Kathleen M. Beatty, Dean

Information About The School

Established in 1972, the Graduate School of Public Affairs (GSPA) provides graduate level, professional training for managers and policy-makers in public and nonprofit organizations. Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration, the School offers the Master of Public Administration degree. Students may choose to emphasize either public or nonprofit management during their course of study. GSPA also offers students the opportunity to pursue a more limited course of study, earning Certificates in Public Management, Nonprofit Management, or Law Enforcement Management.

GSPA Mission

The mission of the Graduate School of Public Affairs is to improve the quality of public service in the Pikes Peak Region and throughout Colorado. The School's programs reflect the belief that quality public service depends on strong leadership, and everything we do is aimed at strengthening the leadership of public servants. GSPA offers an excellent program of professional education and training that prepares public and nonprofit managers for leadership in a rapidly changing environment; it undertakes basic and applied research, often on issues of direct concern to public and nonprofit organizations; and it provides diverse programs (training services, conferences, speaker's programs) that provide lifelong opportunities for leadership development for public servants and link the School to the sectors it serves.

GSPA offers a select group of students opportunities to enhance their potential for executive leadership and success in public service careers. The curriculum reflects the philosophy that management in public service differs from private sector management and that there are also important differences between the public and nonprofit sectors. While all students take a core of common courses, they also select either the public or nonprofit sector tracks, enabling specialization appropriate to students' career paths. All students graduate with a sophisticated understanding of both the public and nonprofit sectors and of their interdependence, and of contemporary principles of organizational development and management. During their course of study, students learn to supervise and perform research, to fully utilize new technological resources, to manage their organizations' finances, and to fully utilize and manage their human resources. Emphasis is placed on the theoretical foundations of the public and nonprofit sectors and on the special ethical considerations of work in these sectors. Elective courses address specific student interests.

The School is a place where the University meets and exchanges ideas and information with the local, state, and national communities. GSPA's Research Center provides applied research services to agencies and organizations, and it conducts scholarly research supported by outside funders. The Graduate School of Public Affairs also sponsors conferences, training programs, and other opportunities for lifelong learning. These activities help to create a community of public servants, and they assure that the University and the community share their rich resources.