May 18, 1981
POs President Vincent O'Leary
FROM: Orville F. Poland, Dean
SUBJECT: Programe and Priorities
As you requested the other day, I have
counted the number of priorities in our new Goals
and Priorities Statement and have determined, in
facet, that we did reduce the number from 107 to
91, Only the publie service section has an inorease
ah priorities,
The numbers are as follows:
Category 1980 1981
Undergraduate Educa. 2h 17
Graduate Educa. ad 2k
Publie Service 2k 23
Quality of Life 18 12
Use of Rasources 23 8
107 91
OFP /impw
GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
GOALS AND PRIORITIES FOR ACTION: 1978-79 THROUGH 1980-81
GENERAL PURPOSES AND PROGRAMS
The education program of the Graduate School of Public
Affairs consists of extensive curricula in political science,
public administration, and public affairs. Courses also are
available in other units of the University in supporting
social and behavioral sciences and related professional fields.
Special concentrations may be developed in a variety of public
policy areas, both domestic and international. The School
awards the degrees of Master of Arts in Political Science,
Master of Arts in Public Affairs, Master of Public Administra-
tion, Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science, and Doctor of
Public Administration. The Department of Political Science
also offers two undergraduate concentrations in Political
Science and Public Affairs for a Bachelor of Arts degree.
The research activities of the School are designed pri-
marily to strengthen and support its teaching functions and
to make useful contributions to a better understanding of
government, the economy, public policy, and social behavior.
Faculty members and students are continuously occupied with
research projects of varying scope and dimension. The School
assists in the publication of the results of this research in
order to disseminate knowledge broadly.
The service activities of the School include assistance
to the people, organizations, officials, and governmental
offices of New York State and the United States in the analy-
sis of contemporary problems. Assistance includes special
courses, conferences, workshops, and institutes; research
and consultation, and publications.
The School is organized into two academic departments,
the Department of Public Administration and the Department of
Political Science, and the Comparative Development Studies
Center, a research unit, and the Public Executive Project,
an executive training center.
In the fall of 1977, 437 students were enrolled in the
B.A. program in Political Science, 36 students in the master's
program, and 22 at the Ph.D. level. In the Department of
Public Administration, 211 students were enrolled in the
M.P.A. program, and 38 were working toward the D.P.A. degree.
In addition to these degree candidates, the Public Executive
Project continues to serve over 600 state and local govern-
ment officials per year in its programs.
GOALS
1. To provide training to enable both graduate and
undergraduate students to play useful roles in
public and private institutions which formulate,
control, or influence public policies at whatever
level.
2. To educate graduate students for college and
university teaching and research in areas of
government.
3. To provide selected graduate courses in adminis-
tration for other professional programs of the
University such as Social Welfare, Library Science,
and Education.
4, To conduct research designed to advance knowledge
regarding governmental policy and administration
and to analyze significant relevant issues.
5. To disseminate knowledge relevant to governmental
programs to the public through written materials,
continuing education courses, provision of technical
assistance, and other means.
PRIORITIES FOR ACTION
Department of Political Science:
1. Continually assess and improve the undergraduate
educational experience including development
and implementation of an honors program for superior
students.
2. Continue to provide doctoral students with the
skills and knowledge necessary for teaching and
theoretical studies, while increasing the emphasis
on skills required to pursue careers in governmental
research.
3. Accelerate the development of specialized courses
in the field of public policy analysis and eval-
uation. ‘
4. Develop and maintain relations with other campus
units in order to avoid duplication of effort
and to maximize the use of available personnel and
research opportunities.
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5. Continue to coordinate course offerings and
faculty recruitment efforts with the Depart-
ment of Public Administration.
6. Give increased attention to interactions with
state and local government and with the local
community generally, including increased emphasis
on public policy research, continuing education
offerings, internship opportunities for students,
and participation in symposia and seminars designed
to enhance citizen understanding of public policy
issues.
7. Develop appropriate relationships with the new
Center for Governmental Research and Services
in order to facilitate faculty and student research
on public policy issues.
8. Expand faculty capabilities in selected fields;
and seek to increase the number of graduate
assistantships.
Department of Public Administration:
1. Continue to strengthen the doctoral program:
implement core courses already authorized; con-
sider two tracks for preparation of professional
and research careers; develop new courses as appro-
priate; increase study opportunities for part-time
students; consider developing a certificate program
beyond the master's degree; consider developing a
specialization in legislature administration; re-
cruit more minority group students and women; re-
cruit more full-time American students; review the
Department's participation in the Political Science
doctoral program.
2. Implement needed changes in the master's program;
achieve and maintain an enrollment of 250 full-
time equivalent students; centralized and better con-
trol the student internship program; initiate courses
in administration for other campus units; explore
ways to make the summer program more effective;
strengthen offerings in legislative administration.
3. Define and realize an expanded commitment to con-
tinuing education: attempt to offer off-campus
courses; develop special program for mid-career
students; establish seminars for senior officials and
legislative staff; organize colloquia and lecture series
on timely themes; explore the possibility of tempor-
ary assignment of faculty to governmental positions.
4, Intensify collaboration with other units in the
i Graduate School of Public Affairs (Department of
' Political Science, Public Executive Project, and Com-
parative Development Studies Center) and in SUNYA
(Center for Governmental Research and Services and
others) to specify and develop an expanded role in
policy research and consultation on state government
problems.
5. Encourage both basic and applied research activi-
ties and obtain new funded projects to increase
the faculty time available for research.
; 6. Continue to conduct research in such areas as
delivery of mental health services, comparative
budgeting systems, productivity in higher education,
problems of income maintenance policy, manpower plan-
ning in public employment, and other areas.
7. Develop research programs in information systems,
environmental protection, administration of
energy programs, welfare system management, school
finance, local government finance, urban management,
and transportation.
8. Add new faculty strength in public management.
9. Continue to hire adjunct professors from among
practitioners to provide courses that draw
heavily on governmental experience.
10. Continue to participate actively in professional
societies and other aspects of the professional
life of local and national communities,
Public Executive Project:
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i 1. Expand and diversify the offerings of the Public
! Executive Project by:
i a. Developing and conducting at least one
| off-campus credit granting program in
public administration for governmental
| employees.
b. Developing and offering at least one new
public management course each year.
e. Developing appropriate mechanisms for
awarding continuing education credits
or other incentives to participants.
i 2. Actively explore the possibility of converting
the Project into a full scale staff college for
state and local government into which its existing
courses could be integrated.
8. Hold cost per student to the lowest practical
levels contingent upon the delivery of high
quality instruction.
4, Assess the educational needs of agencies and
| officials on a continuing basis and design
individually tailored courses as appropriate.
5. Expand course participation by ten percent
each year.
6. Assist and support other campus units in ex-
panding continuing education programs in
public management.
7. Work with faculty to conduct research on major
problems and issues facing public managers.
8. In cooperation with University officers, im-
prove (a) the coordination of continuing edu-
cation offerings on campus, (b) incentives for faculty
participation, and (c) various procedures which now
must be followed for payment of honoraria.
9. Develop new sources of support so that at least
two positions may be funded permanently.
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Comparative Development Studies Center:
1. Develop the Comparative Development Studies
Center as a disciplinary focused research arm
for the enrichment of academic programs of the
Graduate School of Public Affairs by:
i a. Mobilizing and coordinating research abil-
ities and interests of GSPA faculty to meet
state, national and international public
; policy needs.
| b. Broadening the scope of CDSC involvement in
public policy issues to take into account
i GSPA faculty and student capabilities and
interests.
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ec. Encouraging GSPA faculty participation in
the planning and implementation of CDSC
goals and priorities through the estab-
lishment of appropriate advisory committees,
2. Continue to conduct research.on problems of
concern to the New York State Legislature and
other state legislatures, emphasizing the study
of information systems and staffing requirements.
3. Emphasize the special needs and problems of
women in government and what the Graduate
School of Public Affairs can do to meet these needs
and solve these problems,
4, Disseminate research findings broadly, and con-
tinue to integrate the results of research into
the curriculum of the School.
5. Develop training programs and workshops for
legislative staff from developing countries,
and act as a clearinghouse for legislative reforms
and innovations, both nationally and internationally.
6. Develop new programs in the area of human rights
in order to facilitate implementation of govern-
ment programs and development strategies.
7, Increase the funds available to the Center in
order to expand the staff available for program
development and research.
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