October 18, 2006

National Academy of Public Administration selects Crow

ASU President Michael Crow has been named a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA), bringing to five the number of ASU faculty members or associates who belong to this prestigious organization.

Other School of Public Affairs faculty who are members are Robert B. Denhardt, Lincoln Professor of Leadership and Ethics and director of the School of Public Affairs, and James H. Svara, Professor of Public Administration and director of the Center for Urban Innovation.

In addition, two practitioners associated with the school are members of NAPA . They are faculty associate Frank Fairbanks (city manager of Phoenix) and visiting professor of practice Sheryl Sculley (city manager of San Antonio).

Crow was nominated for his accomplishments during “nearly a quarter-century of service as an educator, university administrator, building of knowledge and discovery enterprises, and as a scholar in science and technology policy.”

NAPA was created by congressional charter in 1984. It is unique among congressionally chartered organizations in the type of work it does. In addition to recognizing outstanding accomplishments in public administration research and practice, NAPA is charged with evaluating government agencies, examining critical issues in governance, and advising on the relationship of federal, state and local governments.

Since the academy views itself as an academy and a fellowship, members are expected to participate in academy programs and functions that align with the their interests, such as membership on standing panels and volunteering for project panels.

Among the NAPA programs are four centers: Management Studies, Economy and Environment, Intergovernmental and International Programs.

Academy staff and consultants perform most of the field research for studies in these areas and develop the academy's relationships with governmental, professional and scholarly organizations.

Crow joins more than 500 other Fellows, including current and former public managers, scholars, business executives, labor leaders, cabinet officers, members of Congress, governors, mayors, state legislators, and diplomats who provide insight and experience as they oversee academy projects and provide general guidance.

Prominent members include Colin Powell, former Secretary of State; Robert McNamara, former Secretary of Defense; David Broder, journalist; Daniel Evans, former senator and governor from the state of Washington; and scholars Peter Drucker, Harlan Cleveland and Graham Allison.

Crow, who holds an academic appointment as a professor in the School of Public Affairs, which is part of the College of Public Programs, was nominated by Denhardt, Svara and Fairbanks.

“The principal criterion for selection is a sustained and outstanding contribution to the field of public administration through public service or scholarship,” Denhardt says.

In their recommendation statement, Denhardt, Svara and Fairbanks wrote, “As a public intellectual committed to the advancement of society through higher education and sound federal science and technology policy, and as a professor of public administration and public policy with a focus on science and technology policy, President Crow demonstrates the capacity to advance the conceptual basis of the academy, and to make substantial contributions to the work of the academy.”

Crow will officially join NAPA at the Webb Dinner at 7 p.m., Nov. 16. The dinner takes place in conjunction with the 2006 Academy Fall Meeting at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.