Greetings! We’ve passed the midpoint in the semester, and students are rushing to complete assignments due before Thanksgiving. Following the short break, we’ll be in the home stretch towards the end of the semester.

This year has been a noteworthy one for SPEA IUPUI, and I’m pleased to report that we’re continuing to grow and prosper. This fall semester, for example, we’re teaching six percent more credit hours than last fall semester, even though we’re serving slightly fewer students. These differences reflect one of the major trends at SPEA IUPUI – we’re serving more traditional, full time undergraduate and graduate students. Although we remain the destination of choice for non-traditional students and first generation college students, more and more full-time students from throughout the state are choosing to come to IUPUI because of the quality of our programs and the many opportunities in vibrant, downtown Indianapolis. We anticipate continued growth of our academic programs as we build our faculty and strengthen our curriculum. 

Chancellor Bantz delivered his State of the Campus address on November 6 and introduced a new theme: "IUPUI: Where Impact is Made." At the culmination of his talk, the Chancellor cited two examples of ways that IUPUI is integral to the future of Indiana. I’m extremely proud to say that both examples involve projects led by SPEA faculty and staff to address critical issues in governance and health care in Indiana. 

Professor John Krauss and staff at the Center for Urban Policy and the Environment are providing expert staff support for Governor Daniel’s Local Government Reform Commission. This Commission, which is being chaired by former Governor Joe Kernan and Randall Shepherd, Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court, will make recommendations about restructuring local government by the end of the year. These recommendations will be address in the upcoming session of the Indiana General Assembly.

Professor Eric Wright, SPEA faculty and staff with our Center for Health Policy, and faculty with other Indiana University schools and centers are providing research and programmatic support for the Health Care Reform Commission established by Mitch Roob, Director of Indiana’s Family and Social Services Administration. This Commission will make a series of recommendations to both control costs and increase access to health care that could lead to a fundamental restructuring of Indiana’s health care system.    

We’re having impact in other areas as well. This year, in collaboration with SPEA’s Executive Education Program, we’ve initiated new customized graduate certificate programs for Goodwill Industries and for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD). For Goodwill Industries, our faculty is delivering the Nonprofit Management Certificate for a cohort of 13 managers and executives. For the IMPD, our faculty is delivering the Public Management Certificate for a cohort of approximately 20 officers at the level of Sargeant or above; officers from organizations in addition to the IMPD will participate. These two programs alone bring us nearly 35 new students. More importantly, they reflect the growing reputation of the quality of our programs and the confidence key leaders in Indianapolis have in our faculty and staff.  

Our strategic priorities are to develop nationally recognized programs of teaching, research, and civic engagement in the areas of public affairs and nonprofit management, health administration and policy, and criminal justice and public safety. As I write this, our faculty and staff are leading critically important state commissions in the area of local government and health care reform, and we’ve been asked by two of the most important organizations in Indiana in the areas of nonprofit management and public safety, respectfully, to train their future leaders. These are exciting initiatives and validation of the caliber and quality of SPEA’s faculty and staff. As an alumnus or friend of SPEA IUPUI, I hope you share my pride in these achievements. 

Elsewhere in this newsletter, we introduce you to other new faculty and feature our recent activities in our environmental science and health programs. Our students, who helped plan a successful auction to raise funds for our newly renovated student lounge and computer cluster, share their thanks. 

I thank you, too, for your continued support of SPEA. Please keep in touch.

Greg

SPEA Welcomes New Faculty

This fall we welcomed three new faculty members to SPEA IUPUI.

Dr. Deanna Malatesta, a specialist in public management, will teach public management and work with our Center for Urban Policy and the Environment. You can read more about Dr. Malatesta at www.spea.iupui.edu/faculty/deannamalatesta/.  

Dr. Yong Li, a health economist, will teach economics and work with our Center for Health Policy. You can read more about Dr. Li at www.spea.iupui.edu/faculty/yongli/.  

Paul Lang joined us full time as a Clinical Lecturer and serves as Director of our Health Programs. He replaces Dave Handel, who remains with us as Executive in Residence for the MHA program and will continue to work with MHA students in their professional development. You read more about Paul Lang at www.spea.iupui.edu/faculty/paullang/. 

Mentors Needed for Undergraduate SPEA Students

During the spring 2008 semester, SPEA IUPUI will offer a one-credit mentoring class for sophomore, junior and senior students. Taught by Anne-Marie Predovich, MPA '97 and Executive Director of the Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center (INRC), "Mentoring for Professional Development" will emphasize professional development and the potential impact of nurturing a meaningful professional mentoring relationship.

Highlights of the class will include face-to-face meetings between students and mentors, an etiquette lunch, and class sessions covering a variety of professional development topics. Mentors and students may also choose to engage in additional mentoring activities including educational and social/networking events. Although the course ends in April, the mentor and student may continue the relationship through the student's graduation from SPEA and beyond.

If you are interested in serving as a mentor, please complete a questionnaire at http://www.spea.iupui.edu/Mentor/alumni.asp. Please complete your questionnaire no later than Friday, December 7, 2007.

Mentors and students will be matched based on career and community interests. Although we hope to engage all interested mentors, we cannot guarantee that all mentors will be assured of a match. The number of mentors needed will be determined by the number of students who register for the class.

Student Spotlight

Kimberly Patterson
Program: B.S. in Public Health with a major in Environmental Science and Health   
Anticipated Graduation Date: May 2008   
Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky

This month’s student spotlight features senior environmental science and health student and Sam H. Jones Scholar, Kimberly Patterson. Over the summer, Kimberly completed a unique internship with the Junior Commissioned Corp Officers (JRCOSTEP) in Sante Fe, New Mexico. She is the first student from IUPUI to participate in this prestigious program.

Of Public Interest

This new feature of SPEA SPEAKS will highlight the work of a SPEA faculty member on a current topic of public interest. In this installation, Dr. David McSwane discusses product safety recalls and public health.

Product Recalls Protect the Health and Safety of Consumers
David McSwane, H.S.D.
Professor of Public and Environmental Affairs

In the past several months, American consumers have been inundated with recalls of products ranging from toys that contain lead to pet food contaminated with melamine to foods intended for human consumption that have been contaminated with an array of biological, chemical and physical hazards.

Product recalls are voluntary actions taken by manufacturers or distributors to protect the public from products that may cause disease, injury, or possible death. The primary purpose of a recall is to remove products from commerce when there is reason to believe the products may be hazardous to human health and safety. 

A concern of public health and safety professionals is that the number and frequency of recalls has been so great that consumers may be becoming desensitized to the importance of their message.  This is a very serious problem that could cause harm to people of all ages.

Some of the largest food recalls involved E. coli contamination in ground beef products, frozen pizza, and bagged spinach; Salmonella bacteria in peanut butter and frozen pot pie products; botulism toxin in hot dog chili sauce; and undeclared allergens in summer sausage, pasta, and canned soups. The purpose of a food recall is to remove food products from commerce when there is reason to believe the products may be adulterated (bears or contains a poisonous or deleterious substance which may render them injurious to health) or misbranded (the label is false or misleading).  Recalls are initiated by the manufacturer or distributor of the food product, sometimes at the request of regulatory authorities such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Food Safety Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).  All recalls are voluntary. However, if a company refuses to recall its products, the FDA and USDA have the legal authority to detain and seize those products to prevent them from entering the marketplace.

Unsafe or improperly labeled food products typically come to the attention of the FDA and USDA in one of the following ways:
• The company that manufactured or distributed the food informs the agency of the potential hazard;
• Test results generated as part of a routine sampling program indicate that the products are adulterated, or, in some situations, misbranded;
• Food manufacturing plant inspectors and program investigators, in the course of their routine duties, discover unsafe or improperly labeled foods; and
• Epidemiological data submitted by federal, state, or local public health departments reveal unsafe, unwholesome or inaccurately labeled food.

As soon as FDA or USDA learns that a potentially unsafe or mislabeled food product is in commerce, the agency will conduct an investigation to determine whether there is a need for a recall.  Steps commonly followed during this investigation phase include contacting the manufacturer of the food product to gather more information; interviewing consumers who allegedly became ill or injured from eating the suspect food; collecting and analyzing samples of the suspect food for biological, chemical, or physical hazards; contacting state and local health departments for information about illnesses or injuries reported to them by residents of their jurisdiction; and documentation of the chronology of events that preceded the recall.

When a food recall is initiated, the FDA and/or USDA will provide state and local health departments a description of products involved (including their code dates) and the reason for the recall. These agencies, in turn, will notify retail food establishments (restaurants and food stores) in their jurisdictions advising them to remove the recalled product from their establishment. The public is typically notified through a press release that is issued to media outlets in the areas where the product was distributed. The press release also provides a list of products involved in the recall, including their code dates, and a list of states and major outlets where the products were distributed. Consumers who have purchased the recalled products are urged to destroy them or return them to the place of purchase for a refund. 

Effective product recalls require active participation by manufacturers and distributors, regulatory agencies, and consumers.  Manufacturers and distributors must promptly initiate a recall when they suspect their products may pose a hazard to consumers.  Regulatory officials must communicate information about recalled products to retailers who must remove these products from commerce in a timely manner. Last, but certainly not least, consumers must inspect their homes to determine whether or not they have any of the recalled items. If so, then the items should be immediately discarded or returned to the place of purchase for a refund.  Only when all of these steps have been taken can we be assured that the health and safety will be adequately protected.

Additional information on recalls of food and other products may be obtained from the following sources:

Class Notes

What have you been doing since graduation? Do you have a new job? Did you get married or have children? Let us know what you are doing! Please send your updates to Andrea Anderson at infospea@iupui.edu.  

Ryan Brady, MPA '05, completed the Chicago Marathon in October. He also accepted a new position as Senior Donor Services Advisor for the Central Indiana Community Foundation.

Mary Farrell, MPA '05, is now working at the Indiana Coalition on Housing and Homeless Issues as the Community Research Coordinator.

Robert E. Martin, MPA '76, retired as Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance at IUPUI in October. Friends of Bob have established an endowment to fund an annual scholarship for at least $1,000 for a SPEA graduate student interested in public finance. 

James Morgan, BSCJ'07, is a Paralegal in the Division of Consumer Protection in the Office of the Attorney General. He works with many of the Deputy Attorneys General to investigate and prosecute medical professionals. James writes, "The SPEA program was good to me and it has certainly left a footprint on my professional life. I have many fond memories of my time at IUPUI.  I sincerely appreciate all of the hard-work you and the other SPEA educators are involved with to help groom people like myself.  I am certain the material I was exposed to while at IUPUI has better postured me for success."

Takura Nyamfukudza, BSCJ '05, is a first-year student at Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan. A native of Zimbabwe, Takura received his commission as Second Lieutenant from the U.S. Army in August. He was recently featured in an Indiana National Guard recruitment commercial. 

Kendall McCaig Quantz, MPA '07, returned to Canada this summer and is working at the United Way of Calgary and Area as the Community Investment Specialist in the Children & Youth portfolio. Kendall is responsible for managing the United Way's investment in 16 youth-serving nonprofits and participating in collaborative initiatives to better the lives of vulnerable youth in Calgary. She can be reached at kendall.quantz@calgaryunitedway.org.

Ken Stella, MSHA '74, retired as president of the Indiana Hospital & Health Association. In 2007, Ken and his wife established the Ken and Cindy Stella Scholarship for MHA students. When fully endowed, this fund will provide $10,000 per year to two MHA students.

Danielle Vance, MPA '07, relocated to the Chicago area this summer and works as a client service associate with The Alfred Group. Danielle will work with a wide variety of organizations and help craft recommendations and plans around issues of organizational strategy, development department programs, and campaigns. She can be reached at dvance@alford.com.

In the Know

Alumni Holiday Night at the Children’s Museum
IUPUI alumni and their guests are invited to an evening of holiday fun at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. IUPUI Alumni Holiday Night is Wednesday, December 5, 2007 from 6:30-9:00 p.m. Come and enjoy holiday cheer, good food, festive holiday music, and visit all five floors of The Children’s Museum including the Yule Slide and Jolly Holidays. For complete information, please visit http://www.alumni.iupui.edu/calendar.html#event_102.

Winter College to Feature Greeways Work of Associate Dean Lindsey
Join fellow alumni and friends at the IUPUI Alumni Association’s Winter College at the Sanibel Harbour Resort and Spa in Fort Myers, Florida from February 15-17, 2008.

Participants will experience a dynamic weekend of educational workshops, lectures and lively discussions, while enjoying sumptuous food, luxurious accommodations, and the warm Florida sun. Accomplished faculty, including SPEA’s own Associate Dean Greg Lindsey, will lead the educational program. Congressman Lee Hamilton will kick-off the weekend's lectures as the keynote speaker at the Friday evening banquet. Registration deadline is February 3, 2008. For more information and to register, please visit http://alumni.iupui.edu/wintercollege.html.  

SPEA Bi-annual Washington, DC Colloquium
SPEA alumni are invited to attend the bi-annual SPEA Washington, DC Colloquium on November 27, 2007 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the Russell Senate Office Building, Caucus Room (SR-325). This fall’s colloquium will feature a talk titled "Reflections of a Simple Environmental Chemist" by Distinguished Professor Ron Hites, SPEA Bloomington. For more information and to RSVP, contact Bethan Roberts at 812-856-0597 or bwr@indiana.edu.