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Become a Part of the Hobby School’s Growing Momentum
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The Hobby School has experienced remarkable growth and transformation. As the school continues elevating its national rankings and reputation, the construction of a new building has become a critical next step. Join the growing momentum to support the Hobby School in fully realizing this ambitious vision for a state-of-the-art facility equipped with innovative classrooms, research hubs and collaboration zones that will shape the future of public policy education.
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New Podcast Expands Programming
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The inaugural episode of Hobby Talks features former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger discussing the presidential election outcome and his hopeful vision for the future of America. The former Illinois congressman also shares how the 9/11 terrorist attacks stirred an urgent sense of duty, how he entered politics, his message to the political parties and his advice to the next generation of leaders eager to make a difference in their communities. Kinzinger was at the University of Houston on Nov. 13 to deliver a lecture on the state of American democracy for the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Center on Ethics and Leadership.
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The most recent episode of the new podcast series features historians Don Carleton and Erin Purdy of the Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin. The authors of the biography "Bill Hobby: A Life of Journalism and Public Service" take listeners through the extensive research and interviews that led to the publication, sharing highlights from the biography of a legendary lieutenant governor. Hobby Talks host Jim Granato shares insights into how Hobby's approach to public policy lives on through the school's curriculum and training. Hobby Talks launched in November, expanding the school’s access to thought-provoking programming. New episodes will premiere during the spring semester. Listen to the episodes online or on your favorite podcast app.
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Nominations for Public Officials of the Year Awards Close on Dec. 20
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The Master of Public Administration program will hold its 14th Annual Public Officials of the Year Awards on Friday, Mar. 21, 2025, at the UH Hilton in the Conrad Hilton Ballroom. Registration and networking begin at 11 a.m., and the luncheon starts at noon. Public Officials of the Year Awards and one Pioneer Award will be presented to outstanding Houston area public servants bettering their communities. Strong candidates are problem solvers, innovators and ethical leaders who improve lives and tackle complex challenges through collaboration. The Pioneer Award will go to an individual whose leadership and professionalism have had a lasting impact in their field. The annual awards ceremony benefits the scholarship fund for graduate students in the Master of Public Administration program. Nominations are accepted through Friday, Dec. 20. Submissions will be reviewed by a selection committee led by the Hobby School Alumni Association. For questions about the nomination process, please email the Hobby School's Peter Koelling at pkoelling@uh.edu.
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2025 Hobby Fellows Anticipate 89th Texas Legislature
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The 2025 Hobby Fellows are Alexis Boehmer, Gabriela Hamdieh, Juliana Hernandez, Zain Memon, Juan Moreno, Mohammad Nobani, Ferah-Chukwu Odili, Benjamin Rizk, Milan Sam, Eduardo Sanchez, Cullen Watkins and Alexander Westerbeck.
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The 2025 Hobby Fellows are preparing for their legislative internships at the Texas State Capitol in January. A dozen students will spend the spring semester immersed in the legislative process during the regular session of the 89th Texas Legislature. At a day-long orientation on Nov. 15, the group heard from special guests, including Dean Jim Granato, Senior Executive Director Renée Cross and past Hobby Fellows Santiago Franco, Esme Ledezma, Aaron Rollins, Kryss Schofield and Rohit Shajan. Hobby School leaders discussed the program's history, Bill Hobby's legacy as an effective legislator and the role of public policy in government. The former Hobby Fellows shared their first-hand experiences during the biennial lawmaking session and gave advice to the newest cohort. Led by Jessica Ruland O'Connor, the Austin internship provides undergraduates and post-baccalaureate students interested in state government and politics with a stipend to offset expenses during the transformative experience. During this time, they gain practical training, build a professional network and earn course credit.
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Book Authors and Hobby School Community Celebrate Bill Hobby's Legacy
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University of Houston Provost Diane Chase, Hobby family members, students, alumni, staff, faculty, advisory board members and community partners shared an exciting evening celebrating the recent publication of "Bill Hobby: A Life in Journalism and Public Service." The biography chronicles the life of former Texas Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby and his significant contributions to Texas as a journalist, lawmaker, philanthropist and visionary of the Hobby School of Public Affairs. Authors Don Carleton and Erin Purdy sat down with Dean Jim Granato in front of more than 100 attendees to reflect on Hobby's commitment to a transparent and efficient government that worked to better the lives of all Texans, his pragmatic and collaborative leadership style and various anecdotes from interviews of his impact at the Houston Post, Texas Senate and in public education. Watch the discussion and view the photo album at uh.edu/hobby/hobby-book.
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Electricity Service Reliability Top Concern Among Harris County Voters
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The last report in a statewide survey series, Texas Votes 2024, from the Hobby School was released in November. With recent memories of prolonged power outages following two destructive storms earlier this year, Hobby School researchers Renée Cross and Mark P. Jones explored attitudes about electricity service reliability, proposed legislation related to CenterPoint, the Public Utilities Commission of Texas and the electrical grid, and the impact of weather-related events on residents' consideration of moving out of the Houston region. The report authors found that Harris County residents listed electricity service reliability as one of the top three issues of the most concern, more than any other issue, including rising property taxes, housing affordability and flooding. Additionally, researchers found that Harris County residents overwhelmingly favor more state regulation of CenterPoint and other utilities, and the criticism of CenterPoint cuts across demographic lines and partisan affiliation. Cross and Jones shared the key findings in an opinion editorial co-authored for the Houston Chronicle ahead of the 2025 legislative session. Media coverage of the five Texas Votes reports included nearly 140 citations, with mentions in prominent national and regional outlets, such as MSN, Houston Public Media, Houston Business Journal and KPRC-TV.
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Hobby School Experts Study Education Bond
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When Houston Independent School District announced the New Education System (NES) under the state-selected leadership, Hobby School professors Blake Heller and Sara Sands Francis examined whether information-sharing about changes in student academic performance in the NES schools would impact people's views in a survey experiment. They discovered respondents who received material about proficiency growth in NES schools in the state's largest school district changed their perceptions of the state takeover, with 72% more likely to believe takeover policies were good for students and 15% more likely to support Houston ISD's $4.4 billion bond proposal. The findings were published in a Center for Public Policy white paper, "Information, Student Achievement, and Preferences for State Control in Education: Evidence from a Survey Experiment," ahead of the November election when voters were planning to weigh in on the historic bond package at the ballot box. Following the election, the Houston Chronicle interviewed the researchers for the story, "Can HISD ever pass a school bond under Superintendent Miles after a $4.4B failure?" Heller's research and teaching focus on applied microeconomics and policy analysis, emphasizing education policy topics, including alternative academic pathways, vocational education, adult training and immigrant language skills. Sands is an accomplished program administrator with over a decade of experience supporting public and nonprofit sector organizations in identifying, training and retaining high-quality teacher leaders, school leaders and educational systems leaders.
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Tabletop Exercise Enhances Professional Leadership
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Hobby School graduate candidates took on the roles of city leaders in a tabletop exercise on Nov. 15 as part of their capstone project and hands-on learning experiences in the program. The scenario, led by Master of Public Administration Director Peter Koelling, gave the students various assignments to test their application of problem-solving and administrative management skills. In the fictitious City of Laurel Hills, participants faced budgetary decisions and priorities, unexpected infrastructure challenges and various interdepartmental needs at a planning session for the upcoming budget cycle. To help guide the activity, Koelling invited David Hawes of Hawes Hill and Associates, LLP, Sydney Hargroder, Iowa Colony city councilwoman and James Thurmond, Hobby School professor of practice. Role assignments included City Manager Melky Ortiz; Assistant City Manager Madison Bush; Chief of Public Safety Andrew Deavers; Director of Parks and Recreation Layla Taghiyeva; Director of Public Health Ideal Hernandez; Director of Communications, Marketing, and Economic Development Shayan Abbasi; Director of the Library System Celeste Padilla; Director of Public Works Gaylon Caldwell; and Director of Public Housing, Community Services, and Transit Juliet Amponsah. "Participating in this tabletop exercise provided a great perspective into the complexities of public administration, from addressing urgent infrastructure needs to managing the economic impact of major events within the constraints of limited budgets. This experience reinforced the importance of collaboration, adaptability and strategic problem-solving in crafting decisions that balance immediate priorities with long-term goals." – Celeste Padilla, Master of Public Administration candidate The tabletop exercises are part of the Hobby School's new agile education curriculum framework, including the new Teaching Cities partnerships with local municipalities. The apprenticeships allow students to gain on-the-job experience solving real problems in local government. City of Friendswood  apprentices are graduate candidates Melky Ortiz and Kaia Ding. Graduate candidates Kimberly Argueta and Aenya Fike are apprentices with the City of Bellaire. "This [Teaching Cities] apprenticeship has allowed me to see class concepts play out in real-world scenarios, helping me better grasp the material. Professionally, this has provided me with  meaningful and relevant experience that I can apply to future opportunities." – Kimberly Argueta, Master of Public Administration candidate and Teaching Cities participant
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Interns Experience Transformative Semester
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This fall, 56 undergraduates from various academic disciplines participated in the Civic Houston Internship Program. Led by the Hobby School's Jessica Ruland O'Connor, the University of Houston students gained public service experience working part-time at governmental offices in the Houston region and with area nonprofits, public affairs firms and electoral campaigns. Civic Houston Interns volunteered more than 560 hours on voter education initiatives and engaged in other experiential learning opportunities on and off campus. Ten students from this cohort will serve as 2025 Hobby Fellows in Austin starting in January. Applications for the spring cohort are being accepted through Dec. 13. Texas state Rep. Jolanda Jones helped the Civic Houston Interns close the fall semester at their last class, recounting her path to public service and the political landscape in Houston and the state.
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Faculty Research Cited in Presidential Economic Report
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Congratulations to Fall Graduates
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The Hobby School is set to award 16 degrees and certificates to fall graduates. The latest school alumni include eleven graduate degree earners, seven Master of Public Policy and four Master of Public Administration degrees. Two scholars are dual degree holders, three are undergraduates earning their public policy degrees, and two completed graduate certificates in public policy. The fall 2024 graduates are invited to cross the stage in the spring when the Hobby School hosts its commencement ceremony on May 8, 2025.
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Ramy  El-Dowek is graduating with a Master of Public Policy, earning induction into Pi Alpha Alpha, the global honor society for public affairs and administration students, and working as a teaching assistant. El-Dowek listed research methods as his favorite subject because the coursework enabled him to establish a solid background in statistics. The quantitative training helped him secure a fellowship with the Democratic Erosion Consortium, a national, nonpartisan effort to address the global challenge of democratic erosion through research, teaching and multi-stakeholder collaboration.
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A Hobby School education prepares a new generation of leaders to face tomorrow’s most pressing challenges through interdisciplinary coursework, ethics and leadership training and experiential learning opportunities. Students graduate with fundamental tools and skills transferable across various fields.
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Leadership Award Winners Celebrated at Fall Gathering
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Congratulations to the 2024 Hobby Leadership Award winners, Certified Public Manager Terry Lynch and former Hobby School intern Hugo Mojica, honored for making a difference in their professions and communities. The awards were presented at the Hobby School Student and Alumni Mixer on Nov. 12. More than 100 Hobby School students, alumni and community partners gathered at Station 3 to network and celebrate the school's mission, programs and 2024 award recipients. Lynch is the police chief for the City of Wharton. He has spent much of his career in policing and five years as a Wharton city councilmember. He was recently elected to serve as a Wharton County Junior College trustee.  Mojica works for the City of Houston as the chief of staff for Houston City Councilmember Twila Carter. He is a two-time former Civic Houston Intern with a bachelor's degree in political science and two master's degrees. His professional career spans working for municipal, nonprofit and private agencies.
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First in Families Shine at the Hobby School
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During First Generation College Student Day, the Hobby School spotlighted the experiences and accomplishments of those who are the first in their families to pursue a college education. Public policy undergraduate Dulce Otero serves on the student advisory council, is a Next Generation Leadership Academy member and was a fall Civic Houston Intern with Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones. She is part of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc., a UH Student Government Association senator and a student appointee for the UH Children's Learning Center.
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“I am very proud to be a first-generation college student and feel grateful to have the choice to pursue my passion for public service. Being a first-generation college student is a tribute to all of those who have come before me. It signals growth and will allow me to support and guide my family through positive changes and new traditions.” – Dulce Otero
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Public policy undergraduate Danielle Guevara is a proud first-gen student who leverages her background and experiences to encourage her peers to engage with each other and instructors beyond the classroom. She was a fall Civic Houston Intern with the national nonprofit Latino Victory Fund and is an officer of the recently established student organization for the Hobby School.
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"Attend office hours, build a strong relationship with professors, and stay connected after the semester. Office hours can be the make-or-break point of succeeding in a class, so take advantage of having one-on-one time with the instructor.” – Danielle Guevara
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The University of Houston offers various support resources through the Center for Student Empowerment to help students stay on track as they navigate new experiences and challenges.
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Ahead of the general election, FOX 26 asked Hobby School students Lorenzo Salinas, Cullen Watkins and Alexander Westerbeck to weigh in on the presidential election. They shared their perspectives on the most critical issues driving their decisions at the ballot box. Hobby School student Milan Sam joined a panel of young voters representing various area colleges on KHOU 11 to discuss being involved civically on campus and in their communities.
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Hobby School Happenings captures lectures, events, application deadlines, programs and collaborations hosted or co-sponsored by the Hobby School and its centers. Mark your calendars and join us for the next Hobby School happening. Friday, Dec. 13
Spring 2025 Civic Houston Internship Program
Application Deadline Friday, Dec. 13
Certified Manager Program Graduation
Texas State Capitol Friday, Dec. 20
2025 Public Officials of the Year Awards Nominations
Nomination Deadline 2025 Monday, Jan. 13
First Day of Spring Classes Monday, Jan. 20
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
University of Houston Holiday Save the Date: Thursday, Feb. 6
Hobby School Annual Luncheon with Houston Mayor John Whitmire
The Hobby School's annual luncheon returns in February 2025 with a one-on-one discussion between professor emeritus and senior research fellow Richard Murray and his former student, Houston Mayor John Whitmire. Details are forthcoming in the new year.
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