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Brenda Bushouse, associate professor of political science and public policy, has received the 2011 Virginia Hodgkinson Research Prize for her book, Universal Preschool: Policy Change, Stability, and the Pew Charitable Trusts.

The Virginia Hodgkinson Research Prize is awarded annually by the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) for the best book  on the nonprofit sector that informs policy and practice.

The committee making the award noted that “in addition to the obvious merits of the work as research, [we are] impressed by your strong and well-considered discussions of the policy implications of your findings.”

ARNOVA is a national organization founded in 1971 to bring together theory and practice related to the third sector and is one of the premier associations for scholars conducting research on nonprofits.

The prize recognizes the pioneering role of Virginia Hodgkinson in the research on philanthropy and nonprofit organizations. In her role as vice president of research at Independent Sector, Virginia played a leading part in advancing our understanding of the role of the nonprofit sector in the United States and abroad. She also was instrumental in developing many of the important institutions and organizations supporting research on philanthropy, volunteering and nonprofit organizations and was a mentor to many scholars and policymakers in the field.

Bushouse  is an expert on the national universal preschool movement.  Universal Preschool: Policy Change, Stability and the Pew Charitable Trusts was published by SUNY Press and examines the rise of state-funded preschool education and the role of private foundations in policy change.

Bushouse is a past recipient of an Ian Axford Fellowship in Public Policy (New Zealand) and has served as a researcher for Zero to Three, a national nonprofit that advocates for infants and toddlers.

Her current research is on governance issues and how they impact nonprofit accountability, effectiveness, and decision-making in nonprofits. Prior to coming to UMass, professor Bushouse worked in economic development for both local and federal government.

Bushouse will receive the ARNOVA prize at an awards luncheon on November 18.

CPPA’s official Fall Orientation for all new CPPA students begins on Tuesday, September 6, at 8 a.m. in Gordon Hall’s 3rd Floor Conference Room (302-304).

New students will have the chance to meet one another and CPPA staff over a light continental breakfast.

The full orientation schedule is included below, although be sure to watch your email and CPPA bulletin boards for updates to the schedule.

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FALL 2011 New Student Orientation Schedule

NOTE: This schedule is accurate as of 8/10/11, but watch for possible changes.  If you have an elective scheduled during any of these times, we will provide you with any materials you missed.

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Tuesday, September 6^th

8:00-9:15 AM— Gordon Hall, 3^rd Fl Conference Room:

Initial 1^st year meeting of students and staff

Student photos taken

*Coffee, juice, bagels, muffins will be served*

(State & Local Public Finance class 9:30-10:45 in this room)

Wednesday, September 7^th

11:00AM-12:00Noon—Gordon Hall, 3^rd Fl Conference Room:

Initial 1^st year meeting of students and faculty:  Connect names and faces and get to learn about some of the upcoming CPPA classes

3:00-4:30PM—DuBois (Tower) Library Tour with Peter Stern

Meet in the Main Lobby – Exclusive library tour for MPPA grad students

Thursday, September 8^th

4:00-5:00PM—Gordon Hall, 3^rd Fl Conference Rm

Student RA/PA/TA assistantship meeting with Director Lee Badgett & Associate Director Satu Zoller

Saturday, September 10^th

Berkshire East, Charlemont—Zipline &/or hiking adventure on the Mohawk Trail

Thursday, September 15^th

4:30-7:00PM—Groff Park CPPA Fall Community Picnic!!

Join CPPA at the Hampshire House in Boston from 4-7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 13, for a reception to honor Distinguished Alumni Award recipient Larry Kocot ’82, ’86 MPA, as well as to provide a chance for CPPA faculty, students and alumni to meet and catch up with old friends—and make some new ones!

Please RSVP to Kathy Colón (or by phone: 413-545-3956) by Thursday, April 7.

Jesse Rhodes, assistant professor of political science, will discuss “Do Social Policies Shape Parental Behavior? Receipt of Means-Tested Social Policies and Parental Involvement in Education,” on Monday, March 7, at 12:00 p.m. in Thompson Hall 620.  The talk is part of the Center for Public Policy and Administration’s 2011 Spring Faculty Colloquium and is open to the public.

Rhodes’ talk will draw on his recent research concerning parents who receive food stamps, participate in programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), or have children enrolled in Head Start.  Rhodes is interested in whether and how participation in these means-tested programs affects parents’ involvement in their children’s education.

Rhodes joined the UMass faculty after receiving his doctorate from the University of Virginia in 2008.  His major scholarly interest is social policy, and he currently is completing a book on the political development of educational policy in the U.S. since the 1980s (forthcoming, Cornell University Press).

In addition to his research on parental involvement in means-tested social programs, Rhodes’ launched another project recently that draws on nationally representative survey data to investigate how education accountability policies affect citizenship.

Rhodes also has completed research on political parties and the American presidency, and teaches courses on these subjects as well as on American social policy in comparative perspective.  He was a Pi Sigma Alpha Distinguished Professor of the Year in 2009-2010.

For additional or updated information about this event, please visit www.masspolicy.org.