UBalt's M.P.A. Named Inaugural Sponsor for American Society for Public Administration's Flagship Founders' Fellowship; D.P.A. Student Georgia Noone-Sherrod Selected as ASPA Fellow
April 2, 2024
Contact: Office of Advancement and External Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
The University of Baltimore's Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program has been named an inaugural underwriting sponsor of the American Society for Public Administration's (ASPA) flagship Founders' Fellowship. According to the ASPA, the program recognizes the exceptional accomplishments and
potential of the next generation of public servants in both academic and practitioner communities.
In recognition of this commitment, the ASPA announced that Georgia Noone-Sherrod, a Doctor of Public Administration student at The University of Baltimore and executive director of the Anne Arundel County Conflict Resolution Center, will be this year's University of Baltimore Founders' Fellow.
For more than 15 years, the ASPA says, it has hosted the Founders' Fellows program, relying on the generous support of individual and organizational donors.
"This year, it is honored to welcome several university programs and public service organizations as inaugural Founders’ Fellows underwriting sponsors," the organization says in its announcement. "These institutions have made 5- or 10-year funding commitments to ensure the program's long-term sustainability and vitality."
UBalt made a five-year commitment to the ASPA initiative. In addition to UBalt's M.P.A. program, sponsors include Arizona State University's School of Public Affairs, The George Washington University's Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration, the University of Nebraska Omaha's School of Public Administration, and ASPA's Section on Personnel Administration and Labor Relations.
"For years, the Founders' Fellows program has received its support from a small but mighty group of individual contributors and mentors, but this year our extended community has embraced the opportunity to provide substantial and sustained support," says ASPA President Patria de Lancer Julnes, the Rosenthal Endowed Professor and director of the School of Public Administration at the University of New Mexico. "These universities and institutions have stepped up and demonstrated their commitment to what this program stands for: the future of public service. By investing in these Fellows, and those to follow, they have paved the way to further propel this program to greater heights of impact."
This year's 21-member Fellows cohort will begin a year-long professional development program at ASPA's Annual Conference next month.
University of Baltimore College of Public Affairs Dean Roger Hartley expressed his appreciation for the ASPA program.
"The ASPA Founders' Fellows program is a prestigious opportunity for student learning and mentoring toward careers in public service," Hartley says. "We've had students participate in the past and they have shined brightly from the experience. It is an honor to support the program and we are so proud to have Georgia Noone-Sherrod selected."
Noone-Sherrod and the entire 2024 class will receive a year-long series of developmental opportunities designed for their professional growth. Their participation will begin at the ASPA Annual Conference, where they will present research, participate in customized programming and meet individually with their mentors who are matched with them based on academic and professional interests. Fellows participate in tailored webinars and continue their personal senior-mentor match throughout the year.
"The Class of 2024—21 strong—join more than 350 talented and committed public professionals who have benefited from this program since its inception," ASPA Executive Director and CEO Bill Shields says. "Individually, each brings a set of educational, professional and life experiences that demonstrate so very well the reasons for their selection. Collectively, they represent the very best of what ASPA, our nation and the world have to offer when it comes to serving the public good effectively, efficiently and equitably."
Learn more about UBalt's M.P.A. and its D.P.A.