Victoria Farlow
Staff Writer
Advocate and Professor of Public Administration Keith Schildt excited colleagues at Tuesday’s faculty research lecture with his presentation, “My Semester as a Lobbyist.”
Although he was not a registered lobbyist, Schildt spent his time honing his advocacy skills and increasing his knowledge of the legislative process, but also immersed himself in an activity that he is passionate about: learning about senior citizen nutrition and policy.
Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs Al Clark was glad to be a part of a faculty lecture that stirred so many members.
“Today most people in this room learned that Dr. Schildt is an expert advocate,” Clark said. “Sometimes we don’t recognize ideas and accomplishments, and the faculty lecture series is the perfect opportunity to do just that. It is a great public forum.”
Schildt’s presentation got faculty members excited to talk about governmental funding for the University.
“We need an advocacy funnel at ULV. We need a grant funnel,” English Department Chairman David Werner said.
“If we went about it the right way we can get something established and we will not only attracts locals to attend ULV but we can also expand across the country,” Scambray said.
As Werner thanked everyone for coming, glances were made across the room between several eager faculty members.
“This may have been the most valuable faculty lecture,” Werner said.
Schildt crammed a year’s worth of work meeting with elected officials and staff members in Washington D.C., Sacramento and other state capitals advocating for senior nutrition into one semester during his Spring 2008 sabbatical.
Schildt spent time ghostwriting for governmental affairs groups, lobbying firms, assisting associations in developing their advocacy agendas and facilitating training workshops.
Schildt has spent the last seven to eight years interested in senior issues and is a member of several associations.
Schildt has been president of the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs for the past year and he will serve for one more.
He is also a member of a coalition to prevent elder abuse, the California Association of Nutrition Directors for the Elderly and Association of Nutrition Services Agencies.
Schildt explained that advocacy and lobbying are not the same.
“Advocacy is any activity attempting to influence public policy,” Schildt said. “Lobbying is a subset of advocacy activities. Lobbying is about specific legislation.”
Schildt believes that nonprofit organizations and local governments can and should both advocate and lobby.
“Lobbying takes that extra step forward and says ‘you should vote for this,’” Schildt said. “Advocacy is about information sharing.”
During his sabbatical, Schildt developed his advocacy strata broken down into the individual, organizational and associational levels.
“You can [advocate] on different levels,” Schildt said.
Schildt expressed the power of numbers.
“An association is made of organizations. More members mean a greater voice,” Schildt said.
Many were surprised to hear Schildt say that faxes and e-mails have a greater affect than letter writing to congressmen and elected officials.
Schildt learned many lessons but two that were most beneficial was building, cementing and using relationships to ones own benefit and providing a flow of information.
“You know that it’s working when you’re being asked for information,” Schildt said.
Schildt has plans to conlearned.
He said he wants to contribute to the ULV public administration curriculum.
Senior political science and speech communications major, Tiffani Smith was the only student in attendance
She said that she was thankful to hear Schildt’s presentation.
She added that she would have liked to have taken one of his classes during her time at ULV.
“It’s really interesting and I think all of this will be very beneficial for future students,” Smith said.
Clark called the faculty lecture series a media of minds and a sharing of ideas.
Tuesday’s event brought many minds together in hopes for a better university.
Victoria Farlow can be reached at victoria.farlow@laverne.edu.
