Tag Archives: public policy

Superlatives

Posted on by Don

Another week down and the first  impressions I wrote about last week are holding.  It’s a good mix of courses and the two that stand out the most are PUBP 804 and PUBP 805.  So this week’s focus is on the “superlatives” … most interesting and most challenging.

Most Interesting – PUBP 805: Public Policy Systems and Theory
There is considerably more reading in this course than the other three.  But the readings so far have been really enjoyable and this has made it much easier to cover them.  The discussions in class have aligned closely to the readings without being a direct reiteration of the assignment.  We started out with tobacco policy in the United States and are now covering the origins of public policy (how do policies get their start?) and the various stakeholders involved.

Most Challenging – PUBP 804: Multivariate Statistical Analysis in Public Policy
Although this course doesn’t require the amount of reading that 805 does, it is currently my most challenging.  I can see myself spending a lot of time wrapping my head around the concepts we will cover.  We just finished the first week of a two-week block on “factor analysis”.  Huh?  Yes, that’s my take on it as well.  I’m sure I’ll get the hang of it; it’ll just take extra effort.

Spring Semester 2011

Posted on by Don

Now that I’m a theoretical two weeks into the Spring Semester, it’s time to provide my first update.  I say “theoretical” because the University was closed Wednesday and Thursday of the first week of classes due to inclement weather.  So I’ve attended my Tuesday class twice, but my Wednesday and Thursday classes only once so far.

Here are this semester’s courses and my initial impressions:

PUBP 720: Managerial Economics and Policy Analysis – This is a fundamental microeconomics course.  It’s a prerequisite course in the PhD program and a mandatory course in the Master’s programs, so it’s very popular.  The room is packed, but I think I’m going to enjoy it.  The professor’s philosophy is to keep the readings short and assign problem sets as students learn more by doing.

PUBP 804: Multivariate Statistical Analysis in Public Policy – I’ve got my work cut out here.  This is the follow-on to the PUBP 704 prerequisite course I took last semester.  There’s definitely a heavy emphasis on the use of STATA and I think this will be my most challenging class.

PUBP 805: Public Policy Systems and Theory – This is another follow-on course and shares similarities with PUBP 730; a prerequisite course I also took last semester.  So far, this has to be my favorite course.  We will be covering the political environment, agenda setting, policy theories, and their application.  There is a lot of reading involved: we will have read eight books by the time the semester is over.

PUBP 850: Professional Development – This is the seminar course for all SPP PhD students.  We take it in our first year of study.  It shares some similarity with last semester’s PUBP 801 course in that there will be numerous guest lecturers, but the course emphasizes scholarly research, professional development, and ethics and professional norms rather than 801’s focus on a research proposal.

All-in-all, it’s a course load of 11 semester hours, so I’m still full-time.  I’m also still working full-time, but keeping my fingers crossed that I get accepted to a program in which I’m able to reduce my working hours to 20/week while attending classes full-time.  Announcements were supposed to have been made in January, but as of yet my status is unknown.

Finally, there is an important bit of news to share about the Arlington facilities.  Until this semester, the School of Public Policy has had different homes around the Fairfax and Arlington campuses, but never a building specifically built for the School.  Until now.  Founder’s Hall is the new home of the School of Public Policy and is definitely state of the art.  Way to go Mason!  For a brief history of the Arlington Campus, click here.

And the first semester is in the books …

Posted on by Don

The first semester of my PhD journey ended Thursday evening with an in-class statistics final.  In all, the week witnessed the submission of three final papers and two final exams (the other was in 801 – Macro Policy).  I ended up taking a week off work to finish my three papers and study for finals.  When I say “a week off work”, I should include the weekends on both ends.  In all, I spent 9 straight days typing on my laptop and scouring through the literature to put everything together.

I have to admit this semester was quite a challenge: more challenging that I had anticipated.  In the end, all the hard work has paid off.  I’ve received two of three grades so far and I’m very happy with them.  I’m sure the third is not far behind and I should know early this week.

Now that the first semester is behind me, I’ve got about 4 weeks before things ramp up again.  Next semester promises to be a lot like this semester in that I’ll be working full-time and attending classes full-time.  But now I’ve got a much better feeling for what to expect … 🙂  That should give me a little more time to maintain this blog and keep things fresh.

See you in January!

Spring Registration

Posted on by Don

About a week and a half ago, we registered for Spring classes and I have to say it was quite an experience! We (the PhD students) had been told that we should register as soon as the window opened in order to get into the classes we wanted; especially since one of the courses most of us needed is also a mandatory course for Masters students.

I arrived on campus in plenty of time to “get comfortable” and log in ahead of the 3:00 PM window opening. I checked a couple of times before the appointed time with no luck. 3:00 definitely means 3:00. At exactly 3:00 PM, I was able to log in to the registration website. Fortunately, I had written down the numeric codes for the four courses I’ll be taking next semester. I typed them in and clicked send. The screen froze.

I had no idea what to do. Thoughts ran through my mind that the hype was only that – hype. But then the Masters student who was sitting at the table next to mine trying to register using his laptop sprung up and bolted toward the computer room in a panic. Maybe the hype was real …

I waited for 30 seconds and my screen was still not responding. I checked other sites in another window – they worked. Clearly this was a traffic issue on the registration site. In a moment of frustration, I closed the window I was using for registration and tried to log in again. After what seemed like forever (in reality, a matter of 2-3 minutes) I was back in. I reentered the codes and clicked send. This time, I got past the initial screen, but received a notice saying that my registration had already been updated.

When I checked my schedule, it turns out that my registration had made it in on my first attempt; I just didn’t receive confirmation. At 3:10 PM, out of morbid curiosity, I checked availability of the dual-tracked course. There were three sections available. Sure enough, two of the three were already full and the third had only a couple of seats available. Wow! I’ve never experienced anything like that!

So what courses am I taking next term?

PUBP 720 – Managerial Economics
PUBP 804 – Multivariate Statistical Analysis
PUBP 805 – Public Policy Systems and Theory
PUBP 850 – Seminar in Public Policy

More to come as this term winds to a close …

Overcoming “Impostor Syndrome”

Posted on by Don

I was two-thirds of the way through my first semester as a PhD student when I looked back on this blog to see that I hadn’t updated since the end of week 1.  How time flies!  It has been quite a challenge.  Our professors have continuously told us how this experience is completely different from our undergraduate and graduate programs and they have not disappointed.

I’ve learned of fascinating research that some faculty are pursuing and this has helped me try to focus where I will go with my dissertation.  Who knew that public policy could cover such a broad spectrum of topics?  Yes, that’s one of the things that attracted me to the program in the first place, but I had only scratched the surface with my incoming presuppositions.

I’ve also learned of the power of “impostor syndrome”.  While not an authoritative source, Wikipedia provides a good description.  I’ve been in and out of the university classroom essentially since graduating from high school.  I cobbled together enough credits to earn a BS from Excelsior College, and found time to earn an MPA from Troy State University and an MSIM from Syracuse University all while working full-time.  In all that time, I had never been affected by “impostor syndrome” … until becoming a postgraduate student.  I can’t say that it’s been easy – it hasn’t.  I’m still working full-time, but surprisingly, it’s not the workload (either at work or at SPP) that has been challenging.  My challenge has been adjusting to a research framework approach and producing work worthy of a PhD student.

I’ve wondered frequently if I had somehow “slipped through the admissions cracks” and if I’d be “found out” as not being of PhD quality.  That is, until I found out that my classmates are experiencing similar feelings.  One evening, while commiserating about an assignment we had, we all discovered that we had the same misgivings at varying levels.  This helped calm the feelings we had been having individually and taught us a valuable lesson: work together and we’ll all get through this.  I can’t say that the “impostor syndrome” has gone away completely … it hasn’t.  But I can say that its effects have greatly diminished.

Kickoff Week Recap

Posted on by Don

Well, the first week of the program is officially in the record books!  It was both challenging and motivating at the same time.  The academic week started Tuesday afternoon with a library orientation.  It was a good review for me, and I’m sure that it was beneficial for the rest of the cohort.  In addition to discussing online and physical resources, the librarian also gave a brief overview of Zotero.  I can say from personal experience that Zotero is a very valuable asset for any student at any level when noting references.

I had two classes on Tuesday immediately following the library orientation.  The first class was PUBP 801.  The 801 class is an introduction to research as it relates to public policy.  It seems fairly straightforward, but I have recognized early that there will be a lot of work involved to “do things right”.  We must quickly identify a research question and this research question will serve as the foundation to a lot what we do through the course of the semester.

The second class of the evening was PUBP 730.  Unlike 801, 730 is a combined masters- and PhD-level course, so the mix is about 50/50 between masters and PhD students.  The professor is a political scientist, which is important given that this course explores policy systems and theory in the United States.

The third, and final, class of the week is a Thursday afternoon introductory statistics course – PUBP 704.  I haven’t had a statistics class since 1989, so having this class is going to be very helpful in preparing me for PUBP 804 – next semester’s statistics course.

Looking back on the week, yes, there’s a lot of work to be done to keep in step with the curricula.  But I’m already seeing interrelationships between the courses which will help with the learning process.  For instance, in 801, we will identify a research problem.  We will then be working throughout the semester to develop a research proposal from that original problem.  In 704, we will write a research paper that includes statistical analysis.  These are two building blocks that can be used in the future as we develop our dissertation proposals and then research and write our dissertations.

Looking back, it’s great to be back in class and to feel like an integral part of an academic community again.  I’ve taken courses and pursued programs of study on a part-time basis in the past, but with only one exception, I’ve felt somewhat disconnected from the academic community to which I belonged.  Because I’m a full-time student, there’s a much greater connection with the community.  I’m looking forward to advancing through the upcoming semester!

PhD Student/Faculty Retreat

Posted on by Don

Yesterday was the first official meeting of my post-graduate academic career.  It was an all-day affair at the Country Club of Fairfax and could be otherwise described as “orientation”.  It was definitely good to be able to put a face to names I had only read about before (more about that later).

Before describing the day’s events, let me say that the food they served was very good and there was lots of it.  They fed us breakfast, lunch, and dinner … with snacks between and an open bar at 6:00 PM.  This would lead one to believe that it be hard to leave the retreat without feeling extremely full.  Hard, yes, but not impossible.  There was so much conversation during the meals that while the food was plentiful and very good, it wasn’t where we focused most of our efforts.

Upon arrival and registration, we were each issued a stack of papers which included, among other things, an agenda of the day’s events and a bound copy of the 2010-2011 handbook (which governs our time in the program).  Then it was time to pose for individual photos before breakfast.

Part I:
The first part of the day was introductions.  There are 21 incoming PhD students and there were at least that many faculty at the retreat.  Hearing all the areas of research that the faculty are involved in was a bit overwhelming.  It really does cover the spectrum of interest.  We had a couple of breaks and I was able to speak with many of the faculty including my advisor and the author of a book I’m reading for one of my courses.  Back to my “more about that later” reference, I experienced my very own “celebrity sighting” yesterday.  Bill Schneider is on faculty now with the School of Public Policy.  I remember watching him regularly on CNN … and now he’s on faculty in the school where I’m studying.  Very cool!

Part II:
The second part of the day consisted of a panel discussion on policy research and a presentation on ethical issues in policy research followed by a group photo.

Part III:
GMU’s School of Public Policy has a new dean this year – Dr. Edward Rhodes.  The students and faculty were divided at the beginning of the third part of the day.  Dr. Rhodes spoke to the faculty while Dr. Pfiffner (Director of the PhD Program) and Beth Eck (Assistant Dean for Program Management) spoke to the students about the curriculum and student services.  Then a panel of current students spoke to the incoming PhD students about how to succeed in the program.

What did I learn during the retreat?  Quite a bit, actually.  There were a lot of administrative issues that were explained to us and it was good to have as many questions answered as there was time to answer.  One of the most valuable takeaways of the retreat, however, was not to choose a dissertation topic too early.  Many of the incoming PhD students (myself included) have expressed strong interest in particular topics that could become dissertations.  We received the recommendation that we should explore many different possible areas for research before focusing on one – preferably at the end of our first year.  So that’s what I’m going to do; I will keep my initial interests in mind, but I will also consider (not rule out?) other possibilities for my research.

I left the retreat a bit overwhelmed by the breadth of what we had covered, but also quite motivated.  I’m really looking forward to getting started next week!

Math Camp …

Posted on by Don

Ahhh “Math Camp”!  George Mason University’s School of Public Policy offers (well, more like “requires”) that all SPP students who take PUBP 720:  Managerial Economics and Policy Analysis (which is a required PhD course) attend Math Camp (PUBP 555).  It’s a 7-hour intensive review of mathematical principles that all PhD students must either attend or test out of prior to taking PUBP 720.

After my last foray into showing how much math I retained from my studies as an undergrad many moons ago, I was a bit wary and didn’t hold out much hope that I’d be able to bypass Math Camp.  So I decided to go for it and get math camp out of the way this upcoming semester so that I could register for PUBP 720 in the spring semester.

The online test consisted of two parts: 1) Exponents and Basic Geometry; and 2) Conceptual Foundations of Calculus, Basic Optimization.  I had to get at least an 80% on each part in order to bypass math camp completely.

They were both very short tests, as the previous test had been for statistics.  How’d I do?  85% on Part 1 and 100% on Part 2!  Woohoo!!  Things are definitely looking up!

Academic Advisor

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Last week I received my academic advisor assignment for the PhD program.  I think this is going to be a good fit.  My advisor is an Associate Professor of Public Policy and Enterprise Engineering.  He has expertise in the areas of electronic commerce and supply chain integration, international telecommunication, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system implementation and design, and ERP-based Business Process Engineering methods.

Though it sounds a bit technical, this is all good stuff.  A lot of what I do in my job relates closely to my advisor’s areas of expertise.  Here is an excerpt from the Statement of Purpose I wrote to accompany my application to the PhD program:

I am applying for admission to the GMU PhD program in Public Policy because I am interested in gaining the skills and background necessary to conduct advanced research into Information Technology policy and its effect on organizations.  In these days of ever-tightening budgets, government agencies are being asked to do more with less.  Government leaders are constantly challenged to find newer, more creative ways to accomplish the mission of government.  When used properly, Information Technology is a powerful force multiplier.  How Information Technology is used within an organization depends greatly on organizational structure, policy, and processes.  I am committed to achieving a greater understanding of these focus areas and how to apply that understanding to maximize their interrelated strengths.

In my current capacity as a supervisory enterprise architect in the Federal Government, I am acutely aware of the impact Information Technology makes on an organization.  One of the challenges I face on a daily basis is how to align the organization’s enterprise architecture with policy and doctrine.

I believe that the GMU PhD program in Public Policy (with a concentration in Organizational and Information Technology) would be of great value in my efforts to achieve the understanding necessary to increased organizational effectiveness. It would provide me the ability to focus my analytical and management skills in analyzing government’s Information Technology challenges and would possibly open new areas for research.  Upon completing the PhD program, I would like to apply my newly acquired skills to discover new and innovative ways to affect organizational structure and policy within the government.

So I’m looking forward to working with my academic advisor – I think it’ll be a really good fit!

Wow …

Posted on by Don

Two days ago I took the statistics test I referred to in the previous post.  All I can say is “wow”.  Yes, I’ve actually had a statistics course in the past … in the not-so-recent past (as in 1989 …).  Well, on Monday, it showed.  The test seemed simple enough; there were 10 questions and I could use a calculator and a standard normal probability table.  I quickly learned that all the questions were essay response.  I answered the first two questions fairly quickly and though I had a good shot at doing halfway decent on the test.  Then I got to the third question.  Yikes!  Ok, well, let me skip that one and come back.  Fourth question … double yikes!  And so it went … all the way to question #10 (and back).

So I fell on my sword and, discretion being the better part of valor, submitted the test with only two questions out of ten answered.  I then requested that I be given permission to enroll in the PhD section of 704.  (Yes, I had previously enrolled in 704, but little did I realize, that was the wrong section.)

Lesson learned …