Knowledge of Public Administration
"Reason guides our attempt to understand
the world about us. Both reason and compassion guide our
efforts to apply that knowledge ethically, to understand
other people, and have ethical relationships with other
people." – Maureen Matsumura
The SFSU MPA program covers a wide
array of public and nonprofit administration concepts,
beginning with the history and development of the field
of public administration through its modern theory and
practice. Emphasizing ethical stewardship of public
resources and trust throughout, the program has steadily
enhanced my knowledge and understanding of public
administration theories and their practical
applications.
Core curricula offered me a strong
foundation in the areas of budgeting, human resources,
microeconomic analysis, policymaking and implementation,
organizational behavior, and research methods and data
analysis. Through my nonprofit concentration, I
have learned the fundamental role of nonprofits in
public service, strategic as well as practical nonprofit
business management, and development of nonprofit
resources.
The most comprehensive application of PA knowledge is the Strategic Assessment Memorandum that I wrote as part of my culminating experience. This memo analyzed the philanthropic response to the attacks of September 11th, synthesizing PA theories and their practical applications from each of my previous 12 classes. My Strategic Assessment Memo is linked below, along with several other theoretical papers and memoranda.