NECOPA-Northeast Conference on Public Administration, October 28-29, New York City

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Permalink Reply by Kitty Wooley on September 30, 2011 at 6:05pm

Everyone: I went to NECoPA at Rutgers Newark in 2008 and it was a hoot!  If you're looking to become more deeply involved in the public administration field, this is a simple way to jumpstart your involvement.

Permalink Reply by SteveWonder on October 1, 2011 at 12:07pm

Hi Kitty,

That above 2008 Conf. you referred to (I was there, too!) was the Rutgers Newark "Public Perf.  Measurement and Reporting Network" (PPMRN) conference--NOT a NECOPA (public admin) event, which would be sanctioned by the Am. Soc. for Public Admin.  (www.aspanet.org)

The Oct. 28-29 event will only be the 2nd NECOPA conf. ever to be held--last year's (2010) was the very first one.

**IMPORTANT to potential NECOPA attendees!!!!!: Pay before October 15 to get a lower, $95 registration (includes meals). Univ. students with ID proof pay $45.

Permalink Reply by Kitty Wooley on October 1, 2011 at 1:46pm

Thanks, Steve - you jogged my memory!  Actually, it was the 4th Sino-US International Conference on Public Administration, held at Rutgers-Newark June 7-8, 2008.  I was so jet-lagged yesterday that I couldn't remember.  That was co-sponsored by ASPA, Rutgers-Newark, and School of Public Administration, Renmin University of China.  You're right; not by NECOPA.  Interestingly, it also was about improving performance. 

 

For other readers of Steve's blog, the reason that conference came to mind was that it showed me how easily small opportunities to participate can lead to bigger ones, if I'm willing to do the work.  Here's how that one went for me:

1. Discovered the conference early, during the Call for Papers stage, through ASPA's PA Times. The blurb also recruited panel discussants, people who would read panelists' papers early and then kick off the discussion during the session. 
2. Volunteered for the one topic I knew anything about, networks in government.  If you're not an academic but you are working in government - or if you're doing the same kind of work in the private sector - you're a "practitioner."  Public administration academics (theory) and practitioners (practice) complement and need each other - it's the only way the PA field can advance.
3. Registered for the conference, which was cheap because the conference was so new - maybe $40.  Booked one night at the hotel in Newark. 
4. Read the panelists' papers as they sent them to me. 
5. Drove to Newark from Washington on Friday night. 
6. Attended the Saturday half of the conference, did the session, learned more about the joint effort and Prof. Marc Holzer's role in starting it, and chatted with other attendees. 
7. Drove home Sunday, with more experience and a broader network of people who were interested in the same things I was.  That was a factor in later opportunities to serve on panels, help organize conferences, and publish articles.  Why?  Because most people won't invest the energy.  Those who do are always watching for others who are willing to, whatever their credentials or experience. 

The above is just one example.  Another way is to contact conference organizers early in the game and offer to trade volunteer labor for attendance at some sessions.  A third is to go to a conference -- like the great opportunity on Oct. 28-29 Steve has announced -- to learn, make friends and develop the professional network further, and incubate new ideas that can move one's career while helping improve government.

 

If anybody has another example, I'd love to learn from your story.