August 1979
THE RECORD
No. 63
LYNDON B. JOHNSON
SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
EDITOR: Marilyn Duncan
Eighth Graduating Class Recognized At May Commencement
Commencement ceremonies for the eighth graduating class of the LBJ School of Public Affairs were held May 19 in the B. Iden Payne Theatre of the UT Drama Building.
The commencement address was given by former Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, holder of the Lyndon B. Johnson Public Service Professorship at the LBJ School.
Professor Jordan urged the graduates to "continue to reduce the number of cynics by one," noting that "cynicism has become a staple in the emotional diet" of public servants.
She expressed hope that "high ideals and the wherewithal to implement them" will be reintroduced within the public sector, adding that there is no position in government "where a wandwaver's needs can be met."
"In my opinion," Professor Jordan stated, "the only modus operandi which is productive—and sometimes only partially so—is of the slog-it-out, chip-away variety, and to do that requires not only preparation but also patience, diligence, and flexibility.
"It also requires peripheral and long-distance vision. By the latter I mean the perspective, the vision which encompasses not only what comprises the immediate landscape but also the composition of the fabric which comprises the political ethos of our country. Certainly the predominant thread in the fabric is the common good, the public welfare," she said.
Professor Jordan, who has taught at the LBJ School since January, said that in the school she had seen idealism "which I have not witnessed in nearly two decades." She said she had found the students to be bright and hard working, and ones whose "concerns extend beyond their own beings."
Three students with all-A averages each received a $500 Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation Award for Academic Excellence, presented by Frank C. Erwin, Jr., Chairman of the Board, LBJ Foundation. They are Daniel P. Reingold, Donald D. Saylor, and Joellen Snow. Ms. Snow participated in the joint degree program of the LBJ School and the Law School, and received her J.D. in December.
The $100 Emmette S. Redford Award for Outstanding Research went to Gary C. Flynn for his IRP entitled "Reorganization as Policy: The Temptation of a FHWA-UMTA Merger." Honorable mention for the Redford Award went to Daniel Reingold and to Ginger Rae Sampson.
The class gift, a framed display of posters from School-sponsored conferences, was presented to the School by graduates Elise Mayfield and Bill Hagelman.
The graduating class also presented a gift to Linda Thompson, School Librarian, in recognition of her outstanding service to students. Mrs. Thompson vacated her position at the LBJ School at the end of May.
During the ceremonies the four Fulbright-LBJ Visiting Fellows for 1978–79 received certificates of achievement for work completed through the fellowship program during the academic year. The Fellows were Roberto A. Alues of Brasilia, Brazil; Rene A. Arreaza of Caracas, Venezuela; Luis M. Miranda of Lima, Peru; and Roberto P. Ordonez of Quito, Equador. Four participants in the joint degrees program between the LBJ School and the UT Law School were recognized for having completed the requirements of both the M.P.A. degree and the J.D. degree. They were Leon J. Parrish, Geofrey L. Master, Manuel Rios, and Joellen Snow.
Also recognized was Scott Mann, graduating participant in the School's mid-career program.
A list of 1979 graduates, including August candidates, appears on page 5.
Conference on Mid-Career Options Held Here
In conjunction with its effort to expand the curriculum to meet the educational needs of public sector mid-career professionals, the LBJ School held a planning conference July 18 on mid-career options in public affairs.
Attending the conference were administrators from public agencies in Texas, who were invited to the all-day event to learn about the LBJ School's curriculum and share ideas about program development.
Keynote speaker was Samuel Phillips, Acting Assistant Director of Executive and Management Development. Mr. Phillips spoke in place of Alan K. Campbell, Director of OPM, who was unable to attend due to commitments in Washington.
In describing the management development programs for federal executive trainees, Mr. Phillips noted several problems addressed by the recent civil service reforms.
One is that broad management training is lacking among top government executives, most of whom have technical specializations in law, science, medicine, etc. and little or no administrative experience. His programs are aimed at helping these professionals make the transition from specialized to generalized skills application.
Other problems he noted were the need to relate completion of training programs to real rewards, which calls for the cooperation of employers/supervisors; the difficulties involved in demonstrating training results; the need to increase participation of minorities and women in training programs for management positions in government, where a pattern of discrimination now exists; and the necessity to condence programs so that job security is not threatened by employee participation and so that top-level personnel can become involved.
Mr. Phillips went on to say that all continuing education programs—including that offered by the LBJ School—must address these problems and be sufficiently flexible to accommodate the needs of mid-career professionals.
The balance of the morning session was devoted to a discussion of the School's course offerings in public management and relevant policy-issue concentrations.
Speaker for the conference luncheon, held in the LBJ Library, was Kenneth Ashworth, Commissioner of Higher Education for the Coordinating Board, Texas College and University Systems. His topic was "What is a Man to Do?"
An afternoon panel of public sector professionals discussed mid-career educational needs from the perspectives of their own agencies. Moderator for the session was Ann Haynes, Administrator for the Educational Resources Division of the Texas Department of Human Resources.
The
conference was coordinated by the Office of Interships and Placement, under the
direction of Wilda Campbell. The School's Office of Conferences and Training
assisted in the preparations for the event.
Orientation Activities to Begin August 27
Orientation for new LBJ School students is scheduled for August 27–30.
The schedule begins with orientation registration at 8:30 a.m. August 27 in the foyer of the East Campus Lecture Hall. The Dean's welcoming address will begin at 9:00 in the Lecture Hall.
In the course of the first day's activities, students will be introduced to LBJ School faculty and staff, hear summary presentations on Policy Research Projects to be conducted in the upcoming year, be briefed on UT registration procedures, and begin a series of examinations (described below). University-wide registration will begin Tuesday, August 28.
In preparation for a required new course to be offered this fall, entitled "Quantitative Skills for Policy Analysis, "all entering students will take the general mathematics exam of the College Entrance Examination Board. Those students with at least one college economics course will take a microeconomics exam; and those who have had a course in probability and statistics will take the statistics exam.
The information derived from the scores on these exams will allow the School to establish minimum scores for opting out of the Quantitative Skills course. The scores will not become part of the students' academic records.
The four-day orientation session ends with an all-School gathering at Scholz's Beer Garden at 5:00 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 30.
Classes for the fall semester begin September 4.
'ON THE RECORD'
On August 17–18, Professor Norton Grubb will deliver a paper and be a panel discussant at a conference at Stanford University on the historiography of schooling and work at Stanford University.
During the summer Dr. Grubb also participated in conferences in Denver, Colorado and Columbus, Ohio on setting research agendas for vocational education.
* * * *
On June 25–26, Professor Kenneth Tolo participated in a forum in Washington, D.C. sponsored by the Employee Benefit Research Institute on "Pension Plan Termination Insurance: Does the Foreign Experience Have Relevance for the United States?" Other participants included pension agency officials from the Federal Republic of Germany, Finland, Japan, Sweden, and the United States, as well as private pension community representatives in the United States.
Professor Tolo is editing the published proceedings, as well as writing one portion of it. Publication is scheduled for late summer.
* * * *
Professor David Warner gave a number of talks in May and June around the state. He spoke at the School of Public Health in Houston on Mexican American health care and his proposed project on the cost of chronic illness. In addition, he addressed a group from UT Arlington on state-level health programs in Texas, and spoke briefly on the economics of chronic illness to a conference on Gerontology sponsored by the UT Committee on Gerontology.
* * * *
The new Head Librarian in the LBJ School Library is Olive Forbes, who comes to the University from the Texas Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations. In her three years with the TACIR, Ms. Forbes served first as Librarian and then as a member of the research staff.
* * * *
At the UT Austin Commencement convocations in May, Dr. June Heyer, adjunct professor in the LBJ School, received the Carl Bredt Award for outstanding alumnus of the College of Education.
* * * *
Professor Robert Glover, acting director of the UT Center for the Study of Human Resources and participating LBJ School faculty member, spoke June 9 at the Thirty-Year Convention of the Independent Automotive Services Association.
Dr. Glover, who is chairman of the Federal Committee on Apprenticeships, spoke on the potential "value of apprenticeship programs in the car repair industry.
* * * *
Charles O. Cranford, 1972 LBJ School gradutate, has been named Assistant Vice President for Administration at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, a new position.
Until his appointment Mr. Cranford, who also has a degree in dentistry, was supervisor of federal health manpower programs for the public Health Service of HEW.
* * * *
Greg Roberson, 1977 LBJ School graduate who currently serves as Special Assistant to U.S. Senator Lloyd Benson [Bentsen], attended a meeting at the White House in May, at the invitation of Bill Bulloch, Special Assistant to the President.
The group met with President Carter, Vice-President Mondale, then-Secretary of HUD Patricia Harris, Hamilton Jordan, and Jack Watson, director of intergovernmental relations activities, to discuss black concerns.
Mr. Roberson later appeared on public television's Bottom Line with Judge Harriet Murphey to talk about the meeting.
* * * *
At the annual meeting of the National Association of State and Territorial Apprenticeship Directors (NASTAD) held in Niagara Falls, New York on May 20–24, several members of the 1978–79 LBJ School Apprenticeship Project gave presentations and answered questions on the PRP's two major studies: preparation for apprenticeship through CETA, and coordination of state and federal apprenticeship administration. Professor Kenneth Tolo, Project Director, was assisted by faculty participants Robert Glover and John Gronouski and by student participants Kathleen Kelly, Jan Hilton, Jennifer Pfiester, and Don Saylor.
Final reports of this PRP, to be issued as a two-volume set, currently are being prepared for publication.
* * * *
During the summer, former participants in the Mexican American Health Care in South Texas Policy Research Project have been presenting the project's findings in a series of symposia on Health Care for Mexican Americans on the Border sponsored by the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio.
Professor David Warner spoke in McAllen in May, Reymundo Rodriguez spoke in Del Rio in June, and both Lilas Kinch and Reymundo Rodriguez spoke in Laredo in late June.
The published report from the project will be released in August by the LBJ School Office of Publications.
* * * *
Professor David Eaton spent three weeks during July in Bogota and Cali, Colombia, on invitation of the Ministry of Public Health of Colombia and the Servicio Seccional de Salud of the state of Valle del Cauca to discuss implementation of results of his recent research on rural health delivery in Colombia.
* * * *
The Office of Public Sector Studies of the Institute of Latin American Studies of The University of Texas at Austin distributed in June their technical paper no. 20, titled "Analisis de Ubicacion: Una Guia Para Los Planificadores de Servicios de Salud," by David Eaton, Richard Church, and Charles ReVelle.
The monograph applies quantitative techniques to a problem of interest to public sector planning, that of proper access to health care facilities.
[news item]
Linda Thompson, whose association with the LBJ School Library extends back to 1971, vacated her position as Head Librarian at the end of May to pursue new career aims.
The following letter was received by the Dean's Office soon after Mrs. Thompson's departure:
"Dear Dean Rostow,
My years at the LBJ School have been very special ones, and it is difficult to describe my feelings now that they have ended. I would like for you, the faculty, staff, and students to know, however, that, as their Librarian, I daily experienced both joy and satisfaction in serving them and in making library resources available to all.
Our relationship, after a time, exceeded the strictly professional and touched my personal life more profoundly than most know. I feel that my time was well spent; the exchange was in my favor. I gained more than I gave, and I carry away more than I leave behind.
I am deeply appreciative of the kindnesses and gifts which were showered on me near the end of my stay. Both the gold bracelet from the faculty and staff and the Baccarat vase from the students are treasures which I shall always cherish. They reflect perfectly the real treasures, given over an eight-year time period, which are buried deep in my heart.
With love,
Linda Thompson
Heritage PRP Proposals Adopted By Legislature
The recommendations made in Preserving Texas' Natural Heritage, a PRP report published by the LBJ School in December 1978, were adopted by the 66th Texas Legislature this spring.
Senate Bill 1131 reorganizes the Texas Conservation Foundation and authorizes it to undertake some of the natural heritage preservation activities recommended in the report.
The Policy Research Project was conducted in 1977–78 under the directorship of Professor Keith Arnold. John Hamilton, now Director of the LBJ School Natural Areas Survey Project, was project manager.
Seventy Internships in Progress This Summer
Seventy LBJ School students are presently serving internships in agencies at every level of government in locations ranging from Texas and Washington, D.C. to Peru and Poland. This is the largest group of interns in the School's history.
The summer internships, a required component of the School's two-year MPA program and joint degrees programs, give students an opportunity to work full time in a government agency or a nongovernmental agency with public policy concerns.
The largest number of interns—thirty-four—are working in Washington, D.C. Twenty-seven are with agencies in Texas (twenty in Austin), three are in Colorado, one is in Arkansas, and five hold positions in foreign countries.
Over half the internships are with federal agencies, one-fourth are with state agencies, one-tenth are at the city or county levels, and one-tenth are with agencies such as councils of government and independent utilities.
The interns and their assignments are as follows:
Texas—
Mike Abkowitz, City of Austin, Building Inspection Department, Austin;
Richard Banks, Texas Department of Human Resources, Volunteer Services, Austin;
Robert Boyd, North Central Texas Council of Governments, Arlington;
Steve Carow, Texas Legislative Intern, Speaker's Office, Austin;
Nancy Donaldson, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Water Programs, Dallas;
Chris Eakle, Texas Utility Services, Inc., Dallas;
Al Eells, City of Austin, Austin Transit System, Austin;
Bernardo Flores, Governor's Office of Energy Resources, Austin;
Thomas Flynn, Houston Mass Transit, Houston;
Peter Greenberg, City of Dallas, Office of Management Services, Dallas;
Patrick Haar, Texas General Land Office, Austin;
John Hildreth, Texas Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, Austin;
Jack Hinman, Legislative Intern, Lt. Governor's Office, Austin;
Ann Jennings, Houston Lighting and Power Co., Houston;
Brian Johnson, Texas Public Administration Intern, Texas Attorney General's Office, Energy Division, Austin;
Alice Kuhn, U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration, Austin;
Mark Malnory, City of Austin, Planning Department, Austin;
Melanie Martin, Texas Education Agency, Austin;
Isabel Nart, School Tax Assessment Board, Austin;
Mike Nichols, Texas Legislative Intern, Lt. Governor's Office, Austin;
Jim Niewald, Texas Energy Advisory Commission, Austin;
Blake Pittman, Texas Public Administration Intern, Texas Department of Water Resources, Austin;
Bill Presson. Governor's Office of Energy Resources, Austin;
Edwina Rawlins. City of Austin, Department of Urban Transportation, Austin;
Henry Sepulveda, Texas General Land Office, Austin;
Florita Sheppard, Texas Department of Human Resources, Rural Medicaid Access Project, Austin;
Michael Temple, Houston Chamber of Commerce, Houston.
Washington, D.C.—
Carolyn Castore, U.S. General Accounting Office;
Marty Cole, U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Administration for Public Services;
John Craddock, Office of Senator John Tower;
Jonathan Cykman, U.S. General Accounting Office;
Mark David, U.S. Department of Labor, Labor Management Division;
Adriana DeKanter, U.S. AID;
Susan Dirks-Mason, U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA;
Rob Downes, U.S. AID, Latin American Division;
David Edmondson, U.S. AID, Auditor General's Office;
Will Godwin, Johnson Congressional Internship, Office of Technological Assessment;
Barbara Goldberg, U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Policy Plans and International Affairs;
Carmen Gonzales, Vice President's Task Force on Youth Employment;
Randy Gonzalez, U.S. AID, Auditor General's Office;
Jim Gradoville, U.S. AID, Office of Science Policy and Appropriate Technology;
James Harrison, U.S. Water Resources Council;
Kathleen Kelly, U.S. Office of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development;
Annette Lovoi, White House Task Force on Women;
Dana McDonald, U.S. Department of the Interior, Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service;
Thomas Masog, U.S. Department of Transportation, Highway Safety Administration;
Sue Nelson, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Planning and Management Division;
David Nix, U.S. AID, Office of Agriculture;
Renee Oshinski, U.S. General Accounting Office;
Steve Palmer, U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Programs, and Budget;
Michael Personett, U.S. Water Resources Council;
Jennifer Pfiester, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Community Planning and Development;
Rodney Rideau, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation;
Susan Rieff, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Planning and Management;
James Rock, Office of U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen;
Ed Sierra, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Wage and Labor Relations;
George Slover, U.S. Regulatory Council;
Austin Smythe, Alliance to Save Energy;
Ida Stewart, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training;
Janet West, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Energy, Minerals and Industry;
Mark Zion, Office of U.S. Congressman J. J. Pickle.
Other States—
Randy
Debenham, Arkansas Energy Conservation Policy Office,
Little Rock, Ark.;
John Ford, Aspen Institute, Aspen, Co.;
Ann Prather, U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration, Denver, Co.;
Margaret Smith, U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration, Denver, Co.
Other Countries—
Jonathan Ellis, U.S. AID, Honduras;
Gary Hamilton, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Vienna, Austria;
William Keitel, U.S. AID, Morocco;
Breck Plauche, Polish Groundwater Project, Poland;
Mary Young, U.S. AID, Peru.
ALUMNI FORUM
The Alumni Association Board is pleased to announce the results of the 1979–1980 Board elections. The following persons were chosen by the forty-three alumni who voted.
Malcolm MacDonald, President
Nancy Umbach, Vice President
Robert Campbell, Treasurer
Bill Stotesbery, Secretary
Dennis Deegear, Internship/Placement
Other alumni receiving write-in votes included: Brian Hamon, Phillip Blackerby, Tom Denton, Bobby Meadows, Laura Doll, Joe O'Neill, Flint Cowden and Roberta Bartow. The election deadline was extended to July 22, 1979 due to post office delays in processing bulk mail.
Many comments were offered by alumni regarding their expectations of their Alumni Association. The comments included:
• Continue the development and update of the Alumni Directory.
• Include in the "Alumni Forum" column of The Record alumni viewpoints on issues of concern to them professionally.
• Invite New York alumni and other alumni in the Northeast to receptions in Washington sponsored by the LBJ School.
• Initiate at least monthly informal after work get togethers with the alumni, faculty, and students.
• Develop local chapters of the Alumni Association in at least Houston, Dallas, and Washington, D.C.
• Continue to provide formal seminars through the Alumni Association Continuing Education Program.
The Alumni Association Board shall respond to these requests. And as always, you, as alumni, are welcomed at all times to provide additional comments, personal support, and financial support to your Alumni Association.
The Alumni Association would like to take this opportunity to welcome the new students to the LBJ School. We look forward to meeting you in the fall.
Friends of the LBJ School Honored At D.C. Reception
The LBJ School of Public Affairs hosted a reception July 24 in Washington, D.C. for friends of the School, alumni, and interns.
Attending the reception, which was held in the Brookings Institution auditorium, were the over fifty LBJ School alumni working in the D.C. area, the Presidential Management Interns, the thirty-four Washington-based student interns and the agency internship supervisors.
Other guests included U.S. Comptroller General Elmer Staats, Donna Shalala and Marshall Kaplan of HUD, Linda Robb, Peter House of the Department of Energy, and Joseph Duffey, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, among many others.
Also in attendance were several former LBJ School faculty and staff members including Henry David, Allan Mandel, Victor Bach, Gery Williams, and Hoyt Purvis.
In addition to Dean Elspeth Rostow and Internships and Placement Director Wilda Campbell, reception coordinator, the School's representatives at the event included Associate Dean John Gronouski, Professors Kenneth Tolo, Leigh Boske, and Sidney Wimtraub [Weintraub], and the School's newest faculty members, Susan Hadden and Robert Hines Wilson.
Tolo Receives UT Administration Appointment
Professor Kenneth W. Tolo of the LBJ School has been appointed Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs in the UT Austin administration, effective September 1.
The appointment was announced in late May by incoming UT President Peter Flawn.
Dr. Tolo, who joined the LBJ School faculty in 1972, served as the School's Associate Dean in 1975 and as Acting Dean in 1976.
In 1976–77 he was on leave from the University to fill a temporary assignment in the Office of the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce. For his outstanding contributions to the Commerce Department during that period, he was awarded the Secretary's Medal by Secretary Juanita Kreps. The medal is normally reserved for visiting foreign dignitaries of cabinet rank or above.
Dr. Tolo's teaching and research interests are in the areas of post-secondary education policy, vocational education and manpower policy, and state government operations.
Lyndon B. Johnson School Of Public Affairs Class of 1979
Jack Allan Adams; Bovina, Texas; The University of Texas at Austin
James Allen Arnold, Jr.; Garland, Texas; Texas A&M University
Leon J. Barish; Houston, Texas; Johns Hopkins University; J.D. degree School of Law, The University of Texas at Austin
Rhonda Lynnette Belt; Houston, Texas; Southern Methodist University
Sheree Lynn Belton; Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Roanoke College
Ira Lee Birnbaum; Rochester, New York; State University of New York at Albany
Henry N. (Chip) Burgin; McAllen, Texas; University of Houston
Gregg R. Cannady; Lamesa, Texas; Rice University
Jeffrey Scott Clark; Fort Worth, Texas; The University of Texas at Austin
Gary Clark Flynn; Worcester, Massachusetts; Swarthmore College
Carol DeAnn Friedholm; Waco, Texas; The University of Texas at Austin
Melissa Friedland; Larchmont, New York; The University of Texas at Austin
Howard Paul Friedman; St. Louis, Missouri; University of Missouri at St. Louis
Charles O'Neill Galvin, Jr.; Dallas, Texas; Southern Methodist University
Mitchell Aaron Goldstein; Houston, Texas; Northwestern University
John Thomas Gooding, II; Fort Worth, Texas; The University of Texas at Austin
Richard F. Gowen; Meadowbrook, Pennsylvania; Beaver College
Charles William Theodore Hagelman, III; Austin, Texas; Northern Illinois University
Russell K. Hedge, Jr.; Green Bay, Wisconsin; University of Wisconsin
Janet Phyllis Hilton; North Muskegon, Michigan Michigan State University
Helen Kathleen Johnson; Houston, Texas; The University of Texas at Austin
Alan D. Jones; Wingo, Kentucky; Murray State University
Larry Jay Junek; Palacios, Texas; Sam Houston State University
Todd Kaufman; Washington, D.C.; Washington University
Treila Krueger; Austin, Texas; The University of Texas at Austin
James Scott Mann III; Austin, Texas; The University of Texas at Austin
Geofrey L. Master; Seguin, Texas; The University of Texas at Austin; J.D. degree School of Law, The University of Texas at Austin
Anne Elise Mayfield; Fort Worth, Texas; The University of Texas at Austin
Maria del Carmen Mendez; Austin, Texas; The University of Texas at Austin
Brooks Eastman Myers; Dallas, Texas; The University of Texas at Austin
John C. Nelson; Chatham, New York; State University of New York at Binghamton
Maria Teresa Orozco; Cuero, Texas; Texas A&I University
Ronald Ferris Pergamit; Spokane, Washington; The Evergreen State College
Vivian Wilkins Redman; San Antonio, Texas; The University of Texas at Austin
Daniel P. Reingold; Buffalo, New York; State University of New York at Albany
Jordan Hunt Richland; Los Angeles, California; University of California at Berkeley
Manuel Rios; Austin, Texas; The University of Texas at Austin; J.D. degree School of Law, The University of Texas at Austin
Betty Rogers; Austin, Texas; The University of Texas at Austin
Ginger Rae Sampson; Houston, Texas; University of Houston
Donald Dale Saylor; Casper, Wyoming; University of Wyoming
Judith Ann Shifrin; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; The University of Texas at Austin
Joellen Snow; Angleton, Texas; Michigan State University; J.D. degree School of Law, The University of Texas at Austin
Barbara Fredelle Fenn Storbeck; Essex, Connecticut; Temple University
Carol Sue Tombari; Cedar Park, Texas; Middlebury College
Constance Sue Treece; Enterprise, Alabama; Vanderbilt University
Barbara Lynn Weinberg; San Antonio, Texas; The University of Texas at Austin
Richard Mason Wiggans; Dallas, Texas; The University of Texas at Austin
Cohen Speaks Here on Social Security
Wilbur Cohen, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare in 1968, presented a lecture May 9 as part of the Distinguished Lecturer Series sponsored by the LBJ School and the LBJ Library.
Currently a professor of education and public welfare administration at the University of Michigan, Mr. Cohen spoke on "Why Social Security Must Be Saved."
In offering his reasons for favoring the continuation of the Social Security system, he noted first that the program puts a giant "safety net" under society and the economy. He said he found "disturbing" the proposal of President Carter to make cutbacks of $609 million in the Social Security program in the coming budget year.
Such proposed cutbacks or other legislative "tinkering" with Social Security creates great anxiety among the 35 million of America's aged population who now draw Social Security benefits, he said. Those moves serve to undermine citizen confidence in promises made by past Presidents and Congresses, he said.
Social Security should mean that "you can depend on a promise," Mr. Cohen went on. Describing Social Security as an insurance system, not a savings-bank approach, he said the safety net the program provides makes it possible for people to be free from the "haunting knowledge" that if they make some mis-cue in their business life or if they experience some tragic mishap, they will not be left destitute when they are old.
Social Security, he proclaimed, pays a person benefits "as a matter of right" so one can spend the benefits any way one pleases. "You don't have to bend your knee to anyone—a social worker, a federal official, or a state official," Mr. Cohen said.
The former government official acknowledged that Social Security must be reformed and adjusted to changing times, particularly to reflect the great increase of women in the work force and the rising divorce rate. He said another problem faced by the system is the growing numbers of aged who are living longer with chronic diseases. He pointed out that every day 1,000 more persons are reaching the age of 65, and that 50 years from now 50 million Americans will be 65 years old.
Mr. Cohen said he would favor paying part of the cost of Social Security out of the General Revenue, but that the present payroll tax for the system should not be abolished entirely. The payroll tax, he said, serves to maintain the populace's "political and moral interest in seeing that the program is an earned-right program rather than a welfare program."
He disagreed with the notion that Social Security be made voluntary, saying that those who would opt to stay out of the system would be those who would need it most in the end and who would "end up on welfare." Making Social Security voluntary only "sounds good when you say it fast," Mr. Cohen remarked.
During his address, he refuted a number of misconceptions about Social Security:
•Social Security is not bankrupt, he said. It is fully funded for the next 50 years and is backed by $50 billion in U.S. government bonds.
•Social Security is not inefficiently administered. It only expends 1.6 percent of its funds for administration. The "mass group insurance program" can keep its cost low, he said, because there are "no salesmen and no medical exams."
•Social Security is not just a retirement system. It also provides disability and survivor benefits as well as Medicare, he pointed out.
"Without Social Security," Mr. Cohen declared, "we would have to create something else." Even though the program "costs money, we ought to be willing to pay for it," he added.
(Derived from reports by the UT News and Information Service.)
Mathewson Inducted into Intergovernmental Hall of Fame
Kent Mathewson, visiting lecturer in the LBJ School each spring semester, has been inducted as the first member of the "Intergovernmental Hall of Fame" of the National Association of Regional Councils.
Mr. Mathewson, an authority on metropolitan regionalism, was accorded the honor at the NARC's May meeting in Detroit. He was cited for "enduring achievements and leadership in and a lifelong commitment to encouraging greater intergovernmental cooperation throughout the U.S."
Since 1963, Mr. Mathewson has served as president of the Metropolitan Fund Inc. of Detroit, an urban affairs foundation which develops research and action on metropolitan problems in the seven-county Detroit region of southeast Michigan.
Prior to going to Detroit, he spent 25 years in city management positions in Asheboro, N.C.; Martinsville, Va.; Salem, Ore.; San Diego, Calif., and Durham, N.C.
For the past two spring semesters, he has taught a course on metropolitan regionalism at the LBJ School, and he will return for the 1980 spring semester.
(Derived from a report by the UT News and Information Service.)
Professional Seminars Fill Summer Program
During the past several months, the LBJ School's Office of Conferences and Training, under the direction of Professor Lynn F. Anderson, has coordinated an active continuing education program of seminars and conferences on many important issues facing public officials today.
On May 17–18 the Twenty-First County Auditors' Institute was held in the Joe C. Thompson Conference Center. This year's institute was oriented toward the practical solution of problems encountered in county financial operations. It was designed to enhance the professional development of county auditors, county treasurers, county clerks and other county personnel whose responsibilities involve financial management.
Among the speakers for the institute were Dana Baggett, Manager of the Intergovernmental Relations Division, Office of Revenue Sharing, U.S. Department of the Treasury; Sam E. Clonts, Executive Director, Texas Association of Counties, Austin; Bill Corbell, Senior Buyer, State Board of Control, State of Texas, Austin; Walter D. Davis, Assistant Attorney General, State of Texas, Austin; S. G. Fullerton, County Auditor, Harris County and President-Elect, Texas Association of County Auditors, Houston; James F. Houlihan, County Auditor, Calhoun County and President, Texas Association of County Auditors, Port Lavaca; Seth Searcy III, Attorney at Law, Austin; and James M. Williams, CPA, Director of Accounting and Auditing Programs, Municipal Finance Officers Association of the U.S. and Canada, Chicago, Illinois.
On June 11–13 a seminar on Advanced Public Purchasing and Materials Management was held for the purpose of providing an intensive professional experience for managers and executives of purchasing organizations within state and local government.
Instructors for this advanced seminar were Arnold Amundsen, Director of Supply and Services, City Water Board, City of San Antonio; Solon A. Bennett, Director of Purchases and Stores, City of Austin; Bill Bonds, Purchasing Agent, Austin Independent School District, Austin; John Brooks, Director of Purchasing, City of San Antonio; Henry Garcia, Assistant Director for Materials Management, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio; Dr. Gaylord Jentz, Professor, Business Law, The University of Texas at Austin; and Archie Titzman, Assistant Director of Purchasing and Supply, City of San Antonio. A second Advanced Public Purchasing and Materials Management workshop is scheduled for August 13-15.
On July 13 a one-day conference on Implementing Property Tax Reform and Related Legislation was held for approximately 1,000 persons. The conference provided an analysis and discussion of the property tax reform bill (S.B. 621) and related tax legislation. Its principal objective was to assist local officials in organizing appraisal districts and otherwise planning an orderly and effective implementation of this significant law. With the cooperation and assistance of the Texas Municipal League and the Texas Association of Counties, separate briefing sessions on the entire range of legislation affecting Texas cities and counties as passed by the Legislature was presented.
Instructors for this conference included Lynn F. Anderson, Professor and Director of the Office of Conferences and Training at the LBJ School; Richard D. Brown, Executive Director, Texas Municipal League, Austin; Sam E. Clouts, Executive Director Director, Texas Association of Counties, Austin; Kenneth E. Graeber, Executive Director, School Tax Assessment Practices Board, Austin; Dickie Ingram, General Counsel, Texas Municipal League, Austin; C. R. Johnson, CTA, Assessor and Collector of Taxes, Galveston County, Galveston; The Honorable Grant Jones, State Senator, State of Texas, Abilene; Jack McCreary, Attorney at Law, Austin; James W. McGrew, Executive Director, Texas Research League, Austin; Lynn Moak, Director of Research, Office of the Lieutenant Governor, State of Texas, Austin; Max Noller, Director of Revenue and Taxation, City of Dallas; Ron Patterson, Legislative Counsel, Texas Legislative Council, Dallas; and The Honorable Wayne Peveto, State Representative, State of Texas, Orange.
On July 26–27, a seminar on Communicating with Taxpayers was held. This intensive workshop was designed to analyze and explore strategies which would help promote fair and neutral discussions of potentially emotional issues faced daily by tax assessors and collectors. It approached the assessor-collector as a communications decision-maker, focused on the components present in the verbal interactions, and demonstrated the active use of communication as a managerial tool. One of the workshop's primary goals was to provide experience and practice to lead a more effective and positive communication between taxpayer and tax collector.
Instructors for the taxpayers workshop were Dr. Larry Browning, Assistant Professor of Speech Communications, The University of Texas at Austin; Fay Davis, CTA, RPA, Tax Assessor-Collector, A&M Consolidated Independent School District, College Station; Jim Gilchrist, Trainer, Office of the State Comptroller of Public Accounts, Austin; and Ben Shaw, CTA, Bexar County Assessor-Collector, San Antonio.
A second workshop on the same topic and using the same format has been scheduled for August 20–21.