OhMyGov.com…

Against a backdrop of uniformed soldiers in Colorado Springs a couple weeks ago, Sen. Obama told the audience that national service “will be a central cause of my presidency.” But what exactly does he mean by “service?”

Chastened by critics of his past speeches on the subject, Obama carefully included military service alongside non-military endeavors. With the exception of his call to expand the Foreign Service, however, his plan appears to ignore an essential element of non-military service: working in government.

Volunteering and short-term service stints, such as the Peace Corps, Teach For America, and AmeriCorps (I am a Teach For America/AmeriCorps alumnus), are popular and powerful ways to encourage talented young people to tackle some of our nation’s vexing problems. They are not, however, a substitute for a strong, functional government.

It may be more lucrative to pursue private sector jobs and more charitable to go into non-profit, but we neglect our public sector at our own peril. The major challenges we face in the twenty-first century - from education and law enforcement to emergency response and foreign affairs - will take place in the public sector. We need strong public institutions and public servants to tackle those challenges. We should want - no, we should demand - that our best and brightest are at the helm of those institutions, and we should expect our presidential candidates to use their platforms to encourage our top young people to see government service as a noble calling.

John McCain, to his credit, has encouraged young Americans to work in government as one way to embrace “a cause greater than yourself.” Yet neither McCain nor Obama have endorsed a grassroots initiative that offers the most promising way to attract a new generation into the public sector: the U.S. Public Service Academy.

The Public Service Academy will be the civilian counterpart to our five military academies, offering more than 5,000 students an intensive undergraduate education focused on leadership development and public service. Like their military academy peers, Academy students will receive a free college education in return for a commitment to serve for five years by working in public institutions in education, law enforcement, emergency response, and other essential fields at the local, state, and national levels.

Obama may not speak against a backdrop of gray-suited bureaucrats any time soon, but if service is going to be a central cause of his presidency, then we should expect him to address our government service as well. He could begin by embracing the U.S. Public Service Academy bill - which now has 21 senators and 108 representatives behind it.

More big public service stories in the main stream media!! Today the New York Times did a feature story in the Education section about Harvard students and some of the personal conflicts they face whether to head into a high paying Wall Street career, or go into a public sector job upon graduation. Are they departing “to serve better thy country and thy kind” as the Dexter Gate on their campus says, or fulfilling their own individual needs and shirking a moral and ethical duty to share their knowledge with their communities? Check out this interactive slide show of many of the Class of 2008 speaking about this very concern.

Professor of Education, Howard Gardner has been holding seminars asking students to reflect on their Harvard experience and what would be the best way to put it to work in the real world. Harvard is well-known for being a fast-track to lucrative finance and consulting jobs on Wall Street. For some college graduates with loan repayment looming, it is the path many have taken. Professor Gardner is asking his students to consider a holistic approach to making these career decisions and encouraging them to give back in the form of a public service or non-profit sector job. Putting the prestigious and privileged Harvard education to work in service for the country and world seems like a much better investment. And isn’t it incumbent upon them to do so, these best and brightest?

Great American institutions of higher learning like Harvard are turning out intellectually curious, highly prepared and motivated graduates, but even their own John F. Kennedy School of Government focuses on graduate work and does not obligate the grads to participate in public sector work as a condition of their enrollment in the programs. Remember, the Academy would require graduates from the Bachelor’s program work for five years in a public sector job for the privilege of attending college at no cost to them.

Thanks to the YACers and Regional Coordinators flooding the comment board with mentions of the Academy!

Together with support from the McCormick Tribune Foundation, the Academy commissioned a nationwide poll of 800 members of the “Millennial Generation”  sometimes known as Generation Y, or as I like to say, these kids today who have never been without a computer in their home since before they could walk.

Between April 3rd and April 8th, 2008, SocialSphere Strategies of Cambridge, Massachusetts, conducted a poll of college-bound high school students, college students, and college graduates with the goal of assessing Millennials’ attitudes toward public service and their opinions about the Public Service Academy. Chris and Shawn were thrilled to present the results of the poll at the National Summit in Washington, DC on April 22, 2008, and are now able to share the complete results with everyone.  Having this kind of scientific data as the foundation for this transformational idea only serves to heighten support for the Academy in Congress, amongst colleges and universities and the public at large.  

Some exciting highlights of the poll are:

• By a margin of more than 7:1, Millennials overwhelmingly support the creation of the Public Service Academy.
• Political affiliation did not affect young people’s perception of the Academy - 58% of Democrats and 56% of Republicans say that they would consider applying to the Academy.
• More than half (57%) of all Millennials indicate that they “likely” would consider applying to the U.S. Public Service Academy, with 19% saying that they “very likely” would consider applying. Those most likely to consider applying include: men (63%), Southerners (63%), African Americans (64%), Latinos (68%), and Asian Americans (70%).
• Millennial Generation believes:
  - Public service is good training for future employment, regardless of sector
  - Public service is an effective way to solve some of our nation’s problems
  - Political leaders are not doing enough to encourage public service

Please read more about the findings here and then go sign the petition if you have not already done it!