The 45th Annual Conference of Minority Public Administrators (COMPA) was held in downtown Jackson and DURP was well represented in various capacities. M.A. students, Brian McCoy and Brandon Rankin under the leadership of Dr. Talya Thomas, DURP assistant professor, presented a paper titled, "Utica: Finding and Oasis in the Dessert." Dr. Joan Wesley, DURP associate professor, also presented a paper called, "Resident Empowerment Through Community-based Participatory Research." Several other DURP masters and Ph.D students served as greeters at the conference.
This conference was hosted by the Jackson State University Public Policy and Administration Department. Theme for this event was "Moving Beyond Problem Identification: A Clarion Call for Collective Action." The event was held February 17-19, 2016 at the Hilton Garden Inn.
