Political science professor named Educator of the Year by ASPA

By Ann Friou
University News Service
April 27, 2010

Vicki Brittain, professor of political science at Texas State University-San Marcos, has been named Public Administration Educator of the Year by the Centex Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA). She will receive the honor in a ceremony May 7.

The award is given annually to an educator who has made contributions to the field of Public Administration through teaching, research, and service.

At Texas State, Brittain chairs the department of political science, administering the department's two undergraduate programs and its three graduate programs. She teaches graduate courses in the M.A. Legal Studies program and undergraduate law-related courses. She also teaches in the W.P. Hobby Center Certified Public Management Program.

Brittain’s research focuses on civil litigation and on the use of paralegals in the legal service delivery system. She is co-author of a book published as a part of the West Legal Studies publications, Paralegal Handbook, and the author of several other publications. She is an active member of the State Bar of Texas and has served as an attorney member of the Paralegal standing committee. She received a B.A. degree from Southwestern College in Winfield, Kan., and a J.D. degree from Washburn University School of Law in Topeka. Before coming to Texas State, she was an associate in a law firm in Wichita, Kan., practicing primarily civil litigation.