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UT Dallas PNM News and Accolades – July 2021

Featured news, awards, and publications from The Public and Nonprofit Management Program at the University of Texas at Dallas.


The UT Dallas Public and Nonprofit Management Program has been ranked # 58 by US News among 285 schools. We are the 1st best program in Public Affairs in North Texas and 3rd best in Texas.

We are thrilled to announce that the Public and Nonprofit Management Program at UT Dallas has been ranked # 58 by US News among 285 schools. We are the 1st best program in Public Affairs in North Texas and 3rd best in Texas. We are grateful to our wonderful faculty, students, alumni for making this happen! 


UT Dallas PNM Ranked #7 Best Bachelor’s Degree in Nonprofit Management

Great news for this week! We are thrilled to share that UT Dallas Public and Nonprofit Management Program has been ranked #7 Best Bachelor’s Degree in Nonprofit Management by Study.com  Standout schools are selected based on Department of Education data on tuition, retention, and graduation rates. In addition, selected institutions offer collaborative and hands-on learning opportunities along with clubs and organizations that promote nonprofit management skills. Alumni of many of the programs also land careers at well-known and highly established companies and organizations. We are thankful to our students, faculty, alumni, and administration as they are the reason behind our achievement! 


Many Congratulations to Dr. Yongjun Park on his Successful Dissertation Defense

Please join us in congratulating our Doctoral Candidate in Public Affairs, Yongjun (Tony) Park on successfully defending his dissertation “Conscripts or Volunteers: Assessing the Impacts of Organizational Behaviors and Attitudes on Korean Military Sector Performance” today.

Dr. Park has always been an extraordinary member of our PNM Family. After his graduation, he will be an assistant professor (tenure track) in the Department of Public Administration at the Korea Army Academy in Yeongcheon. Many congratulations, Dr. Park. We are proud to have you in the program! We wish you luck and success in your future endeavors.


Many Congratulations to Dr. Shahrun Upoma on her Successful Dissertation Defense

Please join us in congratulating our Doctoral Candidate in Public Affairs, Shahrin Upoma, on successfully defending her dissertation titled “Through a Gender Lens: Leadership and Charitable Giving in Faith-based Nonprofit Organizations” yesterday. Dr. Upoma has always been an extraordinary member of our PNM Family. She will be joining the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, the University of Minnesota as a Fellow for the President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship in Leadership and Management. Way to go Dr. Upoma!


Many Congratulations to Dr. Dhriti Stocks on her Successful Dissertation Defense

PNM program is proud to have the most hardworking and outstanding students. Please join us in congratulating our Doctoral Candidate in Public Affairs, Dhriti Stocks, on successfully defending her dissertation ​titled “​Beyond Tiebout: Towards a theory of philanthropic engagement in education in local communities” yesterday. Dr. Stocks is currently the Director of Corporate Relations at Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas. Her research is focused on the intersection of philanthropy and public education. Many congratulations! We at PNM are very proud of you and wish you the best of luck in your future journey!


Many Congratulations to Dr. Zeeshan Noor on his Successful Dissertation Defense

Please join us in congratulating our Doctoral Candidate in Public Affairs, Zeeshan Noor, on successfully defending his dissertation titled, “Digital Media Use by Nonprofit Organization: Relationships, Causations, and Comparisons”. Dr. Noor will be joining the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy as a Postdoc Research Associate this summer. Many congratulations! We at PNM are always proud of you and wish you the best of luck in your future journey!


[PNM Publication] Growing Up Nonprofit: Predictors of Early-Stage Nonprofit Formalization

We are thrilled to share with you a recently published paper “Growing Up Nonprofit: Predictors of Early-Stage Nonprofit Formalization ” by our PNM Professor, Dr. Elizabeth Searing and Dr. Jesse D. Lecy, Arizona State University. This study examines the process by which nonprofits leave the small, informal, startup phase and begin the next life stage characterized by growth and formalization.


We are thrilled to introduce a recently published study by PNM Professor Dr. Paul Battaglio with colleagues from Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, Management and Healthcare Laboratory. The study analyzes self-determination theory through a series of empirical tests in the Italian Healthcare Sector.


PNM Professor Dr. Doug Kiel, Recently Addressed the Impacts of the Pandemic on the Workplace, Health Care and Real Estate Industries

Timely Topic: Professors Address Impacts of Pandemic on Workplace, Health Care, Real Estate


The Local Government Management Certificate Graduation 2021 has recently taken place. We are so happy and proud of our graduates from City of Plano, Texas, Government and the City of Richardson. Many congratulations!


Join us in congratulating our PNM PhD student Al Johnson-Manning on achieving SALUTE Veterans National Honor Society Inductee and UTD MVC’s SALUTE Membership Scholarship. Your hard work and academic success is an inspiration for many peers!


PNM Alumni Amber Brown Featured on Teen Vogue for Dedication to Supporting Community Amid Climate Emergency

At 27 years old, Brown has dedicated her career and time to advocating for climate justice in Texas as an organizer with the Sunrise Movement.

“It started with us making food at my apartment for one of the shelters, and then the next day cooking for 200 people in my kitchen who didn’t have water. The next day, it was 1,400 people” Soon, a coalition of mutual aid formed as Amber brought together different grassroots organizations to coordinate their resources and strategies to be as effective as possible. Latin X’s program, Feed the Revolution, used funds raised by Sunrise to support cooking thousands of free meals for community members in dire need.

Read the Teen Vogue article.


PNM Student Lexi Johnson Named Global Second-Runner Up of the 2021 NASPAA-Batten Student Simulation Competition

We are extremely proud of our student, Lexi Jenson and her team for winning Global Second-Runner Up of the 2021 NASPAA-Batten Student Simulation Competition. This year, over 400 students from 120 universities in 30 countries took part in the NASPAA-Batten Student Simulation Competition. Participants competed virtually at one of the four virtual competitions hosted on February 27 and March 6, 2021. A total of four teams, who came out on top during the regions, the competition “All-Stars”, competed for the championship on April 17, 2021. Please join us in congratulating Lexi and her amazing team!


PNM Student, Dr. Shahrin Upoma, Recognized for the Student Diversity Award

We are thrilled to share that our PNM student, Dr. Shahrin Upoma was recently recognized for the “Student Diversity Award” by the UTD Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. This award recognizes individuals who have committed to embracing, enhancing, and celebrating diversity at all levels of UTD. You are an inspiration for many of us. Way to go, Dr. Upoma!