Welcome to the Hobby Center for Public Policy

The fall symposium was held on Tuesday, November 8, 2011. The symposium, entitled "Houston - The Teflon® Economy and Real Estate Markets: A Few Scratches, But the Bad Stuff is Not Sticking and We Keep on Cooking..." was presented by Dr. Ted C. Jones, Senior Vice-President and Chief Economist for Stewart. Please visit the Institute for Regional Forecasting website for program highlights, read a summary on the symposium, and listen to a KUHF Houston Public Radio interview of Dr. Jones.

The theme of the 2011 CEnR Workshop was communication issues and processes in Community Engaged Research. In conjunction with the CEnR Workshop on October 27-28, PRIM&R offered three highly acclaimed educational courses on October 25-26. Some of the major topic areas include: Online Communities; Creating Community Networks to Promote Complex Goals such as Environmental Justice; Bridging the Gulf: A CEnR Approach to Assessing the Human Health Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Spill; Communicating About Human Subjects Protections in CEnR; Body & Soul: Promotion of Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in an African-American Community; and Substance Abuse and HIV Prevention and Treatment in Minority and GLBT Communities. Read more about the workshop.

On September 16, 2011 the Lanier Public Policy Conference --  America 2011: The Lines, Numbers & Politics of a Changing Nation -- addressed the critical factors surrounding the results of the 2010 Census.  How has the nation's population changed? Will congressional lines differ greatly after redistricting? Has political power shifted from one area to another? If you missed the conference or would like to refer to one of the presentations, visit the speakers page. Read the interview with Lanier Public Policy Conference keynote speaker US Census deputy director Thomas Mesenbourg in today’s Houston Chronicle: Census data still fascinate agency's veteran leader. We thank conference underwriter Shell and the conference’s official airline United for their generous support. We really could not have done it without them! We also thank the following sponsors. AT&T, Ramona Davis, Global Unisource, Inc., Outreach Strategists, William P Hobby Center for Public Service at Texas State University, Gwen Essinger and Lone Star Strategies. Their gifts benefit the Hobby Center for Public Policy’s Certified Public Manager (CPM) program.

The Civic Houston Internship Program (CHIP)

CHIP provides many opportunities for students to gain first-hand experience in public service and politics. The Hobby Center for Public Policy places University of Houston and University of Houston-Downtown undergraduates in the Houston offices of elected officials within all levels of government, with some non-profit organizations and on campaigns. CHIP is a perfect way to explore the possibilities of public service on a part-time basis. Regardless of where they work, government interns learn basic business skills and add to their professional network, with some interns earning permanent staff positions. Learn more about CHIP.

The Certified Public Manager Program is Now Offered at UH

The Hobby Center for Public Policy (HCPP) brings the nationally recognized Certified Public Manager (CPM) Program to the University of Houston. The CPM Program offers a challenging professional program designed to help today’s manager become tomorrow’s leader with innovative curriculum, problem-solving, and networking opportunities.Upon satisfactory completion of the courses and final project, the CPM graduate is entitled to use the official designation of Certified Public Manager® (CPM). The CPM designation exemplifies recognized standards for excellence in public management and leadership. Registration is now open. Learn more about the HCPP's Certified Public Manager program.

The University of Houston's Hobby Center for Public Policy has joined the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) as a partner to ensure that the close to 8 million Legal Permanent Residents (LPR) become US citizens and have a voice in the American political process. Learn more about the partnership and the various citizenship workshops taking place throughout Houston.

Redistricting 2011

Redistricting is the action of a state legislature or other body in redrawing electoral district lines. (American Political Dictionary, 1985). For the redistricting in 2011, the Hobby Center for Public Policy at the University of Houston and the Hobby Center for the Study of Texas at Rice University are working together to provide analytical, historical and technological expertise to local governments in the greater Houston metropolitan area, whether it is for city council, a county, an independent school district or a community college board. Find out more.