July 15, 2024 — A team of Master of Public Service and Administration (MPSA) students presented a capstone project on emergency communications for coastal cities at annual conference student competition. The Texas City Management Association (TCMA) hosted their TCMA Intercollegiate Bowl for student members at their recent annual conference. The 2024 conference took place in South Padre Island, Texas between June 20 – 23.
Students in the MPSA City and County Governance program at Texas A&M University’s Bush School of Government and Public Service participated in the Intercollegiate Bowl. The team, composed of Emily Derrick ’26, Colin Giusti ’23, Greg Sikowski ’24, Cameron Swanzy ’24, Swapnika Vadali ’25 and Priscilla Rios ’25, presented research compiled by Abbey Anderson ’24 and Griffin Moreland ’21 on how cities can administer effective emergency communication and preparedness to populations in coastal towns in south Texas. Rios was designated by the team as their captain and point of contact.
“A lot of times as a city manager, assistant city manager, director or executive level official, you can feel like you’re the only one struggling with these problems and even not necessarily negative issues,” Rios said. “But what these organizations do is provide a support network and a group of people that will help you find solutions. Instead of reinventing the wheel, you can collaborate and find out strategies that work well to make your area better, faster, more streamlined and with less heartache.”
The Intercollegiate Bowl invited student members from Texas institutions of higher education to compete in the category “Capstone or End of Year Project Showcase.” Teams were to set up display tables and communicate their project to visitors. Some visitors were secret judges who scored the team’s ability to communicate their research findings verbally and visually. The Bush School team utilized the knowledge and experience gained from their academic program.
For example, the two-year MPSA program curriculum consists of courses that provide students with skills in management, leadership, policy analysis and research methods. Students in their second year must complete a capstone project in which they apply their knowledge to a “real world” issue. In addition, the MPSA degree also has a focus called the City & County Governance Program which prepares students for careers in government sectors at the city and county level.
Anderson and Moreland, recent graduates from the MPSA program, had completed their capstone that focused on TCMA Region 10 south coastal area where the conference was occurring. In fact, in preparing for the conference, the team was unsure if they would even be able to make it since Tropical Storm Alberto could have caused regional flooding.
“The previous year’s capstone group had specifically worked with the South Padre Island government,” Rios said. “And it actually was a little ironic because the capstone we presented was on Region 10 Emergency Management Communications, which encompasses South Padre Island. It kind of just fell right in line with the real world and the conference.”
Anderson’s and Moreland’s capstone project, titled “Creating an Effective Communication Outreach Plan,” provided recommendations to Region 10 for an emergency communications plan. They homed in on how issues of language barriers, technology deficiencies, socio-economic disparities, trust and funding can impact emergency communication and preparedness. Anderson and Moreland engaged in academic research, data collection through focus groups and online surveys, and interviewed community leaders, non-profit representatives, public officials, emergency managers and first responders.
The final report provides crucial information on how cities can implement public information officers, cross-sectoral engagement, technology and more. This is especially significant as South Padre Island is a popular tourist destination, containing resorts, beaches and nightlife.
“The problem with South Padre is that the majority of the people there aren’t residents, and so they’re only there for a few days to a week or so,” Rios said. “All of them aren’t going to be subscribed to local text notifications because many don’t necessarily think to do that when going on vacation. That’s why the capstone suggests more cross-sectoral engagement and communication. That way there would be multiple communication channels to utilize in the case of an emergency such as tropical storms and hurricanes.”
Though Anderson and Moreland completed the capstone project, the TCMA Intercollegiate Bowl team members worked together to best represent the research. This demonstrates how MPSA students engage in teamwork across cohorts and research focuses. Rios knows that when she completes her capstone project next year, her MPSA comrades will represent her work just as well.
“I take a lot of pride in being at TCMA and saying I’m part of the Bush School MPSA program,” Rios said. “When we use our communication skills and build these relationships, then there’s a lot of wonderful things that we can do in our communities. More than anything, I want to be a servant leader who’s there for my team, who sees me, who feels comfortable approaching me and knows that I’m there to work just as hard as they are.”
Though the Bush School team ultimately placed second overall, the capstone research presented is no less integral for “real world” scenarios and earning the team high marks. Emergency preparedness and communications has been an increasingly important topic in times of frequent weather crises. This level of research, relevance and teamwork is perhaps why the MPSA degree has been highly ranked as a top-level residential program with graduates who go on to work in state, federal and local governments, as well as non-profit and private entities.
“It is a lot of fun for me to introduce Bush School students to my TCMA colleagues,” said Associate Professor of Practice Paul Hofmann, who accompanied the MPSA students to TCMA. “The students who attended the 2024 conference represented the MPSA program extraordinarily well. Numerous city managers mentioned to me how impressed they are with their sense of team and heart for service. Bush School faculty and staff should be very proud.”
