Faculty Highlights and Research 2015

Faculty Highlights and
Research

Discovery
UTSA College of Public
Policy Professor and Texas
State Demographer Dr.
Lloyd Potter was featured
in the 2014 Issue of
Discovery Magazine,
UTSA's premier research
publication, for his
investigation and study of
diversification of the
diagnosing of health care
occupations. Potter gave
presentation at a recent
hearing for the Texas
House Health Care
Education and Training
Committee.

Discovery
UTSA College of Public Policy
Associate Professor in
Applied Demography and
Demographer Dr. Corey
Sparks was featured in
the Discovery Magazine,
UTSA's premier research
publication, for his
investigation and study of
cancer incident data for 36
South Texas counties. Based
on an article written by
Analisa Nazareno, Sparks's
discovery led to finding
elevated incidents of cancer
in the neighborhoods near
the former Kelly Air Force
Base in San Antonio.

Edwards Aquifer
Protection
Associate Dean, Dr. Francine
Romero, takes part in briefing to
discuss aquifer protection program.
San Antonio City Council approved
resolution to keep program in
place.
"It keeps us from having to have
regulations,” said Dr. Francine
Romero, chairperson of the
Conservation Advisory Board.
“Regulations are unpopular. They
have an impact on property rights,
but they also don't work that well,
because they always come in after
the fact, after your water starts
getting contaminated.“
January 29, 2015
Story received local coverage on
K-SAT 12 news.

On February 2, 2015, Dean
Saenz attended English
Language Learners
Symposium sponsored by the
Intercultural Development
Research Association. Dr.
Saenz served a panelist. The
panel reflected on key
themes and questions raised
by research and explored
important implications of the
research for education quality
and equity for English
learners in policy and
practice. NOWCast SA
provided live-stream
coverage of the event.

The IGI Global 2014 InfoSci-Journals Distinguished Fellowship is a very prestigious
honor given to an editor-in-chief who has exhibited an outstanding record of
noteworthy success in securing adequate quantity of submissions from leading
authors around the world and publishing each journal issue on a timely basis.
The news about Dr. Reddick’s award was featured in UTSA’s Top Headlines on Jan. 13,
2015 from local, state, national, and international media.
Dr. Christopher Reddick received the IGI Global 2014 InfoSci-Journals
Distinguished Fellowship for his remarkable record of success in raising citation,
visibility, and scholarship of the International Journal of Public Administration in
the Digital Age (IJPADA), in which he is also Editor-in-Chief.

Congratulations to the UTSA Department of Social Work for receiving a gift from the Verizon
Foundation in the amount of $22,000.00. The gift will support a training program dedicated
to domestic violence prevention. This is UTSA’s first major gift from the Verizon Foundation.
(From left are: Dr. Rogelio Saenz (dean, College of Public Policy), David O. Russell (Verizon vice president of external affairs), Amy
Chanmugam (professor of social work), Mariluz Martinez (Verizon associate director) and Dr. Martell Teasley (chair, Department of
Social Work)

Dr. Heywood Sanders, one of America’s preeminent authorities on convention
centers, most recent publication is titled Convention Center Follies: Politics, Power
and Public Investment in American Cities.
In addition to his research and teaching, Dr. Sanders currently serves as the editor
of Urban Texas: Politics and Development and also as coeditor of The Politics of
Urban Development. Dr. Sanders is also a guest columnist for the San Antonio
Current.

Rogelio Saenz, Dean of the UTSA College of Public Policy, has been
elected as the President of the Southwestern Social Science
Association (SSSA). The SSSA is the oldest social science
organization in the United States and it promotes, cultivates, and
correlates areas within the social sciences to improve applications.
Dr. Saenz will preside over the 2015 SSSA Annual Meeting in
Denver, Colorado.
Dr. Saenz, also the Peter Flawn Professor of Demography, has
recently released a new report “The State of Latino Children”
which explores the demographic trends of Latino children in the
US - including educational challenges, mortality rates, and
projected population growth from 2000 to 2080. The report was
prepared for the Council on Contemporary Families. Dr. Saenz
concludes, “An investment in the education of Latino children will
yield major returns in the form of an educated, competitive work
force and engaged citizenry.”
Dr. Saenz was chosen as the recipient of the American Sociological Association’s
Latina/o Sociology Section’s Founders Award in August 2013. The award
recognizes his outstanding contributions over the years through service,
mentoring, and research.

Dr. Marie Tillyer received nominations for The University of Texas System
Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award for 2012-2013 & 2013-2014. In
addition, Dr. Tillyer received a nomination for The Piper Professor Award in
2013-2014.
Dr. Tillyer has published multiple impact journal articles, serves as co-
investigator on multiple research projects, and her main areas of interest
include: victimization, violence, crime prevention and environmental
criminology.

Dr. Francine Romero, Associate Dean, was named District 8 zoning commissioner by the
San Antonio City Council in August 2013. In addition, Dr. Romero currently serves as the
chair of the City of San Antonio Conservation Advisory Board.
Dr. Romero has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and has
authored several books. Her most recent publications include:
Constructing “The Rim”: A Case Study of Land-Use Regulations in Texas to be published
in the Journal of Architectural and Planning Research and “William Howard Taft and
the Constitution” chapter to be included in the forthcoming book American Presidents
and the Constitution to be published by NYU Press.
Dr. Romero served as a moderator at the EagleFord Shale conference Driving the 21st
Century Texas Economy: Sustainable Oil & Gas Communities for the session “Case
Study: A Texas Community Grapples with Land Use” in April 2014.

Dr. Martell Teasley is recipient of the
2015 Dr. Inabel Burns Lindsay
Education Leadership Award
UTSA College of Public Policy
Professor and Chair of the
Department of Social Work
is the recipient of the Inabel
Burns Lindsay Education
Leadership Award. The
award was named after the
first Dean of Howard
University’s School of Social
Work, and it recognizes
practitioners who promote
and sustain social justices
and quality of life for
African-Americans, the poor,
other minorities and society
as a whole.

Dr. Joachim Singelmann inducted
into UTSA Academy of Distinguished
Researchers.
Policy Professor and
Chair of the Department
of Demography has been
inducted in to UTSA’s
Academy of
Distinguished
Researchers for his
outstanding
contributions to the
research and for
fostering exceptional
research practices at
UTSA.
“As member of the Academy, I hope to be
instrumental to make UTSA a university of first choice
for more and more of our students by raising the
profile of the exciting research that is going on in all
colleges," stated Singelmann.

Dr. Amy Chanmugam wins UTSA 2015
President’s Distinguished Achievement
Award for Excellence in Teaching
Policy Associate Professor
in the Department of
Social Work is the first
within the College of
Public Policy to win this
award in the category of
teaching.
These awards recognize
accomplished faculty who meet the
challenges of motivating students
and helping them develop into
ethical and responsible citizens.

Dr. Patricia Jaramillo selected for the 2015 UT System
Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award
Dr. Patricia Jaramillo, Lecturer II within the
UTSA College of Public Policy and
undergraduate advisor of record, teaches
undergraduate and graduate courses in
the Public Administration
Department. Jaramillo recently received
the UT System Regents’ Outstanding
Teaching Award, the Board of Regents’
highest honor. She is the first within the
UTSA College of Public Policy to win this
award. The Regents' outstanding
teaching award program is one of the
nation’s most competitive and is offered
annually in recognition of faculty
members at the University of Texas
System’s nine academic and six health
institutions who have demonstrated
extraordinary classroom performance and
innovation in undergraduate
instruction. By virtue of her selection for
the Regents' Outstanding Teaching Award,
Dr. Jaramillo was inducted into the UTSA
Academy of Distinguished Teaching
Scholars.
Dr. Jaramillo with UTSA President
Dr. Ricardo Romo

Research & Discovery
• Dr. Steven Hoffman,
Assistant Professor in
the Department of
Social Work, studies
how religion impacts
Mexican migration to
the U.S. Story was
featured in UTSA Today
on March 9, 2015.

Dr. Heywood Sanders, expert in convention centers
and the politics of urban development
Dr. Heywood Sanders, Harvard-
educated professor in the
Department of Public
Administration, was featured in
Kansas City News The Pitch, about
his research on the convention
market. Dr. Sanders’ newest
publication Convention Center
Follies, levels city leaders’ claims
that convention centers contribute
to economic development.

Research & Discovery
Drs. Emmett Gill, Christensen and Perez in the Department of Social
Work examine social themes through sports scandals. In a new
collection of research papers, Drs. Till, Christensen and Perez explore
three professional sports scandals as case studies to understand the
ways in which the mainstream media portrays race, gender and
violence. Article was featured in UTSA Today.
Dr. Alfred Pérez
Dr. Emmett Gill
Dr. Candace Christensen

Dr. Rogelio Saenz featured on Texas Public Radio, talks
about Latino policy issues related to health coverage
Dr. Rogelio Saenz,
Professor in the
Department of
Demography and Dean
of the College of Public
Policy, sat down with
TPR reporter Paul
Flahive in March of
2015 to discuss the high
rates of Hispanics who
are still without
affordable heath
coverage.
Prof. Saenz works reflects on the low insurance
rates among Hispanic communities. (Paul Flahive)

Dr. Emmett Gill featured on PBS NEWSHOUR
for research on the role of the student-athlete
Just after the 2015
NCAA March
Madness, PBS
NEWSHOUR reporter
Jeffrey Brown spoke
with Dr. Emmett Gill,
Assistant Professor in
the Department of
Social Work and
former NBA player
Len Elmore on the
role of student
athletes on the court
and in the classroom.
Prof. Saenz works reflects on the low insurance
rates among Hispanic communities. (Paul Flahive)

Dr. Michael Gilbert discusses crime and
society in the award-winning film Inside Peace
The film Inside Peace was presented
by the San Antonio Film Festival and
produced and directed by Cynthia
Fitzpatrick. The film documented
individuals' re-entry into society
after incarceration. Dr. Michael
Gilbert, Associate Professor in the
Department of Criminal Justice and
Director of the Office of Community
and Restorative Justice, housed
under the UTSA Policy Studies
Center, explains society's influence
on criminal justice.

Policy Studies Center awarded $1.85 million HRSA
grant to prepare students for careers in healthcare
UTSA Policy Studies Center,
led by Director Roger
Enriquez, has been awarded
$1.85 million in funding over
three years by the U.S. Health
Resources and Services
Administration (HRSA) to
prepare economically
disadvantaged high school
and university students for
careers in the healthcare
industry.

Associate Dean Dr. Francine Romero studies
Edwards Aquifer and water conservation policies
As a researcher and chair of
the San Antonio Conservation
Advisory Board (CAB), Dr.
Francine Romero has spent
many years researching and
recommending conservation
policies related to the
Edwards Aquifer and water
use in Texas. The CAB makes
recommendations to City
Council on matters related to
aquifer protection.

UTSA Social Work Assistant Professor Dr.
Alfred Pérez studies child welfare policy
UTSA Social Work Assistant Professor Alfred
Pérez is an advocate for foster youth and
scholar of child welfare policy.. Pérez uses
data from Cornell University's National Data
Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect to study
the effects of child welfare policies on youth
in foster care systems and the extent to
which these policies accomplish their goals
without yielding unintended consequences.
Recently, he was awarded competitive
minority research fellowship at Cornell
University to support this research. Pérez is
also collaborating with Dr. Richard Harris, a
professor of Social Work, to better
understand the effects of the national
independent living services provided under
the Chafee Foster Care Independence
Program, which was created by the Foster
Care Independence Act of 1999.

Dean Rogelio Sáenz featured as guest on award-winning
program POTUS 2016 with Brian Lehrer about new his new
research on Mexican migration to the U.S.
Mexican migration to the U.S. has declined by
more than half, according to new research. In
collaboration with the University of New
Hampshire’s (UNH) Carsey School of Public
Policy, Sáenz used data from the 2008 and 2013
American Community Survey (ACS) Five-Year
Estimates Public Use Files to examine trends
among Mexican migration to the U.S. He found
that the volume of migrants in the country
dropped from 1.9 million from 2003 to 2007 to
819,000 from 2008 to 2012 – 57 percent – across
all U.S. states.
On Wed., Sept. 23, 2015, Dean of the College of Public Policy and Professor in the
Department of Demography Rogelio Sáenz was interviewed via Skype by Brian Lehrer on
his new series that examines the presidential campaign and issues through round-table
discussions and a segment, "Evidence-Based Politics," in which scholarly research is used
to counter inaccurate material. Sáenz’s latest immigration study examines the number of
Mexicans coming to the United States and their economic status.

The U.S Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice
awards $360,000 grant to Dr. Byongook Moon and Roger
Enriquez to conduct a study on teacher victimization
Byongook Moon, UTSA associate professor of Criminal Justice, and Roger Enriquez,
associate professor and director of the Policy Studies Center, have received a nearly
$360,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice (NIJ) to
embark on a two-year exploration of violence against teachers in Texas middle and high
schools. Beginning in January, Moon and Enriquez will study data on approximately 2,000
middle and high school teachers in a Texas county to examine the various types of violence
that they may face in the course of their scholastic duties. This study and the data gathered,
the researchers hope, can serve as resources for future policy decisions.

Dr. Lloyd Potter receives $750,000 grant from the Texas
Department of Transportation to produce population
projections for planning transportation to meet the needs of
growing populations in Texas.
Dr. Lloyd Potter, Texas State Demographer and
Professor in the Department of Demography
will be working with the Texas Department of
Transportation to produce population
projections for Texas’ Transportation Analysis
Zones (a unit of geography used in
transportation planning models). These
projections will then be used by local
Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) in
planning transportation related projects
intended to meet the transportation needs of
growing populations in Texas. Potter and his
team will also be providing technical assistance
to some of the MPOs on topics related to
projected population growth. Another
element of the work will be to analyze and
tabulate survey data regarding population
commuting and driving patterns in Texas.

The U.S Department of Justice awards $40,000 to Dr. Richard
Hartley and Dr. Rob Tillyer to explore prosecutorial discretion
Dr. Richard Hartley and Dr. Rob Tillyer, Criminal Justice researchers and professors, were
awarded roughly $40,000 to analyze data that assess the types of factors that influence a
prosecutor to proceed with charges, offer a plea bargain, etc. in the federal criminal justice
system.

Drs. Marie Tillyer and Rob Tillyer awarded contract to provide
analytic support services to Harris County Community
Supervision and Corrections Department
Drs. Marie and Rob Tillyer provided analytic support services to Harris County Community
Supervision and Corrections Department in 2014 and 2015. Analyses focused on developing
a better understanding of current practices as they relate to agency goals and
objectives. For example, the researchers examined how case processing and outcomes vary
by disposition; the administration of client assessments across agency units over time; and
patterns and outcomes of drug tests administered to individuals on probation.

ResearchAreas of Expertise and
Funded Research

The College of Public Policy aims to:
 Deliver innovative programs of first choice in progressive public policy,
research, and practice that prepare transformative policy makers and
practitioners for the global environment
 Undertake research activities that employ scientific principles and
methods to address policy issues across a variety of domains
 Promote public good through education and services for a diverse
society

Research Areas
 Demographic Methods and Trends
 Economic Development
 Education and Social Mobility
 Family Demography
 Health Disparities
 Immigration
 Inequality
 International Migration
 Latinos in Higher Education
 Maternal and Child
Health
 Poverty and Inequality
 Race Relations
 Spatial Analysis
 Social Change
 Social Demography
 Statistical Methodology
 US-Mexican Migration
Funded Research
Social Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on Coastal
Communities along the US Gulf of Mexico
PI: Dr. Joachim Singelmann
Funder: U.S. Department of Interior
Amount: $479,742

Research Areas
 Accountability in Local Government
 City Mangers and Administrative Power
 Civil Rights Litigation and Legislation
 Community Development
 E-Government
 Emergency Management
 Ethics
 Intersections of Public/Private
 Organizations
 Governance and Policy
 Land Use Policy
 Local Politics
 Politics and Market
Intersections
 Nonprofit Organizations
 Public Management
 Public Policy History and
Process
 Urban and Regional
Planning
 Urban Renewal
Funded Research
Community Land Trust Subsidy Calculator
PI: Dr. Carla Flink
Funder: Housing Leadership Council Inc.
Amount: $3,750
Block walking Comprehensive - Neighborhood
Sweeps Initiative, Animal Care Services
PI: Dr. Francine Romero
Funder: City of San Antonio
Amount: $50,000

Research Areas
 Adoption and Foster Care
 Children, Families and Interpersonal Violence
 Child Welfare Abuse and Neglect
 Prevention and Intervention
 Demography of Aging, Gender Roles, Sexual
Harassment & Assault
 Disasters
 Ethics in Social Work Practice and Education
 Family Interventions and Support Services
 Health Disparities among Minority and At-Risk
Youth
 Homelessness and Homeless Communities
 Mental Health, Substance Abuse, Sexism, Racism,
Domestic Violence as related to Collegiate and
Professional Sports
 Racial and Ethnic Disparities of Children and
Families Served by Public Welfare Agencies
 Role of Discrimination in Healthcare Services
 Sexual Harassment and Assault
 Social Justice and Restorative Justice
 Substance Abuse Prevention and Intervention
 Violence Prevention as Related to Gender and
Sexuality
Funded Research
Title IV-E Child Welfare Training Project
PI: Dr. Nevarez
Funder: TX Dept. of Family Protective Services
Amount: $303,156
Social Work Education Program Title IV-E
PI: Dr. Mikow
Funder: TX Dept. of Family Protective Services
Amount: $284,775
South Texas Access to Recovery
PI: Dr. Mikow
Funder: Univ. of TX HSC at San Antonio
Amount:$24,315

Research Areas Funded Research
 Biosocial Criminology
 Correctional
Interventions
 Crime Prevention
 Criminal Justice Decision
Making Systems
 Disparities in Sentencing
 Drug Control Policy
 Gang Violence
 Gender and Crime
 Genetics, Neuroscience,
and Behavior
 Immigration Law
 Jury Issues
 Juvenile Justice
 Legal Attitudes
and Legal
Socialization
 Policy Reform
 Restorative and
Community
Justice
 Race, Ethnicity,
and Crime
 School Bullying
 Victimization
 Violence
Teacher Victimization: Understanding Prevalence,
Causation, and Negative Consequences
PI: Dr. Moon
Funder: US Department of Justice
Amount: $ 359,501
Examining Prosecutorial Discretion in Federal
Criminal Cases
PIs: Drs. Hartley & R. Tillyer
Funder: US Department of Justice
Amount: $ 39,823
Recidivism in Harris County: Understanding Case
Processing and Outcomes
PIs: Drs. M. Tillyer & R. Tillyer
Funder: Harris County, TX.
Amount: $40,000
Evaluation of Bexar County Veterans Treatment
Court
PI: Dr. Hartley
Funder: Bexar County, TX.
Amount: $8,300
Investigation into Organized Crime and
Underground Economy in South Korea
PI: Dr. Moon
Funder: Korean Institute of Criminology
Amount: $6,500

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Faculty Highlights and Research 2015

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