The symposium on “Succession Planning and the Human Capital Crisis in Government” held at the Brookings Institution during the ASPA National Conference in Washington DC was a great success. Mike Massiah, chair of ASPA's task force on succession planning, did a wonderful job of coordinating the program and also served as the symposium moderator. The symposium was co-hosted by Brookings and SPALR and coordinated by ASPA's task force on succession planning and University of Georgia 's Vinson Institute of Government.

Over 40 symposium participants heard presentations on various aspects of succession planning, broke into discussion groups to share ideas and craft recommendations for ASPA, and enjoyed an afternoon coffee break and wine and cheese reception provided by Al Hyde, our host at the Brookings Institution. Panelists who shared their expertise included Stuart Greenfield (University of Maryland University College), Maja Holmes (National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration), Kevin Mahoney (U.S. Office of Personnel Management), Vidu Soni (Central Michigan University), and Ethel Williams (University of Nebraska at Omaha). Many thanks to all of our panelists for sharing their expertise and ideas with the group, and to Mike Massiah, Chris Shorter, and Al Hyde for their hard work in putting the symposium together.

Please click the links below to read some of the materials shared during the symposium.

• Symposium agenda
• Aging of the public sector workforce
• Recruiting and selection
• Innovative recruiting strategies
• Promoting excellence in public service education
• Succession planning in the federal government

A warm welcome to the newest members of SPALR's executive board, who were elected to a three-year term at the SPALR annual business meeting last week in Washington D.C. Our three new board members are:

• Joe Cavazos, City of Albany, NY
• Ann Hess Braga, City of Boston, MA
• Sydney Smith-Heimbrock, U.S. Office of Personnel Management

We would like to express our appreciation to outgoing SPALR executive board member and Review of Public Personnel Administration editorial board member Lloyd Nigro. Thank you for your long-standing support for the Section and the journal.

We are very proud to recognize and honor the following 2006 award winners, who were nominated and selected by a commitee of their peers, for their contributions to the field of public sector human resource management.

Outstanding Service to the Public Sector Human Resources Profession:
Karen Holloway, Human Resources Director, Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration

Scholarship in Public Sector Human Resources:
Lloyd Nigro, Georgia State University

Best Public Sector Human Resources Book:
Understanding Affirmative Action
J. Edward Kellough, University of Georgia

Best Article Submitted to Review of Public Personnel Administration:
"A Broader Look at the 'Accountability' Movement: Some Grim Realities in State Civil Service Systems" - vol. 26(2)
Steven W. Hays, University of South Carolina
Jessica E. Sowa, University of South Carolina

Outstanding Service to the Section:
Ilka Decker, University of Georgia

Annually, the Section on Personnel Administration and Labor Relations presents awards at our business meeting at the Annual Conference. We are requesting your nominations for the following awards:

• Outstanding Service to the Public Sector/ HR Profession: This award will be presented to a practitioner or academic for outstanding service to our profession over an extended period of time.
• Outstanding Service to the Section: This award will be presented to a practitioner or academic for outstanding service to SPALR. 
• Scholarship in Public Sector Human Resources: This award will be presented for outstanding contribution to knowledge in the field of public sector HR over an extended period of time.
• Best Public Sector HR Book: This award is presented for the best book addressing significant issues of public sector human resource management in the last year.

Please send your nominations to Doug Goodman, Chair SPALR awards committee, at dg114@ps.msstate.edu. Nominations should be received by March 5, 2007.

Call for Papers - Symposium
The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978: A Thirty-Year Retrospective and a Look Ahead

The year 2008 marks the 30 th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, an “Act to reform the civil service laws.” This symposium edition will examine the significance of the Act at the time of passage, the influence of the Act's provisions on public personnel reform over the last three decades, and the relevance of the Act to the practice of public human resource management in the 21st century. Paper proposals that address these broad themes, as well as those that focus on more specific themes as articulated in the Act, below, are encouraged:

- Introduction: Overview and lasting effects of the CSRA
- Merit System Principles and Merit Systems Protection Board
- Office of Personnel Management: Marking the change to an administrative focus on HRM in the federal government
- Equal Employment Opportunity and the EEOC
- Performance Appraisal
- Staffing
- Senior Executive Service
- Merit Pay and Pay for Performance
- Federal Service Labor-Management Relations
- Exploration of the CSRA in light of the Bush Administration personnel system changes in the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security.

Please submit a short (less than 500 words) paper proposal, identifying the theme, to Meredith Newman (newmanm@fiu.edu) by September 15, 2007. Decisions will be made by September 30. If accepted, final papers will be due by December 31, 2007.

SPALR is co-hosting a working symposium on “Succession Planning and the Human Capital Crisis in Government” on Friday, March 23, at the Brookings Institution immediately prior to the ASPA National Conference in Washington DC. Please click here for more information about the symposium.

The symposium will feature several panelists and will begin at 1:00pm and end at 5:00pm, followed by a wine and cheese reception. The symposium is being co-hosted by the Brookings Institution and SPALR and coordinated by the University of Georgia 's Carl Vinson Institute of Government and ASPA's task force on succession planning, chaired by Mike Massiah.

What: Symposium on Succession Planning and the Human Capital Crisis in Government
When: Friday, March 23, 2007 from 1-5pm, followed by a wine & cheese reception
Where: Brookings Institution, Washington DC
Cost: Free for all ASPA and SPALR members and their invited guests.
Registration: Please email Ilka Decker (decker@cviog.uga.edu) if you plan to attend.