The Educational Quality of the Doctoral Programs in Public Affairs

The widening cracks in the foundations of American democracy are leading to appeals for higher educational institutions generally, and public affairs programs specifically, to offer more courses on civil discourse. In this paper, we conduct a curriculum scan to evaluate the extent to which public affairs programs have answered these calls at the undergraduate level. The findings indicate that civil discourse-themed courses are essentially absent in the largest undergraduate public affairs programs, leaving the calls woefully unanswered. Then, analyzing students’ pre-post survey responses from a new course that offered content on the intersection of civil discourse and public policy making, we find that a civil discourse-themed course can simultaneously answer the calls and ensure that students meet the objectives of baccalaureate public affairs education recommended by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration. The results are encouraging for public affairs education and democratic governance alike.

The pressures of globalization in the 21st century demand public affairs professionals with new competencies, among them the ability to work collaboratively and communicate effectively across national boundaries and cultural differences. International immersion through study abroad has been demonstrated to be an effective means of enhancing global cultural competencies among undergraduate and graduate students in a variety of other professions, but has not previously been examined within the context of public administration or public policy specifically. This article examines the extent to which public affairs programs are providing students with study abroad opportunities. Drawing upon survey and interview data from representatives of the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration’s member programs, the authors document the status and defining characteristics of study abroad programs in public affairs, identify challenges, and present a series of recommendations.

Communication is a critical government function that has important implications for public administration and effective governance. This research study explores how communication competencies are taught in public affairs programs in the United States. Based on a general web content analysis of graduate programs, and specific analyses of course titles, course descriptions, and course syllabi, this study examines the extent to which communication competencies are integrated into public affairs curricula. This paper also discusses how communication skills map on to the five NASPAA core competencies. Compared to previous decades, communication courses are increasingly emphasized in public administration programs. But there is greater potential for such offerings in the age of digital government, social media, and Artificial Intelligence. This study’s findings have important implications for the teaching and practice of public affairs.

Many graduate public affairs programs offer both residential and online options for students. One of the challenges for multi-format programs is creating a sense of belonging among online students who may never set foot on campus. In 2017, the MPA program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill developed an “immersion” course designed for residential and online students in a weekend intensive format on campus to help create a greater sense of connectedness and satisfaction among (principally) online students, while benefiting students in both formats. This paper examines immersion courses as one strategy to address gaps in belonging and satisfaction between online and on-campus students. The case study of UNC-Chapel Hill developing the immersion course and the first three iterations of it are described, offering practical insight for other campus-based public affairs programs that also have online degrees who may want to try something similar.

This chapter identifies and promotes best practices for assessing learning outcomes for undergraduate students in public and nonprofit affairs programs, using evidence gathered from literature reviews of learning assessments in public affairs education. This chapter offers a robust, annual assessment process for the undergraduate policy program at the University of Maryland, College Park, as a practical, evidence-driven guide that emerging and existing programs can model after to understand student learning.

This article details an investigation of the relationship between the race or ethnicity of broadcast station license-holders and the contribution those stations make to diversity of news and public affairs programming. Several federal policies favoring minority ownership of broadcast licenses assumed such a relationship yet empirical evidence of the link was limited. A nationwide telephone survey of 209 news directors at radio and television stations reveals that minority-owned radio stations emphasize issues of presumed interest to minorities more than do the majority-owned counterparts. For both television and radio, the percentage of minority news and public affairs staff at a station positively correlates with such programming as well. Whether such social scientific evidence could effectively support a return to minority preference policies is discussed in light of the current legal climate, which strongly disfavors discrimination, however benignly intended, on the part of government.

Whenever someone dares to suggest that social scientists should participate in shaping public policy, their argument is usually either completely ignored or met with the counterargument that such activities would threaten the intellectual integrity of scholars. What counts in the academic careers of social scientists is peer reviewed theoretical and methodological development. For anyone seeking tenure at a university, anything you have done that smacks of “policy relevance” is not considered a merit; sometimes it is even treated as a liability (Lepgold 2000:75). Social scientists, therefore, tend to shy away from the question of what is, or what should be, the relationship between social science and public policy. A noteworthy exception to this generalization is Lisa Anderson, Dean of Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs. Her intriguing new book, Pursuing Truth, Exercising Power: Social Science and Public Policy in the 21st Century, provides a...

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] To test the theory that the period between the mid-1920s and the 1950s was marked by the "two-way asymmetrical model" of public relations, this thesis searches for the modern elements of "excellence" in public relations management, as well as modern relationship cultivation strategies, within the European public affairs activities of the Motion Pictures Producers and Distributers of America, Inc., in the 1920s. Although many principles of modern excellence are lacking in this historical case study, substantial support can be found showing that the MPPDA did practice the modern two-way mixed-motive model of public relations, rather than the asymmetrical model. This finding contravenes previous historical understandings of this period in public relations. It also invites further research into other organizations' past public affairs programs to gain greater insight into the dynamics of modern PR techniques and to understand the industry's impact on wider historical processes.

Promoting dual doctoral degree programs is a critical strategy adopted to not only internationalize Taiwan's higher education system but also improve the low enrollment rates in doctoral programs in the country. However, limited research attention has been paid to the experiences of Taiwanese students enrolled in dual degree programs. Therefore, the present study adopted a qualitative approach to explore the experiences of Taiwanese students enrolled in a Taiwanese-Belgian joint dual doctoral program. A total of seven Taiwanese students and Belgian scholars participated in this study. The findings indicated that all student informants intended to study abroad before deciding to participate in the joint dual doctoral program; however, due to time and money restrictions, they participated in the joint dual doctoral programs established by their home universities in Taiwan. This study highlighted that students were motivated to participate in international, cooperative doctoral programs because obtaining dual learning experiences at both domestic and overseas universities differentiated them from purely domestic doctoral students. In this manner, the experience of studying abroad enhances their unique value in the academic market. While studying abroad, intercultural communication, in addition to differences in doctoral training schemes and supervision styles, were vital challenges that affected student informants' learning experiences and adaptation to life. During this process, the students constructed their adaptation and negotiation strategies to address those challenges. These strategies made them (re)define and (re)confirm their academic positions and identities. However, the limited period for studying abroad reduced students' motivation to participate and engage in local activities and establish social networks with local residents and friends in the host society. Moreover, the public and academic colleagues' limited understanding of the joint dual doctoral program may not only negatively affect students' academic mobility in terms of obtaining positions in the academic market but also influence prospective students' willingness to participate in such programs. Moreover, this study provides constructive suggestions for the development of joint dual doctoral programs on the basis of students' own practical experiences. Finally, the study's limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.

A healthy lifestyle is fundamental for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Investment in primary prevention, including modification of health risk behaviors, could result in a 4-fold improvement in health outcomes compared with secondary prevention based on pharmacological treatment. The American Heart Association (AHA) emphasized the importance of lifestyle in its 2020 goals for cardiovascular health promotion and disease reduction. In addition to defining “cardiovascular health” based on criteria for blood pressure and biochemical markers (lipids and glycemia), the AHA Strategic Planning Committee further identified lifestyle characteristics of central importance: nutrition, physical activity, smoking, and maintenance of a healthy body weight.1 The World Health Organization estimated that ≈80% of NCDs could be prevented if 4 key lifestyle practices were followed: a healthy diet, being physically active, avoidance of tobacco, and alcohol intake in moderation.2 To support healthy lifestyle initiatives, major changes are necessary at the societal level to improve population health. Numerous strategies might help to create a culture that promotes and facilitates healthy behaviors, including creating laws and regulations, mounting large-scale public awareness and education campaigns, implementing local community programs, and providing individual counseling.3 Physicians are uniquely positioned to encourage individuals to adopt healthy lifestyle behaviors: Approximately 80% of Americans visit their primary care physician at least once a year. Physicians directly communicate with their patients during clinical encounters across numerous settings, and research indicates that patients highly value recommendations provided by their physicians.4,5 However, data further indicate that lifestyle counseling does not routinely occur in physicians’ offices, thereby representing a lost opportunity. Physicians report that they perform lifestyle counseling during ≈34% of clinic visits.4 Patients, in turn, report an even lower frequency of physician lifestyle counseling. For example, obese patients reported receiving physical activity and …

In 1995, U.S. News and World Report ( U.S. News) released its first ranking of public affairs master’s degree programs. The rankings have been conducted every 3 years since and have grown in importance to public policy and public administration programs. This study considers the history and background of ranking public policy and administration graduate programs, the rationale used by U.S. News, and the methodology used by U.S. News. This is followed by a longitudinal analysis of these rankings from 1995 to 2016. Findings are presented in a conceptual framework of academic rankings using concepts of equilibrium, specialization, diffusion of innovations, and institutional isomorphism. The implications of this framework and the findings of our analysis are spelled out for public affairs deans, directors, and faculty seeking to improve their ranking as well as those seeking to hold on to their present rankings.

This paper highlights the comparative value of an international capstone course on sustainable water management in a graduate public and international affairs program. By exposing students to experiential learning in two contexts, students develop an in-depth understanding of policy and can make realistic comparative policy analysis and reflect on the implementation challenges. I argue that students’ reflection is of understanding in practice the limitations and possibilities of transferability of policies and practices. By using the SDG #6 on water as a framework; students develop an in-depth understanding of policies that aim to address global challenges at the local level. My course adds on what others have argued are the benefits of reflection and action for students’ education, and more specifically on the students’ exposure to the comparative policy in context.

Although concerns have been raised that political infotainment programmes might increasingly substitute more serious information, empirical evidence about changes of individual viewing behaviour is scarce. The authors discuss audience specialization and diversification as two opposing patterns of audience response to a growing variety of public affairs programmes. While specialization results from selective programme choice, diversification may be furthered by the impact of situational factors. Using electronically recorded people-meter data, this study explores information viewing in the Netherlands over the last two decades. As opposed to concerns about audience fragmentation, the authors find that public affairs viewing has become more diverse on the individual level with entertaining information programmes used as an additional source of information. Dutch viewers were exposed to different public affairs information. The personal relevance of TV as a medium is one of the main drivers behind high levels of exposure.

The need to improve diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) efforts has reached monumental heights in the past decade as a result of the Black Lives Matter movement and other DEIA efforts. This shift in thought has impacted recruitment and hiring practices in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. For years, universities have tried a variety of mechanisms to increase the pool of minority applicants in PhD programs as well as the faculty ranks. However, many of these efforts have not been sustainable. In this article, we discuss the results from a survey of graduate-level public affairs programs to discern specific efforts to increase the number of minority students pursuing graduate degrees and subsequently the number of minority faculty. In addition, we completed an extant review of the literature to determine additional practices that have proven fruitful in other graduate programs.

Educational institutions are grown by initiative, one of which is certainly inseparable in so much the contribution of the existence of a mature planning with the preparation of a strategy / concept of management framework to create a quality educational institution. This journal describes a public relations management framework within educational institutions ranging from Planning, Organizing, Actuating, and Controlling. Public affairs and lobbying are high status and strategically important strategic public relations. It is a field of public relations practice that produces high levels both scientifically and publicly concerning the role it perceives in supporting the company's strengths and impacts related to the functional legitimacy of democratic institutions. For this paper content analysis is done from academic journals to provide insight into how public affairs and lobbying have been theorized and researched within it public relations scholarship and to ascertain what level of wider public concern has been addressed. The findings include empirical confirmation of a low level of research activity in public affairs; that rhetorical stakeholders and theories are the most widely used theories, but far from the dominant paradigm