“Social media are tools that have the potential to transform relationships with citizens and stakeholders,” said Thomas Bryer, an associate professor and one of the organizers of the event. “Organization leaders need to approach the adoption and use of social media with careful consideration and attention to the required resources to make use of the tool successful.”

The 10th annual UCF Public Administration Research Conference, hosted by the School of Public Administration and the Center for Public and Nonprofit Management, will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the FAIRWINDS Alumni Center.

The theme is “Social Governance: Developments in Digital Democracy,” and attendees will hear from academic researchers and practitioners in the field.

Organizers expect about 120 attendees, primarily public information officers, social media managers and nonprofit professionals.

Associate professor Staci Zavattaro, who worked with Bryer to organize the event, said she is eager to hear what participants discuss during the workshop.

“Our goal is to get the top minds into one space so everyone can learn about best practices and stumbling blocks to avoid, and leave with some new idea or new way of thinking about how social media should be implemented in their organization,” said Zavattaro.

Speakers who have submitted their papers to the conference organizers will be up for a Best Paper Award worth $700. Students will also be able to present their research for a chance at a $100 award.

Lori Brainard of the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration at George Washington şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą and a representative from the Orlando City Soccer Club are scheduled to speak about how they use social media.

For more information, visit the .

Those are two of the stops being made this week by several dozen Romanian officials participating in a pilot exchange program coordinated by UCF’s Center for Public and Nonprofit Management, the American Society for Public Administration and the Romanian Magazine of Local Public Administration.

The Romanians are local elected officials and public servants interested in learning firsthand about the United States’ approach to public management, said Associate Professor Thomas Bryer, director of the center and a coordinator of the event.

“Romania is an emerging democracy seeking fresh insights,” he explained.

During the four-day program, the group is meeting with local leaders from government, nonprofit and school organizations; attending presentations on topics such as American governance and cross-sector collaboration; and visiting sites concerned with social services, environmental sustainability and education.

On Tuesday the group traveled to Second Harvest Food Bank in Orlando. Cristina Mita, managing editor of the Romanian magazine, thought Second Harvest’s work was “amazing.”

“The group was visibly impressed by the size of the food bank, the partnerships involved in supporting the food bank and the commitment to help hungry citizens in central Florida citizens,” Bryer said.

On schedule for today are morning presentations on citizen and community engagement and on public health, with the latter led by Dr. Kevin Sherin, director of the Florida Department of Health in Orange County and a member of the UCF center’s advisory council. The schedule also includes an afternoon tour of the Orange County Emergency Operations Center, as well as time to reflect and asked questions.

“The center is very proud to host this distinguished delegation,” Bryer shared. “I look forward to strengthening these new relationships — and new friendships — in the months and years ahead.”

Learn more about the program at .

For additional photos of the food bank tour, visit http://bit.ly/17hry4Y.

The Walking School Bus,  a national project that has its local base at the şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ąâ€™s teamed up with Lake Sybelia Elementary in Maitland,  Eagle’s Nest in Orlando’s Metro West, Robert Louis Stevenson School of the Arts on Merritt Island and the Soldiers to Scholars program to help school children get to school safely.

Each program was tailored to meet the school’s needs. UCF students mapped the route, presented the program to parents and helped launch the walking program at Stevenson, for example, while UCF is conducting research about the benefits of walking for the second-year program at Sybelia. At Eagle’s Nest, UCF helped volunteers from the non-profit Soldier’s to School organization get the program rolling. Parents and community members have responded with volunteers and enthusiasm.

“This is a program that is good for kids and brings communities together,” said Tim Pehlke, the center’s assistant director for the program. “We’re hitting very important areas – safety, health and even helping the environment.”

Administrators at Stevenson Elementary, a school of choice in Brevard County, were looking for a way to help alleviate potential traffic problems when budget cuts eliminated buses to the school.

The school sits next to Kelly Park, and Principal Michael Corneau thought he could somehow use that park to help offset traffic while keeping students safe. That’s when he connected with the Walking School Bus.

“It is a great opportunity because we hit the challenge on many different levels,” he said. “It’s great for kids to get the chance to walk. Parents don’t have to sit in – shall we say – a challenging car loop, and with the volunteers we keep the kids safe from point A to point C.”

Ten parent volunteers line a pathway from a drop off point in Kelly Park to the school’s back fields. There, school staff members meet the children and walk them to the main campus. Heavy backpacks, musical instruments and other large items are loaded into a golf cart that is driven to the school so children don’t hurt their backs on the ¾-mile walk. Local business IAP Worldwide Services donated the cart when its owner heard about the program. The principal hopes to recruit more volunteers from the community as the year unfolds.

“The UCF students made the presentation to my parent group,” Corneau said. “Then we pitched it before and during registration. We started with about 10 students on day one, and this week we have about 85. The kids love it because they get to hang out with their friends on the walk. The parents love the ease and I like it because I know my kids are safe, getting some exercise and we’re being good neighbors.”

At Lake Sybelia, UCF is helping by monitoring the walking and conducting some research to see the impact it can have on children’s health.

“It is a wonderful opportunity for our student to get exercise and get the wiggles out before the school day begins,” said Lake Sybelia Principal and UCF alum Julie Paradise. “We highly encourage it.”

Lake Sybelia  has two routes starting in different neighborhoods. About 15-20 students participate in each route with three to six escorts. One parent usually pulls a little red wagon piled with backpacks so the walkers can proceed unrestricted, Paradise said.

In Orlando’s Metro West, UCF is helping the volunteers from Soldiers to Scholars. The organization helps veterans get four-year degrees while the veterans help their local communities by volunteering for different projects. The Walking School Bus was a perfect fit. Volunteers from Soldiers to Scholars meet at an apartment complex on Kirkham Road that is home to many school children. Together they walk the mile and half to a park near the school. From there they watch the children walk through the school’s front doors.

UCF mapped the route, provided reflective vests and whistles to the soldier volunteers, and helped spread the word about the program. There are about 35 students who make the walk each morning and afternoon.

“We’re just getting started,” said Thomas Bryer, the director of the center for public and nonprofit management at UCF. “We have plans to add 20 more schools by 2014 in Brevard, Flagler, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Sumter, Volusia counties.”

The UCF team is already in discussions with several schools, and UCF students in an urban and regional planning class are busy mapping out potential routes in those areas so they can be ready to go once agreements have been reached. The routes are being mapped with safety features in mind such as: availability of sidewalks, width of sidewalk, distance between street and sidewalk, speed limits on streets, and speed mitigation/traffic-calming devices such as speed bumps. Funding for the Walking School Bus is provided by several grants including money from the Florida Department of Transportation.

“It’s a feel good project that really has no losers,” Pehlke said. “I mean, we’re keeping kids safe from getting hit by cars and strangers, we’re helping them get their exercise and we’re helping the environment by giving parents a good option to driving to school. Who can be against that?”

Provost and Executive Vice President Tony Waldrop informed the university’s Board of Trustees of the new designation on Wednesday.

Public Administration offers 22 graduate and undergraduate programs and serves nearly 1,000 students. The school’s areas of focus include nonprofit management, urban planning and emergency management.

The school’s Center for Public and Nonprofit Management has earned about $4 million in external funds and helped more than 200 nonprofit organizations.

“This is an amazingly innovative department,” College of Health and Public Affairs Dean Michael Frumkin told the trustees.

Public Administration is one of eight UCF graduate programs nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report.

Also at Wednesday’s Board of Trustees meeting:

— President Hitt expressed “great sadness” that Nancy Burnett, a longtime friend and benefactor of the şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą, passed away last week.

Nancy and Al Burnett have donated $15.5 million over more than 30 years to support UCF students and programs. The Burnett Honors College and Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences are named in their honor, as is the president’s on-campus home.

“Their gifts have benefitted thousands of students in our classrooms, in our research labs and on our athletic fields, and their generosity will continue to benefit Central Floridians for many years to come,” Hitt said. “Please keep Nancy’s family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.”

— Board members approved Chairman Emeritus status for Rick Walsh and Vice Chairman Emeritus status for Tom Yochum. Yochum attended the meeting, accepted a plaque and said he was thankful for the opportunity to serve the university for 10 years.

— The board welcomed newly appointed trustee Robert Garvy, chair and CEO of INTECH.

— The board heard an update on the university’s progress on developing a new policy governing academic integrity and misconduct. The Academic Integrity Task Force is in the process of receiving feedback from the university community.

— The board learned about a proposal to attach a large screen to the outside of the UCF Arena that could be used to showcase movies, away sporting events and university programs along with advertisements. Additional feedback about the concept will be accepted.

— Joel Hartman, vice provost for Information Technologies, was lauded for his selection as the 2011 Sloan Consortium’s A. Frank Maydas Leadership Award winner. The award acknowledges and celebrates leadership in online education.

— The board recognized Professor Linda Walters for being named one of the best biology professors in the country by The Coastal and Estuarine Research Foundation. She also earned the 2011 Florida Campus Compact Service-Learning Faculty Award for her excellence in linking UCF courses with community needs.

— Associate Professor H.G. Parza of the Rosen College of Hospitality Management was applauded for earning the John Wiley and Sons Lifetime Research Achievement Award from the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education.

— The board lauded the volleyball team for earning the 2010-11 Team Academic Award from the American Volleyball Coaches Association. The award honors teams that have matched their dedication to the sport of volleyball with excellence in the classroom.

The nonprofits make up the first group to participate in the Strengthening Communities in Central Florida Program, funded with a $1 million grant awarded to the center by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

During the 10-month program, representatives of the nonprofits attended workshops on areas known to enhance nonprofit effectiveness: leadership development, organizational development, program development and evaluation effectiveness.

The monthly workshops were held from February to December at UCF’s South Lake Campus in Clermont.

Among the specific workshops offered were “Grant Writing — The Art and Science” and “Your Organization and Volunteers —Finding the Right Fit.”

The final workshop, held Dec. 3, focused on collaboration and community engagement and was facilitated by Hildy Gottlieb, author of The Pollyanna Principles: Reinventing “Nonprofit Organizations” to Create the Future of Our World.

At the conclusion of the workshop, the center recognized the participants for their successful completion of the program and achievements. In addition, several participants gave testimonials about their experiences. They said the knowledge gained during the program both challenged and revived their organizations.

Thanks to a generous donation from the Community Foundation of Central Florida, the workshop’s 68 attendees enjoyed a catered luncheon as well.

Early assessments of the program indicate a positive relationship between training in three areas — leadership, organizational development, and collaboration and community engagement — with increased organizational effectiveness and networking and collaboration among the nonprofits.

A second group of nonprofits will begin the Strengthening Communities in Central Florida program in January 2011.

Of more than 100 campus safety leaders surveyed, UCF Associate Professor Naim Kapucu found that only 13 percent of respondents – a mix of emergency management, public safety and police officials – said they were “very confident” that their campuses would be disaster resilient.

Campus security is an issue of primary concern for colleges and universities, especially since the tragic 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech and other high-profile incidents of campus violence across the nation.

Both the UCF Office of Emergency Management and UCF’s Center for Public and Nonprofit Management are involved with improving and researching emergency preparedness. UCF received a grant last year from the U.S. Department of Education to improve its disaster and emergency management plans.