H. Edward Flentje, Ph.D.

Wichita State University Hugo Wall School of Public Affairs

Professor

Full Vitae

Dr. H. Edward Flentje's research concentrates on state government, state and local relations, and Kansas political history and culture. He has served as a consultant to several committees and organizations, including the Regional Economic Area Partnership.

Dr. Flentje joined the faculty at the Wichita State University Hugo Wall School of Urban and Public Affairs in 1979 and was director at the school from 1999 to 2008.

Primary Teaching Areas

Public Decision Making; State and Local Government Administration

Experience

  • Professor, Wichita State University, 1986-present
  • Associate Professor, Wichita State University, 1979-1986
  • Visiting Research Professor, Wichita State University, 1979
  • Visiting Scholar, University of California at Berkeley, Summer 1993
  • Lecturer, Political Science, University of Kansas, 1976
  • Associate Professor, Southern Illinois University, 1975
  • Visiting Associate Professor, Political Science, Southern Illinois University, 1972-1974
  • Visiting Professor, Chicago City College, 1970-1971

Degrees

  • Ph.D. political science, University of Kansas, 1970
  • M.A., government, George Washington University, 1965
  • B.S.E., math and physical science, Kansas State Teachers College, 1964

Publications

Mark A. Glaser, H. Edward Flentje, and Daniel J. Bryan, “Sedgwick County Voters Speak on Strategic Directions for Community Health” in Joe P. Pisciotte, et al., eds., Prescription for Healthy Citizens (Wichita: Wichita State University, 2004)

Glaser, Mark A., H. Edward Flentje, Daniel Bryan, and Misha Jacob. A Systems Approach to the Study of Community Health: Voter Concerns, Investment Priorities, and Willingness to Pay Increased Taxes. Wichita: Hugo Wall School of Urban and Public Affairs, Wichita State University, October 2004.

H. Edward Flentje and W. Bartley Hildreth, “Fiscal Trends in Kansas: Taxing, Spending, and Borrowing,” Kansas Policy Review 28 (Spring 2006) 1, 21-30.

Glenn W. Fisher, H. Edward Flentje, W. Bartley Hildreth, and John D. Wong, “Sizing Up Kansas Public Finance,” Kansas Policy Review 29 (Spring 2007) 1, 13-21.

Research

Conducted and published research on state policy, administration, and politics over an extended period of time. This research has covered a variety of topics including state-local relations, home rule, capital finance, political history and culture, fiscal policy, indigent defense, gubernatorial administration, municipal utilities, property tax exemptions, unfunded state mandates, and the governance of post-secondary education, among others.

Published research applying cultural theory to administration in state government and is co-author of a volume under contract with the University of Nebraska Press applying cultural theory to state politics in Kansas.

Conducted and published research on the development of professional management in Kansas cities and counties, most recently, on the status of appointed county administrators in Kansas, the current frontier in the extension of professional management to local government in Kansas.

Significant Practitioner Activity

Administrative Appointments in Higher Education
Assistant Director for Academic Affairs, (1969-1970) and Associate Director for Academic Affairs 1970-1972), Illinois Board of Higher Education
Deputy Chief of Staff, Board of Trustees, Southern Illinois University, 1972-1974
Graduate Coordinator, Master of Urban Affairs(1979-1984)/ Master of Public Administration (1988-1989),
Associate Director, Hugo Wall Center for Urban Studies (1979-1989),
Director, Hugo Wall Center for Urban Studies (1989-1992),
Director, Hugo Wall School of Urban and Public Affairs and Center for Urban Studies (1999-2008), Wichita State University

Other Professional Employment
U.S. Senate, Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator James B. Pearson, 1968-1969
State of Kansas, Director of State Planning and Research, 1975-1979
Member of the Cabinet of Governor Robert F. Bennett, 1975-1979
Kansas Legislature Coordinator, Special Commission on a Public Agenda for Kansas, 1985-1986
State of Kansas:
Chair of Transition Team for Governor-Elect Mike Hayden, 1986-1987;
Secretary of Administration, 1987-1988;
Vice-chair of the Cabinet of Governor Mike Hayden, 1987-1988;
Coordinator of Policy, Office of the Governor, 1987-1988;
Leader of Kansas delegation to Henan Province, Peoples Republic of China, 1988
City of Wichita, Interim City Manager, January - July 2008

Academic and Professional Associations

American Political Science Association, life member, 1968 to present
American Society for Public Administration, 1971 to present
Kansas State Historical Society, life member, 1982 to present
Kansas Association of City/County Management, cooperating member, 1991 to present
External Reviewer: School of Public Administration, University of Nebraska at Omaha, March 2006.
Manuscript Reviewer: State and Local Government Review, 2004 to present

Public Services Activities

  • Founding Donor, 50th Anniversary Fund of the Hugo Wall School of Urban and Public Affairs, 2005-2008.
  • Training sessions:
  • City Clerks and Municipal Finance Officials of Kansas, Management Workshop on Group Decision Making, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007.
  • County Clerks’ and Election Officials’ Association Sanborn Institute, Management Workshop on Group Decision Making, 2007.
  • City of Wichita, Management Workshop–Strategic Planning for Leaders (3 hours): 2004.
  • MiniMPA Sessions: Achieving Effective Governance, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007; Understanding Local Politics, 2005; Conducting Diplomacy, 2004, 2006; Thinking Strategically, 2004; and Capstone Session, 2004, 2006, 2007.
  • Member, Air Service Task Force, 1999-2005.
  • Panelist for Colloquium on Politics and Government, Emporia State University November 19, 2004.
  • “Fiscal Trends in Kansas” to Kansas Economic Policy Conference, University of Kansas, October 27, 2005.
  • Moderator of Town Hall Forum for City of Sedgwick, November 15, 2005.
  • “Taking the Risk: Building Leadership at the Community Level” for Kansas Association of City and County Management, February 3, 2006.
  • Facilitator for “Looming Threats to City and County Finance” for Kansas Association of City and County Management, January 26, 2007.
  • “Origins of the City Management Profession” to Pre-Conference Workshop of the 59th City and County Management Conference, University of Kansas, April 25, 2007.
  • Facilitator for Strategic Planning Retreat for Maize City Council, March 3, 2007.
  • “Property and Sales Tax Base Erosion” to Annual Meeting of Kansas Legislative Policy Group, October 5, 2007.

Consulting Activities

Senior Consultant to Regional Economic Area Partnership, an alliance of thirty-two cities and counties in south-central Kansas, 1999 to present.
Vice-Chair, Offender Reentry Task Force, City of Wichita and Sedgwick County, 2003-2005.
Consultant to City Commission, City of Kingman, on recruitment of city manager, 2005.
Consultant to Harper County Board of County Commissioners on the appointment of county administrator and financial planning for landfill revenues, 2006-2007.