Student public service value priorities

ABSTRACT

Debates about trade-offs among values are central to the field of public administration and to graduate education in public affairs. Accreditation guidelines from the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) direct graduate programs to articulate the public service values that guide their curricula. Moreover, student ability to articulate a public service perspective is one of the universal competencies for NASPAA accredited programs. Scholars have defined and cataloged myriad values that guide work in professional public service. Still, many programs lack insight into how new students perceive and prioritize public service values. This essay advocates measuring student public service value priorities to aid programs in their discussions of public service values in curriculum design. An example using Q-methodology and data from a new MPA student cohort is reported to illustrate the value of investigating public service value priorities. This essay concludes by describing how an understanding of student public service values priorities can help faculty maintain a curriculum responsive to students.

KEYWORDS:

• Public service values
• Q-methodology
• NASPAA universal required competencies

Notes

1. Here, demographic variables are reported for the program rather than for the exercise because individual-level descriptive data was not collected for the exercise. For the calendar year, 63% of MPA students in the program identified as female, 86% identified as white non-Hispanic, 72% were in-state residents, 3% were international students, and 67% of the students enrolled full-time. Among the exercise participants, 42% reported completing their undergraduate degree within the last 3 years and 30% reported completing their undergraduate degree more than 3 years ago. About 61% reported a career interest in government and 17% reported a career interest in the non-profit sector.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Eric S. Zeemering

Eric S. Zeemering is associate professor and MPA Director in the School of Public and International Affairs, Department of Public Administration and Policy at the University of Georgia. His research investigates collaborative local governance, including interlocal contracting, local politicians’ roles in metropolitan governance, and urban sustainability. He is the author of Collaborative Strategies for Sustainable Cities: Economy, Environment and Community in Baltimore.