Instructor:
H. E. Flentje

Prerequisites:
Completion of core courses or consent of instructor.

Course Objectives:

• To refine skills in case analysis, that is, in applying knowledge and skills developed from coursework in public administration to problem solving in administration of state and local governments;
• To observe top-level public managers in state and local governments, develop an original case study with a mentor in state or local administration, and gain insight into the knowledge, skills, and emotional qualities that allow managers to shape the environments in which they work;
• To refine communication skills through the analysis and discussion of cases in state and local administration and through the preparation and presentation of an original case study;
• To assess personal competencies in emotional intelligence and prepare a personal plan for developing those competencies for professional success in state and local administration; and
• For pre-service students: to prepare for an internship or initial professional position in state or local administration.

Course Description:
Course is designed for students nearing completion of MPA degree and emphasizing public management.  Course exposes students to the ideas and practices of public managers, primarily local public managers, through case analyses, mentoring by public managers, and preparation of original case study guided by public manager.

Major Topics:
managing smaller communities
inter-local relations
appointing department heads
ethics
managing information technology
inter-local contracting
budgeting
internal reorganization
local environmental regulation
program elimination

Typical Textbooks and Readings:
James M. Banovetz, ed., Managing Local Government:  Cases in Decision Making, second edition (Washington, D.C.:  International City/County Management Association, 1998).

Marcia Hughes, L. Bonita Patterson, and James Bradford Terrell, Emotional Intelligence in Action: Training and Coaching Activities for Leaders and Managers (San Francisco: Pfeiffer, 2005).

Stephen Goldsmith and William D. Eggers, Governing by Network: The New Shape of the Public Sector (Washington: D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 2004).