Welcome from President Christine Oh and VP Rohini Thukral

February 2010

Dear SPPD Alumni,

Welcome to GPAC’s very first newsletter! We would like to take this opportunity to share our accomplishments thus far and our plans for the rest of the 2009-2010 academic year. As you may know, GPAC’s mission is to “build a community of leaders.” This year, we have 29 elected and appointed GPAC officers. They have come up with ambitious plans and creative ideas, and are dedicated to ensuring that our tradition lives on. Our leadership team continues to provide professional development and skills-building opportunities along with networking and relationship-building events. We continue to develop new ways to support one another professionally and academically. This newsletter will provide you with a glimpse of our enthusiastic plans.

We are continuing the Leadership Speakers Series by inviting various professionals to engage our students with a discussion and a networking format. We will be hosting professionals from the education, federal government, and nonprofit sectors in the coming months. In addition, we are partnering with the MPA and MPP departments and Career Services to host “Career Day in the Bay Area.” It will measurably increase the prospects of students who are interested in various policy issues from a not-for-profit, for-profit, and government standpoint in the Bay Area by arranging for the office and site visits that will establish relationships with potential employers and other professionals. This event will provide an excellent networking opportunity for alumni and incoming students as well.

We are very excited about all of our upcoming events. We hope that you will join us, guide us, and impart your wisdom on us. Your support and partnership will help us continue our traditions of building a community of leaders and giving back to the Trojan Family. FIGHT ON!

Warmly,
Christine Oh
President, Graduate Policy Administration Community, 2009-2010

Rohini K Thukral
Vice President, Graduate Policy Administration Community, 2009-2010

» Back to top

GPAC Upcoming Events

February Monday, Feb 1 Thursday, Feb 4, 11 Thursday, Feb 18 Friday, Feb 19 Thursday, Feb 25 February TBD February TBD March Thursday-Friday, Mar 4-5 Monday, Mar 8 March TBD March TBD April Monday, Apr 12 Wednesday, Apr 14 Friday, Apr 30 April TBD April TBD May May TBD May TBD

Q & A with GPAC Leadership Excel Workshop 1 & 2 PowerPoint Workshop Nonprofit Leadership Speaker Panel (Sac) Public Speaking Workshop GPAC Sacamento Alumni Appreciation MPA Board Dinner Bay Area Policy Forum (San Francisco) Federal Government Speakers Panel Networking Workshop MPA Board Dinner Education Leadership Speakers Panel MPA Luncheon GPAC Spring Banquet PRGS/UCLA/USC Policy Symposium MPA Board Dinner Nonprofit Site Visit Nonprofit Leadership Speakers Panel (LA)

» Back to top

GPAC Gear

The GPAC Marketing Committee has been working hard to bring you the type of high-quality, officially licensed USC merchandise you expect from a graduate program. Well, the wait is over! We proudly introduce: The SPPD 1880 and The SPPD Frame-Up.

The SPPD 1880
A contemporary shirt that doesn’t forget the University’s roots. The 1880 proudly lets people know the great USC tradition that you’re a part of as a current member or alumnus of SPPD.

Shirts are available in both men’s and women’s-style fit.

The SPPD Frame-Up
It’s time to replace the worn-out plastic license plate frame the dealership slapped-on your ride with a new, eye-catching chrome SPPD version. After all, if you’re going to promote something on your tailgate, why not promote something that you’re proud to be a part of?

When you have a moment, we’d encourage you to follow this link and pre-order your USC Bookstore quality item, or items, of choice using PayPal. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.

We look-forward to working with you!

Meri Davtian and Brian O’Connor GPAC Marketing Co-Chairs

» Back to top

Midnight Mission

Earlier in October, 12 members from GPAC partnered up with the Midnight Mission to spend an afternoon serving meals to over 700 homeless people on Skid Row. From scooping beans to passing out bread, we got a chance to serve many of the men and women who call the streets of LA home. We also got the chance to tour the Midnight Mission facility and talk with a former client and now volunteer about the many programs and services they offer the community. The Midnight Mission is one of the oldest continuously operating human service organizations in LA and they work tirelessly to offer a bridge to self-sufficiency for homeless people through counseling, education, training and job placement.

From serving meals seven days a week to nightly providing beds in their gym and running a men's rehabilitation center, amongst many other services, the Midnight Mission's vision is to holistically provide for the needs of homeless people on Skid Row. We look forward to learning more about and engaging our community in other activities in the coming year.

» Back to top

Mélange - Where Flavors and Thoughts Meet

The international committee has started the semester out with a bang, as a large number of international students attended the first ever Melange: International Food Event. It was a great chance for students to meet others with similar interests over great ethnic food from all parts of the world. What better way is there to reconnect than to do so over all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ? Stay tuned for more details and events to come.

» Back to top

Sacramento Update

The GPAC Sacramento Committee has been keeping busy in the Capital City! In addition to the famous Intensive Palooza's hosted by Danielle Higgs and Amy Turnipseed, 12 students drove/flew down to the mother ship to tailgate with GPAC for homecoming. Our committee hosted our second annual Winter Charity Dinner, led by 2009 GPAC Co-Rookie of the Year Myriam Arce. With the support of GPAC, we had 62 alumni, students, staff, and family attend the dinner. We raised just over $600 for the charity Christmas Promise, which reaches out to needy families to provide them with Christmas cheer. Be on the lookout for the spring semester of 2010; there will be a lot of excitement coming from GPAC Sacramento!

» Back to top

MPP Alum Spotlight: David Estrada

David Joaquin Estrada is a 2009 alum of the Master’s in Public Policy Program at SPPD. A native of L.A., David attended Occidental College in nearby Eagle Rock, California where he earned a bachelor’s degree in American Studies.

Professionally, from 2005-2007 David served as the Director of Budget and Policy for LAUSD Board Member David Tokofsky. At USC, David served as a Research Assistant at the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute.

During his two years at SPPD, David served on numerous committees and was an active member of GPAC. David was the Social Chair during 2008-2009 and is renowned for his famous tailgating talents (BBQ master).

David’s practicum experience was one of the greatest overall experiences he had while at USC. His project, An Examination of the Use of Technology in the Hacienda-La Puente Unified School District, unveiled conclusions that were adopted by the school district they served.

David is currently the California Program Director for Computers for Youth - an education nonprofit that gives socially and economically disadvantaged families a free computer, loaded with educational software with the intent of bridging the digital divide. David currently lives in San Francisco and welcomes fellow Trojans interested in his work or related policy fields to contact him at Estrada.dj@gmail.com.

» Back to top

MPA Student Spotlight: Alex Shoor

Ten years ago this fall, Alex left his hometown in the Silicon Valley to go to college at Vanderbilt University because he wanted to challenge his progressive California values within a conservative community. Inspired by the Civil Rights Movement and today's continuing quest for racial equality, Alex focused on African American Studies while majoring in Political Science.

Professionally, he has communications experience in the nonprofit, private, governmental and political sectors. Most recently, he was the Assistant Press Secretary for the Public Advocate for New York City. Before that, he was an Account Executive for Fenton Communications and the Southern Media Strategist for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). He has worked on Capitol Hill and on numerous political campaigns.

Before moving back to California to attend USC, Alex lived in Nashville, TN; Washington, DC; Anchorage, AK and New York City. His favorite class at SPPD is U.S. Immigration Policy and his secret bookish pleasure is reading his public administration textbook.

After he graduates, Alex wants to move back up to Northern California and work in the public sector. His dream since he was fourteen years old is to be an elected official serving Californians.

» Back to top

GPAC History

Throughout its history, our school has had an active group of student leaders. In 1994, under the leadership of President Phil Hill, the Public Administration Graduate Association Network (PAGAN) became GPAC, Graduate Public Administration Council. In 1998, the School of Public Administration and School of Urban Planning and Development came together to form the new School of Policy, Planning, and Development. Under the leadership of GPAC president Sharon Keith, GPAC broadened its scope to become what it is today, the Graduate Policy and Administration Community. Later in 2004, then-student Dan Weinheimer (MPA, 2004) recognized that the Master of Public Administration and Master of Public Policy student communities shared many of the same values and goals. Dan put his vision to work, and took the leadership role of the Graduate Policy and Administration Community (GPAC) that year. GPAC’s first event, also the last for that year, was a happy hour at Weil and Brewery in Downtown Los Angeles. The following year’s students recognized that they had inherited a worthwhile organization, and dedicated a good part of their time to building out GPAC’s offerings to the students, alumni, and community. Carl Alameda (MPA 2005; MPL 2006) and John Keisler (MPA, 2005)led the effort and set up the various officer positions in addition to organizing happy hours, tailgates, leadership and professional development series, and networking nights. In 2009, GPAC is still young, with much room to grow. For example, a significant current initiative is to bring other disciplines including those from other schools into the fold. GPAC itself is not familiar to many of our earlier alumni. Nevertheless, the organization represents collectively the efforts of eighty years of those working in the public sector and for the public interest. We see a bright future for the Community.

» Back to top