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 Page 1 of Vol. 6, No. 1 January 2003

INSIDE:

Letter from the President and Vice President

Student Manuscript Award Winners

Chapter Award of Excellence

2002 National Honorary Member
   The Honorable Hilda L. Solis

National Honorary Members

Pi Alpha Alpha New National
Director

Pi Alpha Alpha

National Honor Society for
Public Administration

National Association of
Schools of Public Affairs
and Administration

1120 G Street, NW, Suite 730
Washington, DC 20005
Pone: 202.628.8965
Fax: 202.626.4978
paa@naspaa.org
jlewis@naspaa.org
Website: www.naspaa.org

CURRENT OFFICERS:

PRESIDENT
Linda deLeon

VICE PRESIDENT
J. Steven Ott

LETTER FROM THE
PRESIDENT

Recently, incoming Pi Alpha Alpha President Steven Ott and I met to discuss ways that we could increase the visibility of PAA, build its membership, support its chapters, and plan interesting and enjoyable PAA activities for the NASPAA Conference October 16-18, in Pittsburgh.

First, we will be communicating with PAA Faculty Advisers by email,
regularly sharing news and ideas. We would like to use this method to supplement the annual meeting of the
National Council and the workshop for faculty advisers as a means of learning about best practices at the chapters, and as a means of debating the issues facing our society.

Second, we hope all of you will
seriously consider attending the NASPAA Conference (October 16-18, 2003, in Pittsburgh) and participating in its Pi Alpha Alpha events. The Pi Alpha Alpha luncheon, for example, will include the (very brief) Biennial Meeting of the Society, at which all PAA members are invited. We encourage you to join us for that meeting, and we strongly encourage you to come wearing your Pi Alpha Alpha lapel pin or pendant (or even your medallion — wear ’em if you got ’em!).
Third, we will be working to encourage the establishment of chapters in more NASPAA member schools by
personally contacting the principal
representatives of schools without chapters. We hope to make those contacts armed with ideas and suggestions 
from successful chapters of all types — those with student members and those composed mainly of alumni, those with many activities and those with few.

As we work, we will always
welcome comments and
suggestions from you, and we are very grateful for the wonderful ideas that have come our way already. It is a great pleasure to preside over an organization with such high ideals and goals. We are committed to supporting you in every way we can as you, too, serve to promote “scholarship, leadership and
excellence” in the public service.

Cordially,
Linda deLeon: Linda.deLeon@cudenver.edu or 303.556.5977
Steven Ott:
JSOTT@csbs.utah.edu or 801.581.8620


Page 2 of Vol. 6, No. 1 January 200

STUDENT MANUSCRIPT
AWARD WINNERS

At the October 2002 Annual Conference held in Los Angeles, CA, at the PAA Awards luncheon, two students won the best PAA Master’s and Doctoral Student Manuscript Award. For the Master’s Award, the winner was Timothy L. Wilson, Southwest Texas State University, whose paper was titled “Pragmatism and Performance Measurement: An Exploration of Pragmatic Practices in Texas State Government.” Wilson received a plaque and a monetary gift of $200. This paper will be published in the on-line journal soon.

The recipient of the Doctoral Award was Suzanne J. Piotrowski, American University. Piotrowski’s paper was titled “Presidential Leadership and Political Appointments: Did Clinton Make a Difference?” Piotrowski received a plaque and a monetary gift of $200.

CHAPTER AWARD OF
EXCELLENCE WINNER

For the second year the Chapter Award of Excellence has been given to the chapter that has shown excellence in programming and chapter management in pursuit of Pi Alpha Alpha’s goals of scholarship, leadership and excellence in graduate education in public affairs and administration. The winner for 2002 was Boise State University. The chapter received its award at Pi Alpha Alpha’s luncheon held during the NASPAA Annual Conference in Los Angeles, CA.

We continue encouraging all of our chapters to take part in this endeavor by nominating your best Faculty Adviser to receive the Chapter Adviser Award of Excellence. President deLeon and Vice President Ott will be working on incentives to get our chapters more involved in these awards.

REMINDER:

Spring induction will be upon us before we realize it. As a reminder, submission for new inductees should be sent to the National Office, attention Jackie Lewis, at least two weeks 

prior to your induction ceremony.  Enclosed with this newsletter are copies of our Membership Certificate Request form for your use in submitting the names of students to be inducted into PAA. Also enclosed are order forms for other jewelry items available for students to order, such as the medallion ($25) and honor cord ($15).

NATIONAL HONORARY
MEMBER

At the Pi Alpha Alpha luncheon held during the NASPAA Annual Conference in October, in Los Angeles, CA, The Honorable Hilda L. Soils, U.S. Congresswoman for the 32nd District of the State of California, was recognized as the 2002 National Honorary Member of PAA. Congresswoman Solis was first elected to Congress in 2000 and is serving her second term in the U.S. House of Representatives. She was the first Latina to serve on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. She is also the Ranking Member of the Environment and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee. 

Solis is a graduate of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and earned a Master’s degree in Public
Administration from the University of Southern California.

PREVIOUS PAA NATIONAL
HONORARY MEMBERS

1981 Edwin M. Meese
1982 Henry G. Cisneros
1983 Donald Fraser
1984 William Ruckelshaus
1985 D. Robert Graham
1986 Richard W. Bolling
1987 Mike Lowry
1988 Andrew Young
1990 Richard T. Holzworth
1991 Elmer B. Staats
1992 Michael R. White
1993 Howard D. Tipton
1993 Glenda Hood
1993 Donald C. Stone
1994 Donald G. Shropshire
1995 Kay Bailey Hutchinson
1996 John Smithuis
1997 Terry Sanford
1998 H. Brent Coles
1999 Alma G. Beals
1999 Merrett R. Stierheim
2000 L. Douglas Wilder
2001 Anthony A. Williams
2001 George V. Voinovich
2002 Hilda L. Solis

PI ALPHA ALPHA
WELCOMES ITS NEW
NATIONAL DIRECTOR

At the October 2002 meeting of Pi
Alpha Alpha, President Linda deLeon introduced the new PAA National Director, Dr. Kenneth W. Tolo. 

Dr. Tolo has had a distinguished career that includes experience as a university administrator, public affairs faculty member and researcher, and advisor to international and national government agencies and nonprofit groups on higher education, education reform, and civic education. With a doctorate in mathematics and postdoctoral studies in public affairs, management, and languages, he served for 28 years on the faculty of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin (1972-2000), where he taught public management and directed policy research projects on education, employment, equity, and other topics. He also served as UT Austin’s Vice Provost and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Research (1979-1990).

From September 2000 until August 2002, Dr. Tolo served as Director, Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education. Established in 1972, FIPSE is widely recognized as a leader in postsecondary education innovation and reform in such areas as access, retention, and completion; teacher education and school-college partnerships; technology and distance learning; faculty development; and international curricular partnerships (jointly administered with foreign government partners in the European Community, Brazil, Canada, and Mexico). In the Department of Education, he also served as senior advisor to the Under Secretary and the Secretary during the mid-1990s, and as consultant to the Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education on higher education and international education during 2000. 

We welcome Dr. Tolo to Pi Alpha Alpha.