This year marks 40 years of the PUBA program. Established as a certificate program in 1984, it grew to a Masters degree in 1990, which was made permanent by the Board of Regents in 1999. In the years since, PUBA has achieved global accreditation by the global accrediting body of graduate programs in public affairs (NASPAA), has increased in the US News and World Report rankings 16%, from #88 to #74, and is ranked #2 in small programs. We have over 500 alumni across the world, who are effective public service leaders dedicated to improving their communities.
The world, and the PUBA program, have changed a lot in the last 40 years but our commitment to building public service leadership has not. Our program continues to adapt to current trends and the needs of our students and their communities. One recent change is a slightly different curriculum for students with students with significant public service experience – the practicum is now optional.
All students now take a two-semester research methods sequence to prepare them for their Capstone projects with organizations such the Hawaii Community Foundation and the Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance at INDOPACOM. Through our new partnership with INDOPACOM, four student capstone group projects are now official government reports on climate change in Oceania, which can be accessed here: https://www.cfe-dmha.org/Programs/APP-Reports
For our students in the nonprofit track of our graduate programs, we are now offering a professional credential in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from the national Nonprofit Leadership Alliance.
The PUBA faculty continues to publish in high quality journal outlets such as Public Administration Review (PAR), Review of Public Personnel Administration (ROPPA), Australian Journal of Public Administration (AJPA), Nonprofit Management and Leadership, and Journal of Public and Nonprofit Affairs (JPNA). On topics such as advancing social equity in East Asia, understanding advocacy by environmental nonprofits, preference stability at the NLRB, and structural racism and LGBTQ+ officers in the federal workplace.
Our program manager, Teana Motoyama, joined the PUBA team in April and has been busy recruiting students and marketing our program. She is actively working with the Advisory Board to expand our reach throughout the community.
Looking forward, we will be hiring a new faculty member to replace Dr. ChiaKo Hung who will be leaving us in December for a position at Pennsylvania State. After 8 years, I will be stepping down as Director at the end of December and Dr. Helen Yu will take the reins. Her leadership, experience, and life-long commitment to public service will greatly benefit the Program and our students.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve and for always teaching me how to be a better public servant. Take care, and go PUBAns, always!