Public Administration (PAD)

This is an introduction to public administration with focus on public policy, intergovernmental relations, ethics and accountability, strategic management, personnel management and labor relations, social equity, information management, public financing, and auditing. Additionally, the evolution of management and organizational theory are explored.

This course focuses on public policy formation, implementation, evaluation, analysis, and termination. Origins of public policy, federalism and intergovernmental relations, and agenda setting are emphasized. Specific public policies for defense, public health, social welfare, education, criminal justice, and the environment are explored.

This course examines the nonprofit sector, governing boards, and the effective management of nonprofit organizations. Students will gain insights into accountability and assessment techniques, strategy development, collaboration and partnerships, marketing, advocacy and lobbying, and philanthropic fundraising. Financial management, earned income strategies, government grants, and contracts are addressed.

This course explores the planning process for fundraising in the nonprofit sector. Topics include direct response and digital fundraising, social media networks, donor identification and retention methods, and fundraising evaluation techniques. Additional fundraising topics include corporate philanthropy, donor bequests and memorials, planned giving, and the grant fundraising process.

This course explores concepts of volunteerism including volunteer program development, recruitment and selection, and staff development. Students will examine motivational concepts and explore unique supervisory situations in managing a volunteer workforce. Risk management methods and volunteer program assessment techniques are emphasized.

This course focuses on the public budgeting process including accounting, auditing, capital budgeting, debt administration, revenue generation, and budgetary expenditures. Fiscal and monetary policy, the modern budgeting process, and budget analysis are emphasized. Specific public budget formats, preparation methods, and forecasting techniques are explored.

This course explores the grant writing and development process in the nonprofit sector. Topics include developing relationships with funders, identifying nonprofit goals and objectives, formulating sustainability strategies, preparing comprehensive organizational and program budgets, and creating the proposal summary. Students will learn key processes and components to successful grant writing.

This course examines various frameworks for organizational analysis, systems concepts, organizational and program planning, program authorization and funding methods, program evaluation and review techniques, as well as research validity and evaluation designs. Students will gain an understanding of the cost-benefit analysis in program evaluation.

This course focuses on urban and regional planning methods and techniques at municipal, regional, state, and national levels of government. Political, economic, legal, and social issues affecting comprehensive planning efforts are assessed. Concepts of contemporary urban design, renewal, community development, and land-use are emphasized in this course.

This course examines public administration and governance in a global context. Particular emphases are on public policy formulation, governmental structure, managing government finances, taxation, personnel management, public procurement, government regulations, decentralization and reform efforts, as well as overall government accountability and transparency.