Background
Professor Cooper received his BA in Government at California State University, Sacramento and the M.A. and Ph.D. from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs of Syracuse University. He has taught at several universities, including Georgia State University, the Nelson Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy of the State University of New York at Albany, the University of Kansas, and the University of Vermont with faculty appointments in Public Administration, Political Science, Public Policy, and Law. He has served as Chair of the Department of Political Science at the State University of New York at Albany, Chair of the Department of Public Administration at the University of Kansas, and Director of the Master of Public Administration Program at the University of Vermont. He was the first Gund Professor of Liberal Arts at the University of Vermont.
Research Focus & Interests
Interests include sustainable development; constitutional law, administrative law, U.S. Supreme Court, public policy, public administration, local government, public contract management, and health care, disability and development.
Community Engagements/Service
Professor Cooper works with the Leadership Education for Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities Program at the Child Development and Rehabilitation Center of Oregon Health & Science University and its community engagement efforts as well as with the Global Health program at OHSU. He also works with local governments and the International City/County Management Association in a variety of areas. As a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, he serves on the Academy's Standing Panel on the Organization and Management of the Executive Branch. He actively maintains a website designed not only to serve students but also to assist local governments and nonprofit organizations. He is a frequent advisor to congressional committees on issues of constitutional powers and rights, with particular interest in presidential powers, separation of powers, and checks and balances. He has served as a consultant to the United Nations and the World Bank on sustainable development administration. He has also been a consultant to local governments, state and federal agencies, the U.S. Congress, and the White House.
Publications & Awards
Professor Cooper was the first recipient of the Charles Levine Award given by the American Society for Public Administration and the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration to the person determined to be the nation's outstanding example of excellence in public affairs scholarship, teaching, and service. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. He has also received the Town Government Award given by the Vermont League of Cities and Towns. Most recently he was awarded a certificate of appreciation by the City of Cornelius Oregon for contributions to the community effort to improve accessibility for persons with disabilities.