A Letter from Director Robert F. Rich

Throughout its 61-year history, the Institute of Government and Public Affairs (IGPA) has been dedicated to developing top-quality research of public policy issues and to bringing that information to policymakers and the public. Our research is grounded in the highest principles of scholarship and is based on the best evidence available. Our public engagement is nonpartisan, provokes thoughtful discussion, and helps guide change in our society.

At IGPA, we connect research and practice. The energetic faculty in our five research programs continue to seek new solutions to the problems that confront us, from the difficulties of the economy and the Illinois budget to developing an energy policy or defining effective health care reform for the nation. The professionals at our four study centers crunch data that has an impact on communities across Illinois. Whether helping schools develop more effective strategies, assisting communities to bridge the digital divide, or helping leaders develop the skills they need to better do their jobs, IGPA provides the information necessary to craft practical solutions.

IGPA fosters dialogue by working with faculty at the Urbana-Champaign, Chicago, and Springfield campuses, as well as our other partners, to provide opportunities for exchanging ideas. We engage the public through conferences, seminars, and publications, and by interacting with the news media. We visit regularly with educators and leaders at all levels of government, ready to respond rapidly to new challenges.

IGPA's mission is to provide the best information and options to those who must make the choices for society. We identify best practices in research, public affairs, and personal conduct. We constantly promote excellence in government.

Robert F. Rich
Director and Professor

What We Do

Connecting Research and Practice

Scholars from across University of Illinois develop cutting-edge research every year that has a positive impact. Located in all three University of Illinois cities (Urbana, Springfield, and Chicago), IGPA shares this academic insight with elected officials, students, and the public. IGPA's five academic programs (including 26 faculty members) and four study centers seek to improve the performance of public policy and government. They focus on critical issues in:

:: Governance :: Health Policy :: Public Finance :: Race and Public Policy :: Social Policy

:: Technology and Public Policy :: Prevention Research and Development :: Public Safety and Justice :: Public Leadership

By distributing research through conferences and seminars, publications, and lectures, IGPA connects Illinois and the nation to new ideas that have real-world relevance.

Fostering Dialogue

Dialogue is essential to the advancement of new ideas and new public policy initiatives. IGPA aims to create enlightened conversation about the most pressing and significant issues facing Illinois and the nation. Through lecture series, policy luncheons, direct consulting, and media outreach, IGPA engages in the deliberation and debate necessary to democracy. Forging partnerships with civic organizations and state associations, IGPA opens policy discussion to a broader audience beyond government and academia.

Engaging the Public

IGPA is distinct among premier policy research units because of its dedication to public service. IGPA was established in 1947 by resolution of the Illinois General Assembly to provide a space wherein students and scholars could become more engaged in government affairs. IGPA has gone above and beyond this initial objective, holding workshops, public forums, and leadership training that provides opportunities for the public to become informed and engaged participants in government.

Responding to Challenges

The faculty and professionals at the IGPA are dedicated to responding rapidly to the challenges facing society and assisting government to meet those challenges. Innovative research keeps IGPA at the forefront of new developments in Illinois and beyond, and well-qualified to respond in critical moments. Comprehensive publications such as The Illinois Report provide assessment of imperative issues facing Illinois each year. IGPA also provides support for graduate and undergraduate education in public affairs, thereby fostering the next generation of leaders who will contribute innovative solutions to the nation's most complex challenges.

"To embody the ideals of civility and service, that is what your institute stands for... [those ideals] are the ones to pursue."
-Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
2008 Paul H. Douglas Ethics in Government Award Ceremony

Recognitions

IGPA Faculty and Fellows are widely recognized for their expertise and academic achievements. Some of the recognitions received in 2008-2009 are listed here.

:: Director Robert Rich (top photo, right) was elected to the Electorate Nominating Committee of the Section on Social, Economic, and Political Sciences of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

:: IGPA Distinguished Fellow Jim Edgar served as the Master of Ceremonies for the Abraham Lincoln Association dinner in February, which featured a speech by President Barack Obama.

:: Senior Fellow Jim Nowlan was appointed by Gov. Pat Quinn to the Taxpayer Action Board, which will review the state budget and propose savings and cost efficiencies.

:: Don Fullerton was selected to speak to a meeting of European Union finance ministers in Gothenburg, Sweden on October 12, 2009. Fullerton will address climate policy.

:: Geoffrey J.D. Hewings was appointed Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Economics, at the University of Indonesia, Jakarta, for services to the institution over two decades.

:: IGPA dedicated the conference room in the Urbana office in the name of economist J. Fred Giertz in recognition of 28 years of service and of his generous support of IGPA.

:: Andrew P. Morriss was selected to be a member of the Mont Pelerin Society, a scholarly organization founded by Friedrich Hayek and others after World War II.

:: Rachel A. Gordon (right) was invited to serve on the editorial board of the Journal of Marriage and Family. This will be her fourth consecutive term on the board.

:: Lorens A. Helmchen received a Visiting Fellowship in Aging Research from the National Bureau of Economic Research for 2009-2010.

:: Darren Lubotsky (left) received an award for excellence in teaching from the Economics Graduate Student Organization at Illinois for the second consecutive year.

:: Robert Kaestner was appointed to the Populations Sciences NIH Review Panel as a Standing Committee Member. He was also appointed as a Research Associate for the National Bureau of Economic research.

:: Don Fullerton (right) and Andrew Isserman were both on the "List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by their Students" at the University of Illinois, Urbana.

:: Sue Sindelar retired from her position as Assistant Director on April 30. Sue's vast knowledge and experience at the University of Illinois was extremely important to the continued development of IGPA.

:: Elizabeth Powers (left) was selected by the Donors Forum to be a member of a new public/nonprofit partnership initiative aiming to reform funding methods for human services contractors in Illinois.

:: On the Road to Reform in Illinois: A White Paper on Government Reform, written by Bob Rich, Kent Redfield, Chris Mooney, Jim Nowlan, Rick Winkel and Jim Edgar, was published by the General Assembly's Joint Committee on Government Reform. (Read more about this work in the Publications section.)

Study Centers

IGPA is home to four specialized centers of study: the Center for Prevention Research and Development, the Office of Public Leadership, the Center for Public Safety and Justice, and the Center for Technology and Public Policy. These centers expand upon IGPA's five program areas to provide specialized research and public engagement opportunities in the areas of academic achievement, leadership training, public safety preparedness and training, and information technology and its uses in public policy.

Center for Technology and Public Policy

The mission of the IGPA Center for Technology and Public Policy (CTPP) is to enable experts to address public policy issues using innovative data-driven tools and technologies. CTPP's expertise in developing secure information systems and in research-oriented analytical and modeling approaches facilitates new types of information sharing and analysis by researchers in academia, government and the public sector. CTPP's current projects include:

:: Creating a web-accessible and highly secure information system for collecting, storing and using information to support operations, research, and administration activities of the Benefit Offset National Demonstration (BOND). Under the direction of the Social Security Administration's primary contractor Abt Associates, CTPP is designing, developing and implementing information systems that will support all activities of the demonstration.

:: Developing tools that will help employers evaluate how job profiles affect the accessibility of those jobs to persons with disabilities for the Demand-Side Employment Placement Models project. This project involves collaborations with the U.S. Department of Education and Syracuse University and is funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR).

:: Developing strategies that will help eliminate the Digital Divide in Illinois on a project funded by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

Office of Public Leadership

The Office of Public Leadership (OPL) provides leadership and management training, mentoring, and other learning opportunities for elected and appointed government officials, primarily at the local level. OPL also serves in a consulting role for units of government interested in improving their leadership education and in other matters of policy and procedure.

This year, OPL held several leadership training programs through the UI Leadership Symposium. During 2008-2009, 23 local elected and appointed officials and staff from county, municipal, and township governments, participated in the Leadership Symposium. In June 2009, OPL launched the UI Leadership Academy, which will replace the Symposium. The inaugural class has 25 participants. Like the Symposium, the Leadership Academy will primarily involve local officials and senior level government staff. The UI Leadership Academy curriculum prepares participants for the challenges of leading dynamic organizations in the public sector.

OPL also continued a partnership with United Counties Council of Illinois (UCCI) to provide a leadership development program consisting of six sessions that serves county board members and county administrators.

OPL is also the designated provider of education and conference administration services for the International Institute of Municipal Clerks. Institute participants attend a three-year program to earn the Certified Municipal Clerk designation.

In the coming year, OPL will continue to form an external Advisory Committee. Current members include: Sen. Pam Althoff (R-Crystal Lake); Rep. Roger Eddy (R-Hutsonville); Rep. Elaine Nekritz (D-Des Plaines); Sen. Dave Koehler (D-Pekin).

Center for Public Safety and Justice

The Center for Public Safety and Justice is the new name for the Regional Institute for Community Policing, which has been part of IGPA since 1997. The center uses partnerships, nontraditional thinking, and community-based leadership to address crime and public safety trends affecting quality of life in both rural and urban locations across the country.

This year, the center contributed to the creation of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Comprehensive Preparedness Guide. The center also incorporated household pets and service-animal considerations into emergency operations plans for the soon to be published Guide for State, Territorial, Local, and Tribal Governments.

Center staff designed curriculum to help develop disaster-response plans that include animals. The curriculum is being piloted by the Department of Homeland Security.

The center also continued its partnership with the National Institute of Justice's DNA initiative, and worked with partners at the University of Illnois at Chicago, the Justice Department, and the Springfield Urban League to host a forum that addressed the impact of gang mobility in Illinois.

Through the center's partnership with the Illinois Terrorism Task Force and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, thousands of copies of an activity book were prepared for the 2009 Illinois State Fair. The activity book contains stories, memory games, mazes, crossword puzzles, and word searches intended to assist families in the creation of home emergency preparedness kits. The Illinois Terrorism Task Force provided funding for this project.

Center for Prevention Research and Development

The Center for Prevention Research and Development (CPRD) continues to be active in research, development, and public engagement in the areas of public health, education, and human services.

Over the past year, CPRD teams have been involved in a series of research projects assessing the degree to which various education and human resource technologies are adopted in Illinois schools and community-based settings. For example, the Illinois Children's Mental Health Partnership funded CPRD to study their network of training and technical assistance supporting the adoption of early childhood mental health practices at 13 mental health centers.

Similarly, CPRD studied the adoption of Illinois Social Emotional Learning standards, Safe and Drug Free School funding patterns and programs, formation of methamphetamine prevention coalitions, and community-based suicide prevention partnerships. In addition, CPRD has evaluated after-school programs throughout the state.

CPRD's substance abuse prevention team conducted six training webinars and another team conducted two national webinars on the Engaging Youth for Positive Change program that works to educate communities about adopting prevention-related policies for tobacco and alcohol misuse. Webinars are rapidly becoming a cost-effective way to disseminate evidence-based programs and practices, training, and technical assistance.

CPRD staff continues to work with state and local government to improve service delivery and manage data systems, and continues to publish, present, and serve on national and state committees. Various staff members presented at conferences and seminars from Washington D.C. to San Francisco. Most publications are available at CPRD's website, www.cprd.uiuc.edu.

Appendices

:: Media Activity
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:: Published Works by Faculty and Staff
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:: Faculty and Staff Listing and Contact Information
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:: Photo Captions
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