1. “We already do all this at (insert college name here) — we have a great public administration program and our students love public service!”
The Public Service Academy will be a complement to existing university programs, not a substitute. It will be a hub for scholarly activity and will work with existing institutions nationwide to promote education for public service. As a flagship institution for public service, it will differ significantly from existing institutions:
• Public sector focus: Unlike other public policy and public administration programs, the Public Service
Academy will be a leadership development campus aimed specifically at the public sector. Students will not be placed in private or non-profit sector positions.
• Culture: Like the military academies, the Academy will create an intensive campus culture of service that will foster strong bonds among undergraduates committed to the same patriotic goals.
• Curriculum: The Academy’s unique, service-focused curriculum will emphasize civics, service-learning, and international education, with challenging requirements for study abroad, public service internships, and leadership development activities year-round.
• Commitment: The Academy’s five-year post-graduation service requirement has no civilian parallel.
• Visibility: As a national college, the Academy will raise the visibility and prestige of public service in a way that no state or private college could.
2. “We don’t need this Academy — existing colleges already do a fine job of preparing students for public service.”
Despite the great work being done by existing colleges, we face a massive and growing shortage of top-quality public servants because a decreasing proportion of undergraduates choose to enter public service. Studies show that even at top public policy and administration programs, the percentage of graduates who enter public service following graduation has dropped by half in a generation. The average college graduate now owes about $20,000 (and more if they attend private schools), a debt load that often prices students out of public service. The unwillingness of students to commit to public service also reflects a culture that belittles the public sector and values individual achievement and material advancement over service to the nation.
3. “The Academy will be too expensive – we should create a scholarship program instead.”
We as a nation must be willing to make a serious investment in our future leadership. We have the money — the Academy’s total budget of $205 million represents less than 1% of the $23.5 billion that the federal government spends annually on higher education. Creating a public service scholarship program is a limited idea that ignores the symbolic importance of creating an institution that can raise the visibility and prestige of public service. Scholarships would not be able to offer the intensive culture of service that a separate institution devoted to public service would instill in its students. More details.
4. “The Public Service Academy will promote big government.”
The Academy will make our government better, not bigger. It will be dedicated to making our public
institutions work, not grow. The Academy will not create new jobs for graduates. Instead, it will place them in positions where shortages already exist. It will help make our public institutions more effective, efficient, and economical by developing young leaders who embrace a higher standard for public service and a commitment to serve the nation and the Constitution. If we want our government to be more effective, then investing in leadership development is money well spent.
