• How did you select your graduate school and how did it prepare you for your career?
• Work or internship experience during graduate school
• What was the most important or useful course you took in the MPA/MPP?
• Were you a Presidential Management Intern?
• What has been your career path since graduating? What do you want to be doing in 5 years?
• What is the most exciting and/or interesting aspect of your current job?
• Do you feel your MPA/MPP is helping you to “make a difference?” How?
• What advice, if any, would you give to an undergraduate thinking about going for an MPA/MPP?

How did you select your graduate school and how did it prepare you for your career?

> After graduating from Arizona State University’s undergraduate business school, I decided to enter the University’s M.P.A. program in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the public sector. Like many M.P.A. programs throughout the United States, this program is tailored for the professional public administrator and attracts a pool of high quality students. I considered the diversity and quality of the faculty and their reputation in their respective areas of specialty. For example, Dr. Joe Cayer, who teaches public personnel administration in my MPA program, has earned a national reputation in this area as a result of his research and publications. Robert and Janet Denhardt have earned the same level of recognition in public leadership. Realizing these faculty would be involved in my own learning experience were important factors in the decision of the particular MPA/MPP program I would attend. Another factor in the decision was the program’s consistent high national ranking among similar programs in the United States. For example, Arizona State University’s MPA program has consistently been rated in the top ten for those M.P.A. programs with an emphasis in public management. 

Any work or internship experience during graduate school?

> During the first portion of my graduate degree program I was fortunate to be hired as a business manager and eventually as the executive director of a community mental health center. This event provided some of the most enriching professional experiences in my career up to that point. However, toward the end of my graduate program experience, I decided to accept two internships in two different organizations in order to gain additional public sector experience. The last internship resulted in a permanent position as a budget administrator with the State of Arizona and the start of my career in state government. 

The availability and quality of practical experiences through internships is another indicator of excellence for a MPA/MPP program or school. The staff at this particular M.P.A. program worked diligently on the development of internships designed to complement the classroom experience of its students. Because of the quality of the students and the reputation of the program in the community, the school was able to be selective in the internship opportunities offered. Looking back, the internships were just as valuable to my career as the classroom work.

What was the most important or useful course you took in the MPA/MPP?

> One of the great things about an MPA/MPP program is the diversity of the classes exposing the student to the many functional areas of public administration such as budgeting, personnel administration, and policy analysis. It is difficult to pick one specific class but perhaps the very first class would be a viable candidate. It was an introductory class to public administration taught by the esteemed professor and former dean of the school, Dr. Lou Weschler. Dr. Weschler provided a fascinating semester-long journey through the various aspects of public administration resulting in the birth of my desire to enroll in the program and more importantly permanently enroll in a career of public service. He taught me the relationship between public agencies and democratic society based on three concepts--responsibility, responsiveness and accountability. I learned the differences in meaning of these concepts and at times how they imply contradictory courses of action, making the work of a policymaker, or public administrator, complex, challenging, and rewarding. The class’s framework presented the politics of public administration and its intersection with issues of democracy, which became the impetus for my intellectual journey through Arizona State University’s M.P.A. Program. 

Were you a Presidential Management Intern?

> No.

What has been your career path since graduating? What do you want to be doing in 5 years?

> Since graduating with the M.P.A. degree, I have been fortunate to have had many job opportunities. I have been a budget analyst, a mid-level manager, a comptroller, a strategic planning administrator, a legislative liaison and now a senior-level administrator with a medium-sized state agency. 

It is my hope to become the director of a medium-sized state agency or move to a senior level administrator with a large state, local, or federal government agency. During the next five years, I hope to complete my Ph.D. degree and pursue a faculty position at a M.P.A./M.P.P. program that emphasizes teaching. The focus of my research in the doctorate program will be public leadership development and specifically examining the various ways in which leadership skills are developed in government executives (i.e Certified Public Manager programs). Through research, writing and teaching, I want to work with others to develop the public service leaders of tomorrow. 

What is the most exciting and/or interesting aspect of your current job?

> The most interesting and significant aspect of my job is working with those who serve the public. I have learned that most people employed by the government do not anticipate becoming rich or famous. That is realistic; there is little hope of either. The majority feel a basic commitment to the values of public service or simply enjoy the work. I have worked with many people who come into a civil service career because of a genuine commitment to the value of public service or a desire to improve a particular type of policy. I have noticed others develop a commitment to public service after working in government for some time. Not all government workers are saints, and many consider it just another job, but many public servants do think of themselves as performing important public services and are committed to the values of political democracy. Their actions reaffirm my belief that public service is a noble and worthy calling. Public servants continue to serve despite their efforts and contributions to society going unrecognized and inadequately rewarded.

Do you feel your MPA/MPP is helping you to “make a difference?” How?

Admission requirements

Diversity of student population

Location (i.e. one centralized location versus decentralized locations throughout a metropolitan area to ease the transportation burden)

Student orientation and on-going mentoring programs

Academic counseling by faculty corresponding to the level of accessibility of faculty

Affiliation with professional programs such as the American Society of Public Administration or the American Political Science Association

Success of graduate school alumni

Existence of Pi Alpha Alpha chapter (National Honor Society for Public Affairs and Administration)

Involvement of the school or program in community public policy issues and events

Mixture of tenured and adjunct faculty

School’s philosophy about the three recognized pillars of academic excellence: research, teaching and service

Quality and reputation of the faculty

Availability of quality internships

Program emphasis and degree tracks (i.e. public policy, public management, etc.)

School’s reputation 

Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs (NASPAA)

Cost, housing, student life, campus community