Reflecting on 10 Years in Academic Public Administration
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization.
By Michael R. Ford
April 8, 2024
Over a decade ago I walked into a classroom full of Masters of Public Administration (MPA) students ready for a day long class on public budgeting and financial management. My professional experience included municipal finance, and I had worked on several state budgets, so I felt comfortable with the material. But I was nervous nonetheless. My nerves did not calm when I realized two municipal finance directors were in my class, and at least in my imagination, were waiting to pounce on every mistake I made.
Thankfully that first day went great. I quickly learned having working professionals in class is a huge asset. My students and I collectively built a classroom culture where we could learn from one another’s experiences, and call attention to the disconnects between theory and practice. I quickly realized that no matter how much professional experience I had, or academic research I had conducted, there were always going to be topics where some students had more expertise than I. Most importantly, I learned that students’ real-world experiences were essential to maximizing the learning experience for the class.
The ten years since that first class have been a bit of a roller coaster, albeit a roller coaster I have had the privilege of documenting in this column for some time. My program shifted from in-person to hybrid to fully online. My teaching loads fluctuated almost year-to-year in response to university resource challenges. The COVID-19 disruption, the George Floyd murder and growing threats to democracy around the world have changed what we research in our field and why. The fate of much-needed smaller MPA programs continues to be uncertain.
However, my major conclusion after ten years is that the tension between academic Public Administration (PA) and practitioner PA is ever present and important. Our field is, of course, applied in nature. I was reminded of that fact this week when covering theory in my capstone course. Despite my best attempts to discuss the importance of theory in government problem solving, one of my more successful students stated plainly that she works in the real world, not the theoretical one. I had to laugh. The perfect balance between theoretical rigor and practical relevance does not exist, rather it changes depending on context, yet I still seek that balance.
To be honest, some of my biggest frustrations over the past ten years have emanated from being an academic with a practitioner background and focus. In some spaces that practitioner experience was appreciated, but I quickly learned on the job market that some parts of the academy viewed it as a liability. It took me a few years to understand it mattered less how others viewed it and more how I applied that experience in my role as a professor. I have learned that seeing my work used in practice is much more fulfilling to me than milestones like tenure and promotion. Do not get me wrong, I am also cognizant that being tenured gives me the luxury of finding career fulfillment in diverse ways that many do not possess.
All of these topics are on my mind after hearing from a former student currently pursuing a career in academia. He asked me a simple question: Why is academia so toxic? I smiled because I remember reaching out to my PhD advisor years ago with the exact same question. His advice, which I continue to heed to this day, was to find those spaces that are not toxic. If you cannot find them build them. Most importantly, welcome everyone to the spaces you build. Embrace the concept of impact, but understand that there are many ways people can make an impact. Some PA scholars will want to focus on the practitioner. Some will want to advance theory. Some will care most about the classroom. Some about research. The diversity of ways to make an impact in PA is one of the strengths of the field and is worth leaning into.
No doubt the next ten years will present more ups and downs. But I have not lost sight of the importance of what all of us in the PA community do. Democratic governance is fragile. Building trust in government is difficult. Meeting the needs of a divided populace is even more difficult. But the work of PA, both academic and practice, is important to keeping society moving forward. The work matters.
Author: Michael R. Ford is an associate professor of public administration at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, where he teaches graduate courses in budgeting and research methods. He frequently publishes on the topics of public and nonprofit board governance, accountability and school choice. He currently serves an elected member of the Oshkosh, WI Common Council.
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Reflecting on 10 Years in Academic Public Administration
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization.
By Michael R. Ford
April 8, 2024
Over a decade ago I walked into a classroom full of Masters of Public Administration (MPA) students ready for a day long class on public budgeting and financial management. My professional experience included municipal finance, and I had worked on several state budgets, so I felt comfortable with the material. But I was nervous nonetheless. My nerves did not calm when I realized two municipal finance directors were in my class, and at least in my imagination, were waiting to pounce on every mistake I made.
Thankfully that first day went great. I quickly learned having working professionals in class is a huge asset. My students and I collectively built a classroom culture where we could learn from one another’s experiences, and call attention to the disconnects between theory and practice. I quickly realized that no matter how much professional experience I had, or academic research I had conducted, there were always going to be topics where some students had more expertise than I. Most importantly, I learned that students’ real-world experiences were essential to maximizing the learning experience for the class.
The ten years since that first class have been a bit of a roller coaster, albeit a roller coaster I have had the privilege of documenting in this column for some time. My program shifted from in-person to hybrid to fully online. My teaching loads fluctuated almost year-to-year in response to university resource challenges. The COVID-19 disruption, the George Floyd murder and growing threats to democracy around the world have changed what we research in our field and why. The fate of much-needed smaller MPA programs continues to be uncertain.
However, my major conclusion after ten years is that the tension between academic Public Administration (PA) and practitioner PA is ever present and important. Our field is, of course, applied in nature. I was reminded of that fact this week when covering theory in my capstone course. Despite my best attempts to discuss the importance of theory in government problem solving, one of my more successful students stated plainly that she works in the real world, not the theoretical one. I had to laugh. The perfect balance between theoretical rigor and practical relevance does not exist, rather it changes depending on context, yet I still seek that balance.
To be honest, some of my biggest frustrations over the past ten years have emanated from being an academic with a practitioner background and focus. In some spaces that practitioner experience was appreciated, but I quickly learned on the job market that some parts of the academy viewed it as a liability. It took me a few years to understand it mattered less how others viewed it and more how I applied that experience in my role as a professor. I have learned that seeing my work used in practice is much more fulfilling to me than milestones like tenure and promotion. Do not get me wrong, I am also cognizant that being tenured gives me the luxury of finding career fulfillment in diverse ways that many do not possess.
All of these topics are on my mind after hearing from a former student currently pursuing a career in academia. He asked me a simple question: Why is academia so toxic? I smiled because I remember reaching out to my PhD advisor years ago with the exact same question. His advice, which I continue to heed to this day, was to find those spaces that are not toxic. If you cannot find them build them. Most importantly, welcome everyone to the spaces you build. Embrace the concept of impact, but understand that there are many ways people can make an impact. Some PA scholars will want to focus on the practitioner. Some will want to advance theory. Some will care most about the classroom. Some about research. The diversity of ways to make an impact in PA is one of the strengths of the field and is worth leaning into.
No doubt the next ten years will present more ups and downs. But I have not lost sight of the importance of what all of us in the PA community do. Democratic governance is fragile. Building trust in government is difficult. Meeting the needs of a divided populace is even more difficult. But the work of PA, both academic and practice, is important to keeping society moving forward. The work matters.
Author: Michael R. Ford is an associate professor of public administration at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, where he teaches graduate courses in budgeting and research methods. He frequently publishes on the topics of public and nonprofit board governance, accountability and school choice. He currently serves an elected member of the Oshkosh, WI Common Council.
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