In Memoriam

Harlan Cleveland
Elected 1968

Kent Mathewson
Elected 1973

Donald Pilling
Elected 2003

To read past editions of NOTA BENE, click here.

OMB, the Council on Environmental Quality and the Office of Science and Technology Policy this month directed federal agencies to develop a set of national environmental indicators and to launch a major pilot project in this area.  This step results from key recommendations madeby an Academy Panel late last year.

Announcing this action, OMB Deputy Director Clay Johnson said, “High-quality, statistical measures of conditions and trends are important indicators of the effectiveness of government policies and programs.  We currently lack consistent information on the environment and natural resources to analyze national trends.  We sought the advice of the National Academy of Public Administration on the best way to move forward, and this action is based on their recommendations.”

The National Academy report, A Green Compass: Institutional Options for Developing a National System of Environmental Indicators, recommended practical steps for creating a national system of environmental indicators. The study panel, chaired by Hermann Habermann, urged the five federal environmental and natural resources agencies to forego organizational changes and instead use a pilot to engage states and other key players, broaden support and build momentum for the national system through the transition to the next Administration.

Read A Green Compass: Institutional Options for Developing a National System of Environmental Indicators

Read the White House press release

More than 60 government executives attended a recent Academy forum that explored the progress and challenges in reconciling intragovernmental transactions.  GAO and others have cited the inability to reconcile interagency transfers as one of the reasons that government agencies—and government as a whole—cannot achieve a clean audit report.

An expert panel, chaired by Academy Fellow Ed Harper, agreed that progress has been made in introducing standardized accounting rules and resolving disputes among agencies.  But, it found that more work is needed to solve this complex problem.

The Academy was pleased to sponsor the event with MasterCard Worldwide, Grant Thornton, and Kelly, Anderson & Associates.  Academy Fellow Cora Beebe played a key role in organizing the forum and ensuring its success. 

Listen to excerpts of the panel discussion, which included senior officials from OMB, HUD, Treasury and the private sector

The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), part of the Executive Office of the President, is responsible for the National Drug Control Strategy and policies, priorities and objectives for the U.S. drug control program.  The goals of the program are to reduce illicit drug use, manufacturing and trafficking, drug-related crime and violence, and drug-related health consequences.

At the request of Congress, an Academy Panel recently began an independent study and analysis to provide the office and Congress “insight into changes and improvements that could make ONDCP more effective in the future.”  Fellow Gail Christopher chairs the panel.

This assessment is divided into two phases.  The first focuses on ONDCP’s structure, organization and management; its resource management, planning and budgeting; its hiring, recruitment and utilization of personnel; and its development, coordination and implementation of policies and procedures especially related to grant processes.  Phase II will entail a more comprehensive and detailed examination of management issues identified in the first phase. 

Click here for more information on the study and the panel

With the 2008 election season upon us, Academy Fellow Brad Patterson looks to the future in his latest work on the White House staff.  To Serve the President: Continuity and Innovation in the White House Staff will be published this August in conjunction with the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association.

Patterson served for 14 years in the White House under Presidents Eisenhower, Nixon and Ford and previously authored two books on White House Administrations, including The Ring of Power: The White House Staff and Its Expanding Role in Government (1988) and The White House Staff: Inside the West Wing and Beyond (2000).  

According to Patterson, one of the most significant innovations made at the White House during the Bush administration was the complete revamping of the White House Situation Room, including the installation of a secure, video teleconference capability.  He described how the new room and system now permit the president to engage in personal, face-face negotiations with world leaders, U.S. combatant commanders and with U.S. ambassadors.  “Every Monday for example,” said Patterson, “President Bush engages in a secure video teleconference with Ambassador Crocker and General Petraeus in Baghdad; every other week, they are joined by Iraq President al-Maliki. The president has the same capability with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.”   This has ushered in a new era of personal, international presidential diplomacy. But it also imposes new burdens and responsibilities on the National Security Council staff at the White House.

Look for To Serve the President: Continuity and Innovation in the White House Staff in August 2008 via the Brookings Institution Press at http://www.brookings.edu/press.aspx