Requests

Call for Project Proposals

Fall '06

Do you need a management or policy study done or have a program that needs to be evaluated but lack the resources? Students from our Master of Public Administration Program may be able to complete the project for you on a volunteer basis. Each fall and spring semester as part of our required Capstone in Public Administration class, teams of MPA students who are in their final semester of graduate student serve as consultants to public and nonprofit agencies in the region. Our students, many of whom are mid-career professionals, possess a wide range of potential skills and abilities and most are interested in careers in local government (planning and administration), nonprofit organizations, and coastal/environmental policy and management.

I am writing to invite your organization to propose a project for the fall semester. We seek projects that challenge our students to apply the skills they have learned and that will have a tangible benefit to client organization and the region. Project teams will consist of around 1 or 3 students. Each team will work on the project for 12 weeks contributing about ½ day of work per week per team member. Team members will meet periodically with agency liaisons and depend on their on-going direction and support. Teams will present a draft work product to the client agency approximately 2 weeks before the class ends to get comments and feedback. Students will present the final work product at 5:00 PM on December 7, 2006 to faculty, students, and agency liaisons. We expect agency liaisons to attend their team’s presentations and their evaluation of the team’s efforts will be used to help determine their final grade. The final work products are due to the client agencies by 4:30 PM on December 8, 2006.

In order to prepare for the class, I need a short 1 – 2 page project proposal by August 7, 2006. Student teams will select potential projects and meet with prospective client agencies in late August or early September. The proposal process is relatively informal and can be sent via email but be sure to include the following information to help guide the students as they select projects:

	Name of organization/unit;
	Address;
	Agency liaison who will negotiate the scope of work and advise the MPA project team;
	Short description of the project;
	Work product or results expected;
	Short description of the benefits to the organization (i.e., needs addressed);
	Short description of the benefits to the community at large;
	Special skills or qualifications needed by the project team to complete the project;
	Resources available from the client to support the project (information, data, staff time, space, funding, mileage reimbursements, etc.);
	On-site time students should anticipate; and,
	Any other information the client wishes to submit.

In the event that we have more projects that student teams, the remaining proposals will be circulated to other faculty who may be incorporating team projects into their courses in the fall semester. We can also consider the proposed projects for the spring Capstone course as well.

Feel free to circulate this request to any public or nonprofit organization that may be in need of a management, policy study, or program evaluation. Please contact me at your earliest convenience if you have any questions about potential projects.

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