Harrisburg, Pa. — As America's leading politicians and candidates attempt to create a future for the nation that is appealing to its citizens, a Penn State Harrisburg faculty member is urging citizens to craft their own future.
"The America of the future should not happen to citizens, but should instead be created by citizens," James T. Ziegenfuss Jr. writes in his newest book.
Encouraging the nation’s citizens and leaders to build a future for the nation they most desire is the foundation of Ziegenfuss' "Creating America's Future: Stopping Decay with Citizens, Students and Strategies," just published by the University Press of America.
Part one of the 242-page book examines the reasons for future building and the process for doing so through interactive public sector-private sector dialogue and by applying methods of continuous improvement, re-engineering, and visioning.
In part two, Ziegenfuss presents scenarios of America's future that include the country's points of decay, trends, vision and strategies in each of the "Parts of America" — energy, health care, transportation, business, housing and urban development, education, arts and entertainment, science, environment, agriculture, international affairs and defense.
He encourages public and private citizens, especially teachers, students and planners, to lead the debate with hope and vision, defining the future they most desire.
Ziegenfuss is a professor of management and health care systems in Penn State Harrisburg’s School of Public Affairs. He has written more than 100 articles for journals and conferences and has authored 13 books. His most-previous volume, "Customer Friendly: The Organizational Architecture of Service," was the winner of a Choice 2007 Award for Outstanding Academic Title.