April 8, 2003 — The University of the Virgin Islands recently hired Dr. Sunday Odezah as coordinator of the Master's in Public Administration program.
As coordinator, Odezah advises public administration students during their graduate studies and thesis preparation. He also recruits new students for the program. As a faculty member in the Social Sciences Division, he teaches public administration courses.
"I've never been so excited before as I've been here," said Odezah, who assumed his role in January. He is enthusiastic about the prospects of restructuring the program to better serve the needs of students and the community.
Of Odezah's list of long and short term goals, his most immediate efforts will be to create areas of concentration within the MPA program and form an advisory board made up of community leaders and employers. The proposed areas of concentration are local government administration, human resources management, criminal justice administration and health services administration.
His recruitment efforts will especially target government employees who are in managerial and supervisory positions, or who want to move into those positions.
Graduates of UVI's MPA program will be equipped with theoretical and practical knowledge to effectively and efficiently manage public programs, Odezah said, noting that many graduates establish careers in various areas of the government, including human resources, budget and program management.
Odezah's most recent position before coming on board at UVI was as director of the student employment and internship programs at the Interactive College of Technology in Georgia. He was also an assistant professor of public administration at the Mississippi Valley State University. At Mississippi Valley, Odezah was the founder and former director of the public management internship program and was a liaison between the university and the Greenwood City/ Leflore County local government.
The new coordinator holds a doctorate in public administration from the University of Oklahoma. He replaces James Chappell, UVI's former MPA coordinator, who resigned a year ago.
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