A NEWSLETTER OF THE

Urban &Regional Studies

Institute SPRING 2011

INDEX

www.mnsu.edu/ursi

U P D A T E

Continued on page 4

Fall, 2010 Studio ..................................3

Minnesota State Mankato Looks to History for its Future ................................4

Sharing Different Global Experiences ........5

Perry Wood Community Service Award .....6

Making a Difference as a Teaching Scholar ...................................6

URSI Launchers New Website ..................6

Meet Missy Manderfeld ..........................6

Professor Wood Serves as MnDOT Liaison .....................................7

Ghana 2012 .......................................7

Serious Games .....................................8

Cutback Management ............................9

League of Minnesota Cities Teams with URSI Foundations Class ..................10

Public Information & Involvement-URBS 4/512 .............................................11

Historic Preservation StudiesAs you will read in the various reports from the faculty, we continue to be heavily involved in our communities: The Studio is now an established part of how we prepare our students to work on real projects from the moment they are graduated. Perry Wood (retired, but still active) is representing Minnesota State University, Mankato Transit Study (which is likely to result in a transit hub being constructed on campus and in at least two other sites in the city). Tony has been active with the Greater Mankato City Center Partnership. Beth is developing a strong relationship with the Historic Preservation professionals in the state (and I am on Mankato’s Historic Preservation Commission).

Raymond is continuing his work on city sustainability (and Michael Orange taught a very successful course for us this year on Sustainability Planning). David continues his work on transit planning (especially in the Hiawatha Corridor and the proposed Crosstown). Jan has established what is now a tradition of URSI students developing public information brochures for local communities. Sandra has been working with community administrators to strengthen our focus on Change Management. And Miriam continues her work with community groups on citizen engagement.

URSI is also seen as a leader in a number of University initiatives. We have the only undergraduate major that is completely available online (and we are a large part of the online course offerings for both the graduate and undergraduate certificates in Nonprofit Leadership). Our experience with online teachings and our network with international students and faculty are also opening opportunities to engage our students with practicing professionals around the world—and at home. We (along with Public Administration) are also very active in the University’s new campus in Edina (7700 France Ave. S.). We have been experimenting (with Michael Orange’s Sustainability Planning course) with offering unique topical courses at the Edina campus and making them simultaneously available on campus over ITV. Between ITV and online, between full-semester courses and CEU short-courses, we are exploring a variety of new ways to provide for the future of the profession. And my work with the Minnesota Center for Modeling and Simulation is limited only by our (joint) imaginations. If you are interested in any of these initiatives, please let one of us know about it (“This could be the beginning of a wonderful relationship, Louis….”).

Historic preservation studies tour

Students examine a Lost Treasure at union depot

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A member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System and an

Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity University.

This document is available in alternative format to individuals with disabilities by calling

the Urban and Regional Studies Institute at 507-389-1714 (V), 800-627-3529 or

711 (MRS/TTY).

URSI10NE_0911

Please Update URSI!As alumni and friends of URSI move around in their careers and their lives, addresses (both work and home), e-mail addresses, and phone numbers change. When you change jobs, move, or change your preferred e-mail address, please remember to update URSI on these changes as well so we can continue to send you the URSI Update!

To change your contact information, please contact Missy Manderfeld at elizabeth.manderfeld@mnsu.edu, or call 507/389-1714, or mail the information on the form provided on the back cover.

Retiring ChairDr. Tony Filipovitch

When you get the chance, send your congratulations to our new Chair, Miriam Porter. We have term limits on chairs, so after 9 years I get to focus again on my teaching, research and community service—and I’m really looking forward to being a scholar again! Miriam brings her experience as a city administrator and as alum of our program to her new duties. We are looking forward to even better days ahead with her leadership.

The Upper Midwest Planning Conference was held in Mankato this year. It was great to see so many of you and to catch up on old times—and to show off the future. About a dozen of our graduate students

attended the conference. The Barrett Fellow, Isaac Kerry, delivered a paper reporting his research on the prospects for vacancies in the profession, and teams of our students presented 6 posters reporting their research from Studio, Public Information, and other courses in the Department. They did you proud.

URSI has always had international students among our mix, and that tradition continues. But lately we have seen increasing international recognition. Professor Kwaku Kessey just completed a two-year sabbatical with us, and we are looking forward to expanded partnership with his planning program at KNUST in Ghana. Raymond and I are working with KNUST to create a more robust web infrastructure there, so we can share research and teaching online. Talip Ozturk, a PhD candidate from Turkey in Social Studies Teaching, spent a year on the Turkish equivalent of a Fulbright working with me on using local government examples to teach social studies. And the UN appointed Shelqim Daci, from Kosovo, to come to URSI to study planning (he is particularly interested in housing). What we have been learning is that we face many of the same problems, at home and abroad, in figuring out how to plan and manage our hometowns as efficiently and effectively as possible—and that good ideas can come from abroad as well as from the homefront.

The Department is also preparing to move to accreditation of both the management and planning programs. We will probably apply for NASPAA (public administration) accreditation first, and then AICP (planning) accreditation (we think it would be too disruptive—and expensive—to seek both simultaneously). Both accrediting agencies expect strong participation from alumni and community professionals. Let us know if you are interested in serving on an advisory panel, or if you have someone you would suggest (tell a friend—or two of your enemies, as Smith would say). A quick e-mail to the Chair (Miriam.porter@mnsu.edu) will do it.

Tony Filipovitch

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Dr. Raymond Asomani-Boateng continues to teach graduate courses in Operational Planning, Zoning and Legal Issues and, GIS for Planners and undergraduate courses in Sustainable Communities and Geography of Africa. He has developed a course on Environmental Planning which is open to both graduate and undergraduate students. This course is designed to expose students to concepts and techniques of planning and how to apply these planning techniques to address environmental problems. Dr. Asomani-Boateng continues to vigorously pursue his research on urban sustainability in sub-Saharan Africa. He has won Minnesota State Faculty Research grants to the tune of $10,000 to help him in his research. He has also been mentoring graduate students in URSI’s graduate program to get their work published. His efforts have started to yield positive results; one of his students Alan Robbins Fenger published an article entitled “Policy Revisions Underway for the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area” in River Management and Society Journal.

He is also working with Rory Stierler a graduate student to publish a paper on artificial wetlands in Southern Minnesota. In recognition of his immense contribution on globalization at Minnesota State University, Mankato, Dr Asomani-Boateng was awarded the prestigious Kearney Global Citizen award in February 2011 by Minnesota State University. Dr. Asomani-Boateng has been an active member of the Mankato Community participating in activities of Loyola catholic School and recently participated in the Expert Review Panel for the South Central Minnesota Regional Energy study.

Faculty Updates

Continued on page 4

Fall, 2010 Studio Course Involves Graduate Student in “Hands-On” Planning and Management Project

by David Laverny-Rafter, Ph.D., AICP

The URSI Studio course is a required course in the URSI graduate planning and management degree programs and provides an excellent opportunity for URSI students to engage in applied research with Minnesota cities, counties and non-profits. The Studio was last offered in the Fall, 2010 semester and consisted of 14 students and three faculty members (Professors Laverny-Rafter, Perry Wood, and Miriam Porter. At the request of the University Administration, the students explored Minnesota State University, Mankato’s Campus Strategic Plan by focusing on strategies that will create a sustainable campus environment. The students used a threefold approach to the project:

Developing a pedestrian friendly and ecologically sensitive campus environment,Utilizing innovative and technological learning spaces,Developing green and energy conscious facilities and outdoor public spaces.

Examining such diverse topics is typical of the Studio efforts and the outcome is a formal written report for the client (usually 15 pages with maps, tables and charts) and a PowerPoint presentation to the client. This year the project reports were especially well received because of the linkage with the University’s strategic planning process.

The following graduate students contributed to the Fall, 2010 Studio:Ojoye AkaneSharon BrownSusan Flores-DiazMatthew Gindele

Eric HarrimanIsaac KerryAndrew LiskaIndira Manandhar

Zakari MumuniAdam RoachRory Stierler

Raymond Asomani-Boateng

Meg UrbatchJustin VossenJerald Wuorenmaa

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Faculty Updates

URSI’s career day brings together alumni and students.

Dr. Janet Cherrington [aka Dr J] continues to remain active in the International City/County Management Association, the Minnesota Women in City Government, and Government Finance Officers Assn. This spring Janet contributed an article to the Minnesota Women in City Government newsletter about her media relations class. She attended the Government Finance Officers annual conference in Atlanta, GA last June.

In February, Janet facilitated the department’s Career Day which featured URSI alums: Kathy Bailey, Blue Earth City Administrator; Cindy Sherman, Brooklyn Park Senior Planning Director; John Considine, Region 9 Community/Economic Dev. Director; and Adam Kienberger, Lakeville Economic Development Specialist. The panel discussed the challenges and rewards of working in local government. The event was followed by an informal lunch.

Janet also served on the Minnesota State Mankato/College of Social and Behavioral Science Awards Committee to select recipients of the Global Promise Study Abroad Scholarship and the Community Leadership Award. On the community front, Dr. J remains very active in local government by serving on the Janesville Planning Commission and Chairing the Janesville Economic Development Authority. If you would like more information about the courses Dr. J teaches or her research, link to her Minnesota State Mankato website at: http://www.intech.mnsu.edu/Cherrington or email her at janet.cherrington@mnsu.edu.

Dr. Tony Filipovitch

This has been a busy year for Dr. Tony Filipovitch (5 conference presentations, a couple of publications, a couple of manuscripts under review, and 4 new courses developed); here are some of the highlights:

Minnesota State Mankato

Continued on page 5

Continued from page 1

Minnesota State Mankato Looks to History for its Future – Continuing Education in Historic Preservation Policy

Professor H. Roger Smith left URSI with a long- lasting legacy. He was a strong promoter of architectural and community preservation, and has taught countless students about the origins of their built environment. Dr. Beth Wielde Heidelberg is continuing this tradition, looking to expand URSI’s presence in the historic preservation field statewide. She is laying the foundation to develop URSI as the primary center for training in preservation policy for local government officials. To accomplish this goal, she is developing a series of online Continuing Education Units (CEU) that will aid officials in recognizing their historic architectural resources. Understanding a community’s resources, being able to specifically identify style and elements, provides a foundation from which preservation policy is based.

For instance, a city that wants to develop design standards in a neighborhood might want to know if its historic resources tend to be Victorian era (late 1800s) or Arts and Crafts (early 1900s). This knowledge might impact the height, setback, suggested material and elements for new construction, and other aesthetic regulations cities can include in design standards. It may even provide the necessary design standards to develop an overlay district in the area, if the architectural style is particularly prevalent.

Cities may also want to inventory their historic resources to determine if there are enough for official historic designation of the district, or to see if any of the resources are worthy of local or state recognition, or if they may have resources appropriate for the National Register of Historic Places.

The first two CEUs are still under development, but will focus primarily on learning to identify architectural styles and the ‘clues’ to those styles. The sessions are anticipated to go online in the early summer through Minnesota State Mankaot’s

Extended Learning program. To watch for these sessions to go live, you can keep an eye on the Extended Learning site for Continuing Education: www.mnsu.edu/continuinged/. To register, go to https://moodle.mnsu.edu/. Be sure to read the Student Guide (.pdf) before beginning.

SURSI students tour the Minnesota State Capitol

Tony Filipovitch

Janet Cherrington

5

Faculty Updates

Continued on page 8

is creating the Minnesota Center for Modeling and Simulation. Don Friend (Geography Chair) is the Director, and Tony is the second in command (“Director of Research”—Tony didn’t want to run it, just to “play with the toys”). This is a really exciting initiative for the University (there are about a dozen modeling and simulation centers in the country, mostly in the South and the two coasts—there are none anywhere in the Midwest), and it could be really exciting for URSI. Tony also gave a Brown Bag lecture recently on “Serious Games” (see article).

Tony was appointed co-chair of the MN Social Studies Standards Revision Commission, which met during the spring semester. He was nominated to the committee by the MCMA as a representative of the Educational Initiatives Committee. They have been working for about 10 years to develop K-12 classroom materials for teaching social studies through the local community (URSI alum Mike Ericson chaired the committee for a number of years). If we, as an Urban Studies community, are going to recruit and train the next generation of managers and planners, students need to come to college with some familiarity with what local government does. One of the things Tony and the group are suggesting is to revise the standards so students will learn about local as well as state and federal issues. He also submitted a manuscript this year with a doctoral fellow from Turkey, Talip Ozturk, on teaching the social studies using local government examples.

Finally, Tony has been continuing the work he started last year with Kwaku Kessey (from KNUST in Ghana), assisting the Greater Mankato City

Sharing Different Global Experiences Lecturers share knowledge gained from living and working in developing countries.

Published in the Minnesota State Mankato Reporter: Tuesday, March 30, 2010

By: Heather Moeller

Minnesota State hosted its 31st annual Frontier Forum lecture Monday. The lecture, titled “Global Solutions: Experiences from Vastly Different Worlds”, featured the experiences of three faculty members from the Urban & Regional Studies program at Minnesota State Mankato; Raymond Asomani-Boateng, Miriam Porter and visiting professor Kwaku Kessey. Attendees included Minnesota State Mankato President Richard Davenport, Provost Scott Olson, various deans and university administrators, past Frontier Forum presenters, family members of Monday’s presenters and students. International Center Director Caryn Lindsay introduced Monday’s presenters. Lindsay told the audience that what came to her mind initially when writing the introduction were the words to “Star Trek’s” prologue. She went on to say that she felt a “Star Trek” reference was apt for the lecture’s topic. Beyond being bout space and technology, it was about the relationships between people of vastly different cultures.

People of vastly different cultures are exactly the picture the presenters tried to paint for their audience. With good humor, Kessey started his part of the presentation with a slideshow of pictures explaining who he is.

Kessey is a professor from Ghana who has had experiences in universities around the world from England to Germany to Chile. He also has worked for various organizations like the World Bank and European Union. He got a laugh while explaining Minnesota’s snow as “hostile weather’. Kessey outlined his ideas of what global solutions meant. He told the audience that global solutions and diversity are inseparable. He said someone who pursues global solutions but doesn’t embrace diversity won’t accomplish much because the globe is diverse in cultures and ethnic backgrounds. He finished his presentation with a point about knowledge and its application. It summed up the experience of people of one culture helping people of another. “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” said Kessey.

Porter described what going to a university meant to the students she taught in Ghana. She said that the students knew they were privileged to attend a university, often through familial sacrifice. Porter explained that no matter what happened, be it days of power outages or no running water, the students would show up for class well groomed and prepared. Porter also told how the students would meet faculty members

at their cars and to help them carry briefcases and bags to their offices.

“Now, I tried not to get too used to that, but it was pretty nice” Porter said.Another cultural difference that Porter discussed was how the people of Ghana would take the time to talk to each other even when it was just in passing or would make them late. Porter’s take on global solutions revolved around understanding the needs of the culture. Her purpose in Ghana was to teach urban management, but as Porter said, her teaching was only useful to people when she put it in the context of a developing country. Porter said she had to take into consideration the inadequate water supply, unreliable electricity, ineffective road network, etc, while teaching.

“Just about everything that we take for granted in this world, Ghana is struggling to realize” Porter said.

Asomani-Boateng concluded the presentation by stating that all worlds need each other and giving a proverb from his tribe: “You gain a lot of experience and knowledge by getting exposed to other people and cultures.”

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URSI Launchers New WebsiteURSI is proud to announce that the website has received a makeover, and debut its new look this fall! Look for an updated news section, a more user-friendly interface, syllabi for most URSI courses, and links to financial aid and scholarship information.

Come check us out at http://sbs.mnsu.edu/ursi/

Meet Missy Manderfeld, URSI’s Office Administrator

URSI celebrated (actually, it’s more accurate to say ‘mourned’) the retirement of Rita McEvoy, URSI’s office administrator at the end of the 2009-2010 academic year. Filling that very honored position is Missy Manderfeld, who comes to us from Anthropology and Social Work. I’m so glad to be back at the University and part of the Urban and Regional Studies Institute. With it comes the opportunity to work with the students and be involved in the campus activities.

The URSI faculty has been very welcoming to me and I just might be getting a grasp on this position that Rita McEvoy held for so long. Having this office space and working with students from around the world has been an extra bonus for me.

I began work at Minnesota State University, Mankato in 2004 with the Healthcare Education Industry Partnership then moved to a full time position with Social Work and Anthropology before working here in URSI. I also do some data entry for VINE Faith in Action and work with the Greater Mankato Diversity Council as a Classroom Facilitator. “

~Missy Manderfeld, URSI Office Administrator

Perry Wood Community Service Award: URSI Announces New

Scholarship Opportunity

The Perry Wood Community Service Award in the amount of $500.00 is awarded each spring to a student majoring in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (CSBS) or a student club associated with a department or program of CSBS and recognized by MSSA. The award is given

for creative and innovative service activities that demonstrate leadership ability.

For more information about the scholarship and how to apply, please contact Office Administrator Missy Manderfeld at elizabeth.manderfeld@mnsu.edu.

Making a Difference as a Teaching Scholar

Perry Wood received the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Distinguished Professor Award on October 28, 2010. The Award is presented to a professor who has demonstrated extraordinary devotion to teaching and learning at Minnesota State University, Mankato. It aims to recognize those individuals who have made a significant difference as teaching scholars in the education and lives of our students.

Those of us who have worked with Perry as a colleague, professor, advisor, and in a professional capacity know of his tireless dedication to public service, and to training the next generation of public administrators and planners. His colorful class presentations and insistence on professional level work even as a student has secured a high quality of service for communities in Minnesota and across the nation.

Even in his retirement, which was officially last year, Perry has been active in URSI’s curriculum, overseeing an undergraduate course and participating in the 2010 Graduate Studio. He is still a welcome presence around 106 Morris Hall, as we hope he will continue to be for years to come.

URSI congratulates its Distinguished Professor, Perry Wood!

Perry Wood

Missy Manderfeld

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Professor Wood Serves as

MnDOT Liaison Despite his (so-called) ‘retirement’, Professor Perry Wood has remained an active part of URSI and the Mankato community. One of his projects over the last year has been an appointment by MNDOT to represent Minnesota State Mankato for campus transportation and he has been working on finding new ways for better, more reliable transit services in the area.

Perry has developed three tasks to be completed for this purpose. The first task: The group will perform a Route Analysis and Redesign to develop recommendations based on a 10-year planning horizon. The goal is to improve fixed route service delivery, route design, service efficiency and effectiveness that will positively impact route performance and increase ridership.

The second task: The development of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) concept that will develop new express routes. These will be connected by transit hubs that will serve both traditional transit clients and non-transit dependent patrons. The third task: The development of an action plan for a Regional Transit System will explore different public transit service concepts for the four county areas, select a preferred alternative, and create and operations and capital plan for the selected alternative.

Perry’s contribution to the group has provided some very concrete, attainable goals that will serve as the basis for transportation efforts in the future. His work with MnDOT gives URSI, and the campus community, a voice in how the public transportation can work for a broad demographic of transit users and those impacted by transit.

Ghana 2012The two week study tour of Ghana will be in late spring of 2012. This study tour is available to faculty, graduate and undergraduate students and alumni of Minnesota State University, Mankato. The study offers participants the opportunity to experience different cultural groups in Ghana, develop knowledge and understanding of Ghanaian culture and enrich their cross-cultural experience in our “global village”. We will be holding our first organizational meeting on November 18 in 112 Morris Hall Minnesota State University from 1pm-2pm. For more information you can contact Dr. Raymond Asomani-Boateng (Program Director) by email asomar@mnsu.edu or by phone 507-389-5030 or Dr. Miriam Porter at miriam.porter@mnsu.edu or by phone at 507-389-5032.

A furry friend greets URSI

URSI students immerse themselves in Ghana tradition

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Center Partnership. One of URSI’s grad students, Eric Harriman, is the now the staff for the City Center Partnership. Our students did the legwork for developing the “Artwalk” brochure, which will result in a new art event in the community this spring. And he has been leading the Business Development Committee in a process to update their strategic plan.

Dr. Beth Wielde HeidelbergBeth Wielde Heidelberg has focused the past year on transformation. She has been focusing on the transformation of all her classes into a focus on statutory law and policy that future planners and managers will need, both in Foundations of Planning and Management and to the new Urban Law course, which explores additional laws and statutes that planners and managers need to know in their practice. She has transformed many of her classes into online versions (which has been handy during this years blizzards – she never had to cancel class, but was able to post the sessions online, preserving her student’s safety, and hers, since she’s still a commuter from the Twin Cities). She has also been developing strong partnerships with state agencies such as the League of Minnesota Cities, and laying the foundation to transform URSI into “the” training center in Minnesota for historic preservation policy.

In addition to these transformations, she has been focused on connecting students to their future practice by bringing them into the field to see planning and policy in action. She has had a parade of practitioners into the classroom as guest speakers, and has had her classes on field tours (such as the improvements to St. Paul Union Depot, which is preparing to be a rail hub once more) and over to St. Louis Park City Hall to sit in on a City Council meeting and workshop. She requires, in almost all classes, students to meet independently with practitioners so they can start networking and get an insider’s perspective on what their job entails. Wielde-Heidelberg intends to continue this ‘in field’ method of instruction by creating hybrid online courses, workshops, and field visits, responding to marketplace demand for the use of technology in curriculum, but still promoting interaction with faculty and students.

Faculty Updates

Continued on page 9

Serious Games – From Sim City to URSI Modeling

When a pilot learns to fly, or an astronaut learns to pilot a Space Shuttle, they are put into a flight simulator to practice a variety of scenarios that may play out during their voyages. Dr. Tony Filipovitch has come up with an idea to put urban planners and managers into a “sim” of their own.

Filipovitch proposes using simulations and mathematical models as decision-making tools (see his Faculty Update). He is particularly interested in working with local communities to model & simulate economic growth opportunities.  He wants the model to respond to questions like:

Suppose you see an opportunity to attract a renewable energy start-up. What sort of suppliers are they going to need—and where will they find them? 

What sort of markets will they need to access—and where will they find those?  What sort of infrastructure is the community going to have to supply?  What kinds of demands will be generated for housing, commercial space, etc.?  And where is all this going to go? 

Now let’s build a game—like Sim City—and try out different scenarios to see what works best. This will not only be an educational way to simulate a real life planning and management model, but also be fun for people to see how different scenarios and factors can change the outcome of a model.

A lot of the software for modeling various parts of this analysis are already out there. Filipovitch has already taught some of the software techniques to students, using Excel spreadsheet templates. MnDEED has a nice model for using the Census of Business to model supply chains. Arthur (Chris) Nelson’s Land Use Forecasting model does a nice job of modeling land use needs, and other data sources that could contribute to the modeling are being explored.

What is needed is an umbrella program that takes the outputs from all these models and feed them into each other, and a visual interface to convert the numbers into visual displays (like a GIS display, with some pie charts & graphs on the side).  There are faculty (and support staff) who are involved in the MN Center for Modeling and Simulation who can help with this.  The idea would be to develop a “boilerplate” model that could be used in a wide range of cities, counties, and regions, but it would require partnership with those units to collect the local data and feed it into the model.  On the back end, there would also be time/effort involved in working with the local community to explain the model and work through “what if” scenarios as the community decides what it wants to do. Filipovitch came to this idea while attending the meetings of the Southern Minnesota Regional Competitiveness Project.  They identified six general areas for economic growth in southern Minnesota, but there was still a lot of work to be done working out the implications of attracting a new business to any particular location.  He discussed the idea with the Center for Rural Policy and Development, MN DEED, and several economic development officers in southern Minnesota.  They are excited by the idea, but so far have not found the right partners (or the funding to do the development work—everyone has more immediate needs).  But it is an idea whose time has come, and with some work and funding, it will come from URSI.

If you have any suggestions, or are interested for your own community, contact Tony (Anthony.filipovitch@mnsu.edu). 

Beth Wielde Heidelberg

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Continued on page 10

Faculty Updates

Dr. David Laverny-RafterOver the last year, David Laverny-Rafter has been active with American Planning Association and by serving on the Policy Committee of Transit for Livable Communities (TLC) in St. Paul. Specifically, he has served as a session moderator at the Upper Midwest Planning Conference in fall, 2010

and attended the National Planning Conference in Boston in April, 2011 where he is serving on the International Division of APA. In addition, he has been assisting TLC with analysis of alternative policy initiatives that are designed to increase the quality of transit service in the Twin Cities area.

Furthermore, he has contributed to the transportation field with his research on the federal New Starts program. This research resulted in an article that was published in the JOURNAL OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION (Vol. 13, NO. 3, 2010) titled “Federally Mandated Evaluation of New Starts Transit Projects.”

Dr. Miriam Porter and two of her colleagues, Dr. Asomani-Boateng and Dr. Kwaku Kessey (visiting professor) were chosen to present the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences 31st Annual Frontier Forum. This is the College’s premier lecture. The title of the lecture was Global Solutions: Experiences from Vastly Different Worlds. It highlighted the international exchanges of faculty that Minnesota State Mankato and URSI have embraced as strategic goals.

In a continuing effort to pursue the University’s strategic goal, Dr. Porter has been asked to present a paper at the 9th Annual Humanities Conference at the University of Granada in Granada, Spain in June of 2011. Her presentation will showcase her research and experiences during the year she spent teaching at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana. Also she has had a paper accepted for publication in the “International Journal of the Humanities”.

David Laverny-Rafter

Miriam Porter

Cutback Management: More Than Cutting Budgets by Sandra King, Ed.D.

In the aftermath of what is commonly known as the worst recession since the Great Depression, state and local budget shortfalls have become the norm. Myriad budget concerns, continuing loss of local government aid (LGA), and ongoing struggles with unfunded mandates characterize the new normal plaguing public entities. Across the country, local governments are considering everything from eliminating toilet paper in public bathroomsi to bankruptcyii to deal with dwindling resources. At a time when public services are needed most, these organizations are less financially able to provide them at previous levels. Considering the challenges that accompany retrenchment periods, public managers recognize that ensuring continued organizational viability will be no small undertaking.

When a similar budget picture was the reality of the 1970s and 1980s, the need for more organized responses to these difficulties in the public sector was evident. As a result, cutback management as an orderly approach for responding to fiscal stress was conceived and is defined as “managing organizational change toward lower levels of resource consumption and organizational activity.”iii Rooted in this definition is an awareness that financial strain requires organizations to make changes. In times like these, a reduction in service delivery level is often unavoidable; however, the ways in which reductions are made and related actions vary.

Although many local public officials find themselves in unfamiliar territory, they increasingly recognize that cutback management activities involve a range of options that go beyond budget cuts. Moreover, a growing body of work exists that can provide guidance to local governments on available options for consideration during these difficult times. Because jurisdictional needs differ, however, any activities contemplated should also consider local conditions and long-term implications. Furthermore, strong leadership from local managers and elected officials, involvement of internal and external stakeholders, and effective communication are essential components of any efforts to change public organizations.

In Spring of 2011, URSI offered cutback management as a selected topics course designed to explore the task of cutting back, while considering the unique challenges with which public managers grapple. Throughout the semester, students conduct research on various topics (i.e. leadership, communication, stakeholder involvement, etc.) and their importance to cutback efforts. Students will also have an opportunity to interview a city manager about his approach to these issues. The course culminates with a final paper and list of recommended strategies. For more information, contact Dr. Sandra King at sandra.king@mnsu.edu or 507-389-5727.

i Anonymous. (2010, July 26). Newark, N.J., makes drastic budget cuts, including toilet paper. The American City & County: Online Exclusive. 

ii Grzeskowiak, J. (2010, April 1). Bankruptcy for cities. The American City & County: Online Exclusive, 125(4), 14. 

iii Levine, C. H. (1979). More on cutback management: Hard questions for hard times. Public Administration Review, 39(2), 179-183.

Sandra King

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League of Minnesota Cities Teams with URSI Foundations Class

In the fall of 2010, the URSI Foundations of Management and Planning class teamed with the League of Minnesota Cities to conduct a pilot survey of public attitudes about Minnesota’s local government budget crisis.

The upper-division undergrad and graduate students in Foundations conducted ‘man on the street’ interviews to a) determine what the general public understood about the services cities provide, and b) see how the general public feels cities should deal with the fiscal crisis. One of the most startling findings, one cited by a number of surveyors, is that the sample population (this was a pilot survey consisting of Minnesota State Mankato students) had a very shaky grasp of what a city actually does. Many participants cited schools, libraries, hospitals, and other County level services as being provided by the city. When they cited city services, they focused mainly on parks and recreation and public safety, which are services that are a daily presence in communities.

The implication of this pilot study (keeping in mind that the sample population was a very narrow group) is that the public may not be entirely aware of the services and programs cities provide, and often do not distinguish between city, county, and state services. Taking the same study to a broader sample population would test this theory. This finding may indicate a need for K-12 civics curriculum to include units on local government systems, or to enhance already existing curriculum, an initiative already being developed by committee members at the MCMA (Minnesota City/ County Managers Association).

Dr. Beth Heidelberg worked with Don Reeder and Mary-Margaret Zindlin to coordinate the survey, which has provided data and information for a series of town hall meetings the League is taking statewide to address the budget crisis and develop ideas for helping cities absorb the budget blow.

A Conversation With Dr. Sandra King

1. How did you get into the field?

After leaving the military, I gained experience in local government management during the 1990s and early 2000s. It is this managerial experience, coupled with my education that has prepared me for my current teaching role.

2. Describe your educational background.

I graduated from Minnesota State Mankato with a BS in Human Resource Management and an MBA. I also have an Ed.D. in Leadership from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.

3. What was your dissertation about?

I completed a qualitative study on managerial preparation for managing organizational change. I was interested in speaking directly with managers on how they prepare for tackling the challenging task of managing change in the workplace.

4. How did you hear about URSI, and how did you come to teach here?

I believe the reputation of URSI faculty is pretty well known throughout the university. As a result, I had heard many positive comments about the professors

Dr. Porter has resumed her focus on teaching courses which prepare students for careers in local government management. Her course signature is bridging theory to practice. She establishes a solid theoretical foundation and builds upon that by incorporating her years of local government management into the students learning experience.She was chosen by her colleagues to step into the role of Department Chair/Director of the Urban and Regional Studies Institute beginning in July of 2011.

Dr. Sandra KingDuring my first year with URSI, I had the opportunity to develop a course emphasizing workplace skills. Although initially developed for students in the College Access Program (CAP), the course is also available to other students and fills quickly. Skill development in a variety of areas (i.e., oral and written communication, leadership, conflict management, teamwork, decision making, problem solving, etc.) is emphasized. Students interested in learning more about this course, URBS 230W Community Leadership, should contact me at sandra.king@mnsu.edu or 507-389-5727.

In addition to the above, I also developed and taught a course in Cutback Management. The focus of the class included the many other domains impacted by a need to cut back that goes beyond budget cuts. These often overlooked areas include, but are not limited to, communication, stakeholder involvement, leadership, organizational change, employee morale, and other areas. Our goal was to examine the task of managing cutbacks from a leadership perspective.

My first year with URSI continues to go by incredibly fast. Amid the whirlwind of academic hustle and bustle, it’s sometimes difficult to slow down and reflect on what was accomplished. The above represents a small portion of what my first year here included, and I’m looking forward to seeing what next year brings.

Faculty Updates

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Sandra King

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here well before meeting most of them. So, when I learned of the opportunity to be a part of URSI, I was interested. A series of events subsequently came together to make my teaching here a reality. Now that I’ve been here for nearly a year, I am enjoying being part of the department.

5. What are your teaching interests?

Because I have a diverse educational and occupational background, my teaching interests are similarly varied. Within the university, I have taught classes in Management, Marketing, Community Leadership, and Cutback Management. I am also in the process of developing a course in Change Management. Moreover, I have years of experience in the workplace, which includes areas within and outside of the U.S. Consequently, I have the ability to work well with all types of people. It is this diverse experience I try to bring into the classroom in a way that prepares our students for 21st century workplaces. My continuing challenge will be to draw upon my work experience and education in ways that enhance student growth and contribute to the department’s effectiveness.

6. Now that you have been here for almost a year, is there anything in particular you like about the job?

Yes, there is much to like here—the students, faculty, staff, campus colleagues, strong departmental support and encouragement, etc. I enjoy being here and am looking forward to the next chapter.

Public Information & Involvement-URBS 4/512

Dr. Janet Cherrington

URSI’s combined graduate and undergraduate Public Information and Involvement (PII) is required for the program’s Local Government Management Certificate. The class takes a hands-on approach in dealing with what is often a source of frustration for public managers and planners—media relations. By helping students put media in an appropriate context, future public managers learn how to go beyond providing basic public information, to gain an understanding of the importance of marketing, promotion, and communicating with citizens.

One aspect of the PII course is to design a “place audit” that will help those responsible for charting the community’s future to accurately understand what the community is like and why. By using the place audit methodology, future managers and planners learn how to guide a community in systematically examining their economic, demographic, environmental and recreational characteristics and then sorting them into strengths and weaknesses. This information can assist communities in managing their marketing campaigns and communication efforts without hiring expensive outside consultants—which small towns can seldom afford.

A key outcome of the PII class is for students to learn how to create a community brochure to promote tourism and economic development. Under Dr. Cherrington’s direction, URSI student teams have researched, wrote, and gathered photos that have become part of city-wide branding and marketing campaigns. Working in conjunction with graphics production teams from South Central College, PII students have developed marketing brochures for five cities in South Central Minnesota: Saint Peter, Janesville, New Prague, Saint James, and Saint Clair.

In essence, the projects have not only helped these communities develop a compelling image for their city, but have also allowed students to discover new ways to connect what they learn in the classroom to the world outside the university.

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Getting them in touch and keeping in touch with the Institute.

URSI Roster UpdateHelp us update our URSI Roster and mailing list by completing the following information and returning it to: Elizabeth Manderfeld, Urban & Regional Studies Institute, Minnesota State University, Mankato, 106 Morris Hall, Mankato, MN 56001 or fax it to 507-389-6377 or e-mail to elizabeth.manderfeld@mnsu.edu. Thanks.

NAME: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________

TITLE: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

COMPANY NAME: ______________________________________________________________________________________________

COMPANY ADDRESS: ___________________________________________________________________________________________

HOME ADDRESS: _______________________________________________________________________________________________

EMAIL: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I AM A: [ ] ALUMNI - YEAR GRADUATED: _________ , DEGREE: _____________________________________________________ [ ] FRIEND OF URSI [ ] CURRENT STUDENT

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[ ] SERVING AS A PROFESSIONAL MENTOR [ ] PROVIDING AN INTERNSHIP [ ] CONTRIBUTING TO THE URSI DEVELOPMENT FUND AT THE MINNESOTA STATE FOUNDATION (tax deductible) [ ] CONTRIBUTING TO THE BARRETT ENDOWMENT (tax deductible) [ ] CONTRIBUTING TO THE SMITH ENDOWMENT (tax deductible)

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106 Morris HallMankato, MN 56001

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