Friday, April 30, 2004
Promoting public service
One of my pet peeves has been underfunding of programs/degrees in public health, government etc at American universities (true pretty much everywhere else too). Too many good friends of mine have been at the receiving end of this ridiculous system. Think about it -- someone with a public health degree has to take loans to thy kingdom come just to acquire a masters or doctoral degree. The same goes for people who go into government or education. Saddled with enormous loans, these folks then go into public service and get salaries that are less than one-third what the average MBA would get. That anyone chooses to enter public service (think opportunity cost) at all given the odds is probably a miracle. Or that the government or schools get any decent eployees at all.
I have often wondered whether the govt itself should provide incentives of some sort to give people a reason to join. So, I was thrilled when I heard that Mortimer B. Zuckerman, the owner of U.S. News & World Report and The Daily News was giving Harvard University $10 million to support professionals who choose to enter public service. It's not much, but it's a start. Perhaps more people will be goaded into make similar grants. Perhaps the government....
Given the pressures of student debt and the promise of lucrative careers in the private sector, many would-be public servants steer clear of careers in government, school or nonprofits, officials say. Lawrence H. Summers, Harvard's president and a former treasury secretary in the Clinton administration, said: "If you think about the magnitude of the challenges we have in our public schools, in public health, in the public sector, they require people of the highest quality of experience."
With the gift, Harvard will award fellowships to about 25 students each year who are working toward, or already have, degrees in business, medicine or law and want to add one in public health, education or government. While Harvard officials describe all their graduate schools as competitive, some attract more attention from applicants than others.
I have often wondered whether the govt itself should provide incentives of some sort to give people a reason to join. So, I was thrilled when I heard that Mortimer B. Zuckerman, the owner of U.S. News & World Report and The Daily News was giving Harvard University $10 million to support professionals who choose to enter public service. It's not much, but it's a start. Perhaps more people will be goaded into make similar grants. Perhaps the government....
Given the pressures of student debt and the promise of lucrative careers in the private sector, many would-be public servants steer clear of careers in government, school or nonprofits, officials say. Lawrence H. Summers, Harvard's president and a former treasury secretary in the Clinton administration, said: "If you think about the magnitude of the challenges we have in our public schools, in public health, in the public sector, they require people of the highest quality of experience."
With the gift, Harvard will award fellowships to about 25 students each year who are working toward, or already have, degrees in business, medicine or law and want to add one in public health, education or government. While Harvard officials describe all their graduate schools as competitive, some attract more attention from applicants than others.
