L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs

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2024 Doctoral Lecture Series Invitation

Wilder School Doctoral Lecture Series

Volunteers in the Parks: Findings from an Embedded Research Project with the National Park Service

Research on volunteerism in national parks is rare; indeed, according to the National Park Service, in the 50-year history of the Volunteers-in-Parks (VIP) program, there has been no systematic research undertaken about the management, motivation, or impact of volunteers serving in parks. Dr. Bryer will share the methodological innovations and early findings from a year-long research project, during which he is embedded in four and engaging volunteers and staff in more than thirty national parks. Among these are eight parks in Virginia: Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, Prince William Forest Park, Shenandoah National Park, Manassas National Battlefield Park, Richmond National Battlefield Park, Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, Arlington House/Robert E. Lee Memorial National Historic Site, and Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park. Visit his project website at https://npsvolunteerdiaries.us.
 
WHEN: Monday, Nov 18, 11:00 a.m. - 12;00 p.m.
WHERE: Raleigh 0001 (Basement level) 1001 West Franklin Street, Richmond, VA 23284
 
About Thomas Byer: Thomas Bryer is a Pegasus Professor (the highest recognition granted to a professor) in the School of Public Administration at the University of Central Florida, where he has been on the faculty since 2007. In that time, he served as director of the Center for Public and Nonprofit Management, director of community-engaged scholarship at UCF Downtown, director of the public administration track of the interdisciplinary public affairs PhD program, and director of the Master of Nonprofit Management program. He currently serves as founding co-chair of the Center for Social and Civic Prosperity. Dr. Bryer is author or editor of ten books, and PI or co-PI on grants valued at more than $4million. He was a Fulbright Scholar in Lithuania from 2015-2017 and a Fulbright Specialist in Russia in 2018.
 

About the Doctoral Lecture Series: The Wilder School Doctoral Lecture Series in Public Policy gives students the opportunity to learn from and engage with leading scholars in a variety of fields related to public policy with a specific focus on race and social equity each year. This series, and conversations and ideas that challenge and inspire us to achieve a more just society, are more relevant and critically important than ever before.

2023 Lecture 

"State of Democracy & Human Rights in Turkey" will featured Wilder School alumnus Ekrem Mus (‘10 PPAD, ‘06 CJ), Cmelikova Visiting International Scholar, University of Richmond Jepson School of Leadership Studies. He explored human rights, criminal justice and public policy implications in Turkey. 

About Ekrem Mus: Dr. Ekrem Mus, the Jepson School's 2023-24 Zuzana Simoniova Cmelikova Visiting International Scholar in Leadership and Ethics, researches democratic backsliding and security governance in developing countries. A native of Turkey, he earned a doctorate in public policy and administration at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Prior to his appointment at the Jepson School, he was a senior research fellow at the Global Center for Security Studies, a London-based nongovernmental organization committed to promoting peace and security through a global network of experts.

For over 20 years, Mus has taught undergraduate and graduate students an array of subjects, including terrorism, cybersecurity, research methods, and policing. 

He has held various leadership roles with the Turkish National Police, culminating in his appointment as a police chief across different departments. He has actively engaged in international missions with entities such as the European Union, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and the United Nations in countries including Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo. 

A distinguished scholar and practitioner, Mus brings a comprehensive understanding of complex global security issues and governance dynamics to the Jepson School and the University of Richmond.

2022 Lecture

Anbu Arumugan, Senior Assistant Professor of Public Administration at the Government Arts College in Chennai, India, presented her international research. Her presentation was entitled: "Professional Development for Early Career Researchers."

WHEN: Wednesday, Oct. 5 at noon

WHERE: The event is free to attend and will be held in the Raleigh Building, Room B001,1001 West Franklin Street, Richmond, VA 23284

About the presenter:

Anbu Arumugam, Ph.D., is a senior assistant professor in the Department of Public Administration, Annamalai University, India. She is currently on deputation to the Presidency College, Chennai and is head of the Department of Public Administration, Government Arts College in Nandanam, Chennai. 

2020 Lecture

Due to the current global health crisis, the Fall 2020 series was held in a virtual format. The lectures, which were free and open to the public, were conducted and recorded by Zoom.

“Racial Perceptions: Criminal Justice Policy and Punishment,” Shaun Gabbidon, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Criminal Justice, Penn State Harrisburg

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“Race-Neutrality: Rationalizing Remedies to Racial Inequality," Samuel Myers, Ph.D., Director, Roy Wilkins Center for Human Relations and Social Justice, Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota

Watch the lecture