IT’S A JUNGLE OUT THERE. Students in the University of Georgia’s Master of Public Administration program get a reality check on local government management through a special course coordinated in part by the Vinson Institute. Link
CARETAKERS. An Institute faculty member is helping the Land Conservation Partnership Advisory Council explore a variety of public and private mechanisms for preserving Georgia’s important land resources. Link
ISSUES AND ASSETS. Collaboration is the key as the Community and Regional Development Division carries out the first comprehensive assessment of human service delivery in an eight-county region around Columbus. Link
GOVERNMENTAL TRAINING. New local government training opportunities are available …. State agencies get serious about developing future leadership. Link
WAY BEYOND BORDERS. Even though they are worlds apart, several Georgia communities recently shared successful economic development initiatives with their counterparts from the war-torn regions of Croatia. Read the story as it appeared on the UGA Web site at Link.
ISLANDS CITY. A fiscal viability study is helping residents of St. Simons Island and Sea Island understand the economics of incorporation into a new city. Link
ALL WET. Information Technology Outreach Services staff have completed a detailed map inventory of Georgia’s wetland areas. Link
NEW PUBLICATIONS. The Vinson Institute has published a new collection of essays on the Georgia Supreme Court by distinguished Georgia government law professor R. Perry Sentell, Jr. Link
Don’t forget that publications can be ordered through the new online store at Link.
CIVIC EDUCATION FRONT AND CENTER. Educators gathered in Athens and Atlanta in June for seminars on teaching about local government and civic responsibility. Link 1, Link 2, Link 3
In related news, Vinson Institute civic education faculty and publications staff are busy revising textbooks to comply with the new state social studies curriculum.
TAX AND SPEND. The forthcoming Tax and Expenditure Data Center will be a one-stop source of local government financial information and can help officials be more fiscally proactive in the times ahead. Link
Ps AND Qs. For the first time scholars from throughout the country and several foreign countries will gather at the University of Georgia for a conference on the use of Q methodology, a tool that assists researchers in understanding what individuals think about a specific topic. The Vinson Institute is hosting the conference. Link
EXCEPTIONAL OUTREACH. Mary Stakes received a special stewardship award for her work in promoting archeological education. Link
A section of the American Society for Public Administration chaired by Vinson Institute faculty recently received the 2004 Presidential Citation of Merit. The section is chaired by Steve Condrey, director of the Institute’s Human Resource Management Program. Link
An article coauthored by Steve Condrey that examines welfare reform efforts in Georgia will appear in both a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment and the book entitled Welfare Reform Impacts: Balancing Safety Nets and Behavior Modification.
