Below are items of interest from the current academic year.

Events
Publications

Events

November 2006 Attention Returned Peace Corps Volunteers: 
Meet MPP Assistant Director Jennifer Arndt during Peace Corp’s Federal Career Week!

Peace Corp’s Federal Career Week (www.peacecorps.gov/rpcv/events) is a series of events designed to inform talented and dedicated individuals about federal careers and various opportunities to become engaged in public administration.  In addition to your panel, Federal Career Week activities include agency-sponsored information sessions; internship and career fairs; résumé development workshops; and keynote addresses outlining federal recruitment, hiring, and retention needs and efforts. 

PANEL DETAILS
Title: A Look into MPA and MPP Programs
Goal: To inform prospective graduate students about the distinctions between graduate degrees in public administration and public policy and offer guidance in the graduate school exploration process.
Date: Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Time: 2:45pm - 4:00pm
Location: Peace Corps Headquarters; 1111 20th Street, NW; Washington, DC 20526

Facilitator: Scott Talan, National Association of Schools of Public Policy and Administration (NASPPA)
Panelists:  

February 2006 U.S. Congressman Ben Cardin (D-Maryland) discussed the recent Capitol Hill ethics scandals and proposed steps to reform Congressional ethics procedures at a special Institute for Policy Studies forum on Friday, February 10.

Speaking to a standing room only crowd of JHU students and faculty, Cardin stressed that “the majority of my colleagues in Congress are good people who want to do the right thing.” However, he added, the complex relationship between legislators and lobbyists—many of whom are former legislators or staff members—creates abundant opportunities for ethical transgressions. “All Americans have a right to a government that works and that fairly represents them,” he said. That’s not happening today in Washington.”

Cardin, who has served in Congress since 1987 and was a member of the House Ethics Committee from 1991-1997, has now seen three House Speakers brought down by ethics scandals. In 1997, Cardin joined with Rep. Bob Livingston (R-LA) in rewriting the House Ethics rules—the last bipartisan ethics reform effort to be undertaken by the House.

28 students arrived on August 22 nd for the MPP Orientation Boot Camp, which for the first time included several workshops that brought them into contact with MPP alums. Amy Buck (MPP 2003) co-taught the writing workshop and Kristin Engnell (MPP 2004) taught a session on public speaking.  MPP students participated in the first annual “Baltimore Day”, designed to introduce them to the city not only from a historical and policy perspective, but also as their home for the next two years.  In the morning Bob Seidel talked about the social history of Baltimore.  The students then traveled by JHU shuttle to the School of Public Health, where 4 MPP Alums who are currently working in Baltimore presented a panel discussion and took questions.  They spent the afternoon on a photo scavenger hunt with second year students, and had the opportunity to ride the water taxi and explore some of the city neighborhoods.  We ended the day in Mt. Vernon for the 1st Thursdays concert.

Publications

MPP Student Iryna Vidianava was recently quoted in a feature article, "Banana Revolutions and Banana Skins," in TOL (Transitions Online) a leading Internet magazine covering CEE, the Balkans and the former Soviet Union. Iryna is editor-in-chief of Studentskaya Dumka, the only independent youth magazine in Belarus.