By Maria-Elena Augustin

More than 110 public administrators serving in local government and academia met at the Orlando campus on March 28, 2008, for the University of Central Florida's Second Annual Public Administration Conference, titled "The Changing Face of Public Administration: Innovation in Government."

The conference provided a forum to highlight professional experiences and research in many topic areas, including innovations in cross-sectoral partnerships, public safety research and practice, governance and leadership, and public participation and collaboration. Distinguished speakers from academia, government and the community presented and discussed innovative approaches to public administration with an engaged audience.

The keynote speaker was Stephen Goldsmith, the Daniel Paul Professor of Government and director of the Innovations in American Government Program at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. He is also the chair of the Corporation for National and Community Service. Goldsmith received the conference's Exemplary Public Service Award.

Conference participants included practitioners in city and county government, UCF faculty members and students, and nonprofit administrators. The four panels comprised city and county leaders; UCF, FSU and Arizona State University faculty members; and the Urban Academies Program of Broward County, 2006 winner of the Innovation in American Government Award.

Participants commented that the conference was one of the best they had attended and provided a great networking opportunity. They also said they appreciated the convenience and comfort of the FAIRWINDS Alumni Center.

The Second Annual Public Administration Conference sponsors included Pizzuti Solutions, the Central Florida Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration, R.W. Beck and Seminole County. These sponsorships included the awards to students presenting research and 20 student conference scholarships.

The Third Annual Public Administration Conference will be held April 17, 2009, at the FAIRWINDS Alumni Center and will focus on Networking and Collaborations in the 21st Century.

For more information on the degree and certificate programs of the UCF Department of Public Administration and its other activities, call (407) 823-2604 or go to www.cohpa.ucf.edu/pubadm/.

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