Fall 2024 Newsletter

Message from the Director

Dear Friends at the Center for Public Service (CPS),

As we approach the end of the calendar year and plan for winter break and upcoming holidays, we reflect on our abundant activities to improve governance, civic capacity, and public administration both regionally and globally during the Fall Quarter. The Center for Public Service is home to the Institute for Tribal Government, the Nonprofit Institute, Community Environmental Services, the Initiative for Community & Disaster Resilience, and is a partner with the Elections & Voting Information Center. Our collective work this Fall included training, leadership development, providing fee-for-service consulting, providing technical assistance to environmental justice communities, conducting applied research, publishing and presenting at conferences, hosting international delegations, and developing public service talent. Housed within the College of Urban and Public Affairs Mark O. Hatfield School of Government, CPS is known for its “pracademic” approach, which blends academic research and applied experience. 

Below, you’ll find some highlights from our Fall activities to showcase the remarkable work happening through CPS. We truly value your consistent support and partnership in achieving our mission. I am grateful to you and to our dedicated and inspiring faculty, staff, and our incredible student team! 

We are excited to share our first newsletter for the academic year and wish to extend our heartfelt thanks to Aiswarya Dutta, a second-year Public Affairs & Policy doctoral student, and Joselle Monyette, a third-year graphic design student, for their efforts in designing this issue. We hope you enjoy reading it, and that it may inspire you to engage with us in these public service endeavors, in pursuit of enhancing the legitimacy of—and citizen trust in—public service institutions and the people who work in them!                                                  

Inspiring Global Leaders: YSEALI Fellows at CPS

CPS successfully hosted the third year of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) program. A signature initiative of the U.S. State Department, this program was launched by President Obama in the year 2013. Twenty-five young fellows from 11 Southeast Asian nations participated in a four-week intensive program at PSU on civic engagement, followed by a week in New York and Washington, D.C. They concluded the program by presenting their action plans to State Department staff and other YSEALI fellows from the University of Nebraska, Omaha. 

The four weeks at PSU were filled with lectures, site visits, guest speakers, volunteer work, and evening and weekend excursions. Fellows experienced a holistic approach to culture and civic life, explored public issues, and considered effective ways to engage communities in addressing challenging social problems. Immersed in Portland’s vibrant culture, they witnessed a community that values and fosters confident, compassionate leadership.

Advancing Sustainability

This fall, Community Environmental Services collaborated on two events with the Port of Portland at PDX: a co-mingled recycling sort and a bulky waste drop-off event. Two graduate assistants spearheaded the event along with a small group of PSU student staff. The purpose of the co-mingled recycling sort was to understand the composition of materials found in recycling bins to determine how well people understand recycling rules and see if there is any need for outreach and education with airport businesses and patrons. This sort showed that 81.5% of the materials were recyclable, which was a big improvement from the last sort completed in 2019, where only 56% of the materials were recyclable. 

The bulky waste drop off event happens annually and offers airport businesses an opportunity to get rid of bulky waste items. The event also offers a chance for employees to peruse materials others have left behind in the format of a ‘free store’. This event builds community and creates a chance for items to find a second home, reducing the amount of material that ends up in the landfill. We worked with community hauling partner Frog and Toad, who picked up usable items at the end of the day and distributed them to local nonprofits.  

Training for Oregon Newly Elected Officials

On Saturday December 7, CPS hosted a "boot camp" for 38 newly-elected mayors and city council members from throughout Oregon. The interactive session focused on practical tools for being effective as a governing body, as an  individual member of the team, and in the relationship between the city council and staff. For the first time, the training was done in a hybrid format: the combined on-campus and remote groups simultaneously participated in presentations from speakers (both in-person and remote), but breakout discussions were done separately, with different sets of on-campus and remote facilitators. The trainers were Independence Mayor John McArdle, North Bend Mayor Jessica Engelke, Springfield City Manager (and PSU EMPA alum) Nancy Newton, veteran city consultant Joe Hertzberg, and Adjunct Associate Profes-sor Scott Lazenby. 

CPS has also been working in partnership with the City of Portland onboarding the City's newly elected officials. On Saturday December 14, CPS hosted Community-Centered Governance for Effective Policy Making, made possible based on the philanthropic support of Meyer Memorial Trust, facilitated by Ana Sofia Castellanos, PhD, and Scott Nine, MSW. And upcoming Wednesday, December 18, we will host a Leadership Effectiveness Training for the City's newly elected officials facilitated by Adjunct Associate Professor Scott Lazenby and Sara Singer Wilson, MPA.

Introducing This Academic Year's Graduate Assistants

This fall, the Center for Public Service (CPS) welcomed eleven graduate assistants (GRAs) across various projects, grants, and portfolios, advancing its mission to develop public service leaders at all career stages. By offering paid positions with tuition remission, CPS supports students’ academic journeys while enhancing its team with skilled talent. CPS welcomed back Graduate Research Assistants and Newcomers to CPS including: