Jeffrey Straussman, associate dean and chair of public administration at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, recently accepted a position at the University at Albany.

Straussman, who has worked at SU for 26 years, will start as dean of Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at the University at Albany on July 1. Rockefeller College was ranked 10th among more than 250 graduate-level public affairs schools by U.S. News & World Report in 2005.

One of Straussman’s challenges as associate dean was to form a community out of the one-year public administration program, said Jason Feulner, a second-year public administration and international relations graduate student.

Although he will be most likely be relieved of teaching responsibilities as dean, Straussman was an excellent professor of public budgeting because he focused on how budgets really do affect policy, Feulner said.

‘He puts a human side to a budget, a human side to numbers,’ Feulner said.

As dean of Rockefeller College, he will be responsible for six undergraduate and graduate-degree programs, Straussman said. At SU, public administration is only available to graduate students.

Straussman will also be responsible for fund raising and will be ‘the public face’ of the Rockefeller College, he said.

Rockefeller is large for its field with more than 500 undergraduates in political science, about 50 in public policy and 45 full-time faculty members, Straussman said.

Straussman is replacing Frank Thompson, who announced he would be stepping down last year to do research and return to teaching. Straussman said he knew Thompson and sent in his resume when he heard he was stepping down.

‘He has very strong experience as an administrator. He really understands colleges with public administration and policy,’ said Julie Horney, chair of the University at Albany search committee that selected Straussman. Horney is also dean of the School of Criminal Justice.

In his 26 years at SU, Straussman said he has learned a sense of quality teaching and scholarship.

‘I will use that knowledge about indicators of excellence and use them in assessing the strengths and weaknesses at Rockefeller,’ he said.

Published on April 25, 2006 at 12:00 pm