FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 17, 2008

MUW political science professor makes impact on scholarship and field

COLUMBUS, Miss. -- Dr. James D. Ward, associate professor of political
science at Mississippi University for Women, presented a paper at the
annual meeting of the Conference of Minority Public Administrators held
February in Hamilton, Bermuda.

The paper, “Exploring Institutional Racism, Diversity and Public Administration,” was co-authored with Dr. Mario Rivera of the University of New Mexico. It investigates the impact of institutional racism on the functioning of public organizations. Dr. Ward’s work suggests the development of cultural competence as a mechanism for promoting workplace diversity and reducing influences of institutional racism in organizational settings. He analyzed various mechanisms including social capital and employment outcomes as related to social network theory. However, Dr. Ward stressed that unlike some mechanisms which aim to reduce cultural differences, cultural competency places the responsibility on organizational leaders to recognize and appreciate cultural differences as organizational assets.

Dr. Ward, a distinguished scholar in his field, recently was asked to serve as the guest editor of a symposium published in the Journal of Public Affairs Education. The symposium titled “Social Equity and Public Affairs Education” consists of six scholarly articles. Social equity research promotes fairness, justice and equity in the formation of public policy, the distribution of public services and the management of public institutions. Ward is also a member of journal’s editorial board.

That work is only one instance of his professional service on a national stage. He was appointed to the American Society for Public Administration’s 2008-2009 Leadership Team. Ward will work with other
ASPA leaders to promote state and local chapter development in the southeastern region. He was appointed to the leadership team by incoming
ASPA President Donald Klingner of the University of Colorado at Colorado
Springs. The American Society for Public Administration is the nation’s premier organization of public service professionals.

Two of Dr. Wards manuscripts were recently accepted for publication. A
book chapter titled Institutional Racism, Diversity, and Public Administration and co-authored with Dr. Mario Rivera of the University of New Mexico is scheduled to be published in the second edition of “Diversity and Public Administration: Theory, Issues, and Perspectives,” ed. by Mitchell F. Rice. (M.E. Sharpe Publishers).

A second manuscript titled “Privatization and Social Equity” results from Ward’s research on the privatization of municipal services and is scheduled to be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Public Affairs Education.