Dibie appointed as SPEA assistant dean
September 1, 2005
KOKOMO, Ind.—Robert Dibie, Ph.D., has been named Assistant Dean of IU Kokomo's School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA). Former director of the public administration program at Western Kentucky University, Dibie is the author of three books, several book chapters, and more than 25 research articles in refereed journals. He has presented more than 50 academic papers in national and international conferences, focusing on issues of sustainable development, public management and policy, and African politics and policies. Dibie is writing a book titled
Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Sustainable Development in Sub-Saharan Africa. “It will serve as a basis for understanding development policy and the role of NGOs in community and national economic development in that region,” Dibie said.
Dibie earned his doctorate in political science/public policy and administration from Western Michigan University in 1997, and a master's degree in public administration/international affairs from the University of Detroit in 1991.
Previous SPEA Assistant Dean Allen Anderson moved to IU Bloomington in fall 2004. Stepping into that post, Dibie has a “new image” in mind for SPEA, which offers degrees in criminal justice and public affairs. Dibie's top priorities will be to develop “a shared governance structure that will engage all interested parties in the success of SPEA,“ as well as a systematic method of assessing student achievement. SPEA programs, he said, should “engage students with an understanding and respect for the normative, ethical, and political environment within which American public policy and administration is conducted.”
Dibie wants to provide more opportunities for SPEA students to participate in service learning, internships, and cross-cultural and international studies. “I plan to work with faculty to seek external grants in order to increase student participation in research and creative endeavors, and to foster faculty development,” he said. He would like to see SPEA eventually offer a full master's degree program. (IU Kokomo SPEA currently offers a Graduate Certificate in Public Management; certificate credits transfer directly into Master of Public Affairs degree programs at other IU campuses.)
Appointed with tenure at IU Kokomo, Dibie is teaching Police Administration Structure and Processes and a graduate-level course, Public Organizational Behavior. His wife, Josephine Dibie, M.B.A, M.P.A., is teaching in the IU Kokomo School of Business as an adjunct lecturer in macroeconomics.
