Dr. Nandhini Rangarajan Honored by regional chapter of American Society for Public Administration

The Central Texas American Society for Public Administration (CenTex ASPA) named Texas State University's Dr. Nandhini Rangarajan as the chapter’s 2019 Distinguished Educator of the Year. 

Dr. Rangarajan is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science as well as the director of the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program at Texas State.

Dr. Rangarajan's nomination letter for the honor recognized her introduction of the Manager in Residence program and the organization of the Engaging Local Government Leaders workshop, which create real-world experiences for her students. 

Dr. Rangarajan was promoted to director of the MPA program in 2017 after serving as the assistant director for a year. She acknowledges the commitment of the preceding directors and their contributions to the university’s MPA program.  Dr. Rangarajan said maintaining that same quality and standing is important as she strives to administer a program that cultivates reflective, practical and research-oriented practitioners. 

Dr. Rangarajan's said her teaching practices are influenced by her time as a graduate student in Chennai, India and at the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy. She said her advisors and professors held values such as rigor, objectivity, accountability and conscientiousness, which she likes to teach to her students.