Growth is unpredictable, complicated, and completely dependent upon our experiences. It is nuanced and the layers are added either by necessity or by choice. Furthering my education is growth by choice. My ultimate goal is a Doctorate in Public Administration. As a penultimate step, I am eager to earn a Master’s in Public Administration with a specialization in Government Administration. This decision came after careful consideration of my academic background, areas of interest, and ultimate career goals.
My academic background consists of two phases. My first college attempt, 1997-2002, was unsuccessful due largely to distraction caused by my father’s illness. The second phase started in 2009 with a new major, Consumer Economics, which better suited my interests. I was able to narrow the scope of my degree further and focused on policy creation, analysis, and implementation. During this phase, I earned a 3.7 GPA while working full-time at the University of Georgia. Although it took longer than normal to complete my undergraduate education, it is to date my greatest success; however, my educational growth is not finished. I have goals and ambitions that inspire me to continue onward until I am in possession of my graduate degree. My journey to a college education has been filled with experiences that have stunted but not stopped my growth. I am confident that, come what may, I will accomplish the goals that I’ve set. It is this perseverance that qualifies me as an excellent candidate for the Master’s in Public Administration at Columbus State University.
Since returning to school, my educational path has been shaped by my academic and work experience. I was fortunate enough to obtain both concurrently which provided me with a so...
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...tion, a Master’s from Columbus State University’s Public Administration program is pertinent to my preparation for this role. This degree will equip me with a thorough knowledge of the system and an in-depth understanding of ways to change it. I believe public administration can be an agent of vital change.
Graduate education is far more than just a continuation of college studies. It is more of a progression where the student’s analytical and critical skills develop. It is the culmination of completed goals through hard work. Where can I best acquire the education and skills I seek? I am certain that is Columbus State University. It is, after all, where I had my first unofficial college experience. I attended a gifted program there during the summer of 1993, my freshman year in high school. It would only be fitting to return now as I near completion of my journey.
The major concepts of this article relate to the ineffectiveness of school leadership programs. Arthur Levine found that a majority of the programs were inadequate. He noted four areas in which these programs lacked efficiency. These areas of concern were the rise in off-campus low quality programs, weak research-intensive universities that are working towards awarding doctoral degrees in administration, competition for students is causing lowered program quality and admission criteria, and the fact that state and local school districts are adding to the problem by salary incentives for advanced degrees. Levine noted several major issues that affect school administration programs. First, he revealed that many people who had finished these programs agreed that the curriculum was irrelevant; they said that it did prepare them to deal with "on-the-job issues." Second, the issues of low admission and graduation standards were addressed. The study illustrated how many schools lower their standards to increase admission and create tuition "cash cows." Third, he discussed the issue of these schools having weak faculties.
Wright, B. E., & Pandey, S. K. (2010). Transformational leadership in the public sector: Does structure matter? Journal of Public Administration, Research & Theory, 20(1), 75-89. Retrieved from http://library.gcu.edu/
I currently serve in the position of Accounting & Administration Manager at the District of Columbia College Access Program’s (DC-CAP). DC-CAP opens doors for students to the make the dream of college a reality and also creates an environment to promote successful student retention after the admissions process is complete. I truly identify with the organization’s all-inclusive approach toward student enrollment and its focus on breaking down social and economic barriers that negatively impact & influence students, parents, and communities toward achieving higher education. I have seen firsthand how efficient and effective communication and interpersonal skills are assets for all levels of
The path I have taken toward obtaining my Bachelor of Science Degree in Business, Management, and Economics, with a concentration in Marketing, has been different than I expected when I first started college. I started at Brooklyn College at 17-years-old and frankly, I wasn’t ready for it. I struggled to balance an awkward schedule of classes and inconsistent study habits. I never felt completely comfortable there and after two years of performing poorly, I enrolled at Kingsborough Community College. I viewed it as a new start and seized the opportunity. I decided to major in Business Administration; I made the Dean’s List, and saw my grades improve dramatically. After completing 74 total credits, I decided I was ready to return to a four-year-college. I initially considered returning to Brooklyn College but at this time my grandmother had become ill. I applied to the College of Staten Island which was near her home and would make it possible for me to help her out with whatever she needed and attend school locally. This worked out great for my first semester. I carried a 3.47 GPA and decided to major in Business, with a concentration in Marketing. At this time, I was working part-time while in school. But due to certain circumstances, I was forced to obtain a full-time job in addition to other part-time commitment. This made it very difficult for me to enroll in classes as most of the upper-level marketing classes that I needed for graduation were only offered during the day when I would now be working. I enrolled in night and weekend classes for the next two semesters but my grades began to suffer. In the last semester I tried to register at the College of Staten Island, I couldn’t fit the courses I needed into my ever-growing w...
Shafritz, J. M., Russell, E.W., & Borick, C.P. (2013). Introducing public administration. (8th ed.). Boston: Pearson.
During high school as the Student Government President, I had a life-changing experience; something that kindled a passion for servant leadership in me. I focused on improvements to address the student population’s problems. A big issue was regarding
As a high school senior, an individual is exposed to a vast amount of opportunities that can alter their lifestyle and shape them for the future. I have been given many opportunities to get involved in activities and organizations at York County School of Technology. These involvements have helped me to become a better professional leader and has helped me understand how valuable the quality of dedication is. I believe my dedication will help to contribute to the Presidential Leadership Program since I can provide many ideas to help the program progress throughout my college years at Bloomsburg University. I will be able to contribute to this program’s mission by getting engaged in many different community and social interactions that will
I would like to present my past performance as my credentials for success in my future endeavors. My innate strengths have been my quantitative and analytical abilities and my fascination for Engineering is one of my long-standing desires. During budding stages of my education my parents acted as impetus behind my acts....
While my mother’s initial motivational efforts pushed me to perform to the uppermost levels of my abilities, the concept of applying to college and later pursuing a career has always been a contributing factor towards my success throughout my middle and high school curriculum, so no matter how strenuous my schedule compiles to be, maintaining adequate and advanced levels of work output, both in school and other fields, has remained of upmost importance. The realization concerning a college degree impacted me at a young age, for I grasped the relationship between a degree and goals for the future. As achieving proficient grades was my primary goal throughout my youth, my end goal for my high school career is to have constructed a path among my future self may walk, and the first bound into this achievement begins with my acceptance into this job shadowing
Wilson’s focused on the importance of the separation of public administration from the political ramifications. He articulates how colleges have recognized the need for in depth studies of public administration, apart from politics.
In the future I would like to see myself, as a continuously promoted public official who could possibly become a pro-active politician in today’s demanding political arena. To achieve this, I would like to gain more knowledge which can help me reach intellectual maturity to the latest practices adopted in the field of Public Administration. My desire for self-development in this area and curiosity to learn past and contemporary developments in different societies will help me to solve the problems easily.
Educational Goals: Education is extremely important part of my past, present, and future goals. I currently hold an Associate of Applied Science in Graphic Design Media. I have found that an A.A.S Degree does not go as far al I originally intended in the Rochester, MN area and furthering my education will be a necessity for my future career goals. Over the past 2 years I have been working on my Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at the Minnesota School of Business Rochester campus. I am currently a senior with 3 quarters left before a spring graduation. After a June graduation, I plan on taking a summer quarter break. After summer break I will either continue on at MSB for my Masters in Business Administration with a Minor in Marketing or transferring the University of Minnesota for my Masters in Adult Education. After my Masters Degree is complete I will decide at that time if I wish to continue on and achieve my Ph.D.
Two years ago, I was writing my letter of intent for my application to the Master of Public Administration (MPA) with a concentration in Healthcare Administration revealing my failures, and most significantly, that I lost my passion and didn’t know where to start. I also conceded that I was relatively unaware of the field of Public Administration (PA). Little did I know, examining PA theories would enable me to connect the final dots in the big picture of my life, where I came from, who I’d come to be, what choices I’d made, the relationships I nurtured, and my dreams and desires for the future. Although confidence came slowly and awkwardly, I discovered my desire to contribute to the advancement of public health policies. I am writing to express my interest in continuing to the Doctoral program in the School of Public Administration at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO). I am absolutely interested in the commitment to the advancement of knowledge, and confident my experience in higher education and academic research will contribute to my successful completion of the Ph.D. program, in the specialization area of public policy.
The civil service profession was founded on the belief that through the use of public funds, government would deliver efficient and effective services to its constituency in a just, fair, and equitable manner that advances the public interest (Klingner, Nalbandian, & Llorens, 2010). Operating in complex democratic arenas, public administrators have an array of responsibilities, such as: putting public interest over personal, upholding the law, exercising fiduciary responsibility, ensuring procedural fairness, and more (Svara, 2007). Public administrators operate within an authority structure, work with others to advance organizational mission, and have a responsibility to make the organization as strong, effective, and ethical as possible
As a first-year MPA student who just graduated from undergrad less than three months ago, I feel immensely grateful that Human Behavior in Public Organizations was one of the first official that I’ve taken for my graduate degree. Coming in, I was nervous that my lack of professional experience would put me at a learning disadvantaged compared to many of my classmates who have been in their careers for years. However, I ended up being glad that I began my graduate education so early because this class has allowed me to learn so many lessons that I have not yet encountered in my career, but feel much more confident to take on. Through this course, a few of the key take-aways that were especially imbued upon my perspective are sensemaking