The growing capabilities of distance-education technologies, combined with potential cost and efficiency benefits, and the possibility to extend opportunities for higher education to wider, sometimes-isolated audiences, is creating a predictable move to offer increasing numbers of graduate public administration courses and even complete degrees, through various technological means. While these trends offer new and exciting opportunities to (1) reach students who in earlier times would not be able to engage in graduate education, and (2) further extend the professionalism of public administrators, there are philosophical and empirical reasons to consider the possible limits of technology-based, distanceeducation practices. This article argues that contemporary governance requires administrators with competence in social and group processes that are best when developed in a live format.
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