• 2013-2014 Beverly Kaufmann Scholarship
  MPA student Michelle Buchanan was awarded the 2013‐14 Beverly Kaufman Scholarship by the Women Professionals in Government. This is the 4th consecutive year that one of our students won this scholarship – alumni Maria Irshad, Aubrey Pasley, and Katherine Summerlin were previous two winners.
  
  Maria Irshad, Judge Theresa Chang (the Peter and Theresa Chang Foundation underwrites the scholarship), Beverly Kaufman, Buchanan, and Hattie Miranda (WPG Scholarship Chair).

• Corpus Christi's New City Secretary Sworn in Before City Council - KIII - News
• Coats named Public Official of the Year   - The Citizen
• Jeff Braun (MPA Faculty) acknowledged for his knowledge in emergency management - The Rancher
• MPA Student elected to Pasadena City Council
  What Cody Wheeler is learning about public servant leadership as a graduate student in the Master of Public Administration program, he has successfully applied to his career goals. In May, Mr. Wheeler was elected to the Pasadena City Council- unseating an incumbent with a margin of victory of less than three dozen votes.

• David W. Hawes MPA Challenge
• Governments Expand Mobile Payments to Everything from Parking to Property Taxes
• WPG 2012 Beverly Kaufmann Scholarship Recipient - Katherine Summerlin
  

  Katherine Summerlin is a non-traditional graduate student in the Master of Public Administration program at the University of Houston. She believes the MPA program is the perfect catalyst to propel her career as a public servant and the program is an asset to the City of Houston. read more

  As a wife, mother and scholar, she has juggled multiple responsibilities while earning a 3.945 GPA on a 4.0 scale. She graduated cum laude in 2006 with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Houston.

  While matriculating at U of H, Katherine has earned the following recognitions:

  • Master of Public Administration Alumni Network Scholarship winner – 2012
  • Dean’s List ‐ 2005
  • National Dean’s List – 2005‐2006

  From June through August of last year, she worked as an intern with the City of Houston Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security. She supported development of regional catastrophic training and exercise plans, provided plan briefings, validated plan elements and set preliminary framework for 2013 exercises. She also assisted with organizing and planning workshops/events.

  Katherine’s affiliations include:

  • Member, American Political Science Association
  • Ex‐Officio Board Member, U of H Young Alumni Connection
  • Member, Volunteer Opportunities in Houston
  • Member, University of Houston Alumni Association

  Past Affiliations include:

  • Search Young Professionals of Houston
  • Past Communications Vice‐President, U of H Young Alumni Connection
  • Past President, San Jacinto College Democrats
  • Past Vice‐President of Communications, Harris County Democrats

  by Jocelyn Williams (WPG Connections Newsletter)

• Our Alumni Making news - Governments Expand Mobile Payments to Everything from Parking to Property Taxes
• Scenarios 2040
  

  On July 6, 2012 the University of Houston Master of Public Administration Program (MPA) co-sponsored with the Urban Management Professionals of Southeast Texas (UMPSET) "Scenarios 2040" by the Center for Houston's Future at Rice University. These scenarios are research-based and provide an opportunity to explore the future possibilities and challenges our region may face in the future. The purpose of the program was to spark dialogue and encourage regional collaboration and problem-solving.

• UH Master of Public Administration Program Hosts Awards Luncheon
  

  The University of Houston Master of Public Administration Program will host its first awards luncheon Friday (Feb. 24) to recognize the program's Public Official of the Year for 2011. read more

• First Annual MPA Award Luncheon

WPG 2011-2012 Beverly Kaufmann Scholarship Recipient

Aubrey Pasley graduated with a Master of Public Administration degree in August 2012. She currently works for Harris County Budget Management as a Management Analyst.

Aubrey is affiliated with several organizations including: ICMA-International City Management Associations, UMPSET-Urban Management Professional of Southeast Texas and TCMA-Texas City Management Association.

She has received certification coursework from FEMA Emergency Management Training. Her Community Service work includes: volunteer for Operations Restore Hope project, MSC Lead Community service committee and Whoop! For Troops.

Meet our new faculty member!

Dr. Zhu began her studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, China where she earned a bachelor degree in Law in 2002 and a master’s degree with honors in International Relations and Public Affairs in 2005. She received a master’s degree in Political Science from Purdue University in 2007 and a Ph.D. in the same field from Texas A&M University in 2011. Dr. Zhu will be teaching in the Master of Public Administration Program as well as in the Political Science Department. Her research focuses on health disparities, comparative social policies and how democracies incorporate marginal groups, as well as public management theory. She writes for journals in political science, public administration/management, and public health. Her future research will explore how local service delivery organizations deal with their external environment and how institutional characteristics of service networks affect socially/economically marginalized groups in democracies.

From our Faculty!

Judge Emmett Lecture

Alumni in the news!

• Alumnus Brandon Wade (M.P.A. '99) city manager of Pflugerville, TX is bringing changes to city
• MPA Student Receives Marshall Memorial Fellowship
• Alumnus Jason Weeks (M.P.A. '07) featured in Graffit-e