefits. Because this position will require considerable training, a one-year commitment to the organization is required. CVF is based in midtown Sacramento, and this employee will be working in CVF's offices during normal business hours.
To Apply: Mail, fax or deliver a resume, cover letter and three references to:
Kim Alexander, President
California Voter Foundation
2401 L Street, Second Floor
Sacramento, CA 95816
Phone: (916)325-2120
Fax: (916) 325-0444
To learn more about CVF, please visit our web site at http://www.calvoter.org
This position is open until it is filled
(Job announcement posted 9/18/98)

The PPA/IA ListProc sends job announcements right to your computer (before the deadlines)! Contact suzi_byrd@csus.edu for more information.

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STUDENT JOBS

PCL INTERNSHIPS AVAILABLE--FALL 1998
The Planning and Conservation League is a non-profit statewide alliance of citizens and conservation organizations. Located in Sacramento, PCL is the oldest environmental lobbying group in California. Since 1965, PCL has been an active and effective participant in every major environmental effort in the state. PCL has also been successful in preventing the passage of a variety of destructive bills that would have diminished the quality of life in California. The PCL Foundation, PCL's sister organization, carries out research and education projects designed to develop new public policy ideas and help grassroots groups, work effectively. The PCL Foundation also offers technical assistance directly to grassroots environmental groups. Specific internship possibilities for the 1998-1999 academic year include the following:

1. Campaign Internship- Research and advocacy for PCL's Proposition 7, an air quality initiative that will be on the statewide November ballot;

2. Legislative Internship- Assistance on preparation of environmental bills, focusing on researching and developing key legislative issues and campaigns for the upcoming legislative session.

3. Policy Research Internships- Land use issues, including preservation of agricultural land, State of California environmental budget issues, Environmental License Plate Fund, Endangered species, non-point source water pollution & others.

4. Outreach internship- Identifying grassroots groups active in anti-sprawl work and preparing a series of technical assistance workshops.

5. Outreach Internship- Carrying out a survey of Central Valley grassroots groups.

6. Educational Internship- Assisting in setting up PCL's annual Legislative Issues Symposium.

7. Educational internship- Gathering and distributing non-partisan environmental information to members of the California Legislature.

8. Organizational Internship- Consolidation of all PCL's legislative and research files, and library materials, coding and analysis of a recent PCL survey to its membership.

9. Marketing Internship- Corporate outreach, major donor prospecting, foundation prospecting and preparation of an annual appeal.

Students interested in a PCL internship should contact us directly. Good research and writing skills are key. Strong candidates will be asked to send a letter of inquiry,resume, and a 3-4-page writing sample to:

Marc de la Vergne
The Planning and Conservation League
926 J Street #612
Sacramento, CA 95814
Telephone: (916) 444-8726, Ext. 7
Fax: (916) 448-1789

YOLO-COUNTY PLANNING AND PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
292 West Beamer Street, Woodland, CA 95695 (530)666-8044
Contact: Michael Rock
Hours Per Week: At least 20 and up to 40
Pay: To be determined
Application Deadline:
Continuous until filled
JOB DESCRIPTION
: We are looking for someone to assist our department administrative staff with a number of special projects. Primarily support help is needed with administering the County Service Areas. Our Department is responsible for nine County Service Areas that are provided water, sewer, lighting, landscaping, and road maintenance services. There will be a lot of interaction with property owners and other professionals to deliver these services.
Our Department consists of the following work areas: Road Maintenance, Fleet Services, Planning, Building, Economic Development, Information Systems, Support Services, and Administration. There are 94 staff members.
Candidates must have good organizational skills, analytical ability, writing skills, and strong interpersonal skills. Candidates must possess initiative and a willingness to assume responsibility. Microsoft Word and Excel is desirable. We work in team environment with a set of common values. To learn more about Yolo County see our home page at:
www.yolocounty.org.

INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY
September, 1998
The
Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) is offering paid internship positions for this fall.
How much does this pay?
(the most important question for any student): $5.75-$9.38 per hour, depending upon number of units completed.
What is
SACOG?
SACOG is comprised of city and county governments and provides a forum to address regional transportation problems. SACOG prepares studies, plans, and programs designed to meet the log-range transportation goals of the region & to fulfill federal and state requirements. Data collection efforts by interns will update SACOG's demographic databases-these support transportation modeling and air quality analysis activities for the region.
SACOG
is located in midtown Sacramento near the 29th Street Light Rail station.
Interested?
You should be available to work until the end of fall class session and will be expected to work 10-20 hours per week between 7:30am-5:00pm. The minimum work periods are in 4 hour blocks of time. These positions are available to students only, and experience provided will be equivalent to an entry level planning classification. SACOG will gladly work with professors to provide academic credit.
What you would be doing...

Examples of duties include:
Updating data for Census 2000 and for SACOG's GIS mapping and coding needs.
Using Global Positioning System (GPS) technology for road mapping.
Summarizing growth-related articles form periodicals.
Working with land use data (employment, housing, etc.) collecting it, coding it, stuff like that.
Do you have these talents?
Ideal candidates will possess:
Map reading abilities.
Attentiveness to detail.
Ability to write/read in a moving vehicle.
Excellent communication skills.
Desire to visit different parts of the 6-county region.
Must have a valid California Driver's License.
Still Interested?

Contact Todd Paulsen at (916)457-2264 or tpaulsen@sacog.org

BUSINESS ADMIN., PUBLIC ADMIN, COMMUNICATIONS,PLANNING
Job Reference Number: HQ09-16
Job Duties and Responsibilities
The student will assist Caltrans staff in the following areas:

  • Research, collect and organize data; participate in a support role in the development and analysis of outreach efforts; and present information with accuracy and timeliness;

  • Prepare material for review and edit using word processing and multimedia software.

  • Prepare computer-generated graphics, charts and graphs.

  • Interact with others, such as California Alliance for Advanced Transportation Systems (CAATS), Partners for Advanced Transit and Highways (PATH), and other Caltrans offices.

  • Attend meetings, prepare notes and reports.

Desirable Qualifications

  • Strong computer skills

  • Knowledge of Excel, Word and FileMaker software

  • Experience with Internet research and report writing

  • Strong interpersonal and analytical skills

  • Professional written and oral communication skills

  • Some travel may be necessary

Preferred Major
Business Administration, Public Administration, Communications, Planning
Schedule
Part-time; flexible- 20 hours per week
Salary
Based on number and type of units completed
Who can apply
Applicants must be currently enrolled and attending an accredited college or university and must maintain a minimum of 6 semester units (or quarter equivalent). OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT AND PROOF OF ENROLLMENT WILL BE REQUIRED AT TIME OF INTERVIEW.
Submit you cover letter and resume to:
Dawn Barnard- Dingman
California Department of Transportation
New Technology and Research, MS-83
PO Box 942873
Sacramento, CA 942730001

Go to the for a listing of Employment Opportunities on and off campus.CSUS Foundation web site

Go to the Community College Foundation job listing web site for student employment opportunities off campus.

Go to the Cooperative Education Program website for information about unique student opportunities.

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SCHOLARSHIPS, GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS...

The Financial Aid Office here at CSUS has some great information for those seeking scholarships. Just go to http://www.csus.edu/faid/programs/scholarships.stm for more information.

Go to the International Programs website for information about Fulbright and Other Scholarships for Study or Research Abroad.

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DATES TO REMEMBER

Nov 9 Spring 1999 CASPER invitation to Register mailed (tentative).
Nov 16 Spring 1999 Class Schedule available in the Hornet Bookstore, University Union and on-line (http://www.csus.edu).
Nov 20 Last day to drop or withdraw for serious and compelling reasons with approved petition.
Nov 23- Dec 18 CASPER registration for Spring 1999
Nov 26-27 Thanksgiving Recess (campus closed).
Dec 11 Last day of instruction
Dec 14-18 FINAL EXAMINATIONS
Dec 18-19 Winter Commencement.
Dec 24- Jan 1 Winter Recess (campus closed).
Jan 5 Deadline to file edited committee-approved master's thesis/project for Fall 1998 graduation.
Feb 1 First day of classes for Spring 1999 semester.
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We welcome your contributions to the Communicator! Make announcements, share your good news, reflect on your academic and professional achievements, or submit an article. Contact the Director, Bob Waste, or the Department Secretary, Suzi Byrd, (916) 278-6557, in the PPA/IA Department Office.


Back to... MPPA Homepage, IA Homepage, or CSUS Homepage.