Kathryn Newcomer on TSPPPA's Critical Role
Kathryn Newcomer on TSPPPA's Critical Role
November 2011
Columbian College’s Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration (TSPPPA) boasts top-ranked graduate programs that are educating tomorrow’s analysts, leaders, managers, and researchers in the public and nonprofit sectors. At the school’s helm is Kathryn Newcomer, a Fulbright scholar, internationally recognized expert on program evaluation, and a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. This month, Newcomer talked about TSPPPA’s unique role in the heart of the nation’s capital, the success of the school’s graduates, and the ongoing research of its faculty.
Q: TSPPPA’s role of engagement continues to grow dramatically. Describe the school’s scope and impact.
TSPPPA is extremely engaged in the broader Washington, D.C. community, as well as public policy and administration issues nationally. The Trachtenberg service footprint in the larger D.C. metropolitan area is impressive. Every year, dozens of student teams from our program evaluation classes and graduate capstone courses work on pro-bono analytical projects for real clients in non-profit and public agencies. Our doctoral students are also extremely active in research, presenting at academic conferences nationally and internationally, and go on to obtain academic jobs at leading universities, such as Ohio State, University of Delaware, and Washington University.
And our faculty conduct timely and well-informed research on a variety of policy issues, including citizen trust in public service, federal financing of two-year colleges and trade schools, regulatory policies affecting the maintenance of safety cultures in key public services, taxation of non-profits, the economic impact of the “stimulus” funding, and the use of social media by police.
Q: “Noshing with Notables” is a popular lunch and lecture series in which TSPPPA students have the opportunity to interact with key policy-makers. Tell us more about the series’ featured guests and how they’ve guided your students.
Our “Noshing with Notables” luncheon series—started by Regulatory Studies Center Director Susan Dudley—brings in distinguished public servants to talk candidly about their own career trajectories. Students ask questions about their personal career choices and timely policy issues in which the guest speakers are involved. We’ve hosted luminaries such as former Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and, most recently, Marcus Peacock, minority staff director of the Senate Budget Committee.
Q: You have authored five books, including Transforming Public and Nonprofit Organizations: Stewardship for Leading Change, which you co-authored with Professor Jed Kee. Discuss your current research and its importance in the field.
I have been fortunate to have published several books over my career, which were written and edited with close personal friends such as my Trachtenberg School colleague Jed Kee, and my long term mentors Joe Wholey and Harry Hatry. Currently, I am involved in three research projects: an examination of the factors shaping performance cultures in federal agencies; a study of contractors’ relationships with their federal agency counterparts; and a study of how federal regulations can encourage the development of safety cultures in several arenas.
Q: What advice do you have for students interested in pursuing public policy and public administration as a career?
If your passion is to make a positive difference in the public interest, and especially in improving the lives of the least advantaged in our society, pursue a master’s in public administration or a master’s in public policy. The knowledge and skills you will develop in either degree program will enable you to manage and lead programs and people in the public and nonprofit sectors and leave a legacy in which you can take great pride.
Q: What is the one thing about you or TSPPPA that would most surprise people?
People might be surprised that, in spite of the weak economy, 90% of our May 2011 graduates had secured jobs before graduation and now 100% are employed.
And people may be surprised to learn that I regularly travel to Cairo, Egypt, and Bogota, Colombia, where I conduct research and offer training with colleagues at the American University of Cairo and Universidad de los Andes.
