The U.S. Public Service Academy will be a national symbol of service to America, a campus of which all Americans can be proud. Much the way that the words “West Point” conjure up images of disciplined young soldiers on the banks of the Hudson or “Annapolis” makes one think of sharp midshipmen on the Chesapeake, so too will the Academy’s campus become a national landmark that sends a powerful message about the mission of the institution itself.

Cities will have to compete for the honor, prestige, and economic benefits that come from being the home of the U.S. Public Service Academy. Congress and the President will determine the location of the Academy through the legislative process. The U.S. Public Service Academy Act will establish a five-person commission to solicit and review proposals from cities across the country. Modeled after the process by which the site for the Air Force Academy was chosen in the 1950s, this commission will conduct site visits, hold public hearings, and research each proposal carefully. It will then make recommendations to the President, and he will select the final winner.

The institution could succeed in any number of locations, and several cities have already begun to mobilize local support to land the institution: Washington, D.C., Kansas City, Philadelphia, and Seattle. In Washington, for example, the City Council and State Board of Education have passed resolutions in favor of the Academy, and Mayor Adrian Fenty has endorsed the initiative. As the seat of the federal government, DC advocates argue, Washington offers opportunities that would be invaluable to Academy students and hard to replicate elsewhere. Within the District, the Walter Reed Army Medical Center offers a practical, feasible, and well-placed site. Slated for closure by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission, the Walter Reed campus has a long history of service to our nation and would be a fitting location for the Public Service Academy.

In Kansas City, local leaders have formed the “Heart of America Public Service Academy Steering Committee,” including two former governors, several higher education leaders, and local activists. They have identified several locations in the greater Kansas City area that could become the home to the Academy. The Academy should be located in the “heart of America,” argue Kansas City advocates, not only because five of the six service academies are located on the East Coast but also because Kansas City offers a reasonable cost of living, a less harried culture, and a bedrock of Midwestern values.

Wherever Congress and the President decide to place the Academy, the campus will require enough land to support adequate academic, residential, and recreational facilities for more than 5000 students. At a minimum, it will occupy 100 acres of land in a single, relatively compact unit; ideally, the campus would encompass 200 or more acres to allow for the construction of a spacious campus dotted with small, mixed-use buildings. Given the Academy’s mission and its curricular requirements, it should be located either within or close to an urban environment that will provide a multitude of service opportunities for students, offer ample cultural amenities, and present a aesthetically beautiful campus that will inspire visitors, students, and staff alike. To help limit start-up costs, the Academy should be placed on a military installation that has been closed or is slated for closure by Congress.

(Rendering of Academy building courtesy of Alex Broerman)