12:23 p.m., Nov. 3, 2011--The National Association of Schools of
Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA), the leading organization of
graduate programs in public administration, public policy and public
affairs, recently awarded University of Delaware Prof. Jeffrey Raffel with a Special Service Citation.
Raffel, the Charles P. Messick Professor of Public Administration at the School of Public Policy and Administration
(SPPA), was honored for his extraordinary service and leadership to
NASPAA for over 15 years, with deep appreciation for [his] many
contributions to public service in the U.S. and internationally, said
NASPPA President Frances Berry, at the associations annual conference
in Kansas City, Mo., in October.
Jeff Raffel has been a national leader in public affairs education
and scholarship for decades, added SPPA Director Maria Aristigueta.
And through his service as president and officer of NASPAA, he has
helped to strengthen public affairs programs across the nation and to
bring significant recognition to the University of Delaware public
affairs programs.
In 2009, Raffel became the first UD representative to serve as NASPAA
president. He was the University's principal representative to NASPAA
from 1980 to 2007, and was on the NASPAA Executive Council from 1996-99.
From 2001-05, Raffel was a member of the Commission on Program Review
and Accreditation and served as its chair from 2003-05.
The NASPAA award is especially significant since it was bestowed at
the initiative of the Executive Council as an expression of the high
regard for Jeffs national leadership of public affairs education,
research and public service, said Dan Rich, professor of public policy
and former University provost.
Raffel was chair of the NASPAA Standards 2009 Steering Committee, and
spearheaded the development of new accreditation standards. Part of his
contributions led to the revisions of standards and for non-U.S.
programs to be eligible to apply for accreditation. As a result,
leading international programs are now using NASPAA standards, setting
the precedence for high-quality programs in the fields of public affairs
and administration around the world.
About Raffel
With a research focus on educational policy, school desegregation and
public management and privatization, Raffel has published in leading
journals in the areas of public administration, educational policy and
urban affairs.
A faculty member at UD since 1971, Raffel served as SPPA director
from 1997-2007, and previously as the director of the Master of Public
Administration program for six years. He was also the Universitys
first Public Sector Fellow, serving as special assistant for
intergovernmental relations to Gov. Pete du Pont in 1978.
Raffel earned his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology in political science and his undergraduate degree in
political science from the University of Rochester.
About NASPAA
Founded in 1970, NASPAAs 280 members confer more than 10,000
masters degrees annually. NASPAAs mission is to ensure excellence in
public service education and promote the ideal of public service, and it
is the specialized accreditor of master degree programs in public
affairs. The University of Delaware School of Public Policy and
Administration has been a NASPAA member since the 1970s.
Originally published by UDaily.
