Pi Alpha Alpha Celebrates the Academic Successes of the School Year
On Thursday, April 26, 2007, Pi Alpha Alpha (PAA) held its annual banquet and induction ceremony at Panache Restaurant. PAA is the national honor society for schools of public affairs and administration. The banquet is the annual culminating event for Utah's PAA chapter, and honors, recognizes, and celebrates the achievements of students in the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program.
Students must have completed 21 hours of course work and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.7 or better to participate in the Wendy Rice Induction Ceremony. This year, 34 students were inducted into PAA.
MPA program faculty, staff and supporters also recognized academic achievement and presented 10 students with scholarships and awards. Awards include:
- The Center for Public Policy & Administration/Utah Nonprofits Association Nonprofit Scholarship - Rebecca Rhead
- Utah City Managers Association Scholarships- Erick Allen & Craig Nielson
- Zions Bank Founders Scholarship in honor of Michael Leavitt - Curtis Larsen
- G. Homer Durham Scholarships - Robbi Dewey and Tiffany Christensen Eckman
- Thomas H. and Chiyo H. Morita Scholarship - Claudia Hilton and Rebecca Robb
- Hiatt Scholarship - Frank Bedolla
- Dalmas Nelson Paper Award - Patricia Todd for her paper “Immunization Policy in Utah”
Dr. Robert Huefner, political science professor at The University of Utah, presented the evening's keynote address “Public efficiency: never enough; frequently too much.” Huefner challenged public administrator’s to develop and us their professional judgment in pursuit of transparency and efficiency, while seeking the high values of our democratic culture: liberty, equality and welfare.
Robert Forbis, chapter president for the 2006-2007 academic year, passed the gavel to Matt DuMont, 2007-2008 chapter president. DuMont introduced the 2007-2008 PAA board, including: Sarah Brenna, vice president; Angie Stefaniak, secretary; Shawn McMillen, treasurer; Metra Barton, Jackie Grant and Jeff Mulitalo, members at-large; and Robert Forbis, past president.