Alicia C. Schortgen

I have conducted research on myriad third-sector topics including the impact of nonprofit organizations on local economic development, the factors that motivate philanthropists, the contributions of Moses Maimonides to public administration and democratic theory, and the impact of Rockefeller philanthropy on the history of American charities. I have participated in several grant-funded research projects designed to strengthen the organizational capacity of nonprofits in the Dallas area.

I bring a unique practitioner perspective to my work. I served in various professional capacities in the nonprofit sector prior to joining the professoriate. I continue to serve the nonprofit community through volunteer endeavors and consulting projects. My primary engagements involve donor analysis and strategic planning in the third sector.

Research and Teaching Interests

• Philanthropic behavior
• Giving theories
• History of nonprofit organizations in America
• Nonprofit approaches to social problems
• Nonprofit accountability and outcome measurement
• Leadership and executive behavior in nonprofits 

  Selected Publications

• Schortgen, Alicia C. and Stephanie Newbold. 2011. “Connecting the Past with the Present: Moses Maimonides’ Contribution to Democratic Theory, Public Administration and Civil Society.” Administration & Society.  43:2, 147-170.   (with Stephanie Newbold)
• Schortgen, Alicia C. and Richard K. Scotch. 2010. “The Civic Culture of Dallas, Texas.  In Local Civic Culture.  Edited by Laura Reece and Raymond Rosenfeld.  Sage Publications. 
• Schortgen, Alicia C. 2008. “Nonprofit Organizations and Local Economic Development: A Community Building Effort in Dallas.” in Building the Local Economy: Cases in Economic Development. Edited by Douglas J. Watson and John C. Morris.  Georgia: The Carl Vinson Institute of Government.  
• Schortgen, Alicia C., Wolfgang Bielefeld and Richard K. Scotch. 2007. “National Mandates and Local Nonprofits: Shaping a Local Delivery System of HIV/AIDS Services. 2005 Update” in Strategies of Community Intervention, Seventh Edition.  Edited by Jack Rothman, John L. Erlich and John E. Tropman. Itasca, Illinois: F.E. Peacock Publishers, Inc.