The Public Service Management Program: A Year in Review

Transcription

1 The Public Service Management Program: A Year in Review

2 Graduate Program in Public Service Management July 6, 2014 Dear Friends: In May, the Public Service Management Program (PSM) completed its first full academic year as part of the new Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership. At the same time, we bid a fond farewell to another cohort of graduating students, the fifth to have completed the program. This extraordinary group of young people will join the growing ranks of our alumni, who continue to exemplify the highest standards of service as they build careers in government agencies and nonprofit organizations across the city and the nation. PSM students and alumni continue to accumulate an impressive record of accomplishments, earning White House internships, NYC Urban Fellowships, State Department language scholarships, and awards for policy writing. In January, the program reached a significant milestone; we inaugurated a new permanent home. The public management facility located in room one of the college s magnificent Shepard Hall brings together several programs that promote public service and features a student study area, a state-of-the-art smart classroom, office space and a conference room. Our success comes as a result of the help and support of so many. On behalf of the students and staff, I would like to thank our donors and friends who commit time, money, and expertise without which opportunity and superior education would be out of reach of so many of our extraordinary students. Thanks also to our involved and committed alumni, our dedicated, brilliant faculty, and our inspired leaders. I hope you will find this report for the academic year helpful. If you have any questions, please contact me at ([email protected]). We look forward to inviting you to campus to see the PSM program s new space. Sincerely, Mark Musell, Director Public Management Programs 160 Convent Ave., Shepard Hall Room One New York, New York [email protected] The Public Service Management Program 2

3 The Year In Review City College s Graduate Program in Public Service Management (PSM) prepares students, many from groups often underrepresented in public service, for leadership in government agencies and nonprofit organizations. The program awards a master s degree in public administration (MPA). City College admitted its first class of 19 to the program in August of In May, the program awarded another 15 students their MPA degrees, bringing the total number of graduates to nearly 80. Below is a re-cap of the year s significant events. Improving Space for Faculty, Students, and Staff For the first time, PSM students and alumni have a space of their own on campus located in room one of Shepard Hall. The new facility includes a 30-seat smart classroom, which offers the program much greater flexibility and capability for events and classes. Shepard One also has a dedicated student work area, a conference room, and offices for staff and faculty. The space was designed to accommodate small and large classes, as well as formal and informal instruction. It facilitates team work and features the latest learning technology. Shepard One enabled the Powell School to bring together several programs devoted to public service, meaning one-stop-service and better coordination among related programs. Making Career Services a Priority The long-term success of the PSM program depends on creating a well-placed, dedicated, core of alumni. To that end, it continues to offer a full range of services to help students plan careers and find employment. This year, as in the past, our efforts encompassed job fairs with Baruch College, resume writing workshops, and similar events. The Year In Review 3

4 Starting last fall the program launched a more structured and individualized program that engages students in a two-year effort of self-evaluation, skill building, and career planning. The effort better integrates course work with career planning, helping students focus classroom activities, internships, capstone projects, and participation in other programs toward acquiring skills and knowledge necessary for obtaining a meaningful position and a solid career. This summer, PSM launches its new career services website, where students and alumni can find career advice, links to job search engines, alumni career updates, and job postings. The cloud hosted site will be found at: PSMlink.org. A Commitment to Learning By Doing Studies show a connection between real-world experience and academic success for underserved groups. At the same time, employers increasingly demand experience as a condition of hiring. Internships offer students an opportunity to gain marketable experience, connect classroom learning to real-world problems, learn the work habits that characterize successful professionals, and forge the professional contacts and relationships necessary for career success. The networking opportunities my Washington internship made possible helped me realize my dream of a career in federal service. Preeya Saikia, 2014 PSM graduate, Executive Office of the President Washington, DC The PSM program has made internships a core requirement from the start. The program helps students prepare resumes and locate internships in New York City and Washington, DC. It also provides financial support in the form of stipends and housing subsidies for students serving in Washington, DC. During the summer of 2013, the program supported eleven graduate student summer interns who served in both New York City and in Washington, DC with organizations such as the US House of Representatives, the US Office of Personnel Management, the National Disability Rights Network, the YMCA of greater New York, the Asian American Research Institute, and the Salvation Army of New York. Last fall, PSM commenced a new program of semester internships designed to help students integrate classroom and service. Students worked with Colin Powell School staff on budgeting and development. Another student built on her work in PSM communications courses to help a local The Public Service Management Program 4

5 nonprofit make information on public loans and credit programs more accessible to users. Improving Learning Outcomes Public servants must often work with data and technical analysis. Building student competency in this area has been an ongoing priority for the PSM program. This summer, under the direction of PSM Professor Adriana Espinosa and Math Professor Jay Jorgenson, the Colin Powell School has begun testing and evaluating a new approach to teaching statistics that combines classroom lectures and selfpaced, computer-based study. The computerbased system allows faculty to monitor student progress and deploy support as problems arise. That support is provided by a team of tutors that work with faculty and provide one-on-one support for students who need extra help or who prove themselves able to handle more challenging assignments. Building Strong, Diverse Student Cohorts Continuing to attract the highest caliber students remains a priority for the PSM program. Good students keep faculty engaged, find great internships, and, ultimately, land important positions that build a well-connected alumni network for future students. Equally important, our country deserves a workforce in public service and policy that reflects the full range of diversity that our students represent. This year the program continued its efforts to increase the number and quality of applicants. We recently engaged higher education marketing expert Ira Krawitz to review PSM branding and outreach to help improve recruitment of diverse and high caliber students. Over 95 percent of the fall entering class have GPAs of 3.0 or better, compared to a six-year average of 75 percent. The new cohort will continue the program s tradition of diversity. More than 80 percent are from minority and The Year In Review 5

6 other groups traditionally underrepresented in many areas of public service. Expanding Curriculum Options for Students The PSM curriculum focuses on a core of courses designed to build basic management skills, such as making budgets, motivating teams and employees, assessing program performance. This fall, building on the strong array of programs at the Colin Powell School and City College, the PSM will begin a roll out of what it hopes will eventually be a broad array of specialized courses designed to help students tailor study to specific career goals and interests. In collaboration with the Department of Economics, PSM will offer a specialization in policy analysis and evaluation. In partnership with the CCNY program in Media and Communications, PSM will build on its own communications courses to offer a specialization in communications and marketing in public service. Upgrading Management Systems The PSM Program has started work on a case management system that could serve as a prototype for many programs in the Colin Powell School. The system will allow us to combine various information systems we now have covering students, alumni and others. The system will allow queries and improve outreach to alumni, service to students, and assessment of our programs. Photo by CCNY s Ron Woodford The Public Service Management Program 6

7 The Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership Graduate Program in Public Service Management Program at a Glance Enrollment and Graduates, May 2014 Enrollment: 34 Total Number of Graduates: 78 Average Size of Cohorts: 16 Admissions Applications 2013: 86 Applications 2014: 111 Enrollment 2013: 20% of applicants Enrollment2014: 14% Enrollment US MPA Programs: 39% of applicants Average GPA Enrolled 2013: 3.2 (out of 4.0) Average GPA Enrolled 2014: 3.5 (out of 4.0) Enrolled with GPA>3.0, 2013: 59% Enrolled with GPA>3.0, 2014: 90% Profile of Students (Fall 2013 cohort) Minority Students: 81% Female Students: 63% Minority Students, MA Programs US: 27% Student Placement, as of May 2014 Percent of Students With Jobs Within Six Months:77% Average for Other Schools: 80% Where Grads Work: nonprofit 38%, government 50%, consulting and other 12% Policy Briefings Tuition Assistance Academic Mentoring Hybrid Courses Curriculum Specializations Retention and Graduation, as of May 2014 Enrolled Students Who Graduate: 78% Students Graduating Within Regular Two-year Time Frame: 67% Sample Jobs Held By Graduates Director of Community Relations, NY City Council Constituent Casework, NY City Council NYC Urban Fellow Program Specialist, IntraHealth International Assistant Director, Henry Street Settlement Operations Manager, Council on State Governments Management Analyst, Executive Office of the President of the US Career and Other Services to Students One-to-one career advising Career fairs Workshops on resume writing Practice job interviews Paid research opportunities with faculty Paid internships in NYC and Washington, DC The Year In Review 7

8 Some of Our Students and Grads Sandy Guillaume graduated in As a student, she teamed up with Professor Tina Wolf of John Jay College and created Community Action for Social Justice, Inc., which provides advocacy and services to those affected by HIV/AIDS, drug use, homelessness and other challenges. In the best traditions of City College, she returned this past semester to help lead a capstone project for current students. Mariya Komartzova just graduated and was the program s first Fulbright Scholar. She completed internships in Washington, DC with the International Institute for Strategic Studies and with the Colin Powell School. She is the recent recipient of a Critical Language Fellowship from the US State Department and will study Arabic in Morocco. Evan Mastronardi just completed his first year with the program. He came to us having earned his BA with honors in political science from City College. His professionalism, hard work, and intelligence has escaped few at the Colin Powell School. As a management intern in the Office of the Dean, he has mastered the intricacies of the budget process and been instrumental in helping set up new systems to generate budget and financial reports for the school. Preeya Saikia just graduated. As a student she was a fellow in the Colin Powell Center s leadership program for graduate students. She spent a summer interning on Capitol Hill and managed to translate her interest in public budgeting and finance into an appointment with the President s Office of Management and Budget, making her the first PSM graduate to go directly to a federal career in Washington, DC. The Public Service Management Program 8