Visiting faculty member lands coveted fellowship

May 13, 2025 – DENTON – To say Tianyi Li has had a busy spring semester is an understatement. 

The Texas Woman’s Dallas visiting assistant professor was named a Founders’ Fellow by the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), presented research at its annual conference, defended his dissertation and graduated from UT Dallas with a PhD.

Li, who teaches health care administration at the Merrilee Alexander Kick College of Business and Entrepreneurship, was just one of 27 professionals from around the country to receive the Founders’ Fellow recognition from the ASPA. The ASPA is the leading professional membership association for public service.

The Founders’ Fellow program recognizes exceptional accomplishments and potential of the next generation of public servants in academic and practitioner communities. 

“Being selected as a Founders’ Fellow is both a tremendous honor and a defining milestone in my academic and professional journey,” Li said. “It affirms my commitment to advancing public and nonprofit administration and recognizes the work I’ve done so far as a junior scholar, educator and public servant.”

As part of being a Founders’ Fellow, Li receives a year-long series of professional developmental opportunities and was matched with a mentor at the March annual conference. 

“I was drawn to apply because I saw the program as a unique confluence of everything I value: rigorous research, mentorship, collaboration and public service,” Li added. “It offers not just visibility for my work, but also access to a community where deep conversations about the future of our field happen.”

At the conference, Li presented a pilot study titled, “Reexamining East Asian Fertility Trends and Intentions: Recent Empirical Insights, Practical Implications, and Lessons for Public Health Policies.” His research examined why many adults of childbearing age in East Asia had shown declining interest in having children, despite recent government efforts to encourage higher birth rates through more flexible family policies.

“From a healthcare administration perspective, the findings point to the urgent need for more comprehensive maternal and child health services, mental health support for prospective parents, and coordinated cross-sector strategies that integrate reproductive health into broader social policy,” Li said. 

While his research focuses on his growing passion for healthcare administration and policy analysis, his PhD training was in public administration and nonprofit management. His dissertation looked at government funding decisions in nonprofit organizations, particularly in making public goods available to everyone.

“It explores timely themes such as efficiency and public value creation, which are increasingly relevant in today’s public management discourse,” Li said. “The goal is to contribute research that is both theoretically grounded and practically impactful — helping nonprofit organizations operate more effectively and ethically.”

And Li still has more on his plate. He holds an affiliated researcher and scholar position at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin and was selected as a 2025-26 Schar School of Policy and Government research fellow by George Mason University.

Li believes that being selected as a Founders’ Fellow gives him a unique opportunity to join a national network of scholars and practitioners who are as passionate as he is in transforming public service.

“This recognition also motivates me to continue conducting high-quality research, particularly with an emphasis on social good provision and healthcare administration — areas I’m deeply committed to,” Li said.