University of La Verne’s Dr. Jack Meek Named Vice President of NASPAA

When professor of public administration Dr. Jack Meek is not in the classroom teaching students to become leaders in public service, he is working to make the same impact on an international level.

The Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) – a 300-member global organization that sets standards in education and training in public service – elected Meek as the vice president of its executive council in October.

“This is quite an honor to be elected to such a significant educational institution that has a global reach. I feel this is an important note of recognition for the University of La Verne,” Meek said.

Meek previously served as chair of NASPAA’s standards committee, which oversees accreditation standards.

The organization includes nearly 200 accredited graduate programs at 177 schools, including those in China, Egypt, and Korea.

The University of La Verne’s Master of Public Administration (MPA) program became accredited with NASPAA in 2000, becoming the first nationally-accredited program at the university.

Meek says he and other administrators with the group have been focused on several trends, including broadening accreditation of public service programs to include nonprofit management, law, emergency management, and other specializations. They are also looking at accrediting more international programs.

“Programs are becoming increasingly international in scope and implementation,” Meek said. “At the University of La Verne, between five to eight percent of our MPA students are from international locations including Japan, China, and Taiwan.”

The national election has also captured the organization’s attention.

“How national policies influence the direction of educational support is always of major interest to membership,” he said.

Meek co-managed accreditation workshops at the organization’s last two national conferences in New York and Columbus. He and Associate Professor of Public Administration Dr. Marcia Godwin co-authored several academic journal articles on the university’s MPA program.

And Professor of Public Administration Dr. Suzanne Beaumaster, director of the Doctor of Public Administration program and chair of the Doctoral Committee for NASPAA, is working with other directors to share and develop new strategies for dissertation research designs and online education.