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Abstract

Public infrastructure is the foundation of modern civilization, and may be the most significant factor in the quality of life for developed and developing nations everywhere. The debate about how to prepare professionals to meet the challenge of adequately managing the public infrastructure has existed at least since the earliest infrastructure was built by the Romans. Over the past 50 years, the public works profession has unsuccessfully attempted to create a system of formal educational programs in colleges and universities across the United States. In recent Public Works Management& Policy issues, Little and others have made compelling arguments for renewing efforts to create an educational curriculum that can provide public administrators and engineers with the skills to protect the public’s investment in public infrastructure. The messages from Gordon, Little, and Grigg should be a wake-up call to both the profession and to educational institutions concerning this unmet need.

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References

American PublicWorks Association/American Society of Civil Engineers . (ca. 1980). A format for developing a master’s degree specialization in public works engineering/administration in schools of engineering. Chicago and New York: Authors.

American Public Works Association/National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration . (1979). Guidelines for developing a master’s degree specialization in public works administration within the MPA degree. Chicago and Washington, DC: Authors.

Blumstein, A. , Staats, E. , & Kunde, J. L. (1996). Tribute to Donald C. Stone. Public Works Management & Policy, 1, 96–99.

Gordon, C. (1999) Educational requirements for civil infrastructure managers: What should they know and when should they know it?. Public Works Management & Policy, 4(1), 81–88.

Grigg, N. S. (2000). Where are we in infrastructure education?. Public Works Management & Policy, 4, 257–260.

Little, R. G. (1999). Educating the infrastructure professional: A new curriculum for a new discipline. Public Works Management & Policy, 4, 93–99.

Price, W. T. (1997). Publicworks management in search of an academic field. In L. Brewer (Ed.), Public works administration: Current public policy perspectives (pp. 3–33). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Rosen, H. ,& Weizer, W. J. (1996). Reflections on the life and legacy of Donald C. Stone. PublicWorks Management& Policy, 1, 10–18.

Creating a New Curriculum to Prepare Public Administrators to Effectively Manage Public Works Programs

Abstract

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