Newswise — Donald Kettl, a widely sought after expert on reshaping government, will bring his vision and leadership to the University of Maryland as the new dean of the School of Public Policy, which he says is uniquely suited to help government and future leaders cope with the current round of unprecedented problems. Government must change or risk failure, he says. Kettl will assume the post in June.
According to Kettl, who most recently authored the "Next Government of the United States," the election of President Barack Obama and the convergence of global challenges such as the financial collapse and climate change make this an extraordinarily important and exciting moment to lead a public policy school at a major research university. These factors, he says, make Maryland's School of Public Policy (MSPP) exactly the right school to lead at this moment in history. http://www.publicpolicy.umd.edu/
"If I were to design a school from scratch to meet today's unprecedented global challenges, it would look pretty much like what the Maryland School of Public Policy is now," Kettl says. "It's uniquely suited to grapple with the overwhelming policy challenges facing government. I'm enormously impressed by all the school has accomplished and where it can go." Maryland's unique mix of strengths include what he calls its "perfect D.C. geography" — adjacent to the nation's halls of power, with just enough distance to have perspective; its extensive, interdisciplinary resources as the region's only major public research university, the school's focus on solutions to big issues and major policy challenges rather than on bureaucratic mechanics; an academic approach that seamlessly integrates domestic and international policy; and faculty with a tremendous mix of practical and academic experience and expertise.
"Government must change the way it does business or risk failure," says Kettl. "We're finding out all too clearly that there are no governance structures in place to handle problems on the scale of the banking crisis. The United States must get real smart, real fast or the U.S.'s leadership role in the world will be at risk."
"Our challenge as researchers and educators is to help inform policy-makers' decisions as they reshape government, and to prepare a new generation of leaders able to carry out these changes," he adds. "The University of Maryland's School of Public Policy is positioned exactly where the world is going."
"Some have called Don the leading government management scholar of his generation," says C. D. Mote, Jr., president of the University of Maryland. "He brings a dynamism and vision that will help lift the School of Public Policy to an even higher level of excellence and prominence."
UM Provost Nariman Farvardin announced Kettl's appointment today.
"Our School of Public Policy has created a unique position of excellence," Farvardin says. "To have a scholar of Don's stature and vision as dean will further energize a school that's already highly-ranked and highly-productive and help bring the school much deserved recognition. His appointment has generated a great deal of excitement."
Both Farvardin and Kettl want to expand the school's partnerships and cross-disciplinary research with science, engineering, business and social science researchers on campus. For example, Kettl adds that he's already begun conversations with the dean of the university's Robert H. Smith School of Business. "With the policy issues surrounding the bank bailouts and the economic stimulus, this is a natural area for collaboration."
Kettl currently is a professor of political science and the Robert A. Fox Professor of Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a nonresident senior fellow of the Brookings Institution. He previously served as executive director of the Century Foundation's Project on Federalism and Homeland Security, and academic coordinator of the Government Performance Project for the Pew Charitable Trusts. Kettl's research focus is primarily on public policy and public management. He has authored, co-authored, or edited 25 books and numerous scholarly articles on public management, governance, tax reform and homeland security and writes a regular column for "Government Executive" magazine. Kettl holds four political science degrees from Yale University: B.A., M.A., M.Phil. and Ph.D.
Kettl replaces former dean Steven Fetter, who has been appointed assistant director at-large of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, with responsibility in the areas of energy, climate change and nuclear weapons.http://www.publicpolicy.umd.edu/news/Steve%20Fetter%20Appointment.htm
Fetter is one of several Maryland faculty members to assume top jobs in the Obama Administration. Two university faculty members also served as top officials in the George W. Bush administration.
(Additional background information is available below).
BACKGROUNDER
DISTINCTIVE MSPP ASSETSPerfect geography: "We're inside the Beltway, which gives us ready access to key national policy-makers and creates extraordinary opportunities for our students, yet just far enough away from the central corridors of power to keep our perspective," Kettl says.
Based in a major public research university: Of all the other public and international policy schools located inside the Beltway, Maryland is the only one based in a major public research university. Kettl says the university's scientific, engineering and business expertise and research, particularly in areas such as climate change and public health, make it much easier for public policy leaders to form the interdisciplinary partnerships major international problems demand.
"Making policy involves more than mastering the levers of government," Kettl says. "Things are now so complex that policy-makers need expertise tailored to specific problem areas." As an example, he points to the School of Public Policy's unique collaboration with Maryland's A. James Clark School of Engineering " a joint degree program designed to help future government officials deal with complex, multifaceted issues such as energy and climate change.
Curriculum " Big-Issue /Domestic-International Orientation: Many international policy schools focus their curriculum on geopolitical regional issues, while many public administration schools emphasize the intricacies of rule-making, legislative enactment or administrative management. "Right now, with old distinctions breaking down in a highly integrated, globalized economy, Maryland's big-picture approach is perfectly suited to the times," Kettl says.
BUILDING ON CURRENT STRENGTHS
The Maryland School of Public Policy is one of the nation's leading graduate schools in public policy, management and international affairs with four programs ranked in the top 15 by "U.S. News." It is a prime talent pipeline for the federal government, with nearly half of its graduates going into federal service.
The school has a unique array of scholar-practitioners with distinguished research and teaching careers blended with high-level government service and practical experience, including a Nobel laureate, former top defense officials, the former commissioner of social security, White House policy advisors, the former U.S. Trade representative and a former high-level official in the intelligence community.
"We have scores of years of government experience in our faculty as well as a firm research grounding to draw on," says I.M. "Mac" Destler, interim dean of the school. "We're all excited because Don will give us a big boost in attracting other great faculty, especially the rising young stars that will help cement our reputation."
"LIKE CAMELOT ON STEROIDS" - GROWING STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
Enrollments suggest that students are showing a new level of interest in public policy studies " especially at Maryland and other Washington-area public policy schools. For example, enrollments at the Maryland School of Public Policy rose 44 percent last year.
"I've never seen a generation of students quite so engaged and interested in government service," Kettl says. "President Kennedy's inaugural challenge inspired a generation to work in the public sector. What I'm seeing now is even greater " like Camelot on steroids. Student interest in public service paired with a commitment to superb training gets results."
KETTL EXPERIENCE
In addition to his academic experience, Dr. Kettl has consulted broadly for government organizations at all levels in the United States and abroad including: the U.S. Departments of Defense, Energy, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury; the Food and Drug Administration; and the Securities and Exchange Commission. He has advised the White House during both Republican and Democratic administrations, and has worked with the World Bank and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Kettl's research focus is primarily on public policy and public management. He has authored, co-authored, or edited 25 books and numerous scholarly articles on public management, governance, tax reform, economics, and homeland security. As sole author of "System Under Stress: Homeland Security and American Politics" (2004) and "The Transformation of Governance" (2002), he was awarded the National Academy of Public Administration's 2003 and 2005 Louis Brownlow Book Award for the best book in public administration.
LINKS TO SOME KETTL ARTICLESAfter the Stimulus Ends"Governing," April, 2009http://www.governing.com/articles/0904potomac.htmHeading for Disaster"Government Executive," February, 2009http://www.govexec.com/features/0209-01/0209-01s1.htmA Civil Service That Fails Today's Test "Washington Post," February 27, 2005http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55196-2005Feb26.htmlEnvironmental Governance: A Report on the Next Generation Brookings Institution, 2002http://tinyurl.com/cqtpy8After the Reforms Government Executive, April 1998http://www.govexec.com/features/0498s5s1.htm
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