Robert L. Kline Award – Southeastern Conference for Public Administration

Purpose: To encourage students to present papers by recognizing with an award the most outstanding paper written by master’s students in the SECoPA region.

Eligibility Criteria: Students must be enrolled at a university within the SECoPA region during the academic year preceding the annual SECoPA Conference (e.g. students must be enrolled during the 2010-2011 academic year to be eligible for the 2011 award). Students cannot be enrolled in a joint master’s/doctoral program; only master’s students are eligible for the Kline Award.

Papers may be co-authored with other students. Faculty members cannot be co-authors. Students must adhere to the application process as set forth below. Failure to adhere to the process will result in a withdrawal of the award. To receive the award, the author or at least one co-author of the winning paper must register and attend the SECoPA conference, present the paper, and attend the awards function where the award is presented (normally a luncheon).

Award: Plaque, $300 cash award, registration fee waiver. If a paper is co-authored, the cash award will be divided equally among the co-authors. The SECoPA Conference Program Chair will make a decision on registration fee waivers for co-authored papers.

Robert L. Kline Award

Call for Abstracts

Each year at the annual conference, SECoPA recognizes the most outstanding paper written by master’s students in the SECoPA region. To be eligible, students must be enrolled at a university within the SECoPA region during the academic year preceding the annual SECoPA Conference (e.g. students must be enrolled during the 2014-2015 academic year to be eligible for the 2015 award). Students cannot be enrolled in a joint master’s/doctoral program; only master’s students are eligible for the Kline Award.

The winner(s) will receive a plaque, $300 cash award, and registration fee waiver. If a paper is co-authored, the cash award will be divided equally among the co-authors. The SECoPA Conference Program Chair will make a decision on registration fee waivers for co-authored papers.

Application Process:

1. Award chair issues a call for abstracts, coordinating the call with the SECoPA general call for papers. In that call, the deadline for full paper submission, paper page limit, and submission instructions are set.
2. Students submit an abstract following the SECoPA proposal instructions for that conference year, indicating that they would like to be considered for the Award. If so instructed, they should also submit a copy of their abstract directly to the award committee chair for that year.
3. Extensions of the deadline for abstract submission, if any, are made by the SECoPA program chair.
4. SECoPA program committee accepts or rejects abstracts submitted.
5. SECoPA program committee informs Award chair of abstract decision.
6. Award chair e-mails students whose abstracts have been accepted, reminding them of the deadline for submitting a full paper, page limitations, and instructions on how to submit.
7. Extension of deadline for submission of the full paper is at the discretion of the awards committee. In general, extensions will not be granted.
8. Papers are to be no longer than 30 pages, not including references and/or appendices. Papers that exceed the page limitations will not be considered unless exceptions are granted by the awards committee.
9. Winners of awards will be notified by the award chair at least one month prior to the day the conference convenes.
10. The winning author, or at least one co-author, must register for the conference, present the paper, and attend the awards function.

Evaluation Criteria:

1. Topic significance and relevance for public policy and administration.
2. Organization, readability, clarity of style.
3. Soundness of methodology.
4. Appropriate research design.
5. Adequate evidence supporting conclusion.
6. Adequate literature review.
7. Contribution to existing knowledge.

Award Committee membership: shall consist of at least three SECoPA members. The chair of the committee is appointed by the Board Chair. The remaining two members are recruited by the committee chair in consultation with the SECoPA Chair and should be representative of the region.

Robert Kline: Robert Kline was a Professor of Political Science and Public Administration at Eastern Kentucky University. He was hired at EKU in 1969 to become the first Director of the MPA program. He remained at EKU throughout the rest of his career, becoming Chair of the Department of Government from 1986 until his death in 1993.

In a modern, technical society, we all have to work between two poles: one at which we want to be supportive, sociable, compassionate, and nurturing; and another at which we are expected to be professional and ethical, to maintain high standards, and to judge people on what they can do. Bob handled that double obligation extremely well. Bob devoted his nurturing side to the encouragement and development of his MPA students but, when circumstances required it, helped both them and the program by suggesting that they should not attempt graduate work.

Bob worked at bringing students into professional associations. EKU’s MPA program had the ambition to involve students in professional meetings and interaction, and as chair, Bob put money behind such efforts. He wanted to help the students professionalize and network.

Throughout his career, Bob maintained a professional commitment in the classic pattern of the regional university faculty member–yielding a modest but steady research and publication stream on such topics as community development and professionalism among city managers. He was a devoted teacher, and continuously served in public service activities through professional associations (he served on the national board of ASPA and the SECoPA Board). Early in his career Bob worked to facilitate interaction and communication among public administrators to enhance the quality of local governments in Kentucky. In fact, the Robert L. Kline Conference on the Management of Local Government named in his honor after his death celebrated its 26th year in 2003.

(Approved by SECoPA Board October 5, 2005)
(Revised-Approved by SECoPA Board March 19, 2008)
(Revised-Approved by SECoPA Board March 25, 2010)

Past Winners:

2022—John Akeoda, Ohio University, “The Politics of Trade Disputes in the Fourth Republic: The Case of Ghana and Nigeria”
2021 – Laura K. Antanaitis, University of North Carolina – Charlotte: “Equity in Family and Medical Leave: A Response to Covid 19”
2020 – No award, conference canceled due to COVID-19
2019 – David Lehman, LSU, “Evaluating Municipal Solid Waste Tax Policies in California”
2018 – Shannon Reidlinger, MPA student, University of North Carolina at Charlotte: “Leveraging the graduate degree: employment outcomes for female students of NASPAA institutions”
2017 – Catherine Carter
2016 – Sabrina Willard
2015 – Mason Hess
2014 – James C. Thomson, “A Comparative Growth Assessment of the Creation of Green Economies for Five State Capital Cities and Policy Recommendations for the Said Growth”
2013 – Kristen Young, “Strategic NGO Development in Quaouizerth Morocco: A Case Study of the Non-Governmental Organization Creativity and Community Development: Morocco Inc.”
2012 – Ju-Ying Yang
2011 – Chuck Truesdale, “U. S. State Employee Pension Systems: An Investigation Into the Causes of Unfunded Liabilities”
2010 – Meredith Howes, ” Providing Department of Defense Support Domestically: A Study of Cost-Effectiveness.”
2009 – Jennifer White, ” Medication Therapy Management: Is It Worth Medicare’s Time?”
2008 – Billie Hardin, ” KCTCS Student Success: An Outcome of KCTCS First -Time Freshman Entering Fall 2001”
2007 – Not Awarded
2006 – Lydia Marsh, “Ratio Comparison and Exploratory Spatial Analysis of Property Tax Assessment in Mecklenburg County.”
2005 – Erin Diener, Jenny Payne, and Jeffrey Rose, “Placing a Price on Public Art: Contingent Valuation of Public Sculptures in Downtown Wilmington, North Carolina,” University of North Carolina, Wilmington
2004 – Thiane D. Carter, “Tax Credits Dilute the Empowerment Zone’s Power,” University of North Carolina, Charlotte
2003 – Not Awarded
2002 – David Duttlinger, University of Kentucky “Should Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Purchase the Kentucky American Water System? A Policy and Economic Analysis that will affect the Decision.”
2001 – Not Awarded
2000 – Terry Pearl, University of Miami, “The National Endowment for the Arts: Partisan Politics or Legitimate Agency?”
1999 – Not Awarded
1998 – Mark Colburn, Clemson University, “National Park Service Visitation – A Model to Predict Numbers of Visitors at Individual Parks”
1997 – Matthew Bouck, University of Florida, “A Study of Predictors of Student Readiness for College in Florida’s 67 Counties: What are we doing and How is it Working?”
1996 – Russ Williams, Florida State University, “Economic Theory and Residential Waste Collection: How ‘Satisfying’ is It?”
1995 – Jo Ann Ewalt, University of Kentucky, “Exploring Linkages Between Public Opinion, Political Institutions, and Public Policy: A Cleavage Content Theory of Welfare Reform Experiments in the States”
1994 – Wes Clark. University of Kentucky, “Budget Requests and Agency Selection Methods”
1993 – Kenneth R. Miller, Jr, University of Kentucky
1992 – Steve Jenks and Cathy Reese