About CIPA

Hi all,

Thanks to fellow CIPA Fellow and team captain Leon Schneider, a bunch of folks got organized and participated in an awesome one-day, winner-takes-all (prize money?) frisbee tournament at Cornell.  I remember now why I got into playing frisbee in the first place - great fall weather, wonderful people, competitive-but-not-too-competitive athletics, and diving in the mud.  We had a blast.  Our first game?  No substitutes, and only 3 of the 7 of us had ever actually played a real game.  The result?  We won on the last play, 10-9.  Success! 

Even our photographer has skillz:

That's one scary lookin' baby dragon, Leon.  Such a fun day.

 We also had a "Friends"-giving dinner with a bunch of people last weekend - a nice way to celebrate the fall with good people, good eats, and some fun times.  It's nice to take the time to do this with your friends at school - it's rare that you get to celebrate the holiday season with folks during this time of the year.  Also:  my friends are amazing cooks.  It was much, much better than the Kraft Mac&Cheese I had planned that night.

Already starting to plan for my winter break:  learn ancient Greek (or at least start to); work on making CIPA-NOLA a non-profit organization; work on an article for the Current (keep your eyes peeled for my entry in this semester's journal); NYC with my wife and friends to see Cornell basketball in Madison Square Garden; trip to Burlington, VT; etc.  Whew.  Better get my rest now!  (Just kidding....back to work!)

Talk soon,

JM

Hi all,

Normally I write these blog posts as a way to procrastinate from "real work", but since the Yankees won the World Series last night, I'm taking an unofficial day off from school work anyway.  (Best John Sterling impression:  "Thaaaaaa YANK-EES WIIIIIIN!")  Right.  So I'm in a social mood right now, and thought I might expound on a few things social.  "How is socializing in grad school different than undergrad?" you ask.  Well you've come to the right place for an answer.

1)  If you decide to make it out to Ithaca for your grad school career, be it known that there are two different social worlds out here:  top o' the hill and bottom o' the hill.  Now I'm not saying that these worlds don't collide now and then (nor am I implying that by virtue of being a grad student and being at the bottom o' the hill you'll suddenly turn gray and 1980's-esque), but you can catch my drift. WINNER:  TIE

2)   There are more dinner parties in grad school.  When you're in undergrad, meals consist of two major types of food groups:  A)  What you can microwave; B) What was left over from last night's party.  (And sometimes there is a third category, saved only for when the cupboard is really bare, which is the bait on the mouse trap that the little rodent never finished.  Not that I've ever done that.  Ever.)  Something happens when you get into grad school:  you decide that you'll buy a couple pots and pans, you have a nice house to cook in, and you start pleasure reading in Cook's Illustrated (or maybe that's just my wife), and people start flocking.  We are soooo past Ramen noodles it's not even funny.  WINNER:  GRAD

3)   Three words:  Big. Red. Barn.  There is nothing better than a $1 beer outside in the fall with conversations that stray more toward Custer's Last Stand than Kegstands.  (But seriously, the other day I had a legitimate 10-minute conversation about Civil War history with an economist.  So cool.)  WINNER:  GRAD

4)  Less time to socialize in grad school.  Let's be honest, in undergrad I never worked from Thursday afternoons through Sunday afternoons.  Now, it's my most productive working time of the week.  That's why #3 is a huge reason I even see some of my colleagues during the course of a semester.  WINNER:  UNDERGRAD

Overall, grad school socializing wins easily.  Horray for maturity! 

Talk soon,

JM

Hi all,

A blog is supposed to be as much about the links that you post as it is about the words you're writing.  I suppose that I haven't really done much of the former, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to give you a glimpse at the top 3 public-administration-related websites that I've been frequenting this semester.  Forgive me for randomness of this list - there are no connections between these sites, just some cool stuff I've stumbled across recently:

1)  If you are interested in local (city) government at all, the best site to check out is the ICMA site (which if you're interested in city government, you already know about this). The International City/County Manager's Association has a ton of resources (and links!) for the practitioner.  Just recently I was able to download some tools on Excel to help with local finance management, such as red flags for declining tax revenues, etc.  Amazing site.

2)  The National Alliance to End Homeless has always been a personal favorite of mine.  They've got podcasts that they update a couple times a week - usually it is a guest speaker who is a director of a housing authority or a NPO who shares their experiences and best practices about how they are dealing with homelessness in their area.  Tons of resources, publications, research about homelessness.  Probably the best site out there if you're looking to delve into this topic (all you Social Policy gurus in the incoming class, hear, hear!)

3)  Best economics blog out there (that doesn't take itself too seriously, that is...):  Economix

3a)  Best economics blog out there (that takes itself way too seriously):  Paul Krugman and his crazy, ridiculously ego-inflated mind, yet still I read it everyday

4) And perhaps the most important one of them all. 

Sorry, I had to throw that one in there.  Go Yanks!

Talk soon,

JM

Hi all,

Well, we've reached that time of the semester....it's full steam ahead from here on out.  Still trying to play catch up from the lengthy pre-fall-break-break I just took, but I'm starting to get my nostrils above water again, which is really nice. So now it's time for a 30 minute fall break (pretty short, I know) to post on my blargh!

I've been getting really excited about a couple of projects I'm working on.  First, as many of you know, I'm very interested in housing policy, and I've spent some time doing that work in Cambridge, Massachusetts before I came to Cornell.  I've been working with a couple of folks on a project called the Metro Boston Data Collection Committee through Metro Boston Housing Partnerships.  Essentially the project is attempting to combat issues of housing shortage and homelessness on the regional level.  The Boston area has been pretty progressive in terms of identifying possible solutions to these problems that go beyond muncipalities, but don't necessarily reach the state level.  The Committee name is just what it sounds like - data collection - but the importance of finding what data to collect, how it is asked, how we collect it, who we collect it from, and how best to intrepret it is going to inherently shape the way new policies will be implemented in the next couple of years.  This Committee has been founded based on a large grant from the U.S. government with the express purpose shaping regional solutions to this problem.  Bottom line:  new policies will be shaped becaue the money is there, we just need to know what to do with it and who we are going to be serving.

Really getting excited about our trip to New Orleans.  CIPA-NOLA is continuing to work with a local Ithaca organization called Love Knows No Bounds that seeks to support the 7th Ward in NOLA through a variety of projects both in Ithaca and in the City itself.  This organization is awesome, and it is a great inspiration for any person thinking of starting a non-profit, since Mike and Catherine (the Directors) are doing this in their spare time!

We're also looking at a variety of ways in which we can keep the mission of our organization to be based around service while also expanding the notion of service to include pro bono professional services.  Ultimately we would like to have a dual method for serving in NOLA:  both manual labor and public administration services, such as consulting.  This is going to be an interesting time for CIPA NOLA as we start to tinker with the most long-lasting ways to build relationships down in New Orleans.  I like strategic work, and this is totally aligned with what I'd like to do as a career someday (that is, manage non-profits during times of strategic change...)

Just a little taste on the sorts of projects you can work while still taking classes...as Mark Twain said, "Don't let school get in the way of your education..."

Talk soon, 

JM

Hi all,

I'm back!  After almost two full weeks in New England (mostly Maine), I've arrived back in Ithaca after an awesome wedding celebration...perfect weather, super people, and a pretty killer dance party.  Oh yeah, and I'm pretty excited to be, you know, married and everything.  Let's not forget the best part of a blog:  pictures!

During the ceremony:  could we have asked for a better day?

Lovely:

Dance!  Dance!  Revolution! (Well, not the last part...)

 Dan Bell, fellow CIPA fellow and dear friend, was one of my groomsmen....I think judging from his performance on the dance floor, he'll be switching his concentration to "Groovy-ness."  Well done, sir.

It's wonderful to be back (other than to start catching up on work!) but I must say that it was a great two weeks in Maine.  I miss it already.  I always say:  you can take a boy out of Maine, but you can't take the Maine out of the boy.  

What a joyous time.  We're so blessed to be starting this great life together!

(And don't remind me that I have class tomorrow....just let me hold on to this for a few more hours!)

Talk soon,

JM

Hey all,

It's been a great start to the semester so far. Here's a quick update:

• CIPA-NOLA is starting some new projects that will help build-out some of the infrastructure/band-width issues of a young student organization. We're looking at setting up a 1-credit seminar next semester about public administration issues in New Orleans, particularly post-Katrina. We're looking to add some new fundraising techniques to the website, and perhaps even a clearinghouse for NOLA-related resources for those looking to start doing some research on a topic related to New Orleans. Bottom-line: we need to make sure that the organization is ready to grow with an increasing demand for students who want to get some real practitioner's experience in NOLA.
• The TA position for Public Systems Modeling has been the highlight of the semester. I realized that I love teaching. The students have been awesome, and Prof. Loucks is a real pleasure to work with. It makes you realize how much better you learn when you are asked to teach the material - not only do you have to know the "answers," but you have to communicate it in an effective way. As my dad always says, you can be the smartest person in the world, but if you can't teach it to others it doesn't do them much good. The brief moments I've had this semester where the students "get it" have been the most rewarding. Also: I get to wear funky ties on my teaching days!
• I'm getting married in a week! Ladies and gentlemen, we are floating in space. So excited. Sarah and I are heading up to Maine in a couple of days to spend a few days getting ready for all the guests. It will be in Tenants Harbor, ME right on the water. Lobstah, bon-fires, and mad dancing will ensue throughout the weekend. A righteous good time, I might say. I'll post pictures. I promise.

That's it for now - I'll be back in two weeks, with updates, a story or two, and a wonderful wife...

Talk soon,

JM

The Joys of the First Week of Classes

This is my favorite time of the year to be in school. Since this will almost certainly be my last Fall semester in formal schooling (no, I've decided I never, ever, ever, want to go to law school), I've thought a lot about how I'm going to miss the first few weeks of classes with the beautiful weather, exciting new classes and classmates, and the occasional game of Ultimate Frisbee on the Quad. A few observations about the first week of classes that I thought I'd share.

I love the first conversations you have with people since you saw them last semester. When done properly, you should be able to summarize your summer job/internship, the classes you are taking this semester, how much your books cost, and the metaphysical/philosophical underpinnings of your life in about 7 seconds. Let's take a look at what this looks like, given two people who have the "Drive-By Summer-y of the Last 4 months of Your Life" down to a science: two people, A and B, are walking down the quad. They are walking about a rate of 3 feet per second. They recognize each other about 42 feet away and wave; immediately they recognize this is the "First Encounter of the New Semester" and smile. Person A takes the initiative, asking, "Hey, how was your summer?" Still walking at 3 feet per second, Person B begins elucidating the "Seven Seconds of Summary" with crisp, punchy phrases, such as, "GOODIWORKEDATTHEUNDOINGRESEARCH,IAMTAKING2CLASSESATTHEBSCHOOLWHICHIS
AWESOMEBUTMYFINANCEBOOKISAMILLIONDOLLARSANDIBELIEVEINEQUALPAYFORWOMEN." Just as Person B finishes, the two people meet, exchanging an awkward hug/handshake while still walking past each other, allowing Person A to collect their thoughts for a second before they both turn and walk around backwards while Person A responds back with their Seven Seconds. It is a sight to behold. And yes, I have seen this exact thing take place at Cornell. Regularly, in fact.

In fact, you may come across the four most popular questions after your summer break:

1) "How was your summer?" (Or, in the Spring semester: "How was your break?")
2) "Where were you this summer?" (Or, "Where were you over break?"
3) "Where did you do your internship this summer?"
4) "Wow, I'm surprised to see you back in school this semester considering that incident you had with the baseball bat and the printer in the CIPA lounge last year."

This semester is shaping up to be one of the busiest yet. I'm really excited about student teaching in Loucks' CEE6930 class, Public Systems Modeling. Last year's TA was amazing (big ups if you are reading this, Ms. McDougal), and subsequently, she helped me work through a lot of difficulties with the material to the end that I understood, thoroughly enjoyed, and did reasonably well in the class. I'm hoping that I can do half of what she did with this year's class.

I am not sure why I love the TA position so much - I think it might be that it is an excellent way to clear your mind of stuffing knowledge into your brain, and give it a chance instead to help others. I firmly believe in "Receive, Retain, Release" as a method of learning. In other words, learn something, dwell on it and chew on it a bit, then teach it to others. Not only do you learn the material better (my dad always says that the teacher is the one that learns the most during the course of a lesson), but you also free up space so that you can learn more. It's been a blast so far (plus my students are awesome).

(Check. Check 1, 2…Check 1, 2. Is this thing on?)

Hello, Cornell. Hello, World. It’s good to be back. Welcome to my blog-o-sphere world, where I will be elucidating all the important details of Fall Semester 2009, also known as, The Greatest Semester Ever. I hope you enjoy it.

The beginning of the fall semester is the New Year’s Day for us academics, so why not start off the year with a resolution: one blog post every week. The over/under odds for this (if I were a betting man, that is) are seven posts in a fourteen-week semester. I’m shooting for a solid thirteen-out-of-fourteen this semester (skipping the week I’m getting married, of course), so we’ll see how that goes.

Onto the good stuff: I spent my summer here in Ithaca doing a variety of things, including some non-CIPA projects, as well as some work with TST BOCES (see previous posts) about their GED program/dropout rates in Adult and Alternative Education. I’ll explain later some of the details about this project. Overall, it was an incredibly busy summer: two moves, wedding planning, alumni engagement work with my old organization (LIFT), Bible fellowships twice a week in Pennsylvania, and finishing up my professional report. I also came down with tonsillitis in early July which sidelined me for almost two weeks. Never again will I under-appreciate being able to swallow food without nearly passing out from pain.

This semester I’m switching my concentration from Social Policy to Public and Non-profit Management. My first two semesters I didn’t really take any Social Policy classes that counted for a concentration – they were all Core and Foundation prerequisites. Thus, I found myself with plenty of options these next two semesters, and realized that I wasn’t as excited about diving into Social Policy classes (of which I still needed to take five) as I was about Non-Profit Management. Thus, I’ve got a rough schedule for the semester:

NCC 5560 – Managerial Finance (B-School)

NCC 5580 – Operating Management (also B-School)

CRP 6120 – Devolution, Privatization, and the New Public Management

CRP 6430 – Affordable Housing Policies and Programs

I’m also doing an independent study with Professor Schwarting on non-profit leadership, with a focus on comparisons of theoretical models within non-profits working on housing and homelessness issues. More details about that to come.

Ok, this is shaping up to be an exciting semester. I’m also helping to run the CIPA-New Orleans Professional Partnership (CIPA-NOLA), which has been an excellent forum for public policy practice (and learning about mold remediation!) I’ll do a separate post on that wonderful little program we’ve got at CIPA.

Thanks for tuning in.

Talk soon,

JM

Hi all,

Taking a bit of a break from writing a finance memo about the efficiency and equity of user fees. Thought I'd relax by sending out a couple of tips for prospective students who are planning on visiting campus this week:

1. CIPA staff are amazing at setting up informational interviews with faculty if you give them enough of a heads up. Last year at this time, I was looking at Cornell and wanted to get a sense of what the program was like. I e-mailed Cheryl Miller, and next thing I knew, she had sent me back a schedule for the day: meetings with the Director, a couple professors, and the Director of Professional Development. I highly recommend requesting a 15-minute informational interview with a professor or staff member who teaches/runs a course or program that interests you. CIPA folks are incredibly helpful, particularly at this time of the year.
2. Check out a class or two. There aren't many on Friday, but if you are in the area during the week, let a student know and we can set you up with a class that would work well for your interests.
3. Talk to a student about planning for courses in your first two semesters. If you decide to come to CIPA, you'll probably want to start thinking about what classes are going to best fit your schedule during your first two semesters. Not to scare you, but time flies by here at Cornell, and I'll be willing to bet that there are many more classes here that look interesting than you'll have time to take. Talk to a fellow and get a jump start on some of the key classes that will align with your concentration or interests.
4. Look to expand your skill set and professional development, even at this stage in the process. I cannot stress this enough: I never thought I'd be taking classes in finance and civil engineering when I arrived. Think about where you need improvements in your professional skill set and knowledge base, and go seek out those projects or courses that will push you into new directions.
5. Go out while you're here. Meet the CIPA fellows outside of the Cornell scene and get to know them as much as possible. I had an amazing time chatting with people at CIPA who ended up being good friends of mine when I arrived in the fall. Plus, prospective student weekend is an excuse for us to get out at least once this semester!

Ok, back to work! I'm looking forward to meeting some of you in the next few days...

Talk soon,

JM

Hello all,

Whew! Definitely the toughest week at CIPA thus far. And that's saying a lot. Just wanted to quickly post (before I go to sleep and wake up feeling refreshed in about 2.5 days) about what life in grad school can sometimes look like:

-Monday:
9am Bible study with the guys (and gals); class for 2 hours; volunteering at IRS VITA site (where community members come to get their taxes filled out for free. Horray for preparing tax returns!); class for another 2 hours; homework for 1.5 hours; The Current Editorial Board meeting; up til 4am working on CRP 6210 Simulation Project

-Tuesday:
Up early to prepare for class presentation; work on 6210 project; class for 2 hours; work on 6210 project for 15 hours (no, seriously. From 1pm to 4am. Straight through. No joke.)

-Wednesday (really? Is it Wednesday already?)
class for 2 hours; make last edits to 6210 project before turning it in (thankfully); class for 2 hours; HW for 2 hours; class for 3 hours; DINNER (!!); Write memo until 1:30am

-Thursday:
Skip class to write memo; meeting with Director of Adult Education at BOCES re: consulting project; Colloquium (with future President of Columbia, Sergio Fajardo??) for 2 hours; CIPA-NOLA food shopping and organizing for event this Saturday; done at 10:30.

You get the idea. I'm not looking for sympathy, I'm looking for therapy. (Just kidding! Actually, these weeks are somewhat fun test of endurance and brain stamina. This happens to us all at Cornell. We are all used to it.)

Next week? THE WORLD!!

Talk soon,

JM

Hello all,

Let me say this: considering the financial state of affairs in this county, it has been quite interesting for me to take my first public finance class. As I've mentioned in previous entries, let me sum up what I knew about finance before I got to CIPA:

"If you spend more than you have, you are in debt."

There you have it: the summation of my previous knowledge about dollars and sense. That's why Urban Public Finance has been such a great class. I could give you a laundry list of "Things I Know Now That I Didn't Know Then", but here is the most amazing thing I've learned:

"If you spend more than you have, and you are a municipality with a solid bond rating score, and you have a well-managed debt structure in place, with a diversified mix of General Obligation bonds, revenue bonds, short and long-term leasing deal with private corporations, plenty of flexibility within state-imposed tax limits, a stable demographic base, and policiticans that are seeking capital projects to get elected, you are in debt. But in the best possible way you can be in debt."

Mom and Dad, look at how much I'm learning!

But on a more serious note, the financial hoopla going on in this country right now has provided a number of awesome debates about what the new administration should do. A colleague of mine said that he now looks at the Dow Jones ticker every few hours to check out how the "pulse of America" is doing, even though he knows full well that the stock market does not have much to do with fiscal solvency of the county. Point is: we are now all plugged into what is happening, and every downturn on the stock market, every dismal quarter report, every tick on the national debt is a ping in our national psyche.

(Funny, I was just reading for UPF last night, and the chapter mentioned that no state has ever gone bankrupt in this nation's history (or something to that effect). Just now I click on over to NYTimes and read about California's budget issues. Really? California is going to go bankrupt? If that happens, I'll eat my gym shoes.)

I highly recommend UPF to anyone who wants to know more about fiscal policy but has little background in it. The readings are great, the project is really intense (but we've learned a lot about how the budgeting process takes place in "real time"), and I think the professor really asks you to take these concepts and utilize them in other classes.

Ok, it's been a long week. Until then...

Talk soon,

JM

Hi all,

Here's a quick list of the projects that I'm working on this semester:

1. For Prof. Schwarting's Urban Public Finance course, my team is conducting a comprehensive analysis of the financial condition of Chemung County, an area in the Greater Southern Tier of New York State.  Chemung County has eleven towns, four villages, and one city, including a number of school districts.  We are analyzing key indicators of a county's financial health:  tax burden per capita; long-and-short term indebtedness; encumberances; and cash flows/reserves, just to name a few.  The goal is to compile all of the teams' work into one document to establish an index of the tax burden per capita for all of the GST Central.  We'll be meeting with County, city, and town tax assessors, clerks, finance and budget managers, and executives to get the data we need.
2. For Linda Haas Manley's Public Service Exchange, I am conducting a research project on high-school dropout rates and GED participation for Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga Board of Co-operative Educational Services.  The idea is to examine the methodology for measuring dropout rates, and compose data for GED participants within the last few years to find out who is dropping out and what they are doing between the time they dropout and getting their GED.
3. For Schwarting's Quant Techniques class, we'll be examining TCAT routes (still to be determined which ones) and model how the buses could run more efficiently.  More to come on this later.
4. I'm attending CIPA-NOLA's spring break service trip at Saint Bernard Parish in New Orleans in mid-March.  This is going to be an awesome experience:  a great way to see the city that we've heard so much about, see the issues surrounding affordable housing in a devastated city, and meet some great folks who want to some hands-on work.

Shaping up to be a busy, but very productive, semester.

Talk soon,

JM

Hello, faithful blog-readers!

The semester is really starting to pick up its intensity -- papers, projects, deadlines, and internship-searching. But, honestly, I love it. The life of a student is great, even if you have to pull some all-nighters once in a while. You can almost hear the stress level crackling through Mann Library at nights. It's palpable.

The consulting project with TST BOCES has really been quite an interesting experience. If nothing else, it re-enforces that theory can only take you so far when you are dealing with local politics. Our team has come up with some solid new ideas about how best to conquer some of the cross-agency challenges of communication, joint funding opportunities, and client referrals, but the implementation process is quite a different story. A basic rule of thumb is that any good idea has already been thought of -- what you need to ask is, "If it's such a good idea, why isn't it being done already?" Usually, as we have found recently, the answer to that question is a combination of money (or lack thereof) and politics. But thus far it has been a great project and we have found some incredible support in some BOCES administrators. I highly recommend this class to any CIPA student who wants to engage with a client on a real-world problem, if for no other reason than things will not go as you expected them to.

Talk soon,

JM

Some people don't like the two-party system in the United States' governmental system. Fair enough. I won't say that there aren't some drawbacks to it, but generally speaking it is one part of our political system that I will defend vehemently. Here's why: I like balance. I like moderation. And I like balanced moderation even more. Which is another way of saying I don't like extremes in my political systems. I (honestly) would be just as concerned about an extreme right-wing politician as I would be of an extreme left-wing elected official. Things in the middle please me, politically speaking: gridlock and political stalemates make passing frivolous laws more difficult, and only when some semblance of a majority is reached do laws pass. The harder it is for the government to make sweeping chages, the more I like it.

I think of it like a pendulum. When the pendulum swings too far to the left, the country inevitably responds with a swing back to the right. When the swings start creeping too far to the right, the country responds accordingly. The analogy is not perfect, but the idea communicates to me: our citizens understand when things have gotten out of hand a bit, and a swing back the other way is needed. Invariably, the party that wins the day spends their collective political capital, loses the momentum, and power slips out of their hand. Back comes the pendulum.

Regardless of your political affiliations, what happened two nights ago was a clear sign that this country recognizes imbalance when it sees it. Some may not like the idea of stronger government regulations on business, or a softer line in Iraq. Some may be overly excited that a "new America" is a mere two months away. Some may view this as a sign that this country is going to hell in a handbasket. Others will see the shift as an escape route for the plethora of problems that currently beset us. For the record, I respectfully disagree with all those folks.

I'll be happier when things get closer to the two solid lines, if you know what I mean.

Sledding down Buffalo Street. Snow falling on cedars. Slush in your boots at 7:45am. All part of a wonderful start to the Winter (I mean, Spring) term.

Excited to be back in Ithaca and back to classes. I spent a quiet winter holiday in Maine, Connecticut, and in Ithaca catching up on some reading, some quality time with friends and family, and general good fellowing with folks. I suppose I could have gone somewhere more exotic, but I respond with this rhetorical question: have you even been to Westport, CT? Have you seen how exotic that place is?

So now that I have one successful semester under my belt, I am officially a sophomore. It feels great. I feel like a new man. Here is a quick run-down of the classes this semester:

CRP 6210: Quantitative Techniques for Policy Analysis (We put the "fun" back in "dynamic systems modeling and optimization/simulation"! Wait, a minute....)

CRP 6050: Urban Public Finance (The only thing I know about finance is that if you spend more money than you have, you're in debt. Unless you're AIG. Then your rich...)

ILRLE 6420: Welfare Economics (I just read Milton Friedman, and I think I became slightly more terrified for our county right now...I'm just saying...)

CRP 6790: Consulting, Project Management, and Evaluation II (Part Deux, the Next Generation)

Prof. Schwarting is teaching the first two classes. I love his style of teaching: very practical knowledge designed to get people thinking about applied leadership on a local level. In UPF, we are conducting a comprehensive financial analysis of Chemung County that will be distributed in the Greater Southern Tier of New York State. In Quant Techniques, I'm hoping to tailor my final project around housing and homelessness policy interventions in Cambridge, MA. I think the best part of his classes is the emphasis on "getting out there and doing it", not just talking about theory. That's why I came to grad school in the first place.

Consulting class will take me back to TST BOCES again for a new project. I'm still meeting with some administrators, but I think we've settled on a project surrounding high school drop out rates, and how GED programs may help prevent high drop out rates.

Also involved (to some level) with CIPA-NOLA, the group that I am going down to New Orleans with in March for a service trip over spring break. Also doing The Current this year, as well as intra-mural basketball. (By the way, if someone finds my jump-shot laying around let me know. I seem to have misplaced it.)

Prospective students feel free to e-mail me re: CIPA questions. Now that I'm a "sophomore", I know everything!

Talk soon,

JM

...so I thought I'd give you a few thoughts to ponder before the weekend starts.  In no particular order:

•  So there is this "election" thing coming up pretty soon (don't know if you've heard about it), and people are quite excited about it.  Even I (who would rather have root canal with no anesthesia than sign my life away to one of the two major political parties) am awaiting the results next week with a quiet anticipation.  This much I know for a fact:  something big is going to happen whoever is elected.  I don't put much stock in federal elections (I'll lecture you at a later point of the vast superiority of local politics), but this one is going to be a doozy.  Honestly, I'll be excited because one of two scenarios will happen:  either McCain wins and there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth in the streets by the Democrats (always a humorous thing to watch), or the Republicans will banish Sarah Palin from the GOP ranks after a crushing defeat, then she'll join SNL as a full-time actor and Tina Fey will be forced to look for new work, whereby she will make a mock-u-mentary of NBC.  (Wait.  I guess she's already done that.  Scratch it.)  Either way, I get amused and America wins.
• (But seriously, this is as excited about politics as I have ever been.  I'm reading anything I can get my hands on.  I wrote a op-ed piece about both candidates' opinion about faith-based initiatives.  I enjoy debating with friends about issues I have no idea about.  It's great.  Other than a sinking economy, two wars, and a education system out of whack, it's great to be an American right now.)
• Started a Bible fellowship with some fellow Fellows on campus.  We meet after Stats class on Mondays, and it's great to get spiritually re-aligned in the midst of a busy week.  God has really been blessing me with that recently.  More to come on that front soon.
• Went to a professional conference in DC a few weeks ago.  I met with some representatives from non-profit consultants, federal agencies, and some humanitarian/international aid organizations.  It got me thinking a bit more about what I want to do this summer (internships) and maybe even some ideas for next year's job search.  Good stuff.

Ok, that's it for now.  Check back in next week for some thoughts on the election.

Talk soon,

JM

...if you don't stop once in a while to look, you might miss it.

My dearest blog-readers:

So, the question of the day: should one take 5 classes their first semester at CIPA? Let us weigh the pros and cons, shall we?

I'm not sure if I would encourage everyone to do this, to be honest. It's a lot of work, particularly for my skill set and background. I haven't taken many quantitative classes by any stretch of the imagination. (I basically topped out at pre-calc my senior year in high school and that was the last quantitative class I took. That was six years ago. Ouch.)

All these numbers kind of make my head spin, and the Public Systems Modeling class in particular makes my brain hurt sometimes. A person who started to understand the basics of "slope and intercept" six years ago is now learning how to do graduate-level civil engineering? Really? If I wasn't staying up until all hours of the night working on these problem sets, I'd probably find this a bit more amusing. (As a side note, there have been times when the professor of the class, Pete Loucks, has just given me this look when I offer my opinion in class about something I have no clue about. He just smiles kindly and says, “Well, that's a...umm...new way of looking at...things. I've never...ahh...thought of it that way...ever.” He's so nice about it, when really he's probably thinking, “This guy is making no sense!”)

But there lies the beauty of this program: we are encouraged to take the classes that will help build a skill-set outside of our comfort areas for excellent policy analysis. Prof. Loucks, for instance, knows that he is teaching non-engineers about engineering, so he is incredibly patient with our questions and struggles. He is teaching the class with the purpose to teach us to think about problems in a different way instead of teaching us to memorize formulas or master the material. That's why I love his class. You are going to find a bunch of professors like this at CIPA: brilliant, and eager to educate, not simply to teach.

Talk soon,

JM

Hello, everyone!  Quick update on some extra-curriculars I'm involved with to keep me busy outside the Ivory Tower.

Things are going along quite swimmingly.  Classes are starting to pick up the pace rapidly, and extra-curricular activities are in full swing.  Just to give you run down of the following activities or groups that I am a part of outside of my classes:

• I am on the Editorial Board of The Current, Cornell's public policy journal.  We are in the midst of a review of all submissions for the upcoming issue, as well as planning for our next semester's issue topic of “sustainability.”  Unfortunately, we have our meetings at 6pm and usually don't have food provided, so I'll often resort to chewing off my fingers to sustain me (or sometimes Michaela's pen caps.  Mmm.)
• I am (loosely) involved with the CIPA New Orleans program.  I'm planning on heading down to the big NOLA over spring break to do some volunteer work.  I'm also considering doing some remote consulting work with some non-profits in NOLA during the spring semester.  I’m looking forward to talking more about this as I learn more.
• WR on the flag football team.  We (sometimes) rule.
• This technically counts as part of class:  I am part of a course called “Approaches to Consulting...” in which students in the class collaborate on a consulting project for a local non-profit.  This semester we are working with Tompkins/Seneca/Tioga Board of Co-operative Educational Service (TST BOCES). So far this has been a great way to practically apply some of the policy analysis tools we are learning in other classes.  I'm thinking about continuing my work with them in more of a community-organizing capacity next semester.  Bottom line is that I want to develop strong ties with at least one organization while I'm here in Ithaca.  I highly encourage anyone who is thinking about going into consulting to take this class.

Talk soon,

JM

...is not as easy as it looks.

Hello, faithful blog-readers!

I wanted to quickly update you on my course schedule this semester along with a brief overview of what they have been like so far:

City and Regional Planning 6010: Intorduction to Public Administration and Theory of Organizational Leaderships (R. Schwarting).

This is a reading-intensive class that covers non-profit and public-sector organizational structure, leadership, and theory. We write case studies each week (lots of work) about public administration issues such as housing and homelessness, economic development, and human resource challenges. Amazing class. If you struggle with writing concise, powerful memos, this class will whip you into shape right quick.

City and Regional Planning 6790: Approaches to Consulting, Project Management, and Evalution (L. Haas Manley).

This class is also known as the Public Service Exchange. We are consulting for the Tompkins/Seneca/Tioga Board of Cooperative Education Services (TST BOCES). My particular group is focusing on the feasibility of partnershiops with other educational institutions, local businesses, and non-profits. We are getting a good taste of what it's like to do pubilc sector-consulting, plus getting off "the hill" and into the community to do some good work. Exciting stuff so far.

Civil and Environmental Engineering 6930: Public Systems Modeling (P. Loucks)

Awesome, awesome class. I don't get it at all, but brilliant stuff. Loucks is a genius and he teaches us "non-engineers" with a lot of patience and appropriate pace. I'm looking at the world differently now, through the lens of our favorite multi-variable model simulation software program! (On a related note, I'm naming my first-born Lingo.)

ILRST 5100: Stats I (T. DiCiccio)

Pretty much taking this for a distribution requirement filler. Alright class, I guess. It covers foundational stuff that we should all know for every other quant class we will ever take, so I suppose it will be valuable.

Econ 5120: Public and Spatial Economics for Policy Planners (N. Brooks)

My first economics class! Horray! My favorite parts have been the topics on social welfare economics and taxation. Brooks is a really solid professor. I talk in econ terms all the time now, which drives my friends crazy.

Talk soon,

JM

Hello, blog-readers!

I finally found a moment to jot down some thoughts about the first few weeks here at CIPA. As one might imagine, there is more to talk about then there is time -- rather than boring you with a dissertation-length expose on the nuanced details of the first three weeks, here is a "Cliff Notes" version of some highlights:

• Orientation was a very welcoming and helpful time. Professors and second-year students alike were happy to chat at length about course selection, concentrations, and where to get the best slice of pizza. It was a great reminder that CIPA is a small, tight-knit program and no one is left to fend for themselves if they are looking for advice and support.
• The CIPA core faculty is quite generous with their time . It is staggering to think of how many talented professors we have in our program and how accessible they are. (For instance, my advisor is Mr. Jerome Ziegler, who helped work on the Marshall Plan and was the Commissioner of Higher Education in PA.) I already see that meeting regularly with my professors will be one of the most valuable experiences here at CIPA.
• Choosing classes can be a bit of a headache since the selection to choose from is so vast. The CIPA program prides itself on its flexibility and diverse offerings of courses: we have the entire University's course guide to choose from. However, if you are a bit unclear as to what you want to get out of your 4 semesters here, the selection can seem a bit daunting. I've got some advice on this that I'll share in future posts.

• Ithaca is beautiful in the fall.
• I've try to take advantage of as many social events (both planned and impromptu) as I possibly can. Barbeques, frisbee, Friday afternoons at the Big Red Barn -- these are just a sampling of some of the cool things that I've done to get to know some of my fellow Fellows outside of the classroom.

So far, so grand here in Ithaca. Looking forward to talking more about my courses and extra-curricular activities next time.
Until then, talk soon.

JM

P.S. If you are a prospective student, feel free to shoot me an e-mail about anything (including my inadequacies as a first-time blogger): jm853@cornell.edu