Public service values in NASPAA programs: Identification, integration, and activation

ABSTRACT

NASPAA expects accredited public affairs programs to stress public service values in their educational program. This article examines the values that are included the mission statements of 125 public affairs programs. There is wide dispersion in the number and content of the values identified in these mission statements. Content analysis of the five universal competencies was conducted to determine the match between the values in the mission statement and the description of competencies. The results indicate a common need for better integration of key values and the content of the curriculum. Finally, an approach to strengthen the activation of values by relating them to ethical standards in the Code of Ethics of the American Society for Public Administration or another comprehensive code is demonstrated. Despite clear connections between the values in NASPAA competencies and the principles and standards in the American Society for Public Administration Code, few programs incorporate codes in their curriculum.

KEYWORDS:

• Code of ethics
• NASPAA guidelines
• public service values
• universal competencies

Notes

^1. The standards explain the nature of the examples in this way: “Examples of competencies in each of the required domains are provided below, stated in terms of specific expectations for student learning. A Program can include other competencies within each of these domains to meet NASPAA’s requirement of universal competencies” (NASPAA, 2017, p. 66).

^2. “The emphasis that a particular program places on each of the domains of universal competencies should be consistent with its mission. A public affairs program might put greater emphasis on the domain, ‘managing public organization’ than on ‘participating in and influencing the policy process;’ the latter might be more the emphasis of a public policy program.” (NASPAA, 2017, p. 66)

^3. A complementary strategy is to offer a course that combines a comprehensive approach to articulating public service values and professional standards across the curriculum in a course that develops “information literacy” (Turner, 2015, p. 45–46).

^4. Carole L. Jurkiewicz, Presentation at NASPAA Conference 2017 and personal correspondence.

^5. From Standards for the U.S. Executive Branch: “Public service is a public trust, requiring employees to place loyalty to the Constitution, the laws and ethical principles above private gain.”

^6. In the definition of “ethical practice,” NASPAA refers to “legitimate codes of conduct” as a source of guidance in additional to “moral duties and obligations” (NASPAA, 2017, p. 35). It is the only reference to “codes.” The only other mention of “ethical practice,” however, involves not learning objectives but conduct of the program: “the Program should provide evidence that communications with its stakeholders demonstrates accountability, transparency, and ethical practice” (NASPAA, 2017, p. 64). The other mention of “codes” is found in the Preconditions for Accreditation, programs are asked “since your last review have there been any changes to the code of conduct or other ethical expectations at your institution (Y/N)?” (NASPAA, 2017, p. 41).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

James H. Svara

James H. Svara is a visiting scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a member of the Ethics and Standards Implementation Committee of the National Association for Public Administration.

Sanzhar Baizhanov

Sanzhar Baizhanov completed his MPA degree at Texas A&M University. He was a research assistant at NASPAA during the summer of 2016, and he is currently Senior Expert at the Institute for Eurasian Integration in Astana, Kazakhstan.