With the increasingly changing demographics of the U. S. population, increased opportunities for an effective public sector arise. The opportunities can be found in new and innovative approaches to the government-citizen relationships, which take into account the cultural diversity of their population. Cultural competency initiatives within the public sector allow for increased effectiveness of the public sector and the public it serves. The following article explores where these opportunities for cultural competency initiatives can be placed within the public affairs curriculum. The article provides a framework for a cultural competency curriculum in public affairs based on four conceptual approaches: knowledgebased, attitude-based, skills-based, and community-based. Cultural competency discourse in academia sets the necessary foundation for future public administrators working in increasingly diverse populations.
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