analysis techniques.
"Many of the
problems in East
Africa are not unlike
the problems we
face in the U.S.
when we engage in
long-term recovery
after disaster," Dr.
Eller said. "When
a crisis emerges,
it is always
the vulnerable
populations that
suffer the most
and who have the
most difficult time
recovering."
Drs. Eller and
Gerber spent more
than a week training
nonprofit volunteers
in Kampala, Uganda
on survey techniques
and on methods
of safe operations
for field research.
According to Dr.
Eller, "Administering a survey is far more complex than simply
asking questions, and writing down answers. In places like the
Katanga slum, it means being able to move safely through a
difficult environment and to do so in a manner respectful to the
local population."
In addition to training volunteers for field research, they
conducted interviews of organizational heads of the Global
Institute's partner organizations in Uganda and Rwanda. This
fieldwork has identified several public management practices that
would be of benefit in the U.S.
"East Africa has had to deal with difficult implementation
problems in an environment of remarkably scarce resources,"
said Gerber. "This has led to a number of robust programs that
have been very successful in curbing poaching and addressing
governmental corruption and public health issues."
Domestically, UNCP's Project on Crisis and Emergency
Leadership is working with students in emergency training and
research projects. The program has provided leadership training
and program evaluation to the coalition of disaster-related
nonprofits called, the National Voluntary Organizations Active in
Disaster, co-sponsored a national research conference addressing
the role of non-profits in disaster and provided training support to
emergency response agencies nationally.
The research in East Africa also benefits students at UNCP
in several ways. The offers an Emergency Management
concentration in its Master of Public Administration (MPA)
program.
"First, there is the direct experience brought to the classroom,"
Dr. Eller said. "Second, experiences like this separate professors
from teachers. Professors working in the field remain on the
cutting edge of research and are able to add far more value to the
classroom.
applicable here," he continued. "For example, the parks services
there have been using a profit-sharing system to curtail poaching.
These sorts of innovative approaches will become critical to the
U.S. as the financial crisis continues and our graduates in public
service are forced to do more with less!"
"Additionally, there is the power of experience," Dr. Eller said.
· "You can read the book about the Bishop of Rwanda, but I
had dinner with him.
· "You can read about the 800,000 murdered in the tribal
genocide in Rwanda, but I saw their skulls.
· "You can read the story about children soldiers, but I met
them and held them while they told me about their
experiences.
"That is life changing. You cannot read, buy or learn that kind
of context to share in the classroom," Dr. Eller concluded.
Dr. Eller said he would continue working on the East Africa
project. "At minimum, I will remain as a consultant, but I do not
know if I will be able to scare up the resources to get back over
there," he said. "I would love to put together a study abroad over
there between semesters or over winter break, but I am skeptical
that we will be able to do that."
Dr. Eller said international travel is exciting but it all begins at
home. "Since January, I have presented in conferences in Denver,
Baltimore and Boulder and delivered invited talks in Denver,
Dallas and Kansas City," he said. "I have also done research
funded by the Department of Education in Louisiana and
California in August as well as some travel for my NSF (National
Science Foundation) research project. My next travel abroad is to
China in the fall. I was invited to talk about emergency response
there."