Over the last few days, I have found myself laying on the sofa slothing around. Developing code for the Proposed American Society for Public Administration Section on Native American Governance has taken up a good deal of time over the last few days. Different people have emailed me about the developing sections and it has been rewarding and thought provoking to read different stories, opinions, and of course ideas. Now I am always focused on the free and open exchange of information and have flooded the internet with my different thoughts, views, and takes on a variety of issues over the years. Some of the things that I have written about even surprise me from time to time when I am searching for something on the internet and find a comprehensive review that I wrote, but did not remember writing.
Recently I got an email from a Walden University student that was caught plagiarizing. The student sent out an email to the entire class apologizing, but online institutions like Walden University have to take plagiarism seriously. Higher education has never been about stealing the thoughts, ideas, or ramblings of somebody else without proper citation, permissions, and references. Given that, I have a unique and somewhat unorthodox writing style full of author specific tendencies and of course anti-grammarian flair. Plagiarism is an action that I will never be accused of in part thanks to a few suggestions handed out by sports radio talent Jim Rome. Freely and openly on a daily basis Jim Rome reminds people to, “Have a take, and bring it.” Sports radio inspires an ethic based on taking one side of an argument and defending it with almost reckless abandon. What does this have to do with plagiarism? Having an opinion and expressing that opinion is at the heart of ending plagiarism. I do not have the capacity to write out down how I feel about every issue.
I write down my thoughts on an almost daily basis. Writing is a skill that you can never really master unless you sit down and write on a daily basis. Partly for personal amusement and partly as an external test I make my ramblings public. When I write, about things that are generally considered to be pointless or absolutely beyond the pale of rational coherent thought people generally let me know about it.

Residency Notes 20050401

Right now I am attending my second academic residency for Walden University at the American Society for Public Administration national conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Walden University has decided that Saturday will be the day tat all of the students have to bring in articles from the Public Administration Review and as a group work on the process of idea identification and association. Answering questions about what exactly is research in practice, what does it mean, and who does this research is not easy. Everything that happens at any residency is tempered by the fact that Walden University works toward actualizing the mission of promoting positive social change.

What do you do as you continue doctoral study? Do you have a mandate to do research? How do you take research to the next level? Learning how to take an idea and develop a research strategy and then integrating a balanced approach to making use of the entire life cycle of the research and making it useful. Higher education programs that are online have to focus on the question where do you actually do the work. If you do not know where to work, then how do you plan and manage how it all happens. Any student that is able to complete online coursework for an extended period of time is not only highly motivated, but is clearly not a quitter. In the end success comes down to those who want to make a difference and those who do not understand why people care and why they want to make a difference. Remember that no matter how hard you work toward the goal of making a difference in the world you have to keep a certain degree of balance between personal and academic happiness along the way. Walden University has decided to focus on the challenge of blending practical knowledge balanced with academic knowledge in an academic setting.

Group introductions are a standard part of any event that features an entire room full of Walden University affiliates. Everybody always seems to want to know the answers to the questions: who you are, where you are from, what is your program of study, and what aspirations do you have for that program. Today was a little different than the standard cookie cutter introductions everyone in the room was asked to identify a personal shero or hero. Walden University is aware of the unique challenges facing online students and always makes the extra effort to have academic advisors around to provide one on one advising and assistance. Academic advisors sometimes end up providing coaching and counseling throughout learning about how to use the Walden University program to find success.

Dean of the diverse management school at Walden University came to the meeting to kick off the Walden University residency. I learned about where the school of management is and where the school of management is going in the future. Wide and expansive programs that deal with various issues and no central focus defines the Walden University management school. I was reminded about the problems associated with dealing with political science departments who do not believe the field of public administration is an authentic academic disciple or even a profession for that matter. Dealing with this issue of distance learning in the mid nineties was challenging until the advent of the internet allowing online learning.

The opportunities of interdisciplinary learning and the incorporation of theory into practice are what brining the scholar-practitioner are essential to moving higher education forward. Walden University is trying to do in the school now to support encourage and motivate students to be practitioners. Ultimately you contribute through your practice and you generate knowledge through having the ability to articulate practice based knowledge. Positive social change can be achieved by creating a wealth of information that is accessible and meaningful.

What is progress, how do you break ground on academics and progress in the system of academic knowledge dissemination. Student goals are incorporated in the format of the conference and how the program will be built. How do you go about preparing for a conference and what do you need to do in preparation. Understanding the dynamics of online learning and hybrid online learning is about the problem of not having face to face interaction. Trying to realize the power of change where people do not realize they need change, do not know the process of change, people do not question things is about more than understanding and identifying problems.

The program is what you make of it including the education and knowledge that is an essential part of the puzzle of making change. I learned that an expert is a person who travels more than fifty miles and had a briefcase. People from time to time tend to ask the question, “What are the top five issues that we have to face in the future of public administration.” If you know the answer to that question, then you know how to see opportunity in research. You have to begin to think about what are the skills that public administrators are going to need in the next twenty to thirty years.
New students are always dealing the challenge of trying to publish the first time by yourself, and dealing with trying to publish with somebody else. Take a step back and think about how we ended up here today, and why it is important to challenge people to think differently about problem solving and problems. A speaker or writer has to know how to bring the audience in and how to keep bringing them back.

Residency Notes 20050402

Getting a job in the public sector, navigating the PhD dissertation, and PhD program was the central topic of the student sessions. I appreciate that people were willing to share information with students, but the lectures lacked substance, and moved at a slow pace which is problematic from communication standpoint. Students can eagerly absorb tremendous amounts of information if it is directly relevant to the future and especially if it could create a successful future. Introductions followed the start of the meeting and the questions were familiar what year student are you, in what program, and finally the least important detail what is your name.

Half the room turned out to be University of Lavern students form California. One of the students mentioned a funny acronym that I had not heard before: AABD, almost all but dissertation. General comments about PHD program navigation filled the room and the consensus central theme of all relevant discussion and the issue to be covered. People are quick to tell you that you have to figure out a strategy for making sure that you are successful in your program. I always wondered why people who had a strategy for success that worked would be asking questions, then I realized that at least 99% of the faculty want you to be successful, they may just have a different definition of what is successful, you have to know your program, know the expectations, rules and policies.

Personally I have been exposed to both sides of the academic preference coin and my bimodal personal relations certainly extend to university professors. Do people move along and sometimes miss something? Remember the outcomes of the rules, regulations, and policies defines how people have to treat you and what the maximum amount of trouble any one professor can mange to inflict on a poor unsuspecting student. Students cannot purely depend on advisors to provide direction, not all people are able to follow or remember all of the policies. Building relationships is important in any department to make sure you are able to work with faculty. Professors seem to want to remind students that as human beings faculty have all kinds of approaches to working with students, and they say that it is the student’s responsibility to understand the faculty they are working with on getting into school, and trying to succeed in school.

When you get to the dissertation you have to be specializing in something or you might have problems making a unique contribution to the field of public administration. Is the area where you can make a unique contribution the area you want to claim to be an expert in during your academic career? Academics know who the experts are in the field and want to know that you are working with the right people during the process. Sometimes politics are involved in departments; some say 100% of the time. Interpersonal dynamics matter in program success, and personal differences need to be avoided. Since you get the choice of who to pick for a committee, you are responsible to be aware of externalities. Getting into education with the idea that it is a rational place is misguided and based on a flawed assumption.

Somebody said, “Narrow to a finite point?” I am still trying to figure out why and how this expression applied to anything being discussed. Picking a doctoral program and applying to a program requires that you have to know how your specific interests fit into the field of public administration. Matching your interests to programs is actually more difficult than you would expect, because some organizations do not have an idea of what they want to specialize in therefore your ability to do what you want is going to be larger. Getting into programs requires that you know the admissions requirements and making sure that you can actually meet the requirements. Remember that after the admissions dates are over you have to check to see if your materials have been accepted, letters of recommendation are very important double check they have been received. Look for letters that talk about academic interests and the ability to understand and learn the research skills necessary to become an academic. Professors argue that the judgment of students who have important politicians write letters is going to turn out to be a negative factor and a question of the candidate’s judgments. Schools have different admission dates and are given offers and contingent systems. Applying for teaching position and research position, if you want to teach or research? Most programs are a hybrid system that prepares you for both teaching and research. Looking at the mission statement of the program and what the alumni are doing well tell you about what the program actually stands for in the world.

A new speaker stood up to talk to the room about the next topic that is really just an extension of the first topic. Writing the dissertation and selecting a topic is about the fundamentals of talking, thinking, and writing. When you are writing a dissertation students have to remember not to become overly isolated. Keep talking about your work with others, otherwise you run the risk of walking to close to the edge and minimizing the relevance of the research.

How do you get a job in the public sector? Remember that all of the topics in the field are connected at some level and that you have to be aware of those connections. The passion that drove you to public service is probably not about making money. Why are you in the program? What is the foundation of the motives that drive higher education for you? Motives should help provide direction…
Book review looking at the issue of welfare reform, the economist called it brilliant. Jason Pearl journalist talking about the dream of reporting and the New York Times, dream was to come to Milwaukee for a year and write about welfare. Epicenter of the end welfare movement book is related to a quote from Bill Clinton, “I think we all know in our heart of hearts, that not enough people get a shot at the American Dream.” Jason Pearl joked about, “Reporter categories that are seldom discussed are good if true, and to good to check…”

Residency Notes 20050403

I made sure to attend the panel moderated by H. George Frederickson. The speakers mostly talked about performance measures and the influence on rising and lowering the budget is not the only relationship, program redesign and optimization.

What is the value of ethics within the frame of accountability? A new age of ethics, what passes as accountability today might be prose without substance? Most stories that are topical address failure and accountability as a political rhetoric tool. Powerful negative response to the word patronage, and the destruction of ideas, accountability has taken on an almost iconic tone in written form. The word and concept of accountability has developed into an assumed solution instead of a tangible course of action. Accountability to create justice, democracy, ethics, and performance within widespread acceptance that occurs without scrutiny. Historical roots of accountability emerges as the moral foundation for secular rule that unfolded into the rule of law, the others are false promises of accountability. Little to no evidence exists to explain how accountability achieves objectives, and it also creates a series of externalities.

Accountability matters and while it is overused and ambiguous, it can make a difference within performance. The narrow definition of accountability in management looks at statistics and definitions, while the boarder definition is about democratic pressures of accountability. Eight hours and seven minutes of battery left, and the day is just beginning perhaps watching the battery fade is no different than waiting for the end of the day. What is a measure of quality instead of a measure that allows accountability? Performance measurement can lead to dysfunction if not properly developed. Guiding measures to improve accountability are important and require robust design.

Seven hours and seven minutes of battery remaining and the speaker is still trying to present the same argument. Achilles hill of the performance movement is the reliance on models that simply are not empirically proven. Performance matters, equity matters, social justice is important and cutting funding to issues is not as important as the indication the redesign is necessary. Performance review had to be credible and replicable. Reality check and empirical research findings on the subject of performance reviews, administrative accountability methods advance these goals. Get down to work and understand the serious empirical work on accountability in government.

Walden University residencies are about sharing information like finding a conference in the area and volunteering to be a worker at the conference or taking the initiative to volunteer to review for alternative journals. What is mind mapping? How do you think in a linear fashion, we think in outlines and mind mapping can break that routine. You can do it alone or in a group you can go back and add things order does not matter. Software packages do exist for this activity, but then again that might be overkill. It does not matter where you put things you can sort later even take the stuff and then build the outline from the collection of ideas. Do not ever get involved in writing a paper that you are not interested in working on in the first place. Using groups and creating the master list to determine the value of the list and the ideas being brought into the mix of the system.

“Publishing, publishing, publishing… publishing is the visibility that validates academic existence.”

Residency notes 20050404

New Pragmatism and the influence on the field of public administration, read the book the meta-physical club and everything will make sense according to the panel. Pragmatism in dark times, promissory note toward a chapter, in a book called governance in dark times. What does the work pragmatic mean, what is pragmatism, and what is the rhetoric defining? Pragmatism is used in reference to realism and the idea that the solution cannot be afforded, picking the level so low that the discussion does not raise the bar. Thomas Hobbes was sure that people were not good, the degree of risk of what is possible and what is not possible by assuming the worst to decrease disappointment.

Conservative nature of pragmatism and the states obligation to maintain order in the world by looking at the ideals of democracy and the notion of social change can be integrated into the field of public administration. Thought tested in action as the end of the theory… breaking down the difference between thought and action, the practical question of the nature of inquiry. Deconstruction and reconstruction of the philosophy that is subject to adjustment when it is tested, what is a sense of being critical. Debate among a community of diverse inquiry… we will never know if we have it ultimately right.

Symbolic order and making sense of the social experience any kind of normative cloak wrapping the self in the public interest is not possible. Subjectivity is created through language, needed some stronger grounding notion of the connection between language and subjectivity. The argument that utterance is definitive as language formation and that changes the self in the end. The biggest failure of the self is to accept the definition of someone else as the self on the other and the language of reconstruction the critique should be applied to the presenters who are being repetitive, very repetitive. Creativity is stifled by the confines of language.

After attending panel after panel a single thought started to creep into my thoughts questioning how many presentations included any original, unique, or novel ideas. Public administration is a field that integrates solutions from various sources public or private.

Should you speak out in class, the crux of the evening is about how much we do not know disseminating results from research. Dale shared some definitions of what is research or the gathering of information. Open ended questions… Formalized research is, “developing a comprehensive understanding of theory in a scholarly or practitioner disciple.” Basic research is primary, knowledge for the sake of knowledge, the empirical observations of the world… that is what a dissertation is in the world. Social change is possible by causing practice to change. Practice is, “The act of applying new understanding and new products to areas of interest to society.” Practice is the application of how things get done in the real world. Disseminate that information… “process of moving new understandings and new products from research to practice.” Good definition that does not talk about pure data transformation that disregards.

What do you want to do research on? Who is the target audience for your research? How many of you are going to write about basics research. Research and the mission statement has been simplified. Prepare graduates for professional excellence and to effect positive social change to integrate research and practice and get it disseminated. How do you define what positive social change is at Walden University?

Dissemination analysis group identified four types of dissemination: spread, choice, exchange, and implementation.

Spread is the one way distribution of information. Choice dissemination is the process allowing users to seek and acquire alternative sources of information or practitioners, gather from other practitioners. Exchange is interactions between people, it is a multidirectional exchange of information at least two ways in a conversation about information. Implementation includes assistance, research, and development even in the form of grants.

Pure knowledge research, use information gained from experience perhaps to confirm current beliefs.

Empirical or dynamic model.. would academics reject the Wikipedia model of information dissemination… developing a plan for dissemination in the target audience in the world of observation, theory, or the future…

Complexities of why knowledge is not used… make the findings understandable, avoid the jargon and fancy words, disseminating the actual quality of the research is less important than the extent of which it fits user needs. People tend to trust sources that you have previous relationships with, you need to be trusted, credibility of information relates to expertise and trustworthiness. Research does get used often, but not in the way it was intended. People cannot always be relayed on to make decisions in their own best interest. Improving links between research and practice build relationships and build people into the planning process. Communication is important, effective communication is important in getting the practice to the research.

Residency Notes 20050405

Reactions to any event are an expression of the emotions that we feel and our emotional expectations. Responsibility begins at the most basic unit of analysis that can be studied and influenced. Personal responsibly blends with emotional expectations to define how the essence of civil society is an awareness of how personal actions influence society. Closed social systems tend to resist change by using interpersonal relations as a forum for introducing negative sanctions creating enough inertia to slow social change. In the end, exposure breaks stereotypes and informal negative sanctions are not self sustaining.

Getting a job in the public sector, navigating the PhD dissertation, and PhD program was the central topic of the student sessions. I appreciate that people were willing to share information with students, but the lectures lacked substance, and moved at a slow pace which is problematic from communication standpoint. Students can eagerly absorb tremendous amounts of information if it is directly relevant to the future and especially if it could create a successful future. Introductions followed the start of the meeting and the questions were familiar what year student are you, in what program, and finally the least important detail what is your name.
Half the room turned out to be University of Lavern students form California. One of the students mentioned a funny acronym that I had not heard before: AABD, almost all but dissertation. General comments about PHD program navigation filled the room and the consensus central theme of all relevant discussion and the issue to be covered. People are quick to tell you that you have to figure out a strategy for making sure that you are successful in your program. I always wondered why people who had a strategy for success that worked would be asking questions, then I realized that at least 99% of the faculty want you to be successful, they may just have a different definition of what is successful, you have to know your program, know the expectations, rules and policies.
Personally I have been exposed to both sides of the academic preference coin and my bimodal personal relations certainly extend to university professors. Do people move along and sometimes miss something? Remember the outcomes of the rules, regulations, and policies defines how people have to treat you and what the maximum amount of trouble any one professor can mange to inflict on a poor unsuspecting student. Students cannot purely depend on advisors to provide direction, not all people are able to follow or remember all of the policies. Building relationships is important in any department to make sure you are able to work with faculty. Professors seem to want to remind students that as human beings faculty have all kinds of approaches to working with students, and they say that it is the student’s responsibility to understand the faculty they are working with on getting into school, and trying to succeed in school.
When you get to the dissertation you have to be specializing in something or you might have problems making a unique contribution to the field of public administration. Is the area where you can make a unique contribution the area you want to claim to be an expert in during your academic career? Academics know who the experts are in the field and want to know that you are working with the right people during the process. Sometimes politics are involved in departments; some say 100% of the time. Interpersonal dynamics matter in program success, and personal differences need to be avoided. Since you get the choice of who to pick for a committee, you are responsible to be aware of externalities. Getting into education with the idea that it is a rational place is misguided and based on a flawed assumption.
Somebody said, “Narrow to a finite point?” I am still trying to figure out why and how this expression applied to anything being discussed. Picking a doctoral program and applying to a program requires that you have to know how your specific interests fit into the field of public administration. Matching your interests to programs is actually more difficult than you would expect, because some organizations do not have an idea of what they want to specialize in therefore your ability to do what you want is going to be larger. Getting into programs requires that you know the admissions requirements and making sure that you can actually meet the requirements. Remember that after the admissions dates are over you have to check to see if your materials have been accepted, letters of recommendation are very important double check they have been received. Look for letters that talk about academic interests and the ability to understand and learn the research skills necessary to become an academic. Professors argue that the judgment of students who have important politicians write letters is going to turn out to be a negative factor and a question of the candidate’s judgments. Schools have different admission dates and are given offers and contingent systems. Applying for teaching position and research position, if you want to teach or research? Most programs are a hybrid system that prepares you for both teaching and research. Looking at the mission statement of the program and what the alumni are doing well tell you about what the program actually stands for in the world.

Right now I am attending my second academic residency for Walden University at the American Society for Public Administration national conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Walden University has decided that Saturday will be the day tat all of the students have to bring in articles from the Public Administration Review and as a group work on the process of idea identification and association. Answering questions about what exactly is research in practice, what does it mean, and who does this research is not easy. Everything that happens at any residency is tempered by the fact that Walden University works toward actualizing the mission of promoting positive social change.
What do you do as you continue doctoral study? Do you have a mandate to do research? How do you take research to the next level? Learning how to take an idea and develop a research strategy and then integrating a balanced approach to making use of the entire life cycle of the research and making it useful. Higher education programs that are online have to focus on the question where do you actually do the work. If you do not know where to work, then how do you plan and manage how it all happens. Any student that is able to complete online coursework for an extended period of time is not only highly motivated, but is clearly not a quitter. In the end success comes down to those who want to make a difference and those who do not understand why people care and why they want to make a difference. Remember that no matter how hard you work toward the goal of making a difference in the world you have to keep a certain degree of balance between personal and academic happiness along the way. Walden University has decided to focus on the challenge of blending practical knowledge balanced with academic knowledge in an academic setting.
Group introductions are a standard part of any event that features an entire room full of Walden University affiliates. Everybody always seems to want to know the answers to the questions: who you are, where you are from, what is your program of study, and what aspirations do you have for that program. Today was a little different than the standard cookie cutter introductions everyone in the room was asked to identify a personal shero/hero. Walden University is aware of the unique challenges facing online students and always makes the extra effort to have academic advisors around to provide one on one advising and assistance. Academic advisors sometimes end up providing coaching and counseling throughout learning about how to use the Walden University program to find success.
Dean of the diverse management school at Walden University came to the meeting to kick off the Walden University residency. I learned about where the school of management is and where the school of management is going in the future. Wide and expansive programs that deal with various issues and no central focus defines the Walden University management school. I was reminded about the problems associated with dealing with political science departments who do not believe the field of public administration is an authentic academic disciple or even a profession for that matter. Dealing with this issue of distance learning in the mid nineties was challenging until the advent of the internet allowing online learning.
The opportunities of interdisciplinary learning and the incorporation of theory into practice are what brining the scholar-practitioner are essential to moving higher education forward. Walden University is trying to do in the school now to support encourage and motivate students to be practitioners. Ultimately you contribute through your practice and you generate knowledge through having the ability to articulate practice based knowledge. Positive social change can be achieved by creating a wealth of information that is accessible and meaningful.
What is progress, how do you break ground on academics and progress in the system of academic knowledge dissemination. Student goals are incorporated in the format of the conference and how the program will be built. How do you go about preparing for a conference and what do you need to do in preparation. Understanding the dynamics of online learning and hybrid online learning is about the problem of not having face to face interaction. Trying to realize the power of change where people do not realize they need change, do not know the process of change, people do not question things is about more than understanding and identifying problems.
The program is what you make of it including the education and knowledge that is an essential part of the puzzle of making change. I learned that an expert is a person who travels more than fifty miles and had a briefcase. People from time to time tend to ask the question, “What are the top five issues that we have to face in the future of public administration.” If you know the answer to that question, then you know how to see opportunity in research. You have to begin to think about what are the skills that public administrators are going to need in the next twenty to thirty years.
New students are always dealing the challenge of trying to publish the first time by yourself, and dealing with trying to publish with somebody else. Take a step back and think about how we ended up here today, and why it is important to challenge people to think differently about problem solving and problems. A speaker or writer has to know how to bring the audience in and how to keep bringing them back.

Higher education is an interesting and challenging environment regardless of the circumstances, but higher education and the quarter system are a particularly interesting example. Every two months the students, professors, subject, and assignments change. Learning a rapid pace is ideal for students who want to be exposed to a large amount of information, but retaining information can be challenging. Recently I gave up taking preventative migraine medication in favor of a drug holiday. Currently I have decided that was a bad idea. The constant dull headache that swings in and out of my focus through waves of sharp and often disorienting pain is a very real reminder of why I started taking the preventative migraine medication. If you have never had to suffer the inconvenience of a migraine, then you should count yourself luck and hope that you never understand the experience. Trying to read or write code while dealing with a migraine is challenging to say the least. Reading doctoral level material is nearly impossible. When academics write explicitly for other academics they tend to not only demand the attention of the reader, but also that the reader has a certain level of previously gathered knowledge.

Right now I am sitting back and trying to relax since Walden University classes do not start again until March 5, 2005. Delta Airlines confiscated my briefcase as I was trying to leave the Salt Lake City Airport. Delta Airlines promised that if the briefcase was checked just five feet outside the airplane as I was attempting to board that they would manage to put it on the flight correctly.

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Think about this in context, but I have been trying to remember this phrase, “If I know that a proactive writer will be compelling, assertive, and authoritative, then when what I write must be compelling, be assertive, and be authoritative.” This might seem like an oversimplification, and it is incredibility concise and effective set of oversimplifications that can help any writer remember the importance that writing with a personal voice has on how engaging any piece of prose will end up being. The rest of this extended set of notes will cover all of the previous notes on the subject and then expand on my previously enumerated thoughts and observations on the subjects of higher education, Walden University, and the value of academic Residencies.

What I have learned is that in the world of education provided by Walden University knowledge receives definition in terms of theory, research, and application. This framework allows the University to treat inquiry as a process that moves toward social change and allows the possibility of initiating transformations that influence society in general. After hearing this message presented repeatedly, it becomes clear that Walden University focuses on providing exceptional educational experiences.

By focusing on providing opportunities for reflective practice, individualized program planning, and the convenience of online distance learning. Walden University is attempting to create an environment that allows an online community to gather as a community of place if only temporarily to build networks, organizational relationships, and individual friendships. If an individual can achieve reflective scholarship and applied scholarship at the same time, then learning is possible.

With effective engagement and a diverse faculty on a national and global level, it is possible for Walden University to work with an international network of universities, a diverse faculty, and student body, and at the same time developing lasting partnerships with global partners. The impact of society through this type of learning and application attempts to increase the number of people studying leadership and organizational change, future and current knowledge management, and information systems.

Walden University provides a clear roadmap that moves from orientation to coursework fulfilled by a foundational research sequence, Knowledge Area Modules, and the compellation of a dissertation. I learned this information by attending a series of colloquia or academic gathering of a school and special topic lectures that are essentially specialized scheduled sessions for information dissemination.
Now that my notes from yesterday have been expanded into full notes with some small amount of annotation, I can talk about what I am doing today I am attending the proceedings of the International Conference on Applied Management Decision Sciences hosted by Walden University. The conference started with an introduction to the idea of scholarship being part discovery, teaching, integration, and application. A homework assignment to all of the students, asked each student to attempt to understand what category of scholarship the student’s current research falls under and what categories deserve consideration in the future. I still do not exactly know how to respond to the question, ‘What is the category of your own research?’

Walden University is interested in addressing general questions about what conflict currently exists in higher education and academics in general. Should academics continue to focus on developing community-based research or revert to exclusively basic foundational knowledge research? Can academics continue gathering and understanding practical knowledge while continuing to test and accumulate new theoretical knowledge? Do greater potential benefits exist from civic education that includes a broad understanding the nature of professional education, than simply studying one or the other? Can academics pursue both providing a service to the community and a service to the discipline at the same time? Should encouraging civic engagement be considered at the core of academia or are the critics correct and civic engagement is simply a distraction?

The most important thing I took away from the entire Winter Residency in Athens, Georgia, at the University of Georgia continuing education center is the value and importance of knowing and defining a problem statement when writing. I learned from faculty and friends that the problem statement might be 80% of the dissertation process and half of any other paper that you might write at the doctoral level. I heard it said that the problem statement is like, ‘Putting the train on the right track, and only having to worry about being derailed.’ Most students that can find a problem that is worth studying and they care about will be able to complete a compelling, assertive, and authoritative dissertation. The first thing you have to do as a writer or abstract thinker is put on your problem solving hat and write down what exactly you think the problem really is and then take that idea and expand it into a complete problem statement. I have learned through countless false starts and drafts that you do not have to be perfect the first time you write a problem statement that is where faculty and friends come into the picture, do not be afraid to bounce ideas off other people, but remember you have to develop the idea yourself, make sure that what you are writing is your own work, and make sure you know what you are talking about when you are writing. You owe it to yourself to put in the effort to truly be able to write with a compelling, assertive, and authoritative voice that will be heard and understood by others.

What I learned at a seminar by Dr. Raghu Korrapati during the Winter Residency in Athens, Georgia, at the University of Georgia continuing education center on problem statements was worth writing down, but requires a small amount of explanation to be truly meaningful. What if when you were doing your literature review you read at least 10 dissertations and thirty articles on the subject you wanted to study and then you were able to articulate the ideas and opinions of that many other authors? I think Dr. Raghu Korrapati makes an excellent point about remembering to take the time to read the work of others who have come before you and truly understand the current academic literature before you attempt to contribute another dissertation to the stack of dissertations that the next inquiring mind will read in preparation for writing a dissertation. Learning to embrace a process of actively working on topic revision incorporating theory, practice, and current application into both your writing and your work is part of embracing learning and the fundamental ethic involved in the pursuit of knowledge.

Part of trying to minimizing potential frustration in any area of study is using the research base you are drawing from and being able to integrate theory, practice, and current application, because you could spend a lifetime simply responding to the line by line argumentation of those who have previously written on the topic. Remember to ask people about the informal things that we all do when searching the literature, but we do not talk about. Every article that has been peer reviewed and sent to publication in a journal will have a conclusions section and a future research section and those two sections in combination can help any reader begin to understand the current and future literature on any topic. If you know what current researchers thing, and what the current researchers intend to research in the future then you can begin to define the areas where you might want to add to the collective knowledge of the field or maybe even challenge part of the collective knowledge of the field!

As a researcher you have to be willing to go to the library and figure out what are the topical journals on the subject and how can you get a stack of the last three years of them even if you just intend to read the table of contents of each one to figure out what trends are emerging in the field and what subjects have been discussed in recently published articles. By identifying keywords and determining the research base students can fulfill the expectations for learning at a doctoral level while engaging in responsible problem solving. Remember what Dr. Raghu Korrapati says, ‘Research is not gathering, moving, or transferring information!’ Writing at a doctoral level is not about journalistic writing or reporting the story it is about critical thought, a deeper level of analysis, and taking the time to truly question the material. Anyway, the moral of the story is remember not to merely transfer facts, but to add value by being compelling, assertive, and authoritative.

As Stephen Covey always says, ‘Begin with the end in mind!’ Remember that a dissertation involves five parts 1) introduction 2) literature review 3) methodology 4) results 5) conclusions and further research, therefore with that in mind you can begin to develop a strategy toward moving toward the end and looking at your finished dissertation. One a side note, I also learned that during the dissertation writing process learning how to listen and incorporate committee feedback is important, but in context you also have to remember that everything you send out to a committee should meet the expectations of yourself and your committee chair, because your interaction with the committee reflects and builds the reputation of the chair of your committee. Publishing is about the outside world and answering questions like do the problems matter, can the problems be solved, but at some level a dissertation is somewhat internal and is a reflection of the committee as apposed to a more general perspective that is offered in a journal article, because a dissertation should be more developed, in depth, and certainly compelling, assertive, and authoritative after all it is heaver document.
What is the difference between believing in distance education and recommending distance education? What exactly is scholarly integration? How do you integrate scholarship into your work? Look at the problem in terms of broad conceptual terms; focus on the level of multidisciplinary approaches. Application of scholarship and discovery of problems are constantly cyclical. Application is essential to responsive scholarship that resolves real world problems. What does significance really mean to academics? Significance really asks the question who cares about the research and who benefits from the research. Can you stand on the shoulders of others and understand how to use the conclusions and further research sections of currently published papers. Sometimes understanding the problem statement is the most complex part of writing a paper, because the foundational research already exists, but the expansion of that research requires responsible scholarship. Every scholar has to remember and recognize that nobody owns any one idea or area of research and that answers only develop from distributed scholarship.

Draft Explanation: Elevator Pitch vs. Problem Statement

‘If I know that a proactive writer will be compelling, assertive, and authoritative, then when what I write must be compelling, be assertive, and be authoritative.’

Delivering an effective elevator pitch or writing an effective problem statement is really not a dichotomous relationship of mutually exclusive or counter-factual claims; they are both about presenting a case and selling the decision-maker or the reader on why your arguments are better than anybody else. The idea of an elevator pitch is simple imagine that you are presented with the opportunity to catch the ultimate decision maker that could resolve your problem on an elevator, but you only have about thirty or forty seconds to make your case or your once captive audience will simply get off the elevator and your our opportunity will disappear. Here are the conditions that are important to remember about making an elevator pitch the person who is hopefully listening to your arguments has no previous knowledge of the topic, no frame of reference to draw from, and has no common or shared experiences that you can draw from to make your case. Did I forget the most important condition the decision maker might at anytime tell you to stop talking?

How can you use this information to your advantage while writing a problem statement? The best answer is of course the simple answer and that is to start to use the elevator pitch model to conceptualize what you would say to a decision maker including what you are doing, why what you are doing matters, and why you are the best possible person for the decision maker to listen to about taking action to resolve the problem. Making the case in quickly and efficiently is about adopting the following phrase as a mantra, ‘If I know that a proactive writer will be compelling, assertive, and authoritative, then when what I write must be compelling, be assertive, and be authoritative.’ While making an elevator pitch or simply discussing your potential problem statement with strangers, family members, or even trusted friends you have to be compelling to keep the listeners attention, be assertive to get across your point without overwhelming the listener with background information, and be authoritative so that the listen believes the compelling and assertive case you are making.

Writing a problem statement is not about telling a situational story about what exactly an elevator pitch really consists of or setting the stage for how to talk to a decision maker. The fact of the matter is that writing a problem statement is about being able to articulate what you want to do while being compelling, assertive, and authoritative.

Something about driving from Kansas City to Denver, or from Denver to Kansas City for that creates the exact conditions for instantaneous cabin fever. Through extensive empirical research on the subject I have determined that exposure to this phenomenon actually reduces your natural resistance to boredom. Fearing that the irrational exuberance of my optimistic nature would not be able to keep my spirits high while participating in such a long journey, I tried to focus on the positive. After about five minutes, I was done exhausting every potential positive influence, and had calculated every possible associated positive relationship.
Of course, at this point my thoughts turned to the nature of higher education, specifically what it means to engage in positive discourse to expand your frame of reference through listening to all of the potential perspectives available in the market of ideas. My thoughts landed somewhere in the middle of an analogy describing learning along the path of knowledge and how a professor is supposed to protect the path and provide guidance to facilitate learning during the educational journey. This imagery quickly turned into a mixture of rationalizations regarding public choice theory and the loss of collective knowledge being the greatest tragedy of the commons. At some point, I turned to history, and the origins of the Socratic Method.

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I was recently asked,

Over time, I have become used to being a dissenting conservative thinker in a world dominated by liberal influenced frameworks. Providing one potential explanation for my tendency to step beyond current argumentation and endeavor to analyze issues from a futurist perspective. I hold the belief that free and open exchange of information is an essential part of a progressive society. In the future, I hope that government will fully realize the possibility of being able to participate in the free and open exchange of information while connecting people within the community in a positive way that helps strengthen the social fabric of the community while allowing the development of a stronger civil society.

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I have been reading articles about David Horowitz who said, “Right now, conservative students are discouraged from pursuing scholarly careers, because they see very clearly that their professors consider Republicans to be the enemy.” Well, this dissenting conservative is not surprised that in the warm and fuzzy protection of the ivory tower liberals have been cooking the books and well cooking what the historical record in libraries of our Universities will look like. I have been complaining about this problem in higher education for years, and wrote down my views in the essay,

Recently my somewhat valuable free time has been devoted to reading particle physics and magnetic field theory. I learned some important lessons about science related materials, including observing that pesky water in the ear feeling without going swimming. On a serious note, scientists and engineers need to take some research methodology courses to help develop a standard for scientific writing. Without proper annotation, sourcing, and historical references it is nearly impossible to read scientific writing if you do not have several years of college education.

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Enough writing depressing banter about the mundane existence of daily life, it is time to write about potential, hope, and the future. After all, finding direction is probably the best direction you can have. They say learning, takes time, and some people are still asking who

Any university that uses the quarter system is going to be able to deliver content faster and more efficient, which is different from the current system requiring professors to cover one major topic for sixteen weeks. No formal information exchange network exists between academics and because of this lack of formality, every professor teaches a slightly different set of material, and on occasion teaches a radically different set of material. This has one major advantage and several problems, without a formal required set of teaching material in higher education every classroom is truly a part of a free market system testing validity and challenging the material. Under the current system, academics probably need to recognize that they should probably put together a list of the best material instead of allowing professors to draw on any publication.

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I am working on finishing my homework, so that I can work on some of my theories on how to save the world. Sometimes I find it ironic that I have to work extra hard to have time to work on things that focus on issues larger than the scope of homework assignments.

I am a PhD student at Walden University, studying Public Policy and Administration focusing on the E-Government option, and homeland security emergency response management. My dissertation title is, “Public Technology Administration: Social equity theory and the automation of Government.” After a small pause in the conversation, inevitably the question is some iteration of, “Where did you get your MPA?” Somewhat defeated and othewise annoyed, I answer that my Master’s in Public Administration degree is from the University of Kansas, and title of my thesis was, “The Future of Community Labor Markets: A labor market test of the suburban exploitation thesis/hypothesis.”

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I walked into Wescoe Hall (Formally Wescoe Parking Garage) at the University of Kansas, around eight in the morning. To make sure that I accurately describe my feelings about the LSAT (Law School Admissions Test) two separate reflective essays will be necessary. The current essay you are reading is my initial reaction to the LSAT and my observations about the test itself, more about the process of examination, than an analysis of the merits of the test. Your skills of observation have probably allowed you to infer that the next essay will be a reflective analysis of the merits of the LSAT. Walking into the test, I was a little concerned about the fingerprint requirement. After taking five separate sections of multiple-choice test, I looked down at all the little penciled in bubbles. It is hard to feel like you accomplished something when you spent your day making hundreds of little circles on one sheet of paper.

I had a very busy Sunday and ran all over the state of Colorado. These last couple of days I have been tired and hopefully I am nearing the home stretch of this whole blood infection debacle. The last time I was seriously ill was when I had mononucleosis in middle school. I actually ended up having to test out of eight grade for the most part. Over the course of the last month, I have felt tired, cranky, and lost a little bit of motivation.
Homework has been the major focus of my writing during the last month and I hope that maybe tomorrow during my eight-hour ride back to Kansas City I will be able to write some good old-fashioned free stream of thought Nels prose. Maybe the day of driving across the countryside is what I need to relax and enjoy these days without feeling excessively tired. I am getting mentally prepared for the LSAT this Saturday. This should be a major test of my abilities to focus and stay on topic for the daylong test of reasoning.

Today was a day of homework and reading. I forgot what it was like to spend the entire day reading and then realize that you still have to finish your homework by writing a paper. So much of my time has been spent reading and writing about e-Government and public administration in general. I am glad that I enjoy these subjects, but I cannot wait until I get to work on more focused contributions to the subject.
I am still working on Voices of Conservative Dissent and have the rough draft completed. It takes a serious amount of energy to turn late night ramblings into eloquent prose, or at least as close to a clear and concise articulation of the idea, I am trying to present. Right now, I am going through the endnotes and making sure, I move everything out of the body of the paper that does not actually contribute to the argument itself. I hope that later tonight I will have it cleaned up enough to post a rough draft. However, you might have to wait until tomorrow to read the next great installment of the thoughts of Nels.

I have made an administrative decision today. From now on, all postings that have to do with theory or public administration will receive an introduction. Then you will have to expand the story if you want to keep reading. I broke down and went to Stake and Shake today. Not the one in Lawrence, but the one that is off Shawnee Mission Parkway that is closer to Kansas City.
People keep asking how I am still living in Kansas City while I am working on my PhD at Walden University. The answer is actually very simple. Walden University only requires my presence at the University of Indian, Bloomington Campus during the summers. Otherwise, I log into blackboard and communicate with professors, students, and online support staff.
One of my friends game me the third degree earlier and I am going to share with you that conversation. Therefore, you can thank A. Johnson for asking all the questions you wanted to ask, but figured I might start a long-winded explanation.

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I know that it is never going to end. That first day of class routine marks the beginning of a new semester or in my case quarter. You know what I am talking about you get your syllabus and then in the smaller classes you play the name game, you share an interesting fact about yourself, or you introduce your neighbor to the class. I just finished my first written first day of class routine introduction. I was so smitten with joy that I am going to share it with you.
My name is Nels Lindahl and I am currently twenty-four years old. I just finished my Master

Well I have just finished my online learning preparation course. I have been reading articles about online learning for several days now. I swear making long-term plans is difficult. I have to learn an entirely different Doctor of Philosophy Program of study. Of course, I will figure out everything I need to know about the Walden University PhD in Public Policy and Administration program focusing on the E-Government option.
I am trying not to complain I promise! (Even after, I realized that I have no Fax machine. I went to my Uncles construction company to Fax something! Who knew that higher education would involve shuffling so much paperwork in so many ways?) I am so excited to be moving forward that I simply want to jump for joy! It looks like I will be able to take some classes about public administration and dealing with terrorism. This is exactly my kind of program. I was looking for a place where I could study contemporary issues like terrorism and e-government. In the future managers will have to deal with technology. Management programs should teach technology management. Programs that do not properly train future managers in the reality of e-government are damaging progress.
Well I think I am taking steps in the right direction. Progress is important. Progress for the sake of progress is dangerous. I hope that my current progression toward a PhD is in my best interest. Right now, I am happy. That is what counts.

I am now a PhD student at Walden University is the PhD in Public Policy and Administration focusing on the E-Government option. The wait has been long, and hopefully this will be a good experience. I guess that means that one day I will be having a graduating party again!

My intended area of study at Walden University is the Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration focusing on the E-Government option. This area of study provides me with the greatest potential to learn about E-Government in the context of Public Policy and Administration. This is a combination of exactly what I want to study and enjoy reading and learning about at the University level. This essay will attempt to explain how my academic preparation, professional experience, educational capacity, and long-terms gorals will facilitate my education at Walden University.

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Dear Professor:
The last couple of years have been a very different experience for me. In case you did not know, I now have a Master

Due to the complete and utter failure of Educational Plan A, we are not moving to the new and improved Educational Plan B. If you have, any comments or suggestions please feel free to suggest a course of action. The educational division is currently working on an Educational Plan C, which may or may not be available depending on the weather in the lower hemisphere. The following is a list of educational options, concluded by, of course taking the LSAT, which will involve an entirely different set of schools.

1. Walden University [Rolling Admission] Ph.D. in Public Policy and
   Administration with an focus on e-Government.

Tomorrow is the big day for driving out to Colorado. I will be gone for a while, and then I will return to Kansas City for a couple of weddings. One of the strangest strings of events happened to me today. On my way up to Lawrence, I was listening to Rush Limbaugh who was talking about the University of Kansas and John Kerry

Some people go an entire lifetime without experiencing a truly defining moment. Today I finally got word from the last PhD school that I sent an application. The word was not good. It appears that I am not an acceptable candidate for graduate school at this time. Today is a new day, a day of hope, a day of promise for the future. Well maybe today is a just a day, but probably it is a day at a crossroads.
Now is the time to make a decision. Where will I be going in life? What should I spend my life doing? How did I go manage to fail at applying to PhD schools? Will I ever figure out what I am supposed to be doing? These are all questions and for the most part, they are the wrong questions

When I lived in Lawrence, Kansas, my windows had several sheets and a giant University of Kansas blanket covering them. Right now when I wake up two windows are letting me enjoy the sunrise for the first time in years. For those of you who know me this seem very out of character I am not a big fan of morning, afternoon, or even the day for that matter. This morning however, I got out of bed to go visit the campus of the University of Kansas. I found out that I get my diploma for my Master?s in Public Administration in the middle of July. The real reason that I made the trip up to campus was to meet with my advisor. I can honestly say that my advisor is an individual, who has taken the time, to show me nothing but kindness. While I did not learn anything significantly new, like where I am going, or where I will be, in the next few months. I think I know have a general sense of direction.

I woke up today; trying to remember when I had gone to sleep last night. I was working on several things last night including making picture collogues and disks. Wednesday is the last day of class for the University of Kansas Master of Public Administration Intern Program. I am not sure if I am sad about leaving a great class or glad that I am done with this year of school. I am sitting in the Lawrence City Hall Commissioners Meeting room right now listening to a presentation on storm water management.
I woke up extra early to return a phone call from Penn State?s Department of Pubic Administration where I applied to the PhD program. As it turns out I was missing a letter or recommendation so my file has been sitting in the graduate office for about three months. I guess somehow my email did not get entered into the Penn State system correctly. For some reason I am always experiencing some from of strangeness when it comes to major evens in my life. I am really lucky that Penn State has a very late application deadline of sometime in June. After several phone calls I was able to get a letter of recommendation faxed to them.
Now the waiting process continues as normal. I hope that sometime soon I will be able to find out where I will be next year. Being in limbo for the better part of a year is not very much fun and takes a serious toll on the amount of energy and hope I have. Today should be a fun last class in Budgeting and Policy analysis since after class we are all going to go out to eat and I will pass out the picture frame collogues. This should be fun and will provide an opportunity for me to sell the graduation party that is occurring on Saturday. This week is going by so fast: 1) Tuesday with Metallica and Godsmack, 2) Wednesday is the last day of class, 3) Thursday with Royals Dollar Night, and finally, 4) Saturday is my Graduation Fiesta.