EJB Talks: Rutgers Bloustein School Experts

This week on #EJBTalks we get back to telling the Bloustein School story through our retired faculty. Stuart Shapiro welcomes his former colleague in the Public Policy Program and beloved Professor Emeritus Henry Coleman. Professor Coleman talks about his “origins,” from his time as a student of economics to his work at HUD, leading to his work at Rutgers both as a faculty member and the Director of the Center for Government Services.  While at EJB, Professor Coleman served on a number of New Jersey gubernatorial transition teams as well as on the advisory boards of numerous public and nonprofit bodies. Throughout the conversation, Professor Coleman emphasizes how his service to the community and his connection to teaching students real-world applicable information was a cornerstone of his time at Rutgers.

It's homecoming at Rutgers this week! To celebrate, Stuart Shapiro welcomes Bloustein School policy alumnus and former Rutgers football player Chris Gough MPP '18 to EJB Talks. Chris, who works for the International Trade Administration (ITA) at the Department of Commerce, talks with Stuart about his experience as a student Bloustein, the skills the program taught him, and the path that led him to the Presidential Management Fellows program. They also discuss the work Chris does at ITA and how trade policy has become a hot topic. Chris also offers some advice to current students and fellow alumni who want to have a career that makes a difference, changes the world, and makes it a better place.

On this episode of EJBTalks Stuart Shapiro welcomes Professor Patrick Hill, who teaches ethics classes across Bloustein's programs. Patrick has an in-depth discussion with Stuart about ethics and its application in informing planning, policy, and public health.  Professor Hill also discusses his new book "No Place for Ethics", which centers on the United States Supreme Court and how the judicial system has come to exclude consideration of ethics and instead elevates adherence to the law over ethical concerns. Hill discusses a particularly interesting--and abominable--example he uses in his book which demonstrates how law can be impoverished without ethics.  Stuart also asks Patrick to reflect on his time at Bloustein and his thoughts about his legacy.

To celebrate the Bloustein School's approaching 30th anniversary in 2022, EJBTalks will feature some of our beloved faculty members who made the school what it is today. The first of those is Professor Emeritus Frank Popper, who spent over three decades teaching in our world-ranked urban planning program. Professor Popper shares his incredible "accidental academic" story, where he went from land use and environmental consultant to renowned researcher and the co-proposer of the concept of the Buffalo Commons. Frank talks in-depth with Stuart Shapiro about the Commons, its history, its significance, and the current economic and environmental signs that confirm the idea that the depopulated center of the country should capitalize on its heritage as the home of the buffalo.

We're back! As we open our fifth season of EJBTalks, our focus is on the 20th anniversary of September 11. Stuart Shapiro welcomes Jim Bach, an alum of our nationally-ranked urban planning program who played a critical role in the World Trade Center Redevelopment. Jim discusses his 30+ year career at the Louis Berger Group, a world-renowned planning firm. They discuss Jim's experience on 9-11 and Berger's role in providing technical and project management support to the Port Authority during the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site. He reflects on the profession of planning and how being trained as an integrator, along with understanding the connections between scope, schedule, and budget, allowed him to successfully work with the Port Authority and the multitudes of emotionally invested stakeholders involved in this project.  The result of these efforts was to make the site both a signature and incredibly moving piece of architecture.

On this episode of EJBTalks, Stuart Shapiro welcomes Vince Joseph, Professor of Practice in the Bloustein School's Master of Health Administration program and former Executive Vice President at Robert Wood Johnson hospital. Stuart and Vince discuss the pandemic's impact on hospital administration and education. They explore the strong connection between the Bloustein School's mission of improving the public good and its rapidly growing health administration program. Vince highlights the role hospitals play in community needs assessment, and showcases some of the many ways that current hospital administrators work to improve community access to health care. The episode makes clear that Professor Joseph and his colleagues are preparing Bloustein School students to tackle these issues in a rapidly changing field.

Professor David Listokin, a distinguished professor in our internationally-ranked urban planning program, joins Stuart Shapiro in today's episode of EJB Talks. In a wide-ranging discussion, they cover the nationwide span of David's work.  They discuss Professor Listokin's upcoming book on the demographics and population trends of New Jersey. This project gave the researchers a better understanding of the significance of the current reverse migration trends which could have major nationwide impacts. Professor Listokin also discusses a long-time passion, his work for the National Parks Service on the economic impacts of historic preservation activities on Route 66.

This week on #EJBTalks Stuart Shapiro welcomes Professor Jocelyn Crowley, an expert on policy issues related to gender, including child support, gray divorce, and father's rights. They open their discussion with how the Me-Too movement, which sprang up in response to high-profile sexual harassment scandals involving Harvey Weinstein and Roger Ailes, exposed the prevalence of abhorrent behavior in U.S. workplaces. This trend led Dr. Crowley to focus her current research on sexual harassment and how its effects are particularly felt by a large number of independent contractors in the often glamorized but incredibly unprotected fashion industry. They also discuss the misconception that the pandemic lessened exposure to sexual harassment in remote work situations and how those who work in the service sector have reported increased incidents. Looking towards the future, they talk about possible policy considerations and what can be done to bring more protections to vulnerable individuals.

This week on EJBTalks Stuart Shapiro talks to two amazing Bloustein alums, Leah Apgar and Joe Palazzolo, who work at New Jersey Community Capital (NJCC), a community development financial institution. Leah and Joe share the history and typical work of the organization, which was established in 1987 as an affordable housing lender and has grown into a financing institution involved in all types of community development and commercial lending projects. They talk about how the pandemic and economic shutdown required their institution to pivot its work to assist suffering small businesses. They began considering all small businesses and nonprofits in the state as underserved and started the Garden State Relief Fund (GSRF) as a remedy. They conclude with a discussion about where NJCCs work goes from here, and how the GSRF will remain in place to adapt to assist NJ small businesses as the economy continues to recover. 

Stuart Shapiro welcomes New Jersey Department of Labor Commissioner -- and Bloustein policy alumnus -- Robert Asaro-Angelo to EJBTalks this week. Commissioner Asaro-Angelo talks about his start with ESPN, and how he was inspired to change his path because he wanted to work helping people. He also discusses his time working with labor unions and his tenure in the Obama administration. They then move the discussion to NJDOL's response to the COVID pandemic -- how the agency had to quickly protect its employees, find the equipment to help them work remotely, and implement complicated federal DOL programs just as the need for federal assistance exploded. The Commissioner concludes by talking about how the pandemic crisis, which brought a sense of urgency in getting things done in government, has the potential to make a positive lasting change by increasing people's faith in a stronger, more competent government.