Master of Public Administration

Program Chair

Fañomnåkan (Spring) 2018: One Guam

Toward Decolonization One Guam was effort brought together the MPA program, the UOG's Regional Center for Public Policy, and the Guam Commission on Decolonization. The culmination of the project was a Gubernatorial Debate held on May 8, 2018 at the Calvo Field House. Over 2000 people were in attendance with the event being broadcasted live, rebroadcasted by major media, and available on demand through the Internet. The debate brought together the five 2018 gubernatorial candidates on one stage for the largest debate on decolonization in our island's history to date. "One Guam" represented an educational approach to bringing more awareness to self-determination in our community. Testifying before the UN the Executive Director for the Commission on Decolonization, Amanda Blas, put into record listing the One Guam Gubernatorial Debate as one of Guam's "Achievements" in its effort toward self-determination.

 

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Fanuchånan (Fall) 2017: Biennial Western Pacific Conference on Public Policy and Policy Solutions

The Fall 2017 Graduate Candidates for Master of Public Administration in partnership with the Regional Center for Public Policy will host the Western Pacific Conference on Public Administration and Policy Solution on Monday, December 4, 2017 at the Dusit Thani Guam Resort. Guam is home to one of the highest concentrations of military veterans. This year’s conference will focus on the challenges veterans and their families face. It is our hope that we will bring the community together to collaborate, explore, discuss and develop policy solutions towards the issues facing not only veterans on Guam, but within the Western Pacific region. The Western Pacific is undoubtedly known for its patriotism and our high military enlistment rates. We are committed to do our part to help ensure future generations of veterans find their voice and their families have the services they deserve. We are excited and humbled to announce that this conference will also unveil the “Veterans History Project.” This momentous endeavor will memorialize and pay tribute to the stories and experiences of some of our island’s war veterans. Selections from this project will be submitted to the Congressional Archives through our Congress Woman Madeleine Z. Bordallo's Office.

 

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Fañomnåkan (Spring) 2017: Project T.E.A.C.H. Project T.E.A.C.H. was a partnership with Guam Police Department.

The overarching goal was to reduce the frequency and severity of crime from the F.A.S. community. Through outreach and research, the cohort determined that the most effective way to address this problem was to impact the mindset and perspective of youth in the 5th grade. It was determined that there was a significant potential for enculturation, fostering community values and shaping the understanding of citizenship and social integration. The Mandaña T.E.A.C.H. project produced an eight-module student and accompany teacher's workbook that explored the concept of cultural integration, character building, team building, conflict resolution, anti-bullying, drugs & alcohol, safety patrol and drill & cadence. The system was designed to be used, in whole or in part, and incorporate classroom integration, partnerships with public safety (law enforcement), parental interaction, and community group delivery. A pilot was run with very positive feedback from the various stakeholders.

 

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Fañomnåkan (Spring) 2017: Project Dream (MPA-Guam Judiciary Pilot Cohort)

At the request of the Judiciary of Guam, School of Business and Public Administration partnered and piloted an accelerated cohort based MPA program (June of 2016 and May of 2017). While fulfilling all the traditional requirements of the traditional MPA program, the pilot offered two uniquely value added propositions: 1) A Judicial Systems focus; and 2) Allow for participants to concurrently work towards earning a Certified Court Manager (CCM) credential. Their capstone "Project D.R.E.A.M." is a facilitator's guide of civic education plans relative to the needs of youth on Guam. The manual includes lesson plans in line with Common Core Standards, Step-by-Step instructions, activity worksheets, and YouTube links that center around five subject areas: Namely, Cultural Diversity in Micronesia, Basic Social and Civic Responsibilities, Appreciating the Law. the Adjudication Process, and the Judiciary of Guam Court Services. This work was submitted to iCivics for consideration of curriculum that is more in line with the needs of our youth from Micronesia. iCivics, inc. is a 501 non-profit organization in the United States that provides educational online games and lesson plans to promote civics education and encourage students to become active citizens. iCivics was founded in 2008 by retired Supreme Court of the United States Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. iCivics's stated mission is to "ensure every student receives a high-quality civic education, and becomes engaged in – and beyond – the classroom."

 

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MPA Fanuchånan (Fall) 2016 graduating cohort produce Project Thrive

The Fall 2016 MPA Capstone Graduating Candidates, in Collaboration with Commonwealth Development Authority (CDA), CNMI Chamber of Commerce, and Northern Mariana’s College (NMI) embarked on a project aimed at helping the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) move toward a sustainable economy. The plan had two-part initiative. The first part was a CNMI economic report, policy recommendations, and a Grant 101: Train the Trainer workshop. The second part was an outreach to Northern Marianas High School. The group, joined by two members of Project Foresight (Rachel Flores and Evangeline Bernal), spoke to junior and seniors about issues of Cyber Bullying, Sexting, and Financial Literacy. This project responds to our call in G2G for our Great University to truly be a hub for the region. This project further demonstrates and reifies our commitment to the region, our role, and our relevance as the educational nexus for our region.

 

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January 20 to May 5

Spring 2016 Project Foresight  

Project Foresight was created by the graduating Spring 2016 Practicum class to eradicate the act of sexting by discouraging the dissemination of child pornography, where minors are depicted in a sexually explicit manner.

The graduating candidates of this course worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Guam Coalition Against Sexual Assault & Family, the U. S. Attorney's Office, and key stakeholders to address growing concerns regarding sexting among Guam's youth.  The members of the MPA Practicum Class employed the opportunity to develop a strategy to raise awareness of the implications of sexting and sexting laws to alter the perception and behavior of adolescents about their online activity, especially on social media.  Project Foresight achieved this by developing links on social media, making Public Service Announcements (PSAs), hosting several community outreach events, and acquiring generous sponsorships by key organizations and businesses in the community.  Moreover, the PSAs created were aimed at juveniles, young adults, and parents to educate and initiate changes in perspective and behavior involving sexting.  These PSAs are currently circulating throughout the community.

The Practicum class's major accomplishment is the progression of Project Foresight as a non-profit organization that is currently active.

 

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October 30, 2015

Dr. Kevin Ho's Recent Work Accepted for Publication

MPA Faculty, Dr. Kevin Ho, was recognized for the successful publication of his recent works in various journals.  They are:

• Zhang, Huang, Chiu, & Ho (2015). Learning Japanese through social network sites: A case study of Chinese learners’ perceptions, Micronesian Educator. 
• Ko, Chiu, Lo, & Ho (Accepted). Comparative Study on m-Learning Usage Among LIS Students from Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan, Journal of Academic Librarianship, 41(5).
• Ho, Yoo & Yu (Accepted). An empirical analysis of factors affecting the bidding competition in an online auction: A comparison between English and Buy-It-Now Auctions, Journal of Electronic Commerce Research. 

Link: http://www.uog.edu/research-spotlights/uog-business-professor-publishes-articles-in-three-academic-journals

 

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October 21, 2015

Chemical Castration as Means of Reducing Recidivism Among Sex Offender Parolees

Professor Ron Aguon’s abstract for paper – Chemical Castration as Means of Reducing Recidivism Among Sex Offender Parolees - was accepted for presentation at the annual meeting for Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences held on March 29th – April 2nd, 2016 in Denver Colorado.

 

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October 21, 2015

Harassment Prevention Workshop

The University of Guam’s Public Administration and Legal Studies Program held a Harassment Prevention Workshop on Oct. 21 in the School of Business and Public Administration. The workshop features topics such as ethics, the legal process, and federal law.  PALS/MPA faculty, the FBI, and a representative from Senator BJ Cruz’s Office were among the presenters.  Link: http://www.uog.edu/news-announcements/uog-pals-hosts-harassment-prevention-workshop and http://www.uog.edu/news-announcements/uog-pals-program-hosts-harassment-prevention-workshop-for-students

 

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October 10, 2015

Dr. John Rivera Recognized for Who's Who in the Government of Guam 40 Years and Under Publication

MPA Program Chair Dr. John Rivera was identified and honored as one of the emerging leaders in the Government of Guam. Recognized for demonstrating excellence and motivation to improve government operations Dr. Rivera, along with twelve University of Guam employees, were among more than 100 individuals nominated and featured in the Association of Government Accountants Who’s Who in the Government of Guam 40 Years and Under publication. 

Link: http://www.uog.edu/news-announcements/twelve-uog-employees-identified-as-emerging-leaders-in-govguam and http://issuu.com/agaguamchapter/docs/who_s_who_in_the_government_of_guam/1

 

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October 08, 2015

Surveys on Corruption and Government of Guam Regulations in the FSM

Dr. Maria Claret Ruane, MPA faculty and Professor of Economics, launched surveys aimed at measuring residents’ perception of corruption and government regulations in Guam and in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM).  Each of the two surveys consists of corruption-related questions patterned after Transparency International’s Global Corruption Barometer survey...also contains government regulation-related questions and demographic questions designed to obtain a profile of the survey respondent.

Transparency International is a non-governmental organization that monitors and publicizes corporate and political corruption. Its Global Corruption Barometer (GCB) survey gathers government corruption data on the U.S. and over 100 other countries. However, no such data currently exists for Guam or the FSM.  

Link: http://www.uog.edu/news-announcements/uog-mpa-program-conducting-survey-on-corruption-for-guam-and-fsm

 

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September, 9, 2015

Taiwan Youth Ambassadors Roundtable

Representatives from the MPA program joined other student leadership from the School of Business and Public Administration to host a roundtable with Youth Ambassadors from Taiwan, Republic of China.  In the spirit of professionalism and teamwork, the goal of the Taiwan Ambassadors was to introduce Taiwan to friends from around the world, convey the essence of this year’s theme, and represent all that Taiwan has to offer.

 

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August 1, 2015

Familiarity and Knowledge of the US Constitution

A Survey of Guam's Residence  An MPA student's (Daniel Brown) paper entitled, Familiarity and Knowledge of the US Constitution: A Survey of Guam’s Residence has been selected for publication in the Journal of Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Issues (JLERI).  This research was presented as a proceeding at the 2015 ICBEIT Conference at the Westin Resort in Guam.  The impetus of this research came from a Constitutional IQ survey in the fall of 2014 by the PA510: Administrative Thought class.

 

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July 27, 2015

MPA Program Faculty updated and adopted

1. The University of Guam’s MPA Mission Statement
2. MPA Core Competencies
3. The University of Guam’s MPA Public Service Values. 

This is in line with the pursuit of NASPAA accreditation. 

Link: http://www.uog.edu/degrees/master-of-public-administration

 

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June 26, 2015

The Mosaic Taiwan Fellowsip Exchange Program

Tasha Wade, a Spring 2015 graduate of the University of Guam's School of Business and Public Administration MPA program, was chosen to attend the Mosaic Taiwan international youth leadership program in Taipei City, Taiwan from June 15 to July 3, 2015.  Also selected was PMBA graduate student Russell Ocampo.

The Mosaic Taiwan Fellowship Exchange Program is a program for emerging US leaders who wish to gain first-hand experience of the Republic of China (Taiwan).  Set up by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Mosaic Taiwan program provides young students and professionals with the opportunity to explore the beauty of Taiwan’s natural environment to increase students’ interests in global affairs, so they can truly understand Taiwan’s culture and society through extensive exchanges with local leaders from various fields. This program also gives young leaders from Taiwan international exposure by fostering dialogue with their overseas counterparts. Link: http://www.uog.edu/news-announcements/graduates-attend-mosaic-taiwan-youth-leadership-program and http://mosaictaiwan.net/

 

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May 22, 2015

First Annual Spring Showcase

Under the leadership of Professor Ron Aguon and his Administrative Law Class, the MPA students launched their First Annual Spring Showcase.  The event, which featured an evening of singing, dancing, skits, cultural performances, and chants from around the region, was also a demonstration of an MPA learning outcome linked to the institutional learning outcome of cultural appreciation.

Links: 

http://www.uog.edu/events/mpa-programs-spring-showcase 

http://www.uog.edu/news-announcements/postponed-uog-master-of-public-administration-students-host-spring-showcase 

http://www.uog.edu/news-announcements/master-of-public-administration-students-host-first-annual-spring-showcase

 

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May 21, 2015

UOG MPA Alumni Joseph Cruz was selected by Governor Eddie Calvo to succeed Fred Bordallo as Chief of Police

 

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May 21, 2015

UOG Chapter of Pi Alpha Alpha (PAA)

PAA is a global honor society for public affairs and administration, held its first induction ceremony at the UOG School of Business and Public Administration in the IT&E Lecture Hall.  PAA is the first honor society solely for graduate students in Guam.  The inaugural members included 32 recent MPA graduates. Also inducted as the Chapter's Honorary Member was William Corbett, the senior supervisory special agent of the FBI’s Honolulu division, Guam resident agency.

PAA is administered by the National Association of Schools of Public Administration (NASPAA), the Global Standard in Public Service Education. It was formed to recognize and promote the study and practice of public affairs and administration. There are more than 160 chapters around the world at NASPAA member schools.

 

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May 7, 2015

Human Trafficking

The Spring 2015 MPA Capstone Graduating Candidates, with collaborative support from the FBI, held a presentation of their research regarding Human Trafficking.  The presentation included: 1) the results from a perceptions survey conducted earlier in that year; and 2) their findings on an academic simulation of current human trafficking grant opportunity.  Following the short presentation was a roundtable opportunity for discussion provided for those in attendance.  The community of attendees included Federal Agency Stakeholders, Regional Ambassadors, and other community members. 

 

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February 28, 2015

NASPAA's Inaugural Student Simulation Competition

MPA candidate, Jesse Quenga, represented UOG in the NASPAA's inaugural Student Simulation Competition.   Students competed across the U.S. at five regional sites and were asked to provide a locally led "bottom up" approach to healthcare reform.  Nationally, 45 teams – representing 93 participating schools – explored more than 4,400 different health care futures.

 

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January 14, 2015

Pi Alpha Alpha Global Honor Society

The University of Guam MPA’s application was accepted and approved to start a Pi Alpha Alpha Global Honor Society.  Pi Alpha Alpha is the Global Honor Society for Public Affairs and Administration. There are more than 160 chapters located around the world at NASPAA member schools.  Members of Pi Alpha Alpha are recognized for their outstanding scholarship and accomplishments in public affairs and administration.

 

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January 7, 2015

Constitution Day IQ Survey

After conducting a Constitution Day IQ survey in the fall of 2014, MPA students from the PA510: Administrative Thought class have found that Guam residents compared favorably to other states in knowledge about the U.S. Constitution, scoring higher than over 40 states including Florida, Michigan and Vermont. Comparing the scores, Guam placed eighth overall.

The class took on the survey as a special project after finding that Guam and other U.S. territories were not represented in a national Constitutional IQ survey conducted by http://www.constitutionfacts.com. The class felt it would be interesting to see how Guam would compare with nationwide results. The class duplicated the survey and gathered a random sample of 200 participants. Link: http://www.uog.edu/news-announcements/guam-places-8th-in-uog-constitutional-iq-survey

 

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November 22, 2014

NASPAA Member

The Master of Public Administration Program is now a NASPAA Member.  NASPAA or The Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration is considered the global standard in public service education. 

NASPAA is the recognized global accreditor of graduate education programs in public policy, public affairs, public administration, and public & nonprofit management. NASPAA has nearly 300 member schools located across the U.S. and in 14 countries around the globe.  NASPAA's twofold mission is to ensure excellence in education and training for public service and to promote the ideal of public service.  This is the first step toward the program’s pursuit of NASPAA accreditation.  

Link: http://www.uog.edu/news-announcements/uog-master-of-public-administration-program-becomes-naspaa-member

 

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October 30, 2014

Gubernatorial Great Debate

The Fall 2014 MPA Capstone Graduating Candidates, for the first time of this year, had taken on the challenge to make the Gubernatorial Great Debate of 2014 a reality.  Since 1994, the School of Business and Public Administration had hosted a Great Debate every gubernatorial election year.  The Great Debate has been the largest and last debate culminating the gubernatorial race in any election year.   This idea started in 1994 when the honorable senator, Dr. Judith D. Guthertz, member of the Public Administration and Legal Studies (PALS) student organization, and PA 304 (Public Relations and Public Information) originally developed the Great Debate as a class project.  

Link: 

http://www.uog.edu/news-announcements/uog-hosts-the-2014-gubernatorial-great-debate 

http://www.uog.edu/events/2014-gubernatorial-great-debate

 

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Employers

In a 2016 Alumni Employment Survey, respondents had the following responses to the questions provided:

• Demonstrates an advanced understanding of leading and managing in public governance
  • 81% stated Good to Excellent
• Demonstrate an ability to relevantly apply a real world understanding, participate in, and contribute to the policy process
  • 86% stated Good to Excellent

• Demonstrate a practical competency to analyze, synthesize, think critically, quantitively/qualitatively reason, solve problems and make decisions
  • 71% stated Good to Excellent

• Demonstrate an advanced proficiency to articulate and apply a public service perspective grounded in professional, ethical, and socially responsible behavior
  • 85% stated Good to Excellent 

• Demonstrate a dynamic ability to be innovative, to communicate, and interact productively with a diverse and changing workforce and citizenry
  • 81% stated Good to Excellent

• Demonstrate an advanced proficiency in utilizing technology toward the betterment and advancement of the profession
  • 81% stated Good to Excellent

• Demonstrate a comprehensive mindset that fosters an advanced understanding and appreciation of territorial, regional, federal, and international environments, with consideration of indigenous and global impact perspectives, and their relation to Public Administration
  • 81% stated Good to Excellent 

• Employers, Recent MPA Graduates
  • Bank of Guam
  • Bank Pacific
  • Docomo Pacific Telecom
  • Embassy of the Republic of Palau, Washington D.C.
  • EMCE Consulting
  • Guam Bureau of Statistics and Planning
  • Guam Bureau of Budget and Management Research
  • Guam Community College
  • Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency
  • Guam Department of Administration
  • Guam Department of Agriculture
  • Guam Department of Education
  • Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services
  • Guam Department of Revenue and Taxation
  • Guam Economic Development Authority
  • Guam Fire Department
  • Guam Homeland Security, Office of Civil Defense
  • Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority
  • Guam Office of the Attorney General
  • Guam Office of Public Accountability
  • Guam Police Department
  • Guam Power Authority
  • Guam Public Defender
  • Guam Visitors Bureau
  • Guam Waterworks Authority
  • Intertek
  • KJ Enterprise
  • Marianas Energy Office
  • Office of the Federated States of Micronesia Consulate General in Guam
  • Office of the Governor & Lt. Governor
  • University of Guam