Abstract
The Southeastern Conference for Public Administration (SECoPA) began in 1969 in the wake of reapportionment and desegregation. The founders of SECoPA sought to promote the emergence of a new South, one that would be both dynamic and inclusive, by promoting the practice and study of public administration throughout the region. In the decades since, SECoPA has continued to host annual conferences serving the region. Through coding and analysis of annual conference programs, and using the lens of new institutionalism, this article explores SECoPA’s history and fidelity to its founding mission. The annual conferences have been responsive to concerns of public administration scholars in the region, but drastic declines in practitioner participation mirror broader trends in the profession.
Highlights
In just three years in the 1960s, three actions of the federal government removed the straitjacket the South had imposed upon itself
We reflected on the changes within the context of other historical changes at Southeastern Conference for Public Administration (SECoPA) and in the field of public administration
Two prior articles in the Southern Review of Public Administration laid out the history of SECoPA (Duffey & Pugliese, 1977; Pugliese & Duffey, 1982), as did remarks at SECoPA’s 1992 meeting (Teasley, 1992)
Summary
The History and Evolution of the Southeastern Conference for Public Administration. David Berlan – Florida State University Ruowen Shen – Florida State University W. SECoPA has continued to host annual conferences serving the region. Academics from public administration faculties at southern universities were aware of the new dynamism emerging in the region. They strongly believed that quality public administration, devoted to equal treatment for all, would be essential for creating a new South. Starting with its 1969 inaugural conference in Florida, the Southeastern Conference for Public Administration (SECoPA) began serving as a key venue for sharing and Berlan, D., Shen, R., & Klay, W. As with any active organization, SECoPA’s strategies, focus, and structures have evolved over time—intentionally and unintentionally This article explores this process of evolution through analysis of annual SECoPA conference programs. We conclude by examining how SECoPA has addressed its founding purpose—that is, helping public administrators promote quality government, economic development, and equity in resolving social problems
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