Salvation Army Christmas Cheer program

Volunteer at the Salvation Army registering families for their annual Christmas Cheer program. Each family will receive food boxes, and will be able to select one brand new toy for each child under 13. This is the last week.

REQUIREMENTS (5 minute application process):
• There is no income requirement, and, there is no proof of income requested.
• The person completing the registration needs to have identification.
• The person completing the registration should supply the name of all persons in the household over the age of 13 (no identification is required for these individuals, just their name only.)
• There also must be some proof of the age(s) and name(s) of all children 13 and under. Proof can consist of:
copy of birth certificate, CARE card, letter or verification from a social service agency or anything which shows the names and ages of the children.

The registration times: Mon - Fri (10 am to 1 pm) and Tues and Thurs (5 pm - 7 pm)
No matter where they live, they may register where it is convenient for them at any of the following Salvation Army locations:
• 966 E. Main St. (East Main Worship and Service Center)
• 760 Worthington Woods Blvd. (The Chapel at Worthington Woods)
• 2300 W. Mound Street (West Mound Worship and Service Center)
• 3330 Cleveland Avenue (McKendree United Methodist Church - across from Linden Service Center)

They will be able to select the time and date (12/19 or 12/20) to pickup their selections.

WI08 City and Regional Planning Classes

Looking for an extra class for WI08?
There are plenty of seats remaining in these interesting CRP classes:

CRP 694 (#21851-1): Planning in Columbus > a variety of guest speakers will present key public policy and planning issues in the Columbus region, taught by Kyle Ezell

CRP 747 (#21356-6): Managing the Urban Spatial Environment: Metropolitan Region > explore issues and legal approaches to managing growth-related challenges of the metropolitan region, taught by Jamie Greene of ACP Visioning & Planning

CRP 816 (#21715-7): Downtown Development > work in an interdisciplinary setting with a local community on issues of downtown development, taught by Kyle Ezell

Please see the attached flyer for a full listing of winter quarter CRP courses.

A Guide to KSA Writing

One of the most important parts of applying for federal jobs is the Knowledge, Skills, and Accomplishments (KSA) section of the standard federal job application. This worksheet is designed to help students through the process, step-by-step.

http://ourpublicservice.org/OPS/programs/calltoserve/toolkit/KSAs.pdf

New job search site aims to enhance federal recruitment

By Brittany R. Ballenstedt

An online job search company has unveiled a Web site dedicated to matching job seekers with opportunities in the federal government.

WorkforAmerica.com, launched May 7 by CareerBuilder.com, aims to help expedite the federal government's recruitment process by connecting job candidates interested in public service with key federal agencies. Read more...

PASA Holiday Celebration

It’s my great pleasure to invite you all to this year’s PASA Potluck Holiday Celebration. The gathering will be held next Friday, November 30th at 6:30 P.M. in the Policy Forum. In the holiday spirit we will again be gathering toys for Toys for Tots (http://toysfortots.org/) so please bring a new and unwrapped toy with you as your admittance ticket to the party. All are welcome so please feel free to bring your friends, family, and prospective students to enjoy food, fun, and a mystery edible contest with the students, staff, and faculty of the Glenn School.

In order to ensure that there is enough food for everyone we ask that you bring either an appetizer (if your last name begins with A-M) or a favorite holiday dessert (if your last name begins with N-Z). Pizza and beverages will be provided. Please RSVP to serr.3@osu.edu by Wednesday, November 28th to aide me in estimating how much pizza to order.

I look forward to seeing you all there!

Best,

John


John Serr
President, Public Affairs Student Association

State Dept. Seeks Workers for Hot Spots

By Matthew Lee
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The State Department has begun looking for diplomats willing to take hundreds of unfilled positions at embassies and consulates in 15 dangerous countries after finding enough volunteers to avoid forcing some to go to Iraq. Read More...

Thanksgiving Dinner On Campus

As I am sure you are all well aware, the University will be closed on Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving, which of course means no classes!

For those of you who will be in town and do not have any Thanksgiving plans, you should consider attending Ohio State's 16th Annual Thanksgiving Dinner on campus. This event, sponsored by the Office of International Affairs, brings together more than 1200 students each year who are not able to go home for the long holiday weekend.

More information about the event can be found at http://www.osu.edu/events/event389991

Rose Bowl Ticket Packages

For those of you interested in heading to Pasadena to watch the Buckeyes play in the Rose Bowl, or perhaps to New Orleans for the BCS Championship Game, a great way to get tickets is to stop by the Ohio Union for tickets.

More details can be found at http://www.ohiounion.osu.edu/bowltour/main.asp

Dr. Jane Gravelle

You are invited to attend a talk by Dr. Jane Gravelle, Senior Specialist in Economic Policy at the Congressional Research Service (advising the congress on tax policy). A former president of the National Tax Association, she will be in town for the 100th meeting of the Association.

She will present an informal session on current issues in tax policy at the School's doctoral colloquium on Friday, November 16th in 110B Page Hall at noon.

We will be serving a light lunch so if you have not done so already, please let me know if you plan to attend so that I have a sense of how much food we should have.

Anand Desai.1@osu.edu

Graduating to Public Service

By Stephen Barr
Washington Post

In hopes of encouraging more college students to consider careers in government, leaders at 27 universities are trading ideas and techniques on what it will take to bring a new generation into public service. Read More

Great Places to work in Washington DC

Here is a great article about places to work in our nation's capital, including government, nonprofit and private sector jobs.

http://www.washingtonian.com/packages/placestowork2007/index.html

Parsing the Fine Print on Federal Ads

By Mary Ellen Slayter
The Washington Post

Uncle Sam really does want you, even though at times it can be hard to figure out what exactly he wants you to do.

Federal job ads can seem particularly opaque to people looking to make the switch from the private sector. Or as one wannabe fed put it in my online chat recently: "What gives with USAJobs.com? The job descriptions on that site are incomprehensible to a person (like me) who hasn't worked for a government agency before. Seriously, they don't make any sense."

Read more...

Understaffed Social Security Braces for Retirement Boom

By Stephen Losey
Federal Times

The Social Security Administration has a problem.

The first baby boomers started applying for Social Security retirement benefits last month, signaling what is certain to be a huge demand for the agency’s services.

Yet the agency has its lowest staffing levels in 35 years.

Read more...

Invitation for MPA/MPP Students For Facebook Group, YouTube Video, & New Job Board

Dear MPA/MPP Student,

Welcome to a new school year. As a NASPAA member school your MPA/MPP program has helped us create some interesting online tools for you to use and enjoy. Three of them are listed and linked below.

You can join our MPA/MPP Facebook group, check out the YouTube Public Policy Challenge we created and take a sneak-peak to the soon to-be launched Public Service Career and Job Board.

Best fortune this year,
Scott Talan
NASPAA HQ
National Association of Schools of Public Affairs & Administration
www.naspaa.org Phone 202.628.8965 ext 106 Washington DC

1. MPA/MPP FACEBOOK GROUP

The Facebook MPA/MPP group now has over 1,600 members!

If you're not yet a member you'll find it's a good networking tool. It also has career tips, news articles as well as active discussion board as well.

TO JOIN FACEBOOK'S PROFESSIONAL PUBLIC SERVICE MPA & MPP DEGREES Go To: http://harvard.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2234487021

Not on Facebook? Joining is free and signing up takes a couple of minutes. It's no longer only for undergrads; even presidential candidates have their own page; so do grad students who have found it valuable in networking. To register and join facebook: www.facebook.com.

2. YOUTUBE MPA/MPP PUBLIC POLICY CHALLENGE

We asked MPA/MPP students to select a public policy problem and to offer their solution on video in 60 seconds or less. The top choices were topical (Immigration, Iraq and Human Trafficking) and very well done. The winning video used cartoon imagery and showed how creativity can mix with public policy. The goal was to make MPA/MPP student learning come alive in the digital sphere. Check out the top 3 videos below.

www.naspaa.org/youtubechallenge/

3. NEW JOB BOARD

We have partnered with 2 other prominent public service associations to create first career and job board dedicated to public sector careers focused on: Government, Non-profit, Consulting and Education. We are close to official launch but take a peak now and bookmark this site to help you find your job later and create your career.

www.publicservicecareers.org

New Video Explores Careers with State Legislatures

State legislatures are a natural fit for graduates with degrees in public administration, policy and public affairs. Students don’t need specializations or experience in accounting or finance to focus on legislative fiscal issues – more important are general analytical skills, an ability to understand spending and revenue concepts, and an interest in democratic processes.

The video explores different facets of a legislative fiscal career – presented by analysts themselves from various states. Also featured are several legislative fiscal directors, legislators from across the U.S., and Professor Alan Rosenthal of Rutgers University, an expert on state legislatures.

This is the link to the 15-minute video about careers in state legislatures, particularly in fiscal analysis.
http://www.ncsl.org/programs/fiscal/nalfo/index.htm (click on "NALFO video" on the right hand side)

To learn more about state legislatures, students can explore the web site of the National Conference of State Legislatures at www.ncsl.org.

Global Panel America

Dr. Wise has just informed me about a very special opportunity tomorrow afternoon for a few Glenn School graduate students. Dr. Wise and Glenn School students have been invited by Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner to participate in an informal discussion with a delegation from Global Panel America.

Global Panel America is an organization dedicated to bringing together policymakers, military leaders, businessmen, and international thinkers and commentators to help address international geo-political and geo-economic issues. Secretary of State Brunner is part of GPAs international advisory board composed of political and business leaders from across the globe. This new organization has chosen Columbus, OH as the city where it will officially launch and will be in town for the weekend.

We are looking for 3-4 students who are free from about 1:00pm-2:30pm tomorrow (Friday) to meet with Dr. Wise and various members of the advisory board for an informal discussion about world politics. Right now, the student forum is scheduled to take place at the Riffe Center, 31st floor, but we are seeing if it is possible to move the event up to Page Hall.

More information about the group is available at:
http://www.globalpanel.net/english/events/2007/10312007_Launch_GP_America.html
http://www.globalpanel.net/english/events/2007/10312007_Launch_GP_America_Guests.html
http://www.globalpanel.net/english/events/2007/10312007_Launch_GP_America_Program.html

If you are interested in participating in this exciting opportunity, please email me by 11:00pm TODAY.

If you would like to ride with Dr. Wise down to the Riffe Center, please indicate that in your email and be prepared to meet on campus at 12:30pm.