Madinah F. Hamidullah, Ph.D., Named Professor and Director of the Master of Public Administration Program in the School of Government & International Affairs
KENNESAW, Ga.
(Jun 27, 2023) —
“We are excited to have Dr. Hamidullah join the Radow College in this role. I believe her outstanding credentials and understanding of the value and necessity in our communities for strong public administration skills will take an already strong program to even higher levels. This positively impacts both our academics and the service-learning opportunities our graduate students are engage in,” said Dean Kaukinen.
Dr. Hamidullah’s expertise aligns the mission of the program and will inform her decisions as the program continues to grow. “Inclusion, diversity, equity, and access (IDEA) are (and have been) central aspects of my administrative journey, teaching, research, and service. As a program director, I will focus on building on the existing foundation of the MPA program, to ensure the program is preparing individuals to best serve and lead in the communities that they are a part of,” Dr. Hamidullah said.
“We are a service-learning college and the School of Government & International affairs generally, and the MPA program specifically, offer an arena in which our graduate students develop a concrete academic understanding of public policy and processes in the public sector, balanced with invaluable practical hands-on experiences that enable them to become effective change agents in a wide range of public government and non-profit careers,” said Dean Kaukinen.
In her role as program director, Dr. Hamidullah will maintain the MPA program’s accreditation and grow the program to include an online pathway; maintain an active research agenda and publicly promote research results; encourage and support faculty’s pursuit of internal and external funding including federal grants; maintain student admissions and advisement; and teach courses in both the graduate and undergraduate programs as necessary.
“I like the mission of Norman J. Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences that speaks to understanding the human condition and preparing global citizens,” said Dr. Hamidullah. “I believe an MPA program has that responsibility with the added awareness of teaching and training in the complicated and multifaceted area of governance. From a research perspective, I focus on how aspects of diversity impact the equity, efficiency, and effectiveness of public and nonprofit organizations. I look forward to developing programs and student services that are responsive to the needs of students and the community that they will serve.”
Dr. Hamidullah’s major research areas in the field of public and nonprofit administration are leadership and management, specifically how it applies to human resource management practices and policies, and nonprofit organization administration. Equity, public and nonprofit organization awareness, and human resource leadership and management are recurring themes in her research agenda. She is also developing a research focus on women’s organizations, and their collective impact in philanthropy, service, and professional development in society. Her research addresses how to help public and nonprofit managers and leaders build more efficient, equitable and effective organizations. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility are critical aspects of her research and teaching. Products of this research have appeared in Public Management Review, Journal of Philanthropy and Marketing, and the American Review of Public Administration.
Additionally, she has worked with leading global professional organizations (NASPAA and ARNOVA) on programs that have a direct influence on building a diverse pipeline of students and providing greater educational opportunities to all. For more than six years she served as the director of undergraduate programs at Rutgers University-Newark where she directed the on-campus degree, launched the online degree offerings, and set the standards for accelerated BA/MPA programs. She currently serves on the NASPAA Executive Council and chair of the Undergraduate Diversity Scholars Program with ARNOVA.
Prior to joining the Radow College for Humanities and Social Sciences, Dr. Hamidullah served as an Associate Professor in the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers University, Newark, and as the second director of the undergraduate program in Public and Nonprofit Administration (formerly Public Service). She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance and Political Science and Master of Public Administration degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She received her Doctor of Philosophy degree in Public Administration from the University of Georgia.
