June 2014 Course at G.M.U

In the month of June, a team of seven students and faculty from the University of Karachi visited George Mason University to attend an Advanced Research Methods and Statistical Reasoning Training Program conducted by Dr. James Witte, Dr. Roger Stough and Dr. Mehtab Karim. The team was led by Dr. Khalid M. Iraqi who is the coordinator of the University Partnership Program at the University of Karachi. Other members were Prof. Dr. Akhtar Baloch, Chairman of the Department of Public Administration and Associate Prof. Dr. Shabib Ul Hassan along with four doctoral students--Shamaila Burney, Mustafa Hyder, Syeda Hoor-Ul-Ain and Sumair Farooq.

The training program comprised of four main components: review of statistical reasoning, regression analysis, survey research and introduction to network analysis. The faculty members also worked on developing content for the course titled ‘Management of Megacities’. The course will be made part of the Masters in Urban Affairs program at the University of Karachi.

The delegation visited various governmental organizations and research institutions such as Gallup Organization, United States Institute of Peace (USIP), Government Accountability Office (GAO) and Fairfax County Redevelopment & Housing Authority (FCRHA). Each of the excursions provided the participants an opportunity to learn something different about public administration in the US.

The program also featured several presentations hosted by the Institute for Immigration Research including “The Perils of Illegal Entry: Arizona Border Crossings and the Humanitarian Response” by Mr. Jean Boucher, Ph.D. scholar at George Mason University and “Pakistan's Runaway Urbanization: Why It's Happening and How to Manage It” by Mr. Michael Kugelman, Senior Program Associate for South and Southeast Asia Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars respectively. The program concluded with a farewell and certificate distribution ceremony for the participants.