Intellectual curiosity and community connection is part of Hanka's DNA

Curiosity and a desire to find out what motivates people, are traits embedded in the DNA of Dr. Matt Hanka, director of USI's Master of Public Administration Program (MPA) and associate professor of political science. A passion for learning, a desire to spark collaboration and generating new creative paths are what propels him forward. "I'm intellectually curious," said Hanka. "It's important to me that we maintain community and maintain connections with people and ideas."

Hanka, along with Dr. Kevin Valadares, chair of health administration and associate professor of health services, spent the last couple of years researching trends external to the University and gathering data that would help determine the direction of USI's new Strategic Plan.

As part of the strategic planning process, Hanka and Valadares convened groups throughout the University to help define the plan's three strategic goals and how these goals fit into the future strategic direction of an individual unit or department. They took a unique and different approach, including talking with faculty, staff, students, alumni, parents and community members in the strategic planning steering committee, instead of University administrators. "This has never been seen as any one person's plan, it is collectively ours," said Hanka.

He sees the next five years at USI, as being "more intentional about the future, and more intentional about the collaborative efforts we make across disciplines." He sees the expansion of graduate programs as key to the growth of the University. Hanka and Valadares are also working on an initiative with USI alumnus and Vanderbilt University Chair of Pharmacology Dr. Joey Barnett that enhances and promotes faculty development at USI by fostering collaboration of faculty from other disciplines, and engagement of our faculty to tackle challenges that impact our community, region and world.  

While Hanka has a passion for USI, his work has also touched the greater community. A few weeks ago, he was awarded the Rotarian of the Year Award from the Rotary Club of Evansville, one of the largest service organizations in the Evansville area. The philosophy of the club is "Service Above Self." Julie Spratt, administrative assistant of the club said, "Dr. Matt Hanka never simply belongs to an organization, he invests himself fully in the organization's development and growth." For more than five years, he has entrenched himself in the Rotary Club, serving on the executive board, the board of directors, as secretary and as the new member orientation chair. He also serves as the faculty advisor for the Rotaract Club at USI, a registered student organization formed last year, which provides students opportunities to serve the community and gain professional development.

Hanka has a penchant for motivating students. "I feel like I was born to be a professor. I'm fulfilling my lifelong calling," he said. Serving as director of the MPA, and USI's small sizes for graduate courses, have given Hanka the opportunity to connect with his students and understand their goals and passions. "The legacy of our students and where they end up is what is most important," he said. "They are our future decision makers and we're grooming them to be thought leaders." Three of Hanka's students at USI have run for public office locally.

He doesn't stop there. Hanka has also taken students to the Netherlands as a study abroad opportunity, where they examined Dutch politics, planning and architecture, and compared Dutch public policy to U.S. policy on hot button issues such as drugs, crime and prostitution. He's currently working on a book that examines the effect of social capital on local community development, which includes housing and local neighborhood studies and case studies examining comprehensive community development initiatives here in Evansville.

He has made his mark on the MPA program, growing the size and scope of the program and expanding it into two distinct tracks: public sector and non-profit administration. He has worked with the Center for Applied Research on a study of Habitat for Humanity's Women Build Program, as a community development consultant for Engage Henderson, as well as developing a study on permanent supportive housing for the Indiana Housing Community Development Authority. "What's great about USI is that it's not an ivory tower," said Hanka. "The work and research done by people here has applications for the community. I see myself as a public scholar and a servant leader, and with the research I do, I ask myself 'How is this going to have an impact on the community and make a difference.'"