PAD 500 Foundations of Public Service

I am continuously seeking interesting, fun ways to get our MPA students (and other students) excited about starting or advancing their public service careers. This can be more challenging for online classes, especially asynchronous online classes like this one. Fortunately, with funding from ArtsWave, my students were responsible for identifying nonprofits that provide arts programming in northern Kentucky with an emphasis on social equity, which is a pillar of public administration. Then the students researched, wrote about, assessed, and discussed the various nonprofit organizations. Through the Mayerson experience, the students learned more about nonprofits in our region, including how they interact with government agencies, communities, and community members. Ultimately, these experiential philanthropy activities helped bring the course content to life and engaged the students more in our region.

Participating in the Mayerson Philanthropy Project in my first semester as an MPA student was an invaluable opportunity to put into practice the values of public service, research, and collaboration with my community in service of the public good which were the driving forces behind my enrolling in this graduate program. Working with my classmates to create organizational profiles and to debate the merits of some of the deserving nonprofit organizations in the region honed my understanding of and appreciation of the processes of allocating resources most effectively to afford the greatest benefit to my community, which are the very basis of public administration. The satisfaction and joy I felt from being able to present our class’s chosen organizations with the Mayerson grant funds renewed my conviction that a career in public service is for me. - Rachel Carmen, PAD 500 student

Esperanza Latino Center of NKY is a one-stop center that provides services and resources to the growing Hispanic/Latino community in our region. The organization has been hosting a “Fun with Science Camp” where campers learn about different STEM professions including ones that overlap with what we consider to be the more traditional arts. These professions include medical and biological illustrators, medical photography, architecture, digital animation, and more.

For more information, https://www.esperanzanky.org/

Pones Inc. provides artistic opportunities for community growth and powerful change by creating new ways for audiences to experience dance and performance art. One set of programs provides arts education to youths of all ages and experiences. Through these classes, students learn to improve their presentation skills, learn to collaborate more with others, develop innovative problem-solving capabilities, and gain confidence.

For more information, https://pones.org/