A Profile of Villanova University’s Partnership with Local Government Managers

Abstract

In this case study, we describe and assess how the Villanova University Master of Public Administration (MPA) program involves practitioners in local government management education. We present student and faculty views on the effectiveness and quality of the university’s one-credit courses on different topics taught by local government managers and the three-credit course on effective city management team-taught by three township managers. We also review the contributions of municipal internships to Villanova MPA students’ education and career trajectories. Finally, we explain the curriculum featured in the university’s Graduate Certificate in City Management program and stress the advantage of offering the certificate to pre-master’s and post-master’s students, as well as to MPA students choosing to specialize in city management. Data from a 2009 survey of program directors from National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) member schools indicate that the combination of Villanova’s practices is unique. Because the students and faculty believe this approach is an effective one, we offer the university’s model as one way for full-time faculty to partner with local government professionals to help recruit and educate the next generation of city and county managers.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Craig M. Wheeland

Craig M. Wheeland, PhD, is currently Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor of Political Science at Villanova University. His research focuses on city management, along with leadership by elected officials in city and suburban governments, collaborative problem-solving approaches, and municipal government institutions. He has published numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, and is the author of Empowering the Vision: Community-Wide Strategic Planning in Rock Hill, SC, published by University Press of America.

Christine Kelleher Palus

Christine Kelleher Palus is currently the Director of Villanova University’s Master of Public Administration (MPA) program and an Assistant Professor of Political Science. Dr. Palus’s primary research and teaching interests focus on urban politics, state politics, and women in public administration. Her work is published in such journals as Public Administration Review, the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, and Urban Affairs Review.