National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration

National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration
National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration
Abbreviation NASPAA
Type NGO
Purpose/focus Educational accreditation
Website naspaa.org

The National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization. It is an association of schools of public policy schools (schools of public affairs and administration) at universities mostly in the United States and several abroad. Its stated mission is to "Ensure excellence in education and training for public service, promote the ideal of public service, and accredit master's degrees in public administration, including Master of Public Administration (MPA) and Master of Public Policy (MPP) degrees."

Founded in 1970, NASPAA serves as a national and international resource for the promotion of excellence in education for the public service. Its institutional membership includes more than 275 university programs in the United States in public administration, policy, and management. NASPAA is also the accreditator of its member schools, seeking to promote the quality of education. It accomplishes its purposes through direct services to its member institutions and by

  • Developing and administering appropriate standards for educational programs in public affairs through its Executive Council and its Commission on Peer Review and Accreditation;
  • Representing to governments and other institutions the objectives and needs of education for public affairs and administration;
  • Encouraging curriculum development and innovation and providing a forum for publication and discussion of education scholarship, practices, and issues;
  • Undertaking surveys that provide members and the public with information on key educational issues;
  • Meeting with employers to promote internship and employment for students and graduates;
  • Undertaking joint educational projects with practitioner professional organizations; and
  • Collaborating with institutes and schools of public administration in other countries through conferences, consortia, and joint projects.

NASPAA provides opportunities for international engagement for NASPAA members, placing a global emphasis on educational quality and quality assurance through a series of networked international initiatives, in particular the Network of Institutes and Schools of Public Administration in Central and Eastern Europe (NISPAcee), the Inter-American Network of Public Administration Education (INPAE), and the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA). It is also involved locally, directing the Small Communities Outreach Project for Environmental Issues, which networks public affairs schools and local governments around environmental regulation policy issues, with support from the Environmental Protection Agency.

NASPAA’s twofold mission is to ensure excellence in education and training for public service and to promote the ideal of public service.

Contents

Journal of Public Affairs Education

The society's official journal is the Journal of Public Affairs Education. (JPAE) JPAE was founded in 1995 by a consortium from the University of Kansas and the University of Akron and was originally published as the Journal of Public Administration Education. H. George Frederickson was the journal’s founding editor. In addition to serving as NASPAA’s journal of record, JPAE is affiliated with the Section on Public Administration Education of the American Society for Public Administration.[1]

Distinguished Alumni

The following are some notable MPA/MPP graduates.

Presidents

References

  1. ^ The Journal of Public Affairs Education. (Winter, 2009). Vol. 15, No. 1.

External links