Developing Leadership Skills in Schools of Public Policy and Administration

Abstract

Increasingly, schools of public policy and administration are acknowledging the importance of including leadership training in their curricula. This paper describes a core strategic presentation skills course that has been developed over time to strengthen students’ leadership skills—particularly their perception of themselves as change agents. The paper describes three major influences on the course’s evolution, outlines the design and content of the course, and concludes with an analysis a survey that suggests that students’ self-perceptions as change agents were positively affected by their experience in the course.