Professor Slack conducted an inovative way of teaching for PPAD 596, Research Methods for Public Managers this semester. Dr. Slack assigned students to a "consulting" group. For the entire semester, the students are expected to prepare a proposal that ultimately is presented to a mock city council. This semester, under a scenario: The (fictional) Jackson city council's "Infrastructure and Community Assessment Committee" issued an RFP to consulting groups nationally. It sought proposals that would effectively utilize a grant from the White House (fictional) "Infrastructure and Community Improvement Initiative." The task of each consulting group was to demonstrate in detail (1) a need in the area of "infrastructure and community;" (2) how the need would be evaluated; (3) a project to remedy the need; and (4) how the remedy would be measured. The presentation event was held on April 13, 2016. PPAD 596, Research Methods for Public Managers, is offered by Dr. Slack during the Fall and Spring semesters. For the details, please check the dept FACEBOOK page, https://www.facebook.com/jacksoncompa16. 
