Between writing a paper analyzing the Reagan administration for
an upcoming conference in England and teaching undergraduates about
the tumultuous 1960s, UCLA Professor Joel Aberbach has something to
celebrate ““ his recognition as a 2005 fellow of the National
Academy of Public Administration.
Based in Washington, D.C., the academy is a non-partisan
organization commissioned by Congress to collaborate with federal,
state and local governments on projects pertaining to issues facing
various levels of government, from homeland security to the
FBI’s human capital efforts.
Established in 1967, the projects the academy undertakes are all
executed through the 600 elected fellows it houses, including
current and former cabinet officers, members of Congress, diplomats
and scholars.
Elected along with 45 other fellows to join a professional
society that counts Colin Powell and Donald Rumsfield among its
members, Aberbach and his colleagues are excited about his
acknowledgement.
Aberbach modestly refers to his honor as “not that big of
a deal,” but his colleagues disagree.
“It’s well deserved,” said Michael Darby, a
UCLA Anderson School of Management professor of policy.
“It’s a great honor ““ in his field, it’s
the top society to be in,” Darby said, adding that it is
these types of honors that strengthen UCLA’s reputation.
Fascinated by public policy and politics since childhood,
Aberbach first ventured out into the business field, only to find
that academia would become his life’s profession.
“(Business) wasn’t for me. … It didn’t
interest me as much as this (does),” Aberbach said.
One of the things Aberbach enjoys most about teaching is seeing
students become interested in issues they never found relevant
before, he said.
Aberbach said he is looking forward to meeting other specialists
in the field through the academy, in addition to beginning work and
research for new studies.
For over 30 years, Aberbach has studied the politics within the
executive branch, primarily focusing on political appointees and
their relationships with other members of the political system.
Students in his courses always have the chance to walk away with
knowledge from his experiences ““ and now hopefully from his
experiences within the academy, too.
“If you are an active researcher, your research feeds into
things you teach,” Aberbach said, emphasizing that he always
tries to relate course material to his own research and experience
whenever possible.
Concerned about the quality of student learning at both the
undergraduate and graduate level, Aberbach is also the director of
the Center for American Politics and Public Policy.
The center is an organization he spearheaded 15 years ago that
fosters research and enriches student education regarding
politics.
The center also sponsors a program that sends students to
Washington, D.C., for a quarter and places them in internships
pertaining to government organizations while remaining full-time
students.
Amid research, numerous honors and several publications,
Aberbach always seems to keep his students in mind with every new
opportunity.
In addition to bringing back the knowledge he will gain from
working for the academy back to the classroom, Aberbach says he
hopes to help find opportunities for students through the diverse
group of fellows with whom he will be working.
His colleagues do not hesitate to praise him for his excellence
in scholarship and his ability to build a bridge between academics
and research.
“He is a premier research scholar and yet still
contributes institutionally and pedagogically at a premiere
university,” said Mark Peterson, a UCLA political science and
public policy professor.
“It’s no secret to us about Joel’s stature in
the field.”