Contact Information
Academic
Department of Public Administration
University of Maine
5754 North Stevens Hall
Orono, Maine 04473-5754
Home 169 Main Street
Orono, Maine 04473
Phone 207 581-1875, 207 581-1872 207 866-5732
Fax 207 581-3039
Email ken.nichols@umit.maine.edu
Web www.umaine.edu/pubadmin/
Education
Degree, Field, Institution and Date
Doctor of Public Administration Change & Innovation George Mason University 1993
Master of Public Administration Management George Mason University 1983
Bachelor of Arts (Cum Laude) English Language & Literature Weber State University 1968
Academic Experience
Position, Affiliation and Dates
Associate Professor with Tenure University of Maine, Dept. of Public Administration 2002-present
Assistant Professor University of Maine, Dept. of Public Administration 1996-2002
Adjunct Instructor George Mason University, Dept. of Public & International Affairs 1995-1996
Adjunct Instructor University of North Florida, Dept. of Social & Polit. Science 1984-1985
Professional Experience
Position, Affiliation and Dates
Sr. Program Analyst
(Reengineering) Internal Revenue Service, Planning & Finance, Washington, DC 1991-1994
Asst. to the Director Internal Revenue Service, Ft. Lauderdale District 1987-1991
Legislative Analyst Internal Revenue Service, Legislative Affairs, Washington, DC 1985-1987
Trend Analyst Internal Revenue Service, Jacksonville District 1984-1985
Planning Analyst
(Strategic Planning) Internal Revenue Service, Planning, Finance & Research, Washington, DC 1981-1984
Program Coordinator (Information Returns) Internal Revenue Service, Tax Systems,
Washington, DC 1976-1980
Systems Analyst Internal Revenue Service, Returns Processing & Accounts, Washington, DC 1972-1975
Tax Examiner Internal Revenue Service, Ogden Service Center 1966-1971
Courses Taught
Undergraduate
▫ Public Management
▫ Organizational Change in Public Service
▫ Technical Writing and Communication in Public Service
▫ Pop!Tech: The Impact of Technology on Society
▪ 1999: Popular Culture and the New Technologies
▪ 2000: Being Human in the Digital Age
▪ 2001: Online, Everywhere, All the Time
▪ 2002: Artificial Worlds
▪ 2003: Sea Change
▪ 2004: The Next Renaissance
▪ 2005: Grand Challenges
▪ 2006: Dangerous Ideas
▪ 2007: The Human Impact
▫ Public Leadership and Literature
▫ Neighborhood Leadership Skill-building
▫ Public Personnel Management
Graduate
▫ Strategic Planning Using Futures Techniques
▫ Applying Futures Studies Techniques to Public Management
▫ Administrative Theory
▫ Leadership and Administrative Theory in Public Service
▫ Maine Politics and Policy
▫ Program Analysis and Evaluation
▫ Methods of Analysis for Public Administration and Public Policy
▫ Advanced Methods of Analysis for Public Administration and Public Policy
▫ Information Technology and Public Policy
▫ Technology and Public Management
▫ Intergovernmental Relations
▫ Principles and Practices in Government Organization and Management
Professional Affiliations
▫ American Society for Public Administration
▫ World Future Society
▫ Pi Alpha Alpha Honor Society
▫ National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Education
▫ National Education Association/Maine Education Association
▫ Associated Faculty of the University of Maine
▫ New York College English Association
▫ Northeast Popular Culture Association
▫ Police Futurists International
▫ Maine Library Association
Recent Service Activities
Public Service
▫ Advisory Board, Maine Digital Government Summit (2007)
▫ Member, Orono 2006 Bicentennial Planning Committee (2004-2006)
▫ Trustee, Orono Public Library (1999-2005; chair, 2000-2002)
▫ Member, former co-pres. (1999-2000), Friends of the Orono Public Library (1997-present)
▫ Member, Design Committee for Orono Public Library (1997-1999)
▫ Grant application reviews: New Century Library Foundation grant, $7,000 (February 2000), $13,000 (February 2002); Gates Foundation grant, $17,000 (February 2001)
▫ Board member and publicity chair, Orono Land Trust (2000-2001)
▫ Founding member, UMaine Sustainability Coalition (2000-2003)
▫ Newsletter editor for a Virginia nonprofit organization that provides housing and social development skills to adults with mental disabilities (1995-2001)
Professional Service
▫ Pi Alpha Alpha
National Vice President (2007-present)
Member, National Board (2005-present)
Chair, Committee on Chapter Grants (2005-2007)
▫ American Society for Public Administration; World Future Society:
Coordinated bridge agreement between ASPA and the World Future Society (1999-2003)
National task group on awards and recognition (1999-2002)
2003 national conference planning committee (2002-2003)
Chair, ASPA’s Section on Historic, Artistic, and Humanistic Expression (2003-2004)
Board member, Maine Chapter (1997-2001, 2005)
Board member and former chair, ASPA’s Section for Professional and Organizational Development (1997-2004)
▫ Futurist Advisory Board, Lifeboat Foundation (2008-present)
▫ Associated Faculty of the University of Maine: AFUM/UMS Distance Educ. Committee (2001-2006)
▫ Peer reviewer for journal articles, textbooks, and tenure outside UMaine
▫ Editorial Review Boards:
Public Administration Quarterly (1999-present)
Ethics Today (2000-2006)
Public Voices (2001-present)
Academic Service
▫ University of Maine System (UMS):
Online Course Evaluation Form Revision Committee (2005)
AFUM/UMS Joint Committee on Distance Technology and Education (2001-2006)
▫ University of Maine (UM):
Interdisciplinary Disabilities Studies Advisory Committee (2006-present; chair 2008)
Center for Teaching Excellence Steering Committee (2008)
Undergraduate Program Curriculum Committee (2000-2004; chair, 2002-2004)
Strategic Planning Committee for Distance Education (2005)
Diversity Grants Review Committee (2005)
Faculty Search Committees
Parks, Recreation, and Tourism for asst./assoc. prof. (2004)
Maine Business School for asst./assoc. prof. (2007-2008, chair)
University Human Subjects Review Board (1999-2002)
▫ College of Business, Public Policy, and Health:
Human Subjects Unit Review Committee (1998-2002, 2005-2007)
Reappointment Review Committee – Director of Nursing (2002)
Center on Aging (faculty associate, 2002)
Committee for Initial Planning of the William S. Cohen Center for Public Policy and Commerce (1997-1999)
Graduate Programs Committee (1998-1999)
▫ Department of Public Administration:
Graduate Studies Committee (ongoing); Undergraduate Studies Committee (ongoing)
Peer Committee (ongoing); Policy Advisory Committee (ongoing)
Strategic Planning Committee (ongoing)
Promotion & Tenure Committee (ongoing); Chair Search Committee (1999, 2001, 2008)
Interim director for public administration graduate programs (1998-1999)
Advisor for Pi Alpha Alpha, Graduate Assoc. of Public Administrators (1998-present)
Advising students at undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels
Overseeing training research grants for graduate student projects (2003-2006)
Publications
Articles (refereed)
“Creating Classroom Links between Public Administration and Civil Engineering Disciplines” Leadership in Management and Engineering. Co-author with Phillip Dunn (forthcoming, October 2008).
“Turning Bad Situations into Good Outcomes: The Role of Triggers and Lures in Shaping the Future.” Futures Research Quarterly 23 (2, 2007): 31-44.
“Decoding Postmodernism for Busy Public Administrators.” The Public Manager 36 (1, Spring 2007): 60-62.
“Tax Policy and the Principles Underlying a ‘Good Tax.’” Maine Policy Review 14 (Winter 2005): 12-14.
“Domestic Violence at the Top of New England: An Analysis Based on Law Enforcement Incident Reports in Aroostook County, Maine.” Co-author with Carolyn Ball. New England Journal of Policy 17 (2, Spring/Summer 2002): 39-53.
"Ethics Education in the MPA Curriculum: What Difference Does It Make?" Co-author with Carole L. Jurkiewicz. Journal of Public Affairs Education 8 (2, April 2002): 103-114.
“Optimizing the Silver-collar Worker: In the Shoes of the Older Employee,” International Journal of Organization Theory and Behavior 4 (3&4, Fall 2001): 225-246.
“The Crucial Edges of Reinvention: A Primer on Scoping and Measuring for Organizational Change.” Public Administration Quarterly. (Winter 1997): 405-418.
“Constitutionally Speaking: A Conversation with Lycurgus of Sparta on the Role of the Lawgiver in Society.” Public Voices. (July 1996): 59-67.
Book Chapters
“Strategic Planning.” Handbook of Technology Management, Hossein Bidgoli, editor. Co-author with Stephanie Welcomer. (Invited; under review.)
”Policy Issues on Aging and Social Security: Does It Pay to Get Old?” American Politics: Diversity and Unity. John Rourke and Scott Furlong, eds. (Invited; publication delayed)
“Technology Transfer and Diffusion.” Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems. Oxford, United Kingdom: Baldwin House, 2005 (online).
“Micromanagement.” International Encyclopedia of Public Policy and Administration. Jay M. Shafritz, editor-in-chief. New York: Westview Press, 1998, pp. 1398-1403.
“Technology Transfer.” International Encyclopedia of Public Policy and Administration. Jay M. Shafritz, editor-in-chief. New York: Westview Press, 1998, pp. 2233-2239.
Books/Monographs
Organization Theory: A Public and Nonprofit Perspective, Harold Gortner and Carolyn Ball, co-authors. Thomson-Wadsworth, 2007.
Enterprise Government: Franchising and Cross-Servicing for Administrative Support, Arie Halachmi, co-editor. Burke, Virginia: Chatelaine Press, 1996, 1997.
Professional Presentations and Documents
Conference Papers, Presentations
“IT [Information Technology] and Education.” Conference panel at the Maine Digital Government Summit (convenor), Augusta, Maine, October 2007.
“Undergraduate Public Administration Programs and the NASPAA Connection.” Panel presentation at the annual conference of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration, Seattle, October 2007.
”Ethics in the Public Workplace.” Workshop for Maine State employees and managers, Augusta, Maine, July 2007.
”Situational Management.” Workshop for supervisory campus police officers, Orono, Maine, June 2005.
Catch-22. Discussion moderator for the film at the annual conference of the American Society for Public Administration, Washington, DC, March 2003.
“Ethics and the Futurist.” Presented for the Master of Science in Studies of the Future Program at the University of Houston – Clear Lake in Houston, Texas, February 2003.
“Blurred Sectors Don’t Mean Fuzzy Ethics: A Pragmatic Perspective.” Presented at the annual conference of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration, Los Angeles, October 2002.
”Maine Local Law Enforcement Communication Technology Survey Results.” Presentation to the Maine Association of Chief Law Enforcement Officers, Bar Harbor, Maine, June 2002.
Thirteen Days: The Cuban Missile Crisis. Discussion moderator for the film at the annual conference of the American Society for Public Administration, Phoenix, Arizona, March 2002.
“A Conversation on Student Writing.” Panel, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, March 2002.
"Using 'Unreal Administrators' to Teach Real Administrators: Applying Fiction and Poetry in Public Administration Education." Presented at the 24th Annual Conference on Teaching Public Administration, Tempe, Arizona, February 2001.
“Advisory Update: Criminal Justice Information System Upgrade.” Presented with Dr. Carolyn Ball at a meeting of the Maine Justice Assistance Council, Augusta, Maine, February 2001.
“Opinion Survey Results: Orono Public Library.” Presented at a joint session of the Orono Town Council and the Orono Public Library Trustees, Orono, Maine, February 2001.
"James Thurber's 'The Unicorn in the Garden': A Case Study in Community-level Social Responsibility." Presented at the New York College English Association Conference on Literature and Criminal Justice, Hamburg, New York, September 2000.
“Marketing the MPA.” Presented at the annual conference of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration, Miami Beach, October 1999.
"Enforcement Administration: The Blend of Marketing and Muscle." Presented at the annual conference of the American Society for Public Administration, Seattle, May 1998.
"Ethics in Public Administration: No Place for Wimps." Presented at a meeting of the American Society for Public Administration in Augusta, Maine, March 1998.
“IRS: Not as Scary as They Seem.” Joint presentation with Barbara Nichols. Part of the social issues series of the Orono Methodist Church, February 1997.
"Star Trek and Public Leadership Roles: Employing Popular Culture in the Classroom to Introduce Administrative Concepts." Presented at the annual meeting of the Northeast Popular Culture Association, Boston, October 1997.
"Why Federal Agencies Adopt TQM." Presented at the annual conference of the American Society for Public Administration, 1994. Reprinted in Total Quality Management, a volume of the ASPA Resource Paper Series, Peter Brace, ed., 1996.
"Robert Browning's My Last Duchess: A Contrast in Management Styles." Conference Proceedings on Administrative Leadership: Lessons from Liberal Learning. White Plains, New York: Pace University, 1991, pp. 287-300.
"Technology, Ethics, and Tax Administration." Presented at the annual conference of the American Society for Public Administration, Denver, Colorado, 1983.
Interviews
“Can Business and Ethics Coexist?” Interview and article by George Manlove. UMaine Today. (September-October 2004):10-11.
“Brand-New Mainers: For many newcomers, especially those in their fifties, the distinction between relocation and retirement is a bit blurry.” Interview and article by Jeff Clark, Senior Editor, Down East, v.47, no. 8 (March 2001): R4-R8.
“UMaine Professor Offers Information, Tips on Tax Filing." Interview by Peter Cook, Public Affairs, University of Maine (March 2000).
Commentaries
“‘Good Tax’ Has Basic Principles." OpEd in the Bangor Daily News (January 6, 2005). Basis for a longer journal article.
"Professional Development Never Ends," PA [Public Administration] Times (November 1998).
"The Last Word," a feature in Ethics Today (Fall 1998).
“Maybe We Should Split the IRS." OpEd in the Bangor Daily News (November 18, 1997). Based on a longer, unpublished article.
"The MPA Is Great, But Way Too Late." PA Times (October 1998).
"The Schools and the Search for Customers." PA Times (October 1995).
"A Resourcing Support Study Scenario -- A First-line Field Manager in 2001 Could Have Powerful Electronic Help." Leader's Digest (Summer 1993): 24-25.
"Building the Bridge to TQO [Total Quality Organization]." Leader's Digest (Spring 1993): 20-21.
"Core Business Systems." IRS Controller Newsletter (1992).
"Trends in IRS Budgets." IRS Controller Newsletter (1992).
"'Social Technology'? What's That?" Leader's Digest (Fall 1990): 18.
Selected Reports and Handbooks
“Integration of Law Enforcement Computer Technology.” Report co-authored with Carolyn Ball for the Maine Criminal Justice Assistance Council. September 2002.
“Report of the Library Design Committee to the Town Council, Orono, Maine.” Co-authored with James Bird. May 2000.
"Productivity Definition: Report for the Internal Revenue Service's Business Master Plan." Advisory report for the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, 1994.
"Streamlining Plan for the Internal Revenue Service." Report to the Treasury Department and the Office of Management and Budget, 1994.
"Planning, Funding, and Assessing Servicewide Performance: An IRS Core Business Subsystem." Documentation for an aspect of business process improvement within the Internal Revenue Service, 1994.
"Why Public Organizations Adopt Total Quality Management: Factors Influencing Decisions to Invest in TQM." Doctoral dissertation, George Mason University, 1993.
"Budget Overview for Fiscal Year 1994." Prefatory statement to the Internal Revenue Service budget submission, 1992.
"Responsibility, Authority, and Organizational Hodge-podge: A Polemic." Advisory report for the Internal Revenue Service, 1992.
"Budget Overview for Fiscal Year 1993." Prefatory statement to the Internal Revenue Service budget submission, 1991.
"Budget Framework and Guidance for Fiscal Year 1993." Guidance document for Internal Revenue Service budget development, 1991.
"Strategic Initiative: Addressing International Corporate Tax Noncompliance." Advisory report for the IRS, 1990.
"How Major Corporations Implement Total Quality Management." Advisory report for the Internal Revenue Service, 1990.
"Strategic Initiative: Improve IRS Examinations." Advisory report for IRS, 1990.
"Excel Thru People Survey -- Interpretive Guide." Guidance document for Internal Revenue Service managers, 1988.
"Environmental Scan: Electronic Financial Recordkeeping." Advisory report for the Internal Revenue Service, 1984.
"IRS Safeguards to Assure Taxpayer Rights." Advisory report for the Internal Revenue Service and the Congress, 1982.
"Recommendations for Systems Improvements to Information Returns Processing." Advisory report for the Internal Revenue Service, 1979.
"Perfecting Taxpayer Identification Numbers on Information Returns." Procedural handbook for Internal Revenue Service employees, 1975.
Other Research Interests
Futures research techniques – Research oriented around possible, probable, and preferred futures in the context of strategic planning and policy development
▫ Practices and issues in transnational governance
▫ Applying futures research techniques within public administration
▫ Creating a practical guide for strategic management and futures techniques (with P. Bishop)
Ethics and Public Administration — A line of research, with Carole Jurkiewicz and others, focusing on the relationship between ethical behavior in the workplace and ethics emphasis in the curriculum. Areas in development:
▫ The relationship between undergraduate ethics education and ethics in the workplace
▫ Teaching ethics in public service.
North American Border Issues — A line of research with Howard Cody about social, political, economic, and security aspects of national borders in North America. Areas in development:
▫ New England-Canadian border communities’ changing potential for shared public and nonprofit services.
▫ Considerations in redefining national borders within North America.
Criminal Justice — A line of research with Carolyn Ball examining interrelated issues in criminal justice administration. Areas in development:
▫ Law enforcement administration’s dual-perspective of enforcement and assistance
▫ Maine’s evolving criminal justice information system and its law enforcement communications technology. Funded through the Maine Department of Public Safety, Justice Assistance Council, and MCJUSTIS Policy Board ($24,000)
Revenue Administration — A line of research examining aspects of federal and state tax policy and administration. Areas for pursuit:
▫ Administrative issues surrounding potential internet and interstate sales taxes.
▫ Managing federal accounts receivable
▫ Nonpolicy aspects of international tax administration
Literature and Public Administration – Developing links between administration education and the liberal arts. Funded through the Bird and Bird Instructional and Faculty Development Grants Program ($1,600).
Kenneth L. Nichols PDF document
Created June 30, 2008