On Saturday, September 23, The Master of Public Administration Program held a reception and luncheon celebrating its 50th Anniversary (1973-2023). The event brought together more than 160 faculty, staff, current students, and alumni to socialize and celebrate the program’s many accomplishments.
The event began with University President Dr. Kelly Damphousse welcoming the attendees, highlighting the MPA program’s key accomplishments, and introducing the keynote speaker for the event, Mr. Franklin R. Parker, who currently serves as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy Manpower & Reserve Affairs. During his address, Assistant Secretary Parker spoke to the challenges faced by public administrators and the importance of public service and ethical leadership.
The banquet also recognized 25 MPA alumni with Distinguished Alumni awards to celebrate their contributions to the field of public administration. Recipients included legislators, state agency heads, chief information officers, and authors. Alongside the recognition of several outstanding alumni, there were 3 faculty members who were celebrated for their contributions to the MPA program. These faculty members are retired professors Drs. Charles Garofalo, Bill Stouffer, and George Weinberger. The banquet awards were presented by Franklin Parker, Dr. Kelly Damphousse, Dr. Andrea Golato, Dr. Patricia Shields, and Dr. Howard Balanoff.
For more information on the MPA Program, please contact Nandhini Rangarajan at nr11@txstate.edu.
