Michelle Buehlmann receives national award from American Society for Public Administration

Michelle Buehlmann, clinical assistant professor of Political Science & Public Administration, was recently named a recipient of the Chester A. Newland Presidential Citation of Merit from the American Society for Public Administration.

The award recognizes Buehlmann’s work in establishing the North Dakota chapter for ASPA in July 2025 — the first in the state’s history.

Buehlmann has been invited to accept the award at the organization’s upcoming annual conference in late March. Luke Jones, visiting professor in the Department of Political Science & Public Administration, will accept the award on Buehlmann’s behalf.

The leading professional membership association for public service, ASPA brings together practitioners and academic communities to advance the practice and teaching of public administration, according to the organization’s website.

The University’s Master of Public Administration program is the only of its kind in the state accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration, which leads UND to connecting students with public-service professionals and supporting the broader public administration community across the state.

Establishing the ND ASPA chapter has been one way of helping strengthen those connections, Buehlmann said.

Since its inception last year, Buehlmann has led outreach efforts through tabling events, and ND ASPA recently hosted a wildfire response simulation in partnership with UND’s MPA program and NASPAA. During the exercise, experienced professionals from local and state government agencies worked directly with students to model collaborative problem-solving and share perspectives on public service.

Those with questions about ND ASPA can reach out to northdakota.aspa@gmail.com.