In March, Dr. Art Dunning, a senior official of Georgia's university system who has extensive international experience and has spearheaded numerous strategic initiatives and partnerships for the system, was selected as UGA's new vice president for public service and outreach. Dunning's appointment is effective July 1 and he will also serve as associate provost. In partnership with the Georgia Municipal Association, citizen education specialist Mary Stakes coordinated the writing and printing of a set of five lessons used in a school pilot program to commemorate City Government Week in Georgia this spring. The lessons are part of a GMA initiative to create a greater sense of community and increase citizen participation in municipal government activities. The lessons were distributed initially to 35 teachers in 15 different school systems, with plans for a greater distribution in the future.
Stakes also directs the institute's Local Government Seminar for Teachers.
The Office of Government Programs at the University of Arizona recently received a grant from Department of Justice to study the 24 counties that border Mexico to determine the costs of providing services to criminal illegal immigrants in the areas of law enforcement, criminal justice and medical emergency health care. The University of Arizona has just produced a farmable poster on the Structure of Local Government in Arizona that contains vital data on every jurisdiction. It is designed for the governor and legislators and will be revised annually. The University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service's Law Enforcement Innovation Center will host a Youth Violence Prevention Summit July 26-28 in Knoxville. Youth from across the Southeast will come together to discuss issues related to youth violence and ways to prevent it.