Conference Positions Campus as a Leader in Public Affairs Research

November 16, 2004 — More than 100 students, faculty members and practitioners attended UCF’s first annual Public Affairs Research Conference, held Oct. 29 on the Orlando campus. The focus of the day-long event was “Policy Research Dilemmas and Scientific Solutions.”

The conference provided a platform for sharing innovative ideas and identifying key issues pertaining to public affairs research, said Tom Wan, professor and director of the Doctoral Program in Public Affairs. It also served as a vehicle to bridge the gaps between academic and practicing fields in public affairs.

In a room filled to capacity, participants from health care, local government, law enforcement and nonprofit organizations joined members of the campus community for morning presentations by leading public affairs’ researchers. Guest speaker Michael Munger, professor and chair of the Department of Political Science at Duke University in Durham, N.C., started the program by presenting his views on policy dilemma and public research. Subsequent presenters focused on divergence and convergence in public affairs education and research; public affairs informatics research; and conducting “best practices” research in public affairs. After each presentation, one or more scholars or practitioners responded with their own thoughts and views on the topic.

The opportunity to hear the issues clearly defined — and to hear various points of view on the issues — was very well-received by the audience.

After a luncheon, the participants attended an afternoon poster session featuring displays on 25 faculty, staff and student research projects. The posters reflected a wide variety of research interests in social work, criminal justice, public administration and health administration. In addition, “They showed the high quality of collaborative research occurring between faculty and students,” Wan noted.

Many researchers stood by their posters and answered questions about their work. They also viewed their colleague’s posters on research projects such as “Transitional Elder Care in Latino Families” by Assistant Professor Denise Gammonley, “An Analysis of the Use of Strategic Planning Among State Correctional Agencies” by student Laurie Gould, “The Effect of National Board Certification on Burnout Levels in Educators” by student Tanya Judd, and “Long-Term Cost Savings of Evidence-Based Diabetes Care” by postdoctoral fellow Allan March.

Wan said evaluations of the conference, which was sponsored by the public affairs doctoral program and UCF Center for Community Partnerships, were extremely favorable and clearly marked the event as a success.

“Having a successful conference should help position the public affairs doctoral program as a progressive and nationally recognized enterprise in public affairs research,” he concluded.

— Karen Guin