Congratulations MPA Class of 2018!
The Department of Public Administration along with the families and friends of MPA graduates celebrated the achievement of 40 graduates at the Holmes Student Center on May 11. Pi Alpha Alpha National Honor Society Awards were presented to students who achieved a GPA of 3.75.
Two mid-career students received the department’s highest honors this year. Betsy Hull received the William R. Monat Scholar award. Betsy, who serves as the finance director for the DeKalb County Community Foundation, was awarded the Outstanding Graduate Student by the Department of Public Administration at a reception hosted by the Graduate School in May. Betsy was described by Dr. Schatteman as, “the one in the class who was always thinking about how she could apply what she learned to her work at the foundation but also to her volunteer service in many nonprofit organizations.”
Delmar Dade received the Daniel Wit Scholar Award and he was also recognized by the Chicago Chapter of the American Society of Public Administration (ASPA) as the Dean F. Eitel Graduate Student from NIU. Delmar is a police officer with the Village of Crystal Lake Police Department. He looks forward to being a leader in his department and hopes to use the knowledge and skills he has developed in the MPA program to be a positive role model within his organization.
In addition to celebrating our graduates, two second year students were awarded fellowships to attend professional development events. The fellowships encourage MPA students to get involved in professional associations and expand their learning and networking beyond the classroom.
The James M. and Audrey M. Banovetz Fellowship committee led by Valerie Salmons awarded a fellowship to Jessica Sandlund. In addition to the honor of being named a Banovetz Fellow, Jessica will receive a $1,500 stipend to attend the ARNOVA Conference in Austin, Texas this fall. Jessica serves as the intern for CASA DeKalb County and will be completing the MPA program in December.
Phillip Love received the David and Catherine Arnold Fellowship award from Committee Chairman Shawn Jeffers. The Arnold Fellowship is open to both pre-career and mid-career minority students and provides a $1,500 stipend to attend a conference. Arnold Fellows are expected to build professional networks among their peers as they become the next generation of public administrators. Phillip, an intern at the Village of Skokie, will be attending the ICMA conference in Baltimore, Maryland.
To see a list of graduates and award recipients click here.