Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

a Flexible Public Service through Innovation and Collaboration, in November 2024. As Chair of NECoPA, the Public Administration depa ment's Chair and Professor Gina Scutelnicu-Todoran, PhD, organized this impo ant conference. A NECoPA trustee since 2017, Scutelnicu-Todoran also manages all the organization's operations between its annual conferences. Hosting this conference provided a valuable oppo unity for Pace students and faculty to pa icipate in many aspects of the event, but also to showcase Pace's MPA program and the quality research and community engagement its faculty and students provide toward impo ant policymaking and research for its surrounding communities. The conference drew 120 pa icipants from across the US and overseas. Five MPA faculty members, four MPA students, and five faculty members from other Pace depa ments presented their research at the conference. Four Pace MPA students pa icipated in the following panel or presentation: Wicked Problems that Need Equitable Solutions, panel: Rajni Jaiswal '26, Shalini Sankar '26, and Reeya Ramdeen '25; The Role of Social Media in Facilitating Intergovernmental Relations, presentation: Areeba Hashmi '26. "Pace's MPA reputation is built through the connections and networks and the hard work of individual faculty members. By hosting NECoPA at Pace we allowed the world to see who we are, and we facilitated the cultivation of connections for the future," said Scutelnicu-Todoran. American Society for Public Administration Conference Awards Depa ment of Public Administration faculty and students presented their research at the national American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) conference in Washington, DC, held in spring 2025. The conference theme, Not Robots Yet: Keeping Public Servants in Public Service, convened more than 1,200 public service practitioners, scholars, faculty, students, and advocates to discuss pressing public service issues. Rajni Jaiswal, MPA Student, and Scutelnicu-Todoran were recognized with prestigious awards. Jaiswal was awarded the 2025 Section on Professional and Organizational Development and the Section for Women in Public Administration scholarship awards, which are highly competitive achievements awarded to graduate and doctoral students who present their research at the conference. Scutelnicu-Todoran received the 2025 Rita Mae Kelly Distinguished Research Award for her research contributions to gender-related issues that have a significant impact on women's roles in public administration and their lives. "By hosting NECoPA at Pace we allowed the world to see who we are, and we facilitated the cultivation of connections for the future." L to R: Professor Tekula, Dean Grimes, Professor Scutelnicu-Todoran, Berry-James (keynote speaker), Adjunct Professor Rolandi, Professor Henley, and Professor Kolenda P A C E U N I V E R S I T Y W W W . P A C E . E D U / D Y S O N 14 Professor Scutelnicu-Todoran

• Cover