Mission Statement
Advancing Excellence in Public Management!
As members of an academic and professional learning community, students and faculty seek to promote civic discourse, foster tolerance and respect for others, enhance social justice, and build and sustain a free and democratic society.
The Division advances its mission by building on a proud thirty-five year history of providing high quality education and practical management experiences for more than 800 men and women in the public service, many of whom serve as managers in Northern Illinois cities and villages.
Division faculty believe that advancing excellence in public management requires a balanced, integrated, and sustained approach toward teaching, scholarship, and service to community, state, nation, and profession. To this end, Division faculty and students embrace the following goals, objectives, and strategies.
Goals, Objectives and Strategies
The goals and objectives of the Division of Public Administration are embedded in three complementary and reinforcing domains: teaching, scholarship, and service.
- Advancing Excellence in Public Management through Teaching Analytical Skills, Ethics, Accountability, Responsiveness, and Public Service Leadership
- Advancing Excellence in Public Management through Scholarship that fosters ethical practices, administrative and political accountability, responsiveness to citizens, and effective public service leadership
- Advancing Excellence in Public Management through Service to profession, university, and community
Goal 1: Provide high quality academic instruction in contemporary theories and practices of public administration
Objective 1A: Strengthen faculty teaching skills
- Strategy 1A1: Conduct reviews of faculty teaching quality through in-class student evaluations and alumni surveys of instructional effectiveness
- Strategy 1A2: Participate in teaching enhancement programs, seminars, and workshops
Objective 1B: Develop faculty knowledge
- Strategy 1B1: Support faculty participation in knowledge and skill building seminars, workshops, and conferences
- Strategy 1B2: Encourage faculty subscriptions to professional journals and publications
- Strategy 1B3: Support faculty travel to professional conferences
Objective 1C: Employ state-of-the-art teaching tools, techniques, and learning methodologies
- Strategy 1C1: Develop computer enhanced instruction via electronic mail, the Internet,
World Wide Web, and software applications
- Strategy 1C2: Use computer assisted instructional tools such as PowerPoint
- Strategy 1C3: Promote classroom discussion via small groups and case studies
- Strategy 1C4: Encourage student centered learning
Goal 2: Maintain a state-of-the-art curriculum
Objective 2A: Foster Curriculum Development
- Strategy 2A1: Encourage faculty to attend specialized teaching and curriculum conferences such as the Annual Teaching Public Administration Conference
- Strategy 2A2: Encourage faculty to attend meetings of national professional associations such as the American Political Science Association or the American Society for Public Administration
- Strategy 2A3: Encourage faculty to read and submit essays and papers to the Journal of Public Affairs Education
- Strategy 2A4: Encourage faculty to incorporate contemporary readings in course syllabi
Objective 2B: Conduct periodic reviews of curriculum
- Strategy 2B1: Devote at least one faculty meeting per year to curriculum review
- Strategy 2B2: Seek input from alumni, practitioners, and Board of Advisors regarding curriculum needs
Goal 3: Provide pre-service students with practical management experiences in order to enter public service successfully
Objective 3A: Provide Public Management Experiences for Pre-Service Students:
- Strategy 3A1: Encourage students to attend professional association meetings held by organizations like the Illinois City/County Management Association or the Illinois Assistant
Municipal Managers Association
- Strategy 3A2: Provide students with internship experiences in public organizations and government agencies
- Strategy 3A3: Encourage NIU MPA alumni to mentor students
- Strategy 3A4: Provide practitioner led seminars and workshops
Goal 4: Promote the intellectual growth and professional development of students and faculty
Objective 4A: Foster Intellectual Growth of Students
- Strategy 4A1: Encourage faculty to serve as role models for students
- Strategy 4A2: Conduct special topic seminars and workshops for students
- Strategy 4A3: Sponsor guest lectures and presentations by academics and practitioners
Objective 4B: Promote the Professional Development of Faculty
- Strategy 4B4: Encourage faculty to attend professional conferences, join professional associations, and subscribe to professional journals
- Strategy 4B5: Provide a supportive and stimulating environment for faculty research and scholarship through collegial review of papers
Goal 5: Conduct state-of-the-art scholarship and applied research on governance and public administration issues facing public managers and elected officials
Objective 5A: Promote short-term and long-term, multi-year research agendas
- Strategy 5A1: Review and assess faculty research agendas during annual evaluation
- Strategy 5A2: Encourage faculty to develop long-term research portfolios
Objective 5B: Seek financial support to conduct applied and theoretical research
- Strategy 5B1: Monitor and respond to requests for proposals issued by state and local governments
- Strategy 5B2: Review and respond to requests for proposals provided by private foundations, the National Science Foundation, and federal agencies
Objective 5C: Communicate with social science scholars and public administration practitioners
- Strategy 5C1: Attend professional conferences held by organizations such as the International City/County Management Association, the American Society for Public Administration, the Illinois City/County Management Association
- Strategy 5C2: Join and participate in academic and practitioner electronic listserv
Objective 5D: Conduct collaborative research with colleagues, practitioners, and students
- Strategy 5D1: Invite colleagues, practitioners, and students to research forums and seminars
- Strategy 5D2: Accept invitations or opportunities to work with faculty at other institutions in Illinois, the Nation, or internationally
Goal 6: Disseminate scholarly findings to colleagues and peers in the United States and abroad
Objective 6A: Write and present papers at academic and practitioner seminars, workshops, and conferences
- Strategy 6A1: Seek opportunities to present papers at conferences held by the International City/County Management; Association, the American Political Science Association, and the American Society for Public Administration, and others
Objective 6B: Publish scholarly findings in highly regarded journals, books, monographs, periodicals, and electronic outlets
- Strategy 6B1: Submit manuscripts to journals such as the Public Administration Review, Administration & Society, Public Administration Research & Theory
Objective 6C: Translate and publish research findings in practitioner and public mediums
- Strategy 6C1: Submit reports, papers, essays, and commentary to print outlets such as Public Management
Goal 7: Transfer applied research findings to classroom instruction and into public management practices
Objective 7A: Inform classroom instruction with scholarly and applied research findings
- Strategy 7A1: Identify subject matter (e.g., budgeting) that is informed by research findings
- Strategy 7A2: Encourage students to use and review faculty research products and papers
Objective 7B: Translate findings into public management practices
- Strategy 7B1: Write and publish papers in practitioner and trade magazines such as Public Management and the PA Times
- Strategy 7B2: Conduct workshops and seminars for public managers
Goal 8: Participate actively in the affairs and leadership of public administration associations and relevant academic/university units
Objective 8A: Provide leadership for professional public administration associations
- Strategy 8A1: Seek offices in organizations such as the American Society for Public Administration, join interest based sections such as the ASPA Section on Budgeting and Financial Management and the Public Administration Section of the American Political Science Association, and work on committees
Objective 8B: Provide leadership for professional education associations
- Strategy 8B1: Seek offices and positions of responsibility in organizations such as the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration
Objective 8C: Provide leadership for the NIU Department of Political Science and the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
- Strategy 8C1: Work collegially with Department and College faculty and administrators
- Strategy 8C2: Volunteer for leadership positions within the Department and College
- Strategy 8C3: Assume responsibility for serving on committees and task forces
Goal 9: Provide management expertise and technical assistance to public organizations and managers in Northern Illinois cities and communities
Objective 9A: Make faculty management expertise available to managers and communities
- Strategy 9A1: Inform management community of faculty skills, knowledge, and ability via newsletters, announcements, and the Division web site
Objective 9B: Collaborate with relevant NIU centers and research organizations
- Strategy 9B1: Support faculty participation in applied and funded research projects housed in the NIU Social Science Research Institute
Objective 9C: Provide training for management personnel
- Strategy 9C1: Conduct workshops in public organizations
- Strategy 9C2: Provide consulting services to communities
Goal 10: Inform and raise the level of public discourse by promoting responsible and deliberative decision making in community, state, and nation
Objective 10A: Provide policy guidance and advice to communities
- Strategy 10A1: Attend board and commission meetings of city/county governments
- Strategy 10A2: Conduct training workshops for public officials
- Strategy 10A3:Respond to media requests for commentary on public policy or governance issues
Objective 10B:Inform media reporters and commentators of relevant policy/administration issues
- Strategy 10B1: Conduct workshops and seminars for media reporters
