Videoconference, panel discussions will serve to introduce students to the opportunities that exist in public service

Videoconference, panel discussions will serve to introduce students to the opportunities that exist in public service

March 17, 2001

Kelly Homan Rodoskikahoman@syr.edu

The Maxwell School of Citizenship will be the site of “Making a Difference: Opportunities in Public Service,” March 23 on the SU campus, sponsored by the Career Services Network. “The goal is to let undergraduates know what opportunities exist in the public sector,” says Alexandra Bennett, associate director of The Maxwell School’s Career and Alumni Services Office. “Our hope is that the panelists can let students know how they got started and what keeps them in it, and to give them a sense of what they need to do to get that job.” The event will begin at 2 p.m. with a videoconference in the Global Collaboratory, Room 060 of Eggers Hall, connecting participants with a panel of alumni who work in the field of public service in Washington, D.C. Panelists include Christina Higdon ’99, a consultant at Arthur Andersen; Wyatt Hundrup G’00, policy analyst at the Society of American Foresters; and Dan Koslofsky ’99, policy analyst at the Council for a Livable World. Brady Howell, presidential management intern at the U.S. Department of Naval Operations, and Craig Watters, special assistant to the dean and director of development in the School of Information Studies, will be the moderators. Following the videoconference, the event will continue with four simultaneous panel discussions from 3:30 to 4:15 p.m. ? A discussion on public law and criminal justice will take place in Room 209 of Eggers Hall, moderated by William Banks, professor in the College of Law. Panelists are Paul F. Kelly, a postdoctoral fellow in the College of Law; Diane Leshinski, a detective with the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Department; Joanne Michaels, senior assistant district attorney with the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office; Richard Southwick, assistant U.S.attorney with the U.S. Attorney’s Office; and John McCullough, executive director of New Justice Conflict Resolution Services Inc. ? A discussion on the environment will be held in Room 225 of Eggers Hall, moderated by David Popp, assistant professor of public administration in The Maxwell School. Panelists include Alisa Hilfinger, a graduate student in environmental policy in The Maxwell School; Gary MacLachlan, director of the New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; and Andrew Radin, landfill director with the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency.

? A discussion on international public service will be held in Room 155 of Eggers Hall, moderated by Goodwin Cooke, professor of international affairs in The Maxwell School and former U.S. ambassador to the Central African Republic. Panelists include Melvyn Levitsky, professor of public administration and international relations in The Maxwell School and former U.S. ambassador to Brazil and Bulgaria; Chris Mendel, campus Peace Corps representative at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry; Patricia M. Patche of New Justice Conflict Resolution Services; and Susan Reilly, international projects director for Welch-Allyn Inc. ? A discussion on health and human services will be held in Room 112 of Eggers Hall. Panelists include the Rev. Dennis Hayes, director of human services with the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Department; Diane Masten, director of the United Way’s “Success by Six” program; Peggy Miller, director of placement for SU’s School of Social Work; and Randall Wolken, executive field director of the Samaritan Center. A reception will be held at 4:15 p.m. in the Public Events Room, Room 220 of Eggers Hall. The event is a collaboration of seven departments working within the career services network to meet the career needs of undergraduate students. For more information about the event, contact the Center for Career Services at 443-3616.