CANCELED: 'Schaefer's Rules' Discussion, Oct. 30
October 11, 2012
Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
PLEASE NOTE: Due to the inclement weather, the following event has been canceled. An announcement regarding a rescheduled date is expected soon.
How can the efforts and achievements of William Donald Schaefer, LL.B. '41, LL.M. '51, a politician whose career in Maryland began more than 50 years ago, still resonate today? What did he do, and say, that made him a leader? What did he value in public service? Today, and years from now, how can he best be described?
These and other intriguing questions—asked and answered by some who worked alongside him as well as by those who observed and reported on his work as a member of the Baltimore City Council, then mayor of Baltimore, and finally as governor of Maryland—will form the basis of a discussion about Schaefer's legacy, hosted by the University of Baltimore's Schaefer Center for Public Policy and the University's College of Public Affairs on Tuesday, Oct. 30 at 5:30 p.m. in the UB Student Center, 21 W. Mt. Royal Ave.
"Making Government Work for the People: The Legacy of William Donald Schaefer" will serve as the inaugural Schaefer Center Forum, an annual series of discussions on issues impacting Maryland's public sector. The event, to be held in the Bogomolny Room and the Wright Theater on the fifth floor of the Student Center, is free and open to the public. An R.S.V.P. is required (see details below).
A group of panelists, including Nancy Grasmick, former state superintendent of schools; Sandy Hillman, head of the Baltimore Office of Promotion and Tourism when Schaefer was mayor; Lainy Lebow-Sachs, long-time aide to Schaefer; and Mark Wasserman, former secretary of the Maryland Department of Economic and Employment Development and chief of staff to Schaefer when the latter was governor, will interact with audience members to focus on the event's core question: What are the enduring lessons from Schaefer's approach to public service and how can they be applied today? Schaefer, who died in April 2011, was a staunch proponent of competent, prompt and creative solutions by government officials to problems large and small. From potholes on public streets to a city and state economy buffeted by changing times, Schaefer sought actions that could be seen, heard and felt by the public.
Part of the evening's discussion will focus on "Schaefer's Rules," which he shared with employees and fellow public servants over the years:
1. Genuinely care about people.
2. Show up on time and look sharp.
3. Do enough research to know more than is expected.
4. "Never let them see you sweat."
5. Always remember rule number 1.
The event's moderator, Fraser Smith, senior news analyst for WYPR and a longtime journalist at the Baltimore Sun, will talk about these rules and prompt the wider discussion.
Capping off the evening, an induction ceremony for new members of the Maryland chapter of the American Society for Public Administration will take place at 7:45 p.m. Following that, there will be a recognition of the first two Schaefer Center directors and of the founding members of the center's Advisory Board.
An R.S.V.P. for this event is available here.
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the School of Law, the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Public Affairs and the Merrick School of Business.