SPA In The News

December 2022

MURP Program Director and Associate Professor Dr. Evangeline Linkous was a featured speaker at the Trail Blazers event where she presented on "Urban Futures/Common Ground: Lessons from Tbilisi's First Post-Soviet Master Plan" from her research as a 2022 Fulbright Scholar.

Trail Blazers has a 45-year history of hosting lively discussions with the USF College of Arts & Sciences leading faculty. During these events, supporters and alumni gain exclusive access to their latest research and have the opportunity to engage in thought-provoking conversations about issues that matter to them.

November 2022

The MPA program organized the 2022 MPA Bull-U-Crat Ball to celebrate the achievements of our program and students, and to help raise funds to endow scholarships in honor of our departed faculty (Drs. Jamil Jreisat and Joan Pynes).

This event was highlighted by a keynote speech titled "Florida as a Laboratory for Public Policy" which was presented by past USF President Hon. Betty Castor. We also awarded scholarships to deserving graduate students, presented awards to (and recognized new) MPA Alumni Ambassadors, and inducted qualified graduates into Pi Alpha Alpha.

December 2021

MURP Program Director and Associate Professor Dr. Evangeline Linkous received a Fulbright Scholar Award to conduct research on land use planning in Tbilisi, Georgia in partnership with Tbilisi State University. Dr. Linkous examined the adoption decision, planning process, content, and impact of Tbilisi's 2019 Land Use Master Plan—the first significant master plan update for Georgia's capital city post-Independence.

Through interviews and analysis of media and planning documents, she identified an unprecedented "right to the city" focus in Tbilisi's landmark plan, which emphasizes compact, connected, and green urban space. Her work points to a transformation for post-socialist spatial governance whereby law aims to protect, integrate, and balance individual and community interests, facilitating an incomplete but promising co-evolution of urban institutions. Dr. Linkous will present her research findings next year at the USF College of Arts & Sciences Trail Blazers event.

In addition to her research, Dr. Linkous was deeply moved by Georgia's compassionate and brave reaction to the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, which she wrote about in the Tampa Bay Times. She also enjoyed trying Georgia's famous amber wine, hiking Georgian mountains with her family and dog, and experiencing Georgian ballet and traditional song.

November 2021

The MURP program organized the 2021 MURP Celebration Event to commemorate the retirement of former MURP Program Director and Master Instructor Dr. Mark Hafen and to celebrate the recently earned accreditation by the Planning Accreditation Board (PAB).

This landmark achievement recognizes the MURP program's quality and furthers our mission of preparing future planners to meet the needs of a diverse society and providing community-engaged scholarship that makes a positive difference in Tampa Bay communities.

MURP Program Director and Associate Professor Dr. Evangeline Linkous was named the 2021 Planner of the Year by the Sun Coast Section of the American Planning Association (APA) Florida Chapter. The award recognizes Dr. Linkous' commitment to building town-and-gown partnerships such as the Mentor a Planning Student (MAPS) program. The award also recognizes her extensive volunteer service to the profession, such as serving as a Planning Commissioner for the Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission and acting as Chair of the American Planning Association (APA) Florida Chapter 2021 Project Awards committee.

May 2021

Assistant Professor Dr. Peng Chen was selected for funding by the National Institute for Congestion Reduction (NICR) as a year two project on his research proposal "Social Carpooling-based Road Congestion Mitigation: A Three-Level Analysis" where he serves as the lead researcher.

The City of Tampa was awarded a $75k grant from the Florida Resilient Coastlines Program (FRCP) to study the impacts of sea-level rise on our community and to identify key recommendations for resilience planning. In partnership with the City Planning Department, Research Associate Steven Fernandez collaborated with the USF Florida Center for Community Design and Research (FCCDR) to complete an analysis of current land use, zoning, and building regulations and recommended strategies to prepare for projected sea-level rise impacts.

March 2021

The MPA program held a virtual event on "Providing Public Service in the Midst of a Pandemic: Strategies Adopted for Managing COVID-19 Impact and Challenges" in partnership with the Suncoast Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA). Featuring guest speaker Jill Silverboard, Deputy County Administrator and Chief of Staff for Pinellas County, a panel of dynamic and experienced public administrators were assembled to exchange ideas and experiences regarding the challenges of fiscal and public service delivery impact, presumably caused by COVID-19, and how these leaders have managed and navigated through those challenges.

A very special thank you to our panelists for sharing their insight on public service amid COVID-19, and to our advisory board and alumni ambassadors for supporting our program and students, as they become our community's future leaders. You can watch the recorded event here.

September 2019

Our School held its first 2019 Green and Gold Student Awards Luncheon. This event was dedicated to recognizing the accomplishments of all of our MPA and MURP students (current and former) and their contributions to the community. A very special thank you to our panelists—Melissa Zornitta, Liz Wooten-Reschke, Bill Horne, and Jonathan Lewis—for sharing their insight on urban planning, nonprofit management, and public service, as well as to our advisory boards and mentors for supporting and guiding our students as they become our community's future leaders.

May 2019

USF sponsored a major event honoring our nation's veterans. Attended by over 200 people, the event was organized by the USF Office of Veteran Success and the USF Center for Strategic and Diplomatic Studies, and it was co-sponsored by our School and the USF Florida Center for Cybersecurity (also known as Cyber Florida).

President Judy Genshaft presented the University's first Honorable Award to the family of former U.S. Representative Sam Gibbons, a World War II veteran who dedicated his life to public service, and who was responsible for the creation of USF. The School also sponsored a table for Wounded Warriors from the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital, and its Director, Joe Battle, was our special guest.

April 2018

The MPA program organized its inaugural 2018 MPA Night Event to recognize outstanding leadership in public service, reward high achieving graduates and students, and celebrate the accomplishments of the MPA program. This event was highlighted by a keynote speech titled "Innovation in 21^st Century Government: Leveraging Collaboration and Connectivity for Bottom Line Results" which was presented by Miami's City Manager and USF alum (class of 1977) Hon. Emilio Gonzalez.

Emilio was also awarded the 2018 Lloyd D. Gladfelter Award for Government Innovation. This award is given to non-elected municipal, county, state, or federal employees who, through their careers or through a specific innovation, have helped solve a problem for Florida residents and improved public service in the state. The award honors the creative ideas and money-saving efficiencies people expect from government at all levels.

February 2017

Associate Professor Dr. Elizabeth Strom had the opportunity to serve as a Visiting Professor at the Vienna University of Economics and Business (Wirschaftsuniversität Wien) during the Spring 2017 semester through the auspices of the Fulbright Scholar Award. She taught two undergraduate courses on urban development issues, gave guest lectures, and carried out research on urban development issues in Austria's capital.

August 2016

Associate Professor Dr. Stephen Aikins received a Fulbright Scholar Award to teach and conduct research in Ghana during the 2016/2017 academic year. During his one-year stay in Ghana, he taught three courses, including public sector accounting and finance at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA). Additionally, he conducted research in public financial management and wrote an article with policy recommendations for Ghana's government on how to increase Ghana's revenue generation from property taxes and the informal sector of the economy.

Furthermore, he co-trained public procurement officials and other stakeholders in a workshop on international best practices in procurement. Finally, Dr. Aikins set up a scholarship fund for brilliant but needy students at GIMPA and also donated backpacks and books to needy students in a basic school in partnership with the Ghanaian Association of Tampa Bay.

June 2016

Associate Professor Dr. John Daly received his third Fulbright Scholar Award to Swaziland in 2016. Working with the faculty at the University of Swaziland, and its Department of Political and Administrative Studies (Public Administration and Political Science), Dr. Daly developed a course framework for initiating a new Bachelor's degree in Governance and Public Policy.