Public administrators can play a vital role in the articulation of demands emerging from the community and can serve to advance these demands by their position of authority, skills and knowledge to help facilitate the development of programs and projects to address public needs. This article describes the role that a small Master of Public…

The pace of societal change and the development of societal challenges have speeded up considerably during the last couple of decades, with substantial impact on different levels, i.e. ranging from global to local, or from business to government. When focusing on the public domain, these changes and challenges have had a major impact on public…

Higher education accrediting bodies are increasing the emphasis on assessing student learning outcomes as opposed to teaching methodology. The purpose of this article is to describe the process used by Troy University's Master of Public Administration program to change their assessment approach from a course learning objective perspective to a…

At Loyola University of Chicago a needs assessment procedure was used to decide whether to establish a master's degree program in public administration that would serve many part-time students. It required the analysis of potential participants, the university, faculty, competing programs, and potential employers. (CT)

The development of an interdisciplinary Master of Public Admnistration program at the University of Vermont is chronicled, emphasizing the challenges of strategic management, managing academic units to promote the best interests of the institution as a whole while preserving each unit's right to frame its own educational mission. (MSE)

From the mid-1970s to 1982, Washburn University of Topeka (Kansas) offered training programs for jail employees and other interested public officials, beginning with topical seminars and later, extending to courses for academic credit at a number of sites. In 1992, the university will begin offering courses again. (MSE)

Reports results of a 1995 survey of 56 doctoral programs in public administration and public affairs, finding that public administration is a fragmented, interdisciplinary field, but many doctoral programs are training students for research careers. A lingering concern is whether these innovations are making a difference in the quantity and…

Eleven presentations are provided from the summer conference of the Ohio Continuing Higher Education Association (OCHEA). A letter from the president of OCHEA, John R. Loch, appears first. These presentations follow: "Colleges and Corporations: Partners in Continuing Education" (Donna Bovard, Martha Silling); "Weekend Colleges: Serving Adults…

Four experiential learning programs that are in the early stages of development are described. The report from the Consortium of the California State University and Colleges details the efforts of a traditional, decentralized system to introduce flexibility into the use of examinations for crediting prior learning. A description of a large,…