E-Newsletter - Message from the Dean
It is with great pride that I provide you with an overall update on the academic departments and related units within the College of Public Policy in the Spring 2008 Edition of our Electronic Newsletter.
College faculty and administrators continue to be involved in a variety of activities inside and outside the University. It is a pleasure to discuss this level of activity among the different college units.
In the fall newsletter, I indicated the overall growth in enrollments in the College has begun to slow. I also indicated this was not surprising as the overall University growth has begun to slow. However, we did see continued growth in the Department of Social Work and in the Department of Public Administration where enrollments are at an all-time high (98 and 131, respectively).
The College completed a very successful faculty recruitment effort during the spring semester. The Department of Criminal Justice hired three assistant professors, while the Department of Public Administration hired two assistant professors. All five received their doctorates from very strong programs and have already demonstrated the ability to be productive scholars. They will fit in nicely with the College’s plans to make UTSA a premier research university.
The Department of Public Administration plans to recruit for two faculty positions this coming year. One position will be vital to the department’s plans to work with the College of Architecture on the proposed graduate program in Urban and Regional Planning. We believe that this program will become an excellent program and will prove to be a very attractive one to San Antonio and the surrounding community. This faculty hire will also be important to the College’s proposed doctoral program in Policy Analysis.
This February, the Department of Social Work received initial accreditation from the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). The department’s chair, its faculty, and staff worked very hard to obtain this accreditation and should be commended for their success. This accreditation increases the number of accredited programs in the College to two. The Department of Public Administration is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPA).
The Department of Demography and Organization Studies has admitted nine additional students to its Applied Demography doctoral program. As the College’s newest department, its faculty and students are already having an impact in their research programs. The Institute for Demographic and Socioeconomic Research (IDSER), currently operating under the Vice President for Research, is being transferred to the College for Public Policy, where it will report to the Dean. The transfer is part of the University’s effort to place centers and institutes under the direction of the most appropriate academic dean. The IDSER faculty and many of the staff have formal affiliations with the College of Public Policy, so it is logical that IDSER be located in this college. The College welcomes IDSER.
The Center for Policy Studies will continue its Great Cities Dialogue Symposium Series during the fall semester. Tentatively, topics for two major events, one of which will be in the Fall and the other of which will be held in the Spring, will be water and transportation. Specifics are being worked out, and we will keep you informed as these are developed. In addition, a number of faculty in the Department of Criminal Justice and the Department of Social Work have initiated and/or completed a variety of projects with the City of San Antonio and with the State of Texas, demonstrating the work that College of Public Policy faculty are engaged in is drawing the attention of local and state entities for its importance and relevance.
As part of its continuing effort to increase its visibility in the community, the College held its second annual Community Breakfast in April. The attendance was good, and the College’s administrators made presentations that focused on the College’s programs and projects that emphasize collaboration with the community.
During the fall semester, the College and its departments completed their efforts to coordinate their long-term planning with “UTSA 2016”, the University’s Strategic Plan. UTSA identified five strategic initiatives to which it is committed:
- Enriching educational experiences to enable student success
- Serving society through creativity, expanded research, and innovations
- Promoting access and affordability
- Serving the public through community engagement
- Expanding resources and infrastructure
The College and its departments have aligned their mission statements and plans with these initiatives. The planning at the college and department levels will ensure UTSA’s five strategic initiatives are accomplished and this in turn will secure its becoming a premier research university.
The College’s new mission statement is as follows:
The College of Public Policy is dedicated to the advancement of salient public policy and practice through research, rigorous educational programs, service, and collaborative partnerships that contribute to the public good within a diverse society.
Finally, in the midst of all this activity, it is sometimes useful to review how far one has come. The College is a relatively new college, having been established in Fall 2000. But, frankly, the College’s growth since 2000 has been phenomenal:
- the number of departments has increased from two to four;
- the number of students has increased from 761 to 1106 (45% increase);
- credit hours generated by the College have increased by 53%;
- the number of faculty in the College has increased from eight in 2000 to 39 this coming fall and scheduled to rise to 41 in Fall 2009;
- the number of administrative staff members has increased from one to 13;
- the number of support staff (those directing special programs, providing technical support, etc) has increased from zero to seven;
- the College now has a center and an institute, whereas we had neither in 2000;
- external grant/contract dollars generated reached $335,418 last year.
I would like to thank you for your support and encouragement as the College continues to grow and serve San Antonio and the South Texas Region. I believe the College of Public Policy has a very bright future because of your continued support.
Submitted by Jesse T. Zapata, Ph.D., Dean, College of Public Policy.