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News: Spring 2006
Campus news for University of Wisconsin-Madison
Clipsheet: University of Wisconsin-Madison in the news
Experts gather for current account sustainability conference
About 30 participants from policy institutions and universities from around the world took part in a La Follette School conference on current account sustainability in major advanced economies. The conference is part of a long-term project being conducted by La Follette professors Menzie Chinn and Charles Engel.
"The papers focused on empirical and theoretical modeling, rather than policy prescriptions," Chinn notes. "About half of the papers can be thought of as focusing on the determinants of current account imbalances, while the other half focus on the manner in which adjustment will take place."
For more, take a look at Chinn's blogs from the conference for April 29 and May 1.
-- posted May 25, 2006
La Follette alumni rally 'round Bob at UW Spirit Day at Capitol
From left: Darin
Renner, Legislative Fiscal Bureau; John Anderson; Lenn Schneider,
Department of Workforce Development; Senator Tim Carpenter;
and Grant Huber, state Senate.
Photo by Jay Salvo
La Follette School alumni held a mini-reunion near the bust of the school's namesake, Robert M. La Follette.
"A few of the many proud La Follette School alumni working in Wisconsin state government joined 'Fighting Bob' to show their school spirit on UW Spirit Day in the state Capitol," reports John Anderson, a legislative assistant with the Assembly.
Sponsored by the Wisconsin Alumni Association, University of Wisconsin Spirit Day encouraged alumni to wear school colors. University officials visited with legislators and other policymakers in the Capitol on April 25.
-- posted May 16, 2006; updated Nov. 10, 2006
La Follette School of Public Affairs celebrates graduation of 45 students
Career Development Coordinator, left, and Associate Director Karen Holden, center, stand with members of the 2006 class graduating from the La Follette School of Public Affairs. Below, students, faculty and speaker Tammy Baldwin (far left) stand as the graduates finish entering the Assembly Chamber at the Wisconsin Capitol.
A time of transition like graduation is a good time for people to take stock of their values, U.S. Representative Tammy Baldwin told 45 students graduating from the La Follette School of Public Affairs in May.
"Graduation is a good time, I think, for introspection," Baldwin said. "As you take a new job, find a new home, enter into new relationships, its a good time to ask, Who am I? What are my values? Why do I do this?"
Such introspection helps Baldwin maintain a clear sense of herself and
her goals, and she urged the new La Follette alumni to do the same, to
remember what prompted them to turn to public service.
Twelve of the students were in the international program, and 33 were in
the domestic. Of those, four were in joint programs, three in law and
one in urban and regional planning. Another will continue work toward
her Ph.D. in political science. Six of the students entered La Follette
via the accelerated program through which an undergraduate begins
working on the degree requirements as a senior and completes all
requirements with an additional year of study beyond the bachelors
degree.
School recognizes
students, staff
La Follette School Director Donald
Nichols and Associate Karen Holden congratulated
students at the ceremony.
Holden thanked Student Services Coordinator Joanne Chapin and Career Development Coordinator Mary Woodward for their service to the school and the university. Both plan to retire this year.
Holden presented two awards to students. The Penniman Prize recognizes the most outstanding paper by a graduating student. This year, MPA students Martha Kraetsch and Maureen Quinn shared the prize. Each wrote separately nominated papers and together wrote a third paper that faculty nominated. "Each paper was well organized, very well written and unusually insightful," Holden noted.
The joint paper is called " A Critique of 'What Happens to Families Under W-2 in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin?'" Quinn and Kraetsch wrote the paper for the course Public Affairs 871: Public Program Evaluation. Kraetsch's other paper looked at the abalone fishery management in South Africa, while Quinn's paper explored whether the Wisconsin Department of Regulation and Licensing should provide more information to the public about Wisconsin physicians. They wrote these papers for the course Public Affairs: 873 Introduction to Policy Analysis.
The Penniman Prize is name for Clara Penniman, a political science professor emeritus and former director of the Center for the Study of Public Policy and Administration, a precursor of the La Follette School of Public Affairs.
Quinn also won the Director's Achievement Award for her outstanding academic record.
Commitment to public service is what brought the 45 students to La
Follette two years ago, faculty speaker Carolyn Heinrich told the
graduates. She drew from the personal statements they wrote as part of
their applications to the school.
“Many of you came to La Follette having been motivated to work toward
some larger collective goal, or more broadly for the public good, by one
or more firsthand encounters with individuals, communities or societies
in need,” Heinrich said.
“One student described her experiences with a housing project and medical
mission. We worked in a 100-year-old home which supported a family of
eight with one small coal-burning stove and no insulation,” Heinrich
read. “The students team helped more than 3,000 primarily migrant and
homeless people get access to health care. It was at this point, the
student wrote, that I knew I had to do something to change the vicious
cycle of poverty.”
This commitment to improving the world prompted one of the student speakers, Jennifer Leavitt-Moy, to hope she and her classmates would stay in touch with each other. An MPA student, Leavitt-Moy also served as 2005-06 president of the La Follette School Student Association.
Andy Miner, the student who spoke on behalf of the international
program, suggested an approach for helping people meet the challenges of
public service. Drawing from Zen teachings and German philosophy, Miner
advised the audience to live each moment to the fullest and to be
virtuous, to do good in the world simply because that is the right
action.
“Instead of constantly worrying about that rough test, upcoming
performance review, or the possibility of an award or advancement, we
should be content with what we are fortunate to have and do the right
thing anyway,” Miner said. “In time the natural flow of things will set
things right.”
Tammy Baldwin
In recognition of its relationship to the states government, the La Follette School holds its graduation celebration in the Capitol’s Assembly Chamber. Baldwin served in the Assembly from 1993 to 1999 before moving on to the U.S. House of Representatives, where she holds the seat once filled by Robert M. La Follette, the school’s namesake.
“To me, this chamber, indeed, all halls of government, are sacred ground, Baldwin said to the graduates. Whether Im watching a city council meeting on Cable 12 or listening to a debate on the floor of the House of Representatives, I feel a mixture of pride and awe that we live in a democracy that is of the people, by the people, and for the people.
“Fighting Bob La Follette practiced politics the American way. He said, Government must be made more responsible to the people,” Baldwin said. “When a 1959 U.S. Senate committee named La Follette one of the five most outstanding senators in U.S. history, they called him a ceaseless battler for the underprivileged in an age of special privilege, a courageous independent in an era of conformity, who fought memorably against tremendous odds and stifling inertia for the social and economic reforms which ultimately proved essential to American progress in the 20th century.
“This class of 2006 now carries the torch of La Follettes legacy into the 21st century.”
-- posted May 18, 2006
Green Tier environmental program recognized
Wisconsin's
Green Tier, a voluntary program to that gives businesses more
flexibility to improve their environmental standards -- often at a lower
cost and with less red-tape -- has been named one of 18 finalists for
the Innovations in American Government Award.
Read full news release.
-- posted May 8, 2006
La Follette School of Public Affairs to mark degrees awarded to 45 students
The La Follette School honors the graduation of 45 students in a 2
p.m. ceremony on Saturday, May 13, in the Assembly chamber of the State
Capitol.
U.S. Representative Tammy Baldwin is the scheduled keynote speaker and
La Follette School associate professor Carolyn Heinrich is the faculty
speaker. Graduating students Jennifer Leavitt-Moy (MPA) and Andrew Miner
(MIPA) will also speak. A reception at the Madison Club follows the
ceremony. The Madison Horn Club will play, beginning a half hour before
the ceremony and for the processional and recessional of graduating
students and faculty. The ceremony and reception is organized by the La
Follette School Student Association.
Faculty will recognize student achievements with the 20th Clara Penniman
Prize. The prize is given to the graduating student who has written the
most outstanding paper while a graduate student in public affairs. The
Director's Book Award will be given for highest student achievement.
Twelve students are being awarded the Masters in International Public
Affairs and 33 the Masters in Public Affairs. Four students receiving
these degrees were in joint programs, three in law and one in urban and
regional planning). Another will continue work towards her PhD in
political science. Six of the students entered La Follette via the
accelerated program through which an undergraduate begins working on the
degree requirements as a Senior and completes all requirements with an
additional year of study beyond the B.A.
"This is a strong class," says Associate Director Karen Holden. "They
have spent two years honing and practicing their skills in policy
analysis and management, which they will now put to work in internships
and jobs in Wisconsin, across the United States and around the world."
-- posted May 4, 2006
Outreach director authors article on ethics, politics
La Follette Outreach Director Terry Shelton has published a 1,000 word article on Ethics and Politics: Minding the Gap in the annual report of the Midwest Council of State Government on the Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development. The article will be the front page piece for the newsletter which goes to every legislator in three provinces of Canada, as well as every legislator in 11 Midwestern states, including Wisconsin.
-- posted April 20, 2006
Herd shares ideas on gender and Social Security
La Follette School professor Pamela Herd discussed the relationship between gender and Social Security benefits with Chicago public radio station WBEZ on April 18.
-- posted April 19, 2006
Chinn discusses U.S. trade deficit in context of visit from China's president
La Follette School professor Menzie Chinn tells FoxNews.com that changing the value of China's currency is not enough to address the U.S. trade deficit with China.
Protecting U.S. firms at the expense of foreign companies also is not a good approach, Chinn says. A sharp reduction in foreign investment in the United States could cause economic turmoil.
One way to reduce the trade imbalance would be to reduce U.S. oil consumption through an energy tax, Chinn tells Fox News.
With Chinese Visits Planned, Trade Deficit is Front and Center, April 18, 2006, FoxNews.com
-- posted April 19, 2006
Chinn explores Federal Reserve chair's 'global savings glut hypothesis'
La Follette School professor
Menzie Chinn will present a paper analyzing new Federal Reserve
chair Ben Bernankes global savings glut hypothesis at the Federal
Reserve Bank in Cleveland in May and at a CESifoDelphi conference on
Global Economic Imbalances: Prospects and Remedies in
Delphi, Greece, June 2-3.
He earlier presented the paper at the Bank for International Settlements
in Basle, Switzerland, the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank, and at a
conference on Global Savings and Investments Patterns and the Changing
Structure of the World Economy, co-sponsored by the World Economic
Forum, the Reinventing Bretton Woods Committee, the Reserve Bank of
Australia and the Australian Treasury. The gathering took place in
Adelaide, Australia, as part of the meeting of the G-20 finance
deputies.
Chinn has joined the
Advisory Committee of the Washington, D.C.-based Institute for
International Economics, the pre-eminent think tank on the global
economy. He attended his first meeting on April 6.
-- posted April 19, 2006
La Follette students aid Habitat for Humanity project
Five La Follette School students pitched in at a Habitat for Humanity project on April 14 in south Madison. Organized by the La Follette School Student Association, the students, joined by a graduate student from the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, spent the day preparing a house for a big building event that Habitat will carry out in a couple of weeks.
They attached boards to the concrete foundation to create sill plates for the walls' wood frames, sawed boards for picnic tables and moved tools. La Follette School students Jeff Sartin and Emily Pope drove a truckload of mulch to the construction site.
Their work prepared the site for an "accelerated build," says participant and LSSA community service chair Craig Johnson. "This will be a time when they bring a lot of volunteers together to build two houses fairly close to completion in a short amount of time."
Other La Follette participants were Karyn Kriz and Molly Regan.
"We had a small group," Johnson says, "but it was really a great day and everybody worked hard and did a super job. We had a really wonderful time working and interacting with the Habitat site staff and other volunteers."
Above: The La Follette-Urban and Regional Planning crew includes, from left, Craig Johnson, Emily Pope, Molly Regan, Karyn Kriz, Drew Landis of URPL and, Jeff Sartin. Below: Emily Pope and Jeff Sartin haul a load of mulch.
-- posted April 18, 2006; updated April 19, 2006, Aug. 24, 2006
Reschovsky, co-author to present paper on metropolitan finance
Professor Andrew Reschovsky and co-author Howard Chernick will present a paper, "Fiscal Conditions in Select Metropolitan Areas" at the Conference on Intergovernmental Relations and State Fiscal Performance sponsored by the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University, April 20-21, 2006, Atlanta, Georgia.
The paper presents the initial steps to better understand the current fiscal condition of local governments within metropolitan areas and to establish the extent to which fiscal disparities exist within a sample of U.S. metropolitan areas. The primary focus is to determine the extent to which fiscal institutions within a metropolitan area taxing authority, mandates, expenditure responsibilities, intergovernmental grants-in-aid, regional governance contribute to the fiscal health of local governments within metropolitan areas.
-- posted April 18, 2006
Reschovsky shares research on government finance, proposed amendment
Professor Andrew Reschovsky has given five presentations on Wisconsin's proposed Taxpayer Protection Amendment. The proposed amendment to Wisconsin's constitution would limit annual revenue growth.
The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System learned about the proposed amendments effects on the UW System on March 9. Reschovsky presented The Taxpayer Protections Amendment: An Analysis of its Impact on the University, on March 20 to the Academic Staff Assembly at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
He appeared at public Forum on Taxes and School Funding sponsored by the School District of Lodi, the City of Lodi, and the towns of Lodi and West Point, "The Taxpayer Protection Amendment and the Prospects for School Funding Reform" in Lodi on March 28.
Reschovsky gave two keynote addresses about the amendment, one to the Wisconsin Education Association Council Leadership Lobby Day on March 1 and the other to the Wisconsin Student Government Seminar of the Wisconsin Technical College System on February 20.
Taxpayers Protection Amendment could mean tough choices about UW tuition, access
-- posted April 18, 2006
Columnist cites professor on Texas school financing
Texas lawmakers are again considering school financing and a columnist for the Dallas Morning News cites research by Andrew Reschovsky of the La Follette School in her discussion about the a court ruling that requires the legislature to address school funding and the property tax.
Columnist Holly Hacker notes that the Texas Supreme Court noted that if the school finance system was not improved, it could become constitutionally inadequate. This, Hacker, wrote, picks up on what Reschovsky and co-author Jennifer Imazeki of San Diego State University wrote in a paper they will present in April:
"'Observing recent political events in Texas from a distance, we are skeptical whether the legislature will respond to the Supreme Court's plea to change the school funding system in a way that will result in improved student performance.' One big reason, they note, 'is the apparently strong aversion in Texas to taxes.'"
Reschovsky will present their paper, "The Legacy of Rodriguez: Three Decades of School Finance Reform in Texas," at the symposium Rethinking Rodriguez: Education as a Fundamental Right sponsored by the Earl Warren Institute on Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity, Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California, Berkeley, April 27-28.
Fix financing before tackling other school issues, April 17, 2006, Dallas Morning News
-- posted April 18, 2006
Student reflects on public policy in newspaper column
La Follette School student Darryn Beckstrom has been sharing her take on public
policy with readers of the Badger Herald student newspaper.
Beckstrom's column explores issues that include underage drinking, a
Wisconsin legislative proposal to require public school's sex education
courses to classify abstinence as the preferred method of instruction, the use of University of Wisconsin-Madison student fees to
fund a Catholic student organization and a court ruling on student
newspapers at public universities.
Beckstrom writes the weekly column as part of her duties as the
newspaper's editorial board chair.
In addition to pursuing a master's degree in public affairs, Beckstrom
is working on her Ph.D. with the Department of Political Science,
where she is a teaching assistant. She previously was a research and teaching assistant at the University of Minnesota, where she was active
in student government.
-- posted April 10, 2006
Moynihan contributes to symposium on global biological threats
Public management perspectives on foreign animal diseases will be addressed by La Follette School faculty member Donald Moynihan at the Global Biological Threats Symposium on Friday, April 7.
He is one of several government and academic experts from Washington, D.C., and Madison who will address how bioterrorism, avian influenza and SARS threaten human security around the world. Speakers will examine how the United States and Wisconsin are preparing to meet these and other biological challenges.
This symposium will build bridges between the university and the public, and across the natural and social sciences, to increase capacity to confront bioterrorism and emerging diseases, says the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy, which is organizing the symposium. Bioterrorism endangers air, water and food supplies, and places the nations agricultural and economic well-being at risk. Global biological threats can arise from malevolent human acts and from inadvertent consequences of changes in climate, landscape and agricultural practices. Understanding the origins, risks, and possible solutions to these problems demands a multi-faceted response, WAGE says.
Moynihan speaks from 9:45-10:15 a.m. Information and registration for the free symposium: wage@intl-institute.wisc.edu.
-- posted April 6, 2006
Zeitlin to participate in workshop on democracy, markets, war
La Follette School professor Jonathan Zeitlin is off to New York City to attend a April 12-13 workshop on "Democracy, Markets and War" organized by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations. Zeitlin will serve on a panel that will discuss "The Logic of Competition: Productivity and Pride in Identity Politics (Nationalism and Civilization)."
Alliance of Civilizations is a United Nations initiative to overcome cultural and social barriers between mainly the Christian and Muslim world. The purpose of the workshop is to reconsider certain aspects of the self-understanding of the West in the context of contemporary world politics.
-- posted April 6, 2006
Zeitlin discusses strikes in France
La Follette School professor Jonathan Zeitlin says French students and young workers are protesting a new labor law because it reduces their abilities to hang on to their jobs. Zeitlin and several other University of Wisconsin-Madison professors and students spoke about the law and related unrest taking place in France at a panel discussion on April 4.
Young French people are employed under contracts that don't give them more than a few months' job security. The new law would "'institutionalize second-class status" for those younger than 26, he says in the April 5 Capital Times article about the forum.
'The core of the situation is that there has been a big swell against employee reform led by high school and university students,' Zeitlin says in the April 5 Daily Cardinal.
"According to Zeitlin, France has strict worker protection laws that make it extremely difficult to fire workers, and the employee reform would make it easier to fire people under the age of 26. The government claims this law will decrease unemployment since employers will be more willing to hire students," the Cardinal reports.
'The actual unemployment rates of the youth are said to be between 22 to 23 percent, but its actually only about 7 to 8 percent,' Zeitlin said."
Zeitlin says the new law would not create job opportunities for young people in France, most of whom already have experience with temporary, precarious contracts.
"International studies show that it would be better to increase employment rights and benefits for labor market 'outsiders,'" Zeitlin says, "while relaxing job protection somewhat for 'insiders,' as the Dutch, for example, have done for the past decade. The new French law does the opposite, and thus has understandably been rejected by its supposed beneficiaries."
Zeitlin also discussed the French protests on Wisconsin Public Radio with Joy Cardin at 8 a.m. on March 30, 2006.
UW Forum: Protest in France Sees Law as Slap Against Young Workers,
April 5, 2006, Capital Times
Labor protests spark discussion, April 5, 2006, Daily Cardinal
-- posted April 6, 2006
Nichols expects economic growth to decline in Wisconsin in 2007
La Follette School Director Donald Nichols was one of four economists who spoke March 27 to about 85 business executives at the semiannual Economic Outlook conference at the Fluno Center on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.
"Wisconsin's economy should continue to do well through the
end of this year and benefit from the strong global demand for construction,
manufacturing, mining and other capital equipment," Nichols said a
Wisbusiness.com article.
"Growth for the state will fall from around 3 percent to 2.5 percent by
2007," he says. "After that, the picture becomes a bit murky. '2007 remains
a risk,' he said. 'If the Federal Reserve increases rates much more a
recession in 2007 is possible.'"
Economist says Wisconsin economy will slow by end of year, March 27,
2006, Wisbusiness.com
Moynihan says handling of disease in western U.S. could aid avian flu response
|
La Follette School professor Donald Moynihan says that how western states handled a poultry disease in 2002 and 2003 could help policymakers handle an avian flu crisis.
The web site eMaxHealth reports on Moynihan's 2005 report, Leveraging Collaborative Networks in Infrequent Emergency Situations, for the IBM Center for The Business of Government.
Moynihan's suggestions are rooted in the response to an outbreak of
a disease in California and other western states that threatened the
U.S. poultry industry in 2002 and 2003. A task force of state and
federal responders was created to eliminate the threat of Exotic
Newcastle Disease.
Like bird flu, Newcastle Disease is lethal to poultry and transfers
via bird feces, Moynihan says. The primary challenge facing the task
force was to identify the spread of the disease, quarantine affected
areas, test or euthanize millions of birds, and clean affected
premises and dispose of carcasses in biosecure ways.
As states and the federal government plan to deal with the threat
of bird flu, eliminating the spread of the disease among birds will
be a critical part of any response, Moynihan says.
A 2002 Disease Threat
Offers Lessons for Avian Flu Preparedness, March 29, 2006, eMaxHealth.com
UW professor studies Newcastle Disease, Dec. 8, 2005, Badger Herald
Networks are tool in fight against avian flu,
Dec. 2, 2005, La Follette School
Leveraging
Collaborative Networks in Infrequent Emergency Situations,
IBM Center for The Business of Government
A 2002 Disease Threat
Offers Lessons for Avian Flu Preparedness, Dec. 7, 2005, BrightSurf.com
A 2002 Disease Threat
Offers Lessons for Avian Flu Preparedness, Dec. 6, 2005, Pysch
Central
-- posted April 4, 2006
Chinn discusses consequences of U.S. trade deficit
La Follette School professor Menzie Chinn discusses the ramifications of the U.S. trade deficit and how other countries will react to it. He answers questions from readers of the smarteconomist.com web site.
The U.S. Trade Deficit, March 24, 2006, smarteconomist.com
-- posted April 4, 2006
40 prospective students check out La Follette School
 |
| La Follette School professor Joe Soss describes his research. Soss was one of four professors who spoke to about than 40 prospective students during an open house. |
About 40 admitted prospective students from around the United States visited the La Follette School March 30 and 31 to get a taste of what a smaller program at a world-class research university can offer.
Visit Day introduces prospective students to faculty, students, career development staff and the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus on the shores of Lake Mendota.
Prospective students learned about how the domestic and international public affairs degree programs can help them make contacts, develop expertise and practice public policy with real-world clients.
This group will become the rigorous policy analysts, innovative public
managers and dynamic leaders of tomorrow, says Director
Donald A. Nichols. We are
very pleased to have them visit and meet with our faculty and staff.
The visitors were from as far away as Texas, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio,
California and Washington, D.C. Many met individually with faculty.
The morning session on Friday opened with an introduction to the school by
Associate Director Karen Holden.
Student services Coordinator Joanne Chapin joined her in reviewing the degree program structure
and discussing professional
development opportunities. La Follette School professors
Menzie Chinn,
Melanie Manion,
Carolyn Heinrich and
Joe Soss discussed their roles as
policy researchers and teachers in national and international public affairs.
Holden and Career Development
Coordinator Mary Woodward explained funding strategies available to La
Follette School students, and how internships fit into the program, and
assistance given for job searches. La Follette School students talked about their research for their final
semester workshop projects, the
thesis-equivalent for the domestic and international programs.
Other activities included lunch with the director and a mixer with the La Follette School Student Association.
-- posted March 31, 2006
Association elects Reschovsky to board
La Follette School professor Andrew Reschovsky has been elected to the American Education Finance Association board of directors for a three-year term. The association promotes understanding of means by which resources are generated, distributed and used to enhance human learning.
-- posted March 31, 2006
Taxpayers Protection Amendment could mean tough choices about UW tuition, access
From a University of Wisconsin System March 9, 2006 news release
A proposed amendment to the state constitution could have left the UW System
with an additional loss of more than $200 million if it were in effect for
the current budget, according to an analysis given to the Board of Regents
on Thursday by professor Andrew Reschovsky, of the UW-Madison La Follette
School of Public Affairs.
Reschovsky reviewed how the proposed amendment would limit state spending to
a formula based on the consumer price index and population growth, and would
also replace a system of representative government with one based on citizen
referenda.
Its a very dramatic and significant change, he said.
He noted that university tuition and fees would be exempt from the dollar
amounts counted as revenue in the state, but that the bills language is
unclear as to what extent.
Reschovsky said it is almost inevitable that the proposed formula will
allow spending to grow at a smaller rate than the overall economy. Such
limits on state spending would mean a downsizing of the ability to provide
services in the state and certainly at the university level, Reschovsky
told the Board.
Reschovsky said such problems would get worse each year, as costs rise
faster than inflation. Future Regents could face tough decisions about
whether to dramatically increase tuition, or to drastically reduce
enrollment, to manage slimmer budgets, he said.
Reschovsky said if the amendment passes in the state, it would send a signal
that Wisconsin, and in turn, its public university system, is no longer
competitive.
State appropriations are, I think, critical to maintaining and enhancing
the states competitive position, he said.
Regents queried Reschovsky on the impacts of similar legislation on higher
education elsewhere, on its effects on K-12 funding, and on the states
economic future.
The Board will hear from one of the bills sponsors, Sen. Glenn Grothman, at
Fridays meeting.
-- posted March 31, 2006
USA Today interviews alum on rebuilding effort in Iraq
La Follette School alum Daniel Speckhard is quoted in a USA Today article about rebuilding efforts. The 1982 graduate is the director of the Iraq Reconstruction Management Office, which has overseen the $21 billion, U.S.-financed rebuilding of Iraq's infrastructure. He spoke at the La Follette School's 2003 orientation.
"Empowering Iraqis to decide which streets get paved and which power plants are rebuilt increasingly is seen as vital to stabilizing the country. 'It builds confidence in government and drives a wedge between Iraqi people and terrorists and insurgents," Speckhard says in the March 26, 2006, USA Today. "'Most Iraqis think government is not responsive to them.'"
Basics of democracy in Iraq include frustration, March 26, 2006, USA Today
-- posted March 29, 2006; updated March 30, 2006
Prof warns about trade deficit
La Follette School Professor Menzie Chinn tells the Wisconsin Radio Network that now is the time for the United States to address its trade deficit. Politicians needs to make tough decisions, he said March 27.
Take actions to reign in trade deficit, says UW prof, March 27, 2006, Wisconsin Radio Network.
-- posted March 29, 2006
Student runs Cambodian race to benefit land-mine victims
 |
|
| La Follette School student Melody Sakazaki stops with a friend she made on the day of the Angkor Wat International Half Marathon in Cambodia. | |
| Information on Angkor Wat International Half Marathon and Hearts of Gold | Slideshow of race |
Last Thanksgiving, La Follette School student Melody Sakazaki found herself eating a bowl of noodles and dragon fruit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
She was on a break from a long weekend of running a half marathon and volunteering at a series of events to raise money to expand opportunities for children to participate in athletics and to support a factory that builds prosthetic limbs for land-mine victims.
Sakazaki ran in the 10th annual Angkor Wat International Half Marathon along with close to 2,000 other local and international runners. The route wound past the Angkor Wat temple ruins, a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Site near Siem Reap, Cambodia.
The route was beautiful, Sakazaki says, and the race was amazing. Children were everywhere, cheering and giving high fives. We ran past temples, giant trees and domesticated elephants. She was the fifth woman to finish. Her goal was to complete the race in two hours, and she finished in one hour and 37 minutes.
An organization called Hearts of Gold puts on the race. Started by Yuko Arimori, United Nations Population Fund goodwill ambassador for Japan, Hearts of Gold works to provide hope, courage and opportunity to people in disaster-stricken and war-torn areas.
Sakazaki and other marathon participants also toured the prosthetic-limb factory that received proceeds from the marathon fees. They have people from around the world who come to learn how to make and fit prosthetic limbs, Sakazaki says. There was a man from Afghanistan being trained when we visited.
Sakazaki got involved with Hearts of Gold after her mother became a volunteer with the organization.
She and about 50 other volunteers from Japan also helped with Festival of Youth and Leader Training through Sports, a two-day education and athletics training event in Svay Reing that Hearts of Gold sponsored. The annual event promotes healthy youth development and improves community capacity and health through sports.
On the first day, Olympic and professional athletes from Japan worked with Cambodian school teachers to help them learn how to coach students in athletics.
On the second day, the athletes and the teachers worked with over 700 elementary and middle school students, not only on how to play sports but also on AIDS and drug awareness, Sakazaki says. Some of the kids had to sit in the back of a pickup truck for hours to travel to this event.
Meeting all the volunteers from Japan was a high point for Sakazaki. They were people of all ages and backgrounds, she says. One was an older businessman, and he ended up putting on a magic show during an appreciation dinner for all of the local volunteers for the sporting event.
Sakazaki will graduate in May with a master of public affairs degree and a certificate in energy analysis and policy. She has a job lined up as an energy analyst in Washington, D.C.
She also plans to run the Angkor Wat half marathon again next year, she says. But I dont know if Ill be able to improve my time.
-- posted March 22, 2006
Public asked to add to discussion about improving health care
Health-care reform is the subject of a mutisite actual and virtual community meeting on Wednesday, March 22, that the Population Health Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is helping to convene.
"The meeting is a great opportunity for La Follette Students to learn about health policy issues and to voice their opinions in a forum that could affect federal policy," says La Follette School alum Alison Bergum, who works for the Population Health Institute. "It will also be an opportunity to participate in an innovative method of gathering public input from a large variety of stakeholders, again in a way that could impact federal policy."
The Madison meeting is 5 to 8:30 p.m. in the Alumni Hall of the campus Health Sciences Learning Center..
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is one of 23 universities participating in this examination of the challenges of cost, access, and quality of health care. Audience participants will engage in focused discussion and polling related to access, cost, and quality in health care. The discussion will contribute to the content of the Citizen's Health Care Working Group final report and recommendations to the president and Congress.
The Citizens' Health Care Working Group includes U.S. Department of Human and Family Services Secretary Mike Leavitt and 14 other members. Congress created it as part of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003. The group is charged with engaging the American public in a dialogue that will help find solutions to the shortcomings in the current health-care system. This legislation also charges the president and Congress to respond to the recommendations that the Working Group will make after hearing from the American public. Five congressional committees with jurisdiction in this matter will hold hearings on the recommendations.
-- posted March 20, 2006
Heinrich assists with evaluation of Brazil program
During spring break, La Follette School associate professor Carolyn Heinrich traveled to Belo Horizonte, Brazil, to work for Brazil's Ministry of Social Development on the evaluation of the Bolsa Familia program. In a March 4, 2006, article, The Economist interviewed Brazil's President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and described Bolsa Familia as "the most important income transfer program in the world." Serving one-fifth of Brazil's population, Bolsa Familia transfers cash benefits to poor families and requires families to meet minimum school attendance rates and obtain immunizations and pre-natal care. Heinrich analyzed preliminary data from Brazil's most extensive survey of its population to date and made recommendations for the continuing program implementation and evaluation work. Heinrich has been working with Brazil's Ministries of Education and Social Development since 2001.
Brazil's Social Development Strategy and the Bolsa Familia Program, Sept. 27, 2005, World Bank
-- posted March 20, 2006
Alum to describe job as management assistant for village of Whitefish Bay
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Village of Whitefish Bay management assistant and La Follette School
alum Sara Schnoor will speak on "The Many Hats of a Village Management
Assistant" on Thursday, March 2, from 3:30-4:30 p.m. in the school's
conference room.
While one of Schnoors primary responsibilities is the village budget,
she finds herself involved with many aspects of village governance.
Ive worked on the redesign of the village web site, human resources,
development projects and the streetscape design of Silver Spring Drive
(our business district), as well as property maintenance and event
planning such as the Fourth of July celebration and the Holiday Stroll,
she says. Whitefish Bays small size means that every day is different
for me.
Schnoor earned a master's of public affairs from the La Follette School
in 2003. She went on to work as a senior associate and bond rating
analyst for Moodys Investors Service in Chicago. At Moody's, I was
able to more fully develop some of the government finance skills that
were taught at La Follette, she says. I worked with hundreds of
municipalities and school districts, and I encountered all different
types of management and financial situations.
This experience built on Schnoors 2002 summer internship with the city
of Chicagos budget office, and the positions added up to what Whitefish
Bay was looking for. I was specifically hired in Whitefish Bay because
of my financial background, says Schnoor, who started in April 2005
with the Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, village of about 13,000 people.
Although our budget in Whitefish Bay is much, much smaller than the
city of Chicago's, we still struggle with many of the same issues, she
says. One of my major roles with Chicago was helping budget analysts to
get a handle on overtime across the city. That is something that every
department head in any city struggles with.
Schnoor is in Madison this week for the
Wisconsin City/County Management Association's spring conference.
She says the association provides great professional development and
networking opportunities for La Follette students, especially those
interested in working for local or municipal government.
She encourages alumni to return to the La Follette School to talk with
students. I believe that it is very important for alums, especially
those involved in the management of local government, to meet with
students to let them know what opportunities are available, she says.
Those options are going to expand in the next decade, which is why the
Wisconsin City/County Management Association is focusing on progression
planning, Schnoor adds. Many of the state's most experienced managers
are going to be retiring, creating an exciting environment for new
leaders like La Follette graduates.
-- posted Feb. 28, 2006; updated May 16, 2006
Public affairs writer in residence meets with La Follette students
La Follette School students met with Alexis Simendinger, White House correspondent for the National
Journal and frequent panelist on PBS' Washington Week in Review, as part
of her residency as the school's spring public affairs writer this
semester.
She spoke with faculty, students, journalism classes and local
journalists during the week of Feb. 19. Members of the La Follette
School Student Association had dinner with her on Feb.
23.
"Getting the opportunity to speak with national experts such as Alexis is one of the highlights of the La Follette experience," says John Vander Meer, a second-year MPA student who went to the dinner. "Her insights about the process of White House communications and very inquisitive nature about our take on many different policy areas was refreshing and enlightening."
Since 1991, Simendinger has covered presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill
Clinton and George W. Bush. Before joining National Journal in 1997,
Simendinger covered the White House for the Bureau of National Affairs,
a private news and information publisher in Washington. There, she
covered Congress and took her turn at beats that ranged from agriculture
to labor to the Supreme Court. She was part of a team of BNA reporters
that won a National Press Club reporting award in 1996.
Prior to working in Washington, Simendinger reported for The Tampa
(Fla.) Tribune. A Washington, D.C. native, she earned a master's degree
in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a bachelor's
degree from New College in Sarasota, Fla. She has been a frequent guest
on CNN, PBS's "Washington Week," and other broadcast outlets discussing
national politics, the presidency and the White House.
Information: shelton@lafollette.wisc.edu.
Business columnist, White House correspondent to visit, Feb. 6, 2006, UW-Madison news service
-- posted Feb. 17, 2006; updated Feb. 24, 2006
Professor, outreach director, students assist Senate Scholar program
The first group of 11
Senate Scholars wrapped up their work at the Capitol on Friday, Feb.
24, with a mock hearing on whether people younger than 18 should be
allowed to get a tattoo. The second group of high school students from around Wisconsin
will arrive in Madison Sunday, Feb. 26, to learn more about how their
state government works.
The
Wisconsin Senate offers this intensive, weeklong educational program. Each
scholar receives a hands-on, up-close view of the Legislatures role in
democracy and gains experience working with senators and legislative
staff in policy development, constituent relations and the legislative
process.
La Follette School Professor Dennis Dresang
The students had the specific task of responding to a request from a constituent to pass a bill that would allow people younger than 18 to get tattoos. The fictitious constituent owned a "body art" establishment. The students worked in smaller groups to draft legislation on the issue and to negotiate its passage..
"The Thursday night event in the La Follette conference room was absolutely electric," says La Follette Outreach Director Terry Shelton, who helped organize the program. "Four La Follette grad students volunteered to meet the high school students and work with them in their separate caucuses on their bills about tattooing. Everything went fine until the students discovered two of the groups were convening without the third. The fireworks of debate and charges of collusion were loud enough to shake the house."
The second Senate Scholars session runs through Friday, March 3.
The first session was Feb. 19-24.
Information:
shelton@lafollette.wisc.edu.
-- posted Feb. 17, 2006; updated Feb. 21, Feb. 24, 2006
La Follette, Wisconsin Women in Government graduate 6th class
The La Follette School graduated the sixth class from the An
obstetrician-gynecologist, Sarto has held many national leadership
positions. She is the first woman elected president of the American
Gynecological and Obstetrical Society. Her many honors include the American
Medical Women's Association's Lila A. Wallis Women's Health Award for
lifetime achievement in women's health and research. In 2001, the Wisconsin
Medical Alumni Association gave her its highest recognition, the Medical
Alumni Citation Award. Wisconsin Women in Government Seminar
in February.
The course engages women working in the public and private sectors in
management training under the direction of Professor An
obstetrician-gynecologist, Sarto has held many national leadership
positions. She is the first woman elected president of the American
Gynecological and Obstetrical Society. Her many honors include the American
Medical Women's Association's Lila A. Wallis Women's Health Award for
lifetime achievement in women's health and research. In 2001, the Wisconsin
Medical Alumni Association gave her its highest recognition, the Medical
Alumni Citation Award.
Dennis Dresang. Mid-level managers move into leadership positions
by improving their skills in management, networking and leadership.
"This year's class means 120 women from all over Wisconsin who are
leaders in government, nonprofit organizations and private businesses
have been through our curriculum," says La Follette School Outreach
Director Terry Shelton.
The seminar is a partnership between An
obstetrician-gynecologist, Sarto has held many national leadership
positions. She is the first woman elected president of the American
Gynecological and Obstetrical Society. Her many honors include the American
Medical Women's Association's Lila A. Wallis Women's Health Award for
lifetime achievement in women's health and research. In 2001, the Wisconsin
Medical Alumni Association gave her its highest recognition, the Medical
Alumni Citation Award.
Wisconsin Women in Government
and the La Follette School.
A special feature of the seminar's graduation on Feb. 14 was a
presentation by Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton, her third
appearance before the seminar, which started in 2001.
During the six-week course, the students also heard from former Public
Service Commission head Burnie Bridge, Supreme Court Justice David
Prosser, Wisconsin Counties Association head Mark O'Connell, Workforce
Development Secretary Roberta Gassman, Greater Madison Chamber of
Commerce President Jennifer Alexander, Dane County Judge Diane Nicks,
and several other accomplished women from lobbying ranks, the
Legislature and elsewhere.
Information: shelton@lafollette.wisc.edu.
Wisconsin Women in Government Seminar celebrates fifth year, Feb. 10, 2006, La Follette School
-- posted Feb. 17, 2006
Speaker to draw parallels between medical side effects, education evaluation
Francis Schrag, Department of Educational Policy Studies, examines whether the medical paradigm of side effects is applicable to education and which side effects education evaluators should identify. The presentation, "Side Effects? What Role Should They Play in Evaluation?," will be Tuesday, Feb. 28, from noon-1 p.m. in 8411 Social Science.Schrag is a professor of philosophy and of educational policy studies who teaches courses in philosophy of education. His articles in philosophy of education, political philosophy, ethics, and philosophy of social sciences have appeared in philosophy and in education journals.
The event is sponsored by the La Follette School of Public Affairs. Information: shelton@lafollette.wisc.edu.
-- posted Feb. 16, 2006
Trade imbalances to bring together international experts
Experts from around the world will gather at a conference on Friday
and Saturday, April 28-29, to examine the causes and consequences of
major current account imbalances associated with the key economies of
the United States, the Euro area and Japan.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison conference, Current
Account Sustainability in Major Advanced Economies, will feature an
exchange between economists from academic and policy-making
institutions, with scholars from the Federal Reserve System, the
European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund joining
academics from UW-Madison, the University of Warwick, the European
University Institute, Trinity College Dublin, and the University of
Virginia.
 |
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| Menzie Chinn | Charles Engel |
| Conference agenda | |
The topic of the conference takes on heightened importance as the
United States current account deficit shows every sign of rising to
6.5 percent of gross domestic product in 2006, even as East Asia and the
oil producing nations continue to run vast surpluses.
A current account deficit occurs when the value of a country's imports
is greater than the combined value of exports and income from abroad.
The current account deficit is a broader measure than a country's trade
deficit because it considers net income from assets abroad in addition
to imports and exports.
The conference grows out of a three-year project on current account imbalances headed by Menzie Chinn and Charles Engel, faculty members of the university's Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs and the Department of Economics at UW-Madison. The project is funded by a three-year grant from UW-Madisons Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy (WAGE). The La Follette School and the Department of Economics are providing additional support.
-- posted Feb. 15, 2006
Proposed tax amendment would cut public services, preliminary analysis shows
 |
|
Andrew Reschovsky Tax amendment study |
Andrew Reschovsky's revisions more closely examine the proposed amendment's impact on funding for kindergarten through 12th-grade education.
The analysis demonstrates that the amendment would reduce public services and jeopardize economic development.
The Wisconsin State Journal featured the report, "The Taxpayer Protection Amendment: A Preliminary Analysis," in a page 1 story in its Feb. 15, 2006, edition.
If the proposed Taxpayer Protection Amendment "had been enacted 20 years ago, state revenue would have been $5.2 billion lower last year," the State Journal reports.
"The average yearly growth in state revenue over the two decades would
have been held to as low as 3.8 percent a year under the proposal, as
opposed to the actual 5.3 percent average annual growth," Reschovsky told
the State Journal.
"'If this passed and went into effect in 2009, would there be big impacts in
2011 or 2012? No, they'd be pretty small,' Reschovsky said. 'But go out 20
years and the impacts get pretty big and that's sort of the story here.'"
Related information
Study: Amendment could mean big cut, Feb. 15, 2006, Wisconsin State
Journal
Analysis critical of proposed constitutional revenue limits, Feb. 14,
2006, UW-Madison news service
Revenue controls are latest attempt to curb taxes, Jan. 24, 2006,
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Taxing and Spending Limits in Wisconsin, Jan. 19, 2005, a La Follette
School of Public Affairs conference
-- posted Feb. 14, 2006; updated Feb. 15, March 6, March 31, 2006
Law journal honors La Follette alum for leadership
|
Nixon received a master of public affairs degree and a law degree in 1990. He is a shareholder and lead attorney for the Godfrey & Kahn, S.C. law firm's business finance and restructuring group in the Madison office.
Nixon's practice includes advising Dutch, Russian and Australian clients on American bankruptcy law, as well as advising American clients on foreign insolvency issues and practice. He has represented clients in cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, and in bankruptcy courts throughout the United States. He has lectured and published extensively on bankruptcy law issues.
In 2005, Nixon was included in the 2006 Best
Lawyers in America, a listing based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in
which 16,000 leading attorneys throughout the country cast more than a half
million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their specialties.
Inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor because lawyers are not
required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed.
While attending graduate school, Nixon was an intern with the Office of
Management and Budget in Washington, D.C. Prior to graduate school, Nixon served as a ships officer in the Merchant Marine for nine years.
-- posted Feb. 14, 2006
Chinn comments on interest rates, U.S. economic growth
La Follette School Professor Menzie Chinn says in the Feb. 11 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that if foreign investors stop buying U.S. Treasury securities and shift their investments to other countries with stronger economic growth, the United States will experience higher interest rates and slower economic growth.Experts believe that European banks are reinvesting much of the money earned by Middle East oil sales in U.S. Treasury securities, the Journal Sentinel reports. In addition, Japan and China buy a lot of U.S. securities, and they have large trade surpluses with the United States.
"'The federal budget deficit is being financed by foreigners buying Treasury securities,'" Chinn tells the Journal Sentinel.
A quick change in the situation would pose an economic challenge for the United States, the newspaper says.
"'If it is a slow process of unwinding, where the rest of world picks up in terms of growth and becomes more attractive for investing, over time interest rates will rise in America and economic growth will slow down,'" Chinn says. "'We will find it hard to grow fast because we have accumulated a lot of debt.'"
Are the days of easy credit over? Economy sits in a tenuous position, Feb. 14, 2006, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
-- posted Feb. 14, 2006
La Follette students to talk with expert on marriage, public policy
La Follette School students have the opportunity to talk about public policy and marriage with Johns Hopkins University sociologist Andrew Cherlin. He is a leading expert on family and public policy.Cherlin will address "American Marriage in Comparative Perspective" on Thursday, Feb. 16, from 12:15-1:30 p.m., in room 8417 of the Sewell Social Science Building.
Later that day, La Follette School students can talk with him about
public policy, from 3:30-4 p.m. in the Center for Demography and
Ecology's conference room, 4405 Sewell Social Science. Students planning
to attend this session should contact
Associate Director Karen
Holden.
Cherlin's research is in the sociology of families and public policy.
His books and articles discuss marriage and divorce, children's
well-being, intergenerational relations, family policy and welfare
policy. He is the author of the textbook Public and Private Families:
An Introduction (fourth edition, McGraw-Hill, 2005).
Cherlin is the principal investigator of the "Three-City Study," an ongoing interdisciplinary examination of the consequences of the 1996 welfare reform law for parents and children. The study involves a survey of 2,400 families in Boston, Chicago and San Antonio, an embedded observational study and an ethnographic study of an additional 250 families.
-- posted Feb. 13, 2006
U.S. Rep. Dave Obey discusses policy with La Follette faculty, students
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| U.S. Rep. David Obey looks at a letter from Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Secretary Roberta Gassman requesting approval for Wisconsin W-2 participants to continue to receive all their child support while professor Maria Cancian explains how a federal policy change will affect Wisconsin families and university research. |
Faculty members shared their research and concerns about federal policy with U.S. Rep. David Obey when he visited the La Follette School of Public Affairs on Feb. 9.
Obey is the ranking minority member on the House Committee on Appropriations. He represents Wisconsin's 7th District in the northwest part of the state.
La Follette School Professor Maria Cancian took advantage of Obey's visit to share a letter that Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Secretary Roberta Gassman wrote to the head of the federal Administration for Children and Families. Gassman's letter asked that Wisconsin be granted another waiver to allow families receiving cash assistance under the Wisconsin Works (W-2) welfare program to receive all their child support, rather than the state and federal governments holding on to a portion of the funds to offset welfare costs.
Cancian explained to Obey that research by the federally funded Institute for Research on Poverty, of which she is director, shows that families on welfare benefit in many ways from receiving their full child support. "Our research shows that low-income mothers receiving all their child support may get off welfare sooner," she says. "Fathers are more likely to establish paternity and pay support."
The expiration of an earlier federal waiver would mean that Wisconsin would not be able to pass through all the child support to the families. Cancian and Gassman would like to see a new waiver so that most Wisconsin families may receive all their child support and so that researchers can continue to evaluate the effects of the policy.
"The extended conversation our faculty, staff and students had with Dave Obey was a great mix of talk about Congress, political and policy issues and general, and the work La Follette does," says Director Donald Nichols. "Later, after meeting with people all over campus, when he spoke at the chancellor's reception, he singled out La Follette for special attention as a terrific institution and an example of how the university should serve the state."
Other faculty who talked with Obey included Menzie Chinn, Carolyn Heinrich, Donald Moynihan and Andrew Reschovsky.
Obey grew up in Wausau. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and did his graduate work in Soviet politics there. He represented Marathon County for three terms in the Wisconsin Assembly and rose to the position of assistant Democratic leader.
He played a key role in creating Wisconsins modern system of technical college districts, for which he won national recognition, and in establishing the states network of public broadcasting stations. He was an early sponsor of Wisconsin's pioneering Homestead Tax Relief Act for senior citizens and served on the state commission that established Wisconsins first Medicaid law.
When Obey began his service in the Congress succeeding Mel Laird, who was appointed secretary of defense he was the youngest member of Congress in the United States. He represents Wisconsin's 7th District.
As the senior Democrat on the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, Obey serves on all 10 of the panel's subcommittees. The committee makes funding decisions on every discretionary program in the federal budget. The 10 subcommittees are:
- Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies
- Defense
- Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies
- Foreign Operations, Export Financing and Related Programs
- Department of Homeland Security
- Interior, Environment and Related Agencies
- Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies
- Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies
- Science, The Departments of State, Justice, and Commerce and Related Agencies
- Departments of Transportation, Treasury, and Housing and Urban Development, The Judiciary, District of Columbia and Independent Agencies
-- posted Feb. 9, 2006; updated Feb. 16, Feb. 28, March 2, 2006
Daily Cardinal quotes Chinn on new Federal Reserve chair
La Follette School Professor Menzie Chinn told the Feb. 8 Daily Cardinal that new Federal Reserve chair Ben Bernanke has what it takes to do as well as the now retired Alan Greenspan, who held the position for almost 19 years.'Bernanke certainly has the wherewithal to be as successful as
Greenspan,' said Menzie Chinn, professor of public affairs and economics
at the University of Wisconsins Robert M. LaFollette School of Public
Affairs.
'Whether his tenure will be judged as successful as Greenspans depends
in part upon the challenges he will face, and some of these are
daunting, including pressures on interest rates rising as a consequence
of increasing amounts of federal government debt, and the widening trade
deficit.' ...
'I can think of few people more qualified for the post,' Chinn said. 'Ben Bernanke is one of the most highly respected monetary economists in the profession.[']"
Greenspan has left the building, Feb. 9, 2006, Daily Cardinal
-- posted Feb. 9, 2006
Possible $9 million school voucher study would include La Follette's Witte
A proposal to evaluation Milwaukee's school voucher program with the assistance of La Follette School Professor John Witte earned praise on the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's editorial page.The editorial followed a story announcing that Witte would participate in the $9 million, five-year study funded by private foundations. Sixty percent of the funding still needs to be raised, the Journal Sentinel reported.
Witte conducted research on school vouchers in the early 1990s. His presence on the team gives "the study more credibility. 'I am now much more comfortable than I had been initially,'" Deb Lindsey, the director of research and assessment for Milwaukee Public Schools, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Public Policy Forum senior researcher Anneliese Dickman told the newspaper that she was pleased when Witte was added to the team of researchers. "'My initial concern about the team was that, ideologically, it was skewed a little bit to be what I call "choice optimists,"'she said." The Public Policy Forum is a non-profit Milwaukee research organization that will participate in the study as part of the advisory team.
Wisconsin Charter Schools Study
Editorial: A study to fill in the blanks of vouchers, Jan. 28, 2006,
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A study in education: National researchers want to scrutinize city's school
voucher program, Jan. 23, 2006, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
-- posted Feb. 6, 2006
Reschovsky joins amicus brief on business tax incentives
La Follette School Professor Andrew Reschovsky was one of a dozen academic economists who submitted an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in January. The brief argues that ample evidence shows that business tax incentives are not effective methods for spurring economic growth and may harm the economy. Reschovsky and the others submitted the brief in support of the respondents in the Cuno case, in which the federal Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Ohio's investment tax credit is unconstitutional because it violates the commerce clause. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal. "If the Supreme Court turns down the appeal, the result could be a substantial reduction in the now pervasive inter-state tax competition," Reschovsky says.-- posted Feb. 6, 2006
State budget director speaks to La Follette School class
Wisconsin State Budget Director David Schmiedicke spoke to the La Follette School's public budget class on Feb. 2.Schmiedicke led the students through an explanation of the budgeting process in Wisconsin and explained the qualities required to make a good budget analyst, says Professor Donald Moynihan, who teaches the course.
"David Schmiedicke has overseen the budget process in Wisconsin under different governors," Moynihan says. "His participation in the classroom is an example of offering La Follette students a balance of theoretical and practical perspectives."
Gov. Jim Doyle appointed Schmiedicke in November 2003. As State Budget
Director, he supervises an 80-person staff in the Department of
Administrations Division of Executive Budget and Finance. The division
provides policy analysis and recommendations to the governor, prepares the
governors state budget proposals, performs accounting services for the
state and oversees the states capital finance.
Schmiedicke also served as state budget director from May 2001 to December
2002 and as deputy state budget director from December 2002 to November
2003. He began his career in 1988 as a budget analyst with the Wisconsin
Department of Transportation, where he dealt with state patrol and motor
vehicle issues. In 1990, he transferred to the State Budget Office as a
budget analyst dealing with K-12 education and school aid issues. He was
promoted in 1993 to leader of the Environmental and commercial resources
team. In 2000, he was appointed secretary of the State Building Commission
in the Department of Administration, Division of Facilities Development.
He is a member of the Group Insurance Board and a past member of the Wisconsin Land Council, and Wisconsin Land and Water Conservation Board.
-- posted Feb. 6, 2006
Q&A cites Chinn in discussion of deficits, new Federal Reserve chair
La Follette School Professor Menzie Chinn weighs in on the perils of the twin deficits in the context of Ben Bernanke taking the helm as the new Federal Reserve chair. In a question-and-answer piece published by the Council on Foreign Relations and reprinted in the online New York Times, Chinn repeated his warning about the growing current account and budget deficits, which reached record levels in 2005."'It's unlikely that international investors will continue to agree to hold ever-larger amounts of U.S. debt,' Chinn told cfr.org. But he hesitates to predict a time-frame. 'With private investors, we certainly haven't seen any movement yet. And with central banks, you just don't know when they are going to switch. It's like reading tea leaves.'"
Two Deficits, Fed Turnover, Jan. 31, 2006, Council on Foreign Relations
Q&A: Two Deficits, Fed Turnover, Feb. 1, 2006, New York Times
-- posted Feb. 6, 2006
Nearly 100 alumni, friends, students, faculty and staff attend Feb. 2 reception
 |
 |
 |
| Eric Stanchfield | Dave Mills | Melanie Manion |
They joined more than 45 students, faculty, staff and friends of the school at the reception and program that featured presentations by two high-ranking state officials and a professor.
The evening was a great opportunity for alumni to get reacquainted, says Jennifer Leavitt-Moy, president of the La Follette School Student Association, which hosted the event.
In addition to bringing former classmates together, the reception gave alumni and students the chance to talk one on one. The students enjoyed talking with alumni and finding out about possible internships and jobs, and hearing what suggestions alumni have for students as they get ready to graduate, Leavitt-Moy says.
Career Development Coordinator Mary Woodward encourages alumni to join the La Follette School's Alumni Network, which connects students with alumni who are willing to give informational interviews about their work and career paths.
"We appreciate the involvement of the many alumni who participate in the Network," Woodward says, "and we're hoping more will sign up." For more information, e-mail woodward@lafollette.wisc.edu.
Presentations at the Feb. 2 gathering started with Leavitt-Moy and Director Donald Nichols welcoming the group. Professor Melanie Manion, who discussed "Changes Observed: Three Decades of Research in Mainland China." She spent part of fall 2005 in China on a Chiang Ching-kuo Scholar Grant and a Fulbright Research Award.
State of Wisconsin Investment Board Executive Director Dave Mills, class of 1975, talked about "Public Policy Challenges for the State of Wisconsin Investment Board." Secretary of the Department of Employee Trust Funds Eric Stanchfield, class of 1982, discussed health-care innovations, including BadgerRx and Pharmacy Benefit Manager.
For information about La Follette School alumni relations, contact alumni@lafollette.wisc.edu.
-- posted Feb. 3, 2006; updated Feb. 6, 2006
Students to meet with public affairs practitioners throughout semester
La Follette School students are meeting with an array of professional public affairs practitioners -- including two alumni -- this spring through a speakers series students organized.
The series is an open forum for La Follette School students, faculty and staff to hear from prominent public policy practitioners in various types of agencies and positions. The four La Follette School students who organized the practitioners series this spring will receive two academic credits. Other La Follette School students may receive one academic credit by attending regularly and by meeting with and introducing one of the invited speakers.
The last session, which meets in the La Follette School conference room, is Tuesday, April 25, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. It features Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk. This meeting is rescheduled from April 11. She earlier served as co-director and counsel to Wisconsins Environmental Decade, a nonprofit citizens environmental protection organization and as the states public intervenor in the attorney generals office.
The series' first speaker was Katie Boyce, finance director for Gov. Jim Doyle's campaign for re-election and Doyle's former legislative director. She spoke Feb. 7.
Natalie Walleser, an analyst with the Wisconsin Legislative
Audit Bureau spoke Feb. 14. She graduated from the La Follette School in
2005 with a master of public affairs degree. The bureau is a
non-partisan state agency that assists the Legislature with
oversight of state operations by evaluating financial transactions
and program operations. La Follette student Melissa Miller
interviewed Walleser. The major challenge "of Natalies job is
condensing a large amount of information and preparing a report that
is as unbiased as possible," Miller writes in her
memo summarizing
Walleser's job. "Natalie has no prior knowledge of many of her
assignments, so she learns a great deal, but she then has to
differentiate between critical and less important information to
present."
University Research Park director Mark Bugher spoke Feb. 21. Home
to more than 100 companies with 5,300 people, the research park
encourages partnerships among businesses and university researchers. Bugher previously served as the secretary of departments of
Administration and Revenue. La Follette student Patrick Mueller
wrote the class memo about
Bugher and his work.
March 7 featured Todd Berry, president of the Wisconsin Taxpayers
Alliance, which researches state and local government issues to
produce more active and informed citizens. The alliance also
provides consulting services to public officials, the news media and
other groups on various government and tax issues.
Norma Berkowitz, president of Friends of Chernobyl Centers U.S.,
spoke March 21. This nonprofit organization seeks to strengthen
recovery efforts of individuals and communities in Belarus, Russia
and Ukraine that have been severely affected by the Chernobyl
nuclear accident and to foster education regarding psychosocial and
community recovery from technological disasters.
Robert Cramer was the second La Follette School alum to speak, on
March 28. Having earned his degree in 1992, he is now the
administrator of the State Facilities Division of the Wisconsin
Department of Administration. This division oversees the design,
construction, management and maintenance of state facilities and
related physical assets.
Bob Lang, director of the Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau, speaks April 4. This bureau is a nonpartisan agency that provides fiscal and program information and analyses to the Legislature. Marta Skwarczek wrote the background memo.
"Bob Lang has been the director of the Legislative Fiscal Bureau for nearly 30 years and knows a lot about what makes state government tick," Skwarczek says. "He works closely with the state Legislature as well as the Joint Finance Committee. He and his staff analyze numerous different policy issues and are very knowledgeable about all the happenings of the state."
-- posted Jan. 25, 2006; updated Feb. 13, April 4, April 5, April 11, 2006
Tribal representatives learn more about lobbying, policymaking tools
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Stronger relationships between Wisconsins tribes and the state should be the outcome of a La Follette conference that drew representatives from more than 10 tribes and Native American advocacy organizations.
Its a simple fact that state and tribal governments need to work together and form professional intergovernmental working relationships, says conference participant Becky Webster, an attorney with the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin in Oneida, Wis. and a 2003 La Follette School of Public Affairs graduate.
Webster and other participants in Tribal Interaction with State Government discussed opportunities and challenges associated with the growing interaction between the state and tribal governments.
Legislative, state agency and academic experts described tools to help participants better understand and interact with state government and to become more effective policymakers.
Sen. Russell Decker emphasized relationships and networking in his presentation to about 40 tribal representatives. Build relationships, said Decker, who represents the Schofield area. Its the key to everything.
The daylong conference on Dec. 16 at the University of Wisconsin-Marathon County in Wausau was the first such event for the tribes sponsored by the UW-Madison La Follette School of Public Affairs.
As the first nations to inhabit what today we call Wisconsin, the tribes obviously have valuable insights and concerns to inform public policy making, says conference organizer Professor Dennis Dresang, who heads the La Follette Schools Center on State, Local and Tribal Governance. It is critical that tribal leaders be included in the decisions of state government.
Historically, the level of engagement between the tribes and the state has been limited. Many tribes have only recently begun to take steps to interact with the governors cabinet and the Legislature.
I am pleased to hear any time representatives from Wisconsin tribes and representatives from state government can meet and have frank discussions ranging from the lawmaking process to college financial aid, Webster says. As a La Follette graduate, I am proud that my alma mater felt this issue was important enough to organize a seminar focusing on the dynamic relationships between tribal and state governments.
The conference coincided with Gov. Jim Doyles efforts to engage tribes more in state matters and to strengthen ties between his administration and Wisconsins 11 tribal governments through his State-Tribal Consultation Initiative.
The governor recognizes the contributions tribes have made to this state, says Laura Arbuckle, with the state Department of Administration. She is implementing the governors initiative across the state.
Today, tribes are among the largest employers in their respective counties. Their growing resources have afforded them the opportunity to offer employment and governmental services to a growing number of tribal and non-tribal members, Arbuckle says.
The conference included an overview of tribal relations with state government; a review of the legislative process; a discussion of how lobbying works; ways to evaluate that lobbying and a presentation by Department of Administration officials on decision-making in the executive branch.
Decker joined former Rep. Tom Ourada and President Robert Chicks of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians on a panel that discussed lobbying state government.
Joyce Kiel and David Lovell from the Legislature's
Legislative Council staff presented information about the
legislative process in Wisconsin, the role of the
legislative service agencies and techniques for tracking
legislation.
The conference included participants from the
Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians, the Lac Courte
Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, the Menominee
Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake
Superior Chippewa Indians, the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin,
the Ho-Chunk Nation, the Sokaogon Chippewa Community, the
St. Croix Chippewa Community and the Forest County
Potawatomi Community. Other participants were from the Great
Lakes Intertribal Council and the Wisconsin Indian Education
Association.
-- posted Jan. 9, 2006; updated Jan. 11, 2006