Fels Institute of Government

Fels Institute of Government

Fels Institute of Government
General information
Status Previously the home of Samuel S. Fels
Location 3814 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Coordinates 39°57′13″N 75°12′00″W / 39.9535°N 75.2000°W / 39.9535; -75.2000Coordinates: 39°57′13″N 75°12′00″W / 39.9535°N 75.2000°W / 39.9535; -75.2000

The Fels Institute of Government is the University of Pennsylvania's graduate program in public policy and public management. Its practical approach to public management education, its Ivy League pedigree and its relatively small size make it one of the nation's leading boutique programs in public affairs. The Institute was founded in 1937 by Samuel Simeon Fels of the Fels Naptha Soap Company in response to a wave of corruption and mismanagement in Pennsylvania government. Originally established for the purpose of training local government officials, over time Fels broadened its mission; it now prepares its students for public leadership positions in city, state, and Federal agencies, elective politics, nonprofit organizations, and private firms with close connections to the public sector. Its 2,000 living alumni work in leadership roles across the US and around the world. As of August, 2015 the Executive Director of the Fels Institute is Dr. Nelson Lim.

The Fels Institute is housed in Samuel Fels' former residence, a brick mansion located on the west end of the University of Pennsylvania's campus.

Academics

Fels offers a Master of Public Administration degree in both a full-time and executive (part-time) formats. Fels also offers four-course certificates in Nonprofit Administration and Public Finance.

The University of Pennsylvania

Penn students can take elective courses in any of the University's 12 graduate schools. Students can also take advantage of multiple dual degree options, including the Juris Doctor-Master of Public Administration (JD/MPA) degree in conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania Law School, the MBA/MPA with the Wharton School, the MEd/MPA through the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, and the MSSP/MPA in conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice.

The MPA degree

The MPA is a 12-course program designed to provide a broad-based education that prepares students to move within and between government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private firms engaging in public sector work. The curriculum develops core competencies in analysis, management, finance, and politics that are applicable to different contexts. Eight core courses cover the fundamentals of effective public administration, developing competencies in analysis, management, finance and politics. Four elective courses give students the opportunity to apply the skills and theories introduced in the core courses to a particular policy topic or sector.

Courses

Courses at Fels are divided into four categories: politics, economic development and growth, nonprofit administration, and public finance. A Fels certificate can be earned in any of these areas; or students who wish for broader training can take classes from multiple areas.

Courses include: Policy Development, Performance Management, Fundraising for Nonprofit Organizations, Ancient and Modern Constitutionmaking, Leadership and Politics, Dealing With the Media, Public Finance Investment Banking, The Politics of Housing and Community Development, Lobbying, State Elective Politics, and Foundations and Grant Management.

Faculty

Faculty members include:

  • Dr. Robert Pearson: Carnegie-Mellon, Pearson's R (regression)- His model was not fully specified
  • Hon. Edward G. Rendell: Former Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
  • Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky: CEO, Women's Campaign International; Former Member of Congress
  • Lee Nunery: Acting Superintendent, Philadelphia School District
  • James F. Kenney: Councilman at Large, City of Philadelphia
  • Stephen Mullin: Senior Vice President, Econsult Corporation; Econsult Solutions Inc.; Former Philadelphia City Finance Director
  • Eric Costello Neiderman: Manager, Cargo Security Research & Development, Transportation Security Administration, Dept. of Homeland Security
  • Wayne A. Smith: President and CEO, Delaware Healthcare Association; former House Majority Leader, Delaware General Assembly

The Fels approach: "Leadership for Results"

The entire Fels experience is centered around its aim of educating leaders to produce results that matter to citizens. Fels students benefit from being in a small graduate program within a much larger Ivy League university. The Institute has approximately 140 students in its full-time and executive programs. Students work in small cohorts of about 35 students, making for a vibrant, close-knit community of scholars to work with and learn from. Students also receive a high level of personal attention from staff and faculty, who get to know their interests and strengths well.

At Fels, students experience and practice the institute's public service mission by conducting research and providing consulting services for government and nonprofit entities. Fels projects enable to put into practice the skills and theories they learn in the classroom while gaining real-word experience; and by partnering with external organizations, Fels projects bring the intellectual capacity of the University to bear on the challenges facing public and nonprofit organizations.

Recent Projects (2008)

The Fels Institute's active research and consulting program distinguishes it as a top-notch "think and do" tank. Fels projects bring Fels staff, alumni, and students together to tackle tough public problems. Recent Fels projects include:

The Fels Performance Action Team, a group of students, staff, and faculty, worked with the City of Philadelphia to transform data-driven leadership into tangible results through its PhillyStat and Budgeting for Outcomes initiatives.

The Pennsylvania Leadership Academy supported Pennsylvania state government officials in identifying and implementing performance-based management strategies.

The Neighborhood Change Project revisited and assessed the current condition of 533 formerly vacant properties in Southwest Center City Philadelphia, providing insight into the process of neighborhood change.

Notable Fels alumni

  • Ted Gaebler: Co-author of national bestseller "Reinventing Government"
  • Wilson Goode: First African-American Mayor of Philadelphia (1984–1992)
  • Matthew Gallagher '97: Chief of Staff, Governor of Maryland Martin J. O'Malley
  • George M. Leader: Former Governor of Pennsylvania (1955-1959)
  • Jennifer Beck: New Jersey State Senator, Represents the 12th legislative district
  • Chaka Fattah '86: US Congressman
  • Richard Steffens '88: US Diplomat and author & lyricist for the Carnegie Hall production "Mother Russia."
  • Rob Wonderling '91: Former Pennsylvania State Senator and current President and CEO of the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce
  • Stephen Dilts '96: New Jersey Transportation Commissioner
  • Peter Brown '99: Professor at the University of Minnesota and author of "America's Waterfront Revival Port Authorities and Urban Redevelopment."
  • Richard Keevey: Former Director of the Princeton University Woodrow Wilson School's Research Institute on the Region
  • Michael Masch: Chief Business Officer of the School District of Philadelphia
  • Anna Shapoval '04: Country Director, Doctors of the World - Kiev, Ukraine
  • Greg Walker '05: Policy and Planning Officer, Sound Transit
  • Ed DeSeve '71: Senior Adviser for Recovery Act Implementation to President Obama
  • Robert Bittenbender '98: Former Budget Secretary under Governors Tom Ridge, Mark Schweiker and Dick Thornburgh, and former executive director of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
  • Rob Powelson '03: Commissioner, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission
  • Donna Cooper '87: Senior Fellow,Center for American Progress,and former Pennsylvania Secretary of Policy and Planning
  • David Byerman '95, Secretary of the Senate of the Nevada Senate
  • Richard Smith '91: Acting Assistant Deputy Secretary of Education
  • Jeffrey Krilla '96: Former Deputy Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
  • Joseph A. Esposito '06: Former Deputy Under Secretary for International Affairs at the U.S. Department of Education

Fels Publications

Vacant Property Reclamation and Neighborhood Change in Southwest Center City Philadelphia (July 2008): Details the current status of vacant properties surveyed in 1998 to better understand the changing neighborhood.

MyVote1 National Election Report (Christopher Patusky, Allison Brummel, & Timothy Schmidt, August 2007): Summarizes the results of the 2006 MyVote1 National Election Hotline project.

The Philadelphia SchoolStat Model (Leigh Botwinik, Christopher Patusky, Mary Shelley, 2007): Describes how the Compstat and CitiStat models were adapted for the Philadelphia School District, what performance improvements occurred after implementation, and which features of the approach seemed to be the biggest contributors to improvement.

"Making the Most of Social Media" (Chris Kingsley, Allison Brummel, Catharine Lamb, & Jack Higgins, 2009): Discusses the growth of Social Media over the past several years, including the challenges associated with adopting them for public use - legal, practical and political, and distills the experience of cities who have done this both more and less effectively into seven suggestions that cover the full cycle of adoption, from pre-planning to self-evaluation.

See also

References

    External links

    This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, April 19, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.