City of Dublin first to join Executive MPA Partner program
January 17, 2019
The city of Dublin will be the first partner in the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs new Executive Master of Public Administration Partner Program.
The Executive Master of Public Administration Partner Program is designed to provide discounted educational opportunities for employees of state agencies, municipalities, non-governmental organizations and private corporations who associate with the Voinovich School. In the future, members of affiliated professional associations who become Executive MPA Partners may also be eligible for the scholarships.
Joe Wakeman, the Voinovich School’s Manager of Enrollment and Student Success, said the partnership will benefit both the Executive MPA Partners and the Voinovich School Executive MPA program.
“The program is helpful for the Voinovich School by confirming previously informal partnerships with businesses and government organizations where many of our graduates are employed,” Wakeman said. “These formalized partnerships will help the Executive MPA program continue to grow.”
Employees of Executive MPA partners can receive a $1,000 scholarship for their first academic term, making the program created for busy working professionals even more affordable.
“The program is already very affordable when compared to other professional MPA degrees, this scholarship expands that affordability,” Wakeman said.
Partners will also promote the Voinovich School executive MPA educational opportunity to their employees.
As part of the partnership program, the Voinovich School will attend organizational events with the City of Dublin, Wakeman said, which will increase the visibility of the Executive MPA program and Ohio University Dublin Center, where the program is based.
In addition to the Executive MPA partnership, the City of Dublin is also working with the School’s George V. Voinovich Academy for Excellence in Public Service to address talent gaps in the City of Dublin’s administration through additional training opportunities. The training varies with an employee’s needs but could include anything from one-day sessions to the full Executive MPA degree, Wakeman said.
Wakeman described the City of Dublin as a big supporter of the Voinovich School.
“They are also our neighbor so it was a natural fit and certainly appropriate to ask them to be our first Executive MPA Partner,” Wakeman said.
Bailey Santagate, who began her career with the City of Dublin in 2017, found a perfect fit within the Executive MPA Partner program, and will graduate with her MPA in Fall 2019.
“I always had hopes of obtaining a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, but I needed to find a program that worked with my busy work and home life schedule,” Santagate said. “I first became aware of the Voinovich School’s Executive MPA program through our talent development and training section on our employee website here at the City of Dublin.”
The flexibility of the program allowed Santagate to pursue an advanced degree while she works with the City of Dublin. She started the program in the Spring 2018 semester and said it has been a “perfect match.”
“My favorite thing about the Executive MPA program is its unique combination of residency based classroom learning and online interaction,” Santagate said.
She also noted the opportunities to network with professionals within the Executive MPA program.
“This type of program has allowed me to not only further my education, but develop relationships and professional connections with classmates who are also working professionals, all while maintaining a work life balance,” Santagate said.
“The partnership between the City of Dublin and the Voinovich School’s Executive MPA program has provided me with an opportunity to directly apply my coursework to my job, strengthened my passion for a career in public service, and created opportunities for professional advancement.”
See the attached flyer for more information about the Executive MPA Partner program. Please contact Joe Wakeman at wakemanj@ohio.edu for information about how your organization can become an Executive MPA Partner with the Voinovich School.
