PAC 2012- Thanks

On Wednesday 18th and Thursday 19th July, the Annual Conference of the Public Administration Committee (PAC) came to Plymouth University. The event was attended by colleagues from across the academic profession, from the UK and abroad, as well as many practitioners in the field. Extending our thanks to PAC and particularly it's Chair Professor Joyce Liddle in being so enthusiastic on the conference coming here, I am happy to report that the event was a great success!! Some really fantastic feedback has been received since the event from delegates, so thank you! Also massive thanks as ever to Sage, Emerald and Routledge for their amazing support.

The key themes of Sustainability, Regionalism and Devolution, Teaching Public Administration and Emergency Services and Praxis were keenly debated at each session, with several collaborations and future work, between both academics and practitioners, looking likely to continue and expand into the future. Indeed, some of these debates could have carried long into the night!

These were inspiring debates and were also driven by the excellent guest speakers at the event- our huge thanks to Paul Marshall, Chief Exec of ABS, for his discussion of the future of Business Schools and how this relates to policy; to Denis Byrne, who brought a wealth of experience from roles in the Irish government and the European level to the Frank Stacey memorial lecture, and to Bill Rammell, former Labour Minister of State and DVC at Plymouth, for his insights into the world of government.

Finally, my own heartfelt thanks, and I know I speak on behalf of all the delegates at PAC this year when I say that none of it could have happened without the tireless efforts of Sally Bishop-Hawes and Jen Brogan in the Events team here, as well as Amber McCarthy and Sara Morris-Arkle for producing such brilliant web pages. Also thanks to the marvellous National Marine Aquarium who hosted not only a delicious dinner but an informative tour!

Thanks to everyone who attended, spoke and contributed to such an enjoyable event!

PAC 2012 18-19/7/12 Plymouth University

Next week sees the Annual Conference of the Public Administration Committee (PAC) come to Plymouth University. PAC 2012 will be held on the 18th-19th July and some of the key themes at the event are regionalism and devolution, sustainability and regeneration, teaching public administration, and emergency services and praxis. The event promises to be informative and valuable for both academics and practitioners, and full details can be found at www.plymouth.ac.uk/pac2012