Master of Public Administration
The mission of the University of Guam MPA program is to inspire authentic public servants through leadership that enlightens its learners to discover what it truly means to be of public service. This is fundamental to the institution’s mission of Ina. Deskubre. Setbe. To enlighten. To discover. To serve.
This professional degree program provides graduate students with a high caliber educational experience that prepares its aspirants to be leaders, managers, and analysts in public affairs, public administration, and public policy careers at the territorial, regional, federal, and international levels. The curriculum offers valuable opportunities for individuals to embrace diversity and practice citizenship; enhance and improve essential leadership/managerial skills; research seminal concepts and theories of public administration, public affairs, and public policy; and explore contemporary techniques regarding the formulation, analysis, and implementation of policies, programs, and best practices in organization and society. This mission is accomplished by educating and training professional leaders that are citizenship-oriented, accountable, ethically conscious and whose focus is a sincere commitment to make a difference through public service.
(The words Ina, Deskubre, and Setbe are in the indigenous language of Chamorro, which mean to enlighten, discover, and serve)
The School of Business and Public Administration's Master of Public Administration Program is a member of NASPAA. NASPAA or The Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration is considered the global standard in public service education. With nearly 300 member schools located across the U.S, and in 14 countries around the globe, NASPAA is recognized global accreditor of graduate education programs in public policy, public affairs, public administration, and public & non-profit management. The program is currently seeking NASPAA Accreditation.
Program |
2010-2011 |
2011-2012 |
2012-2013 |
2013-2014 |
2014-2015 |
2015-2016 |
2016-2017 |
2017-2018 |
Public Administration |
31 |
16 |
25 |
30 |
39 |
35 |
35 |
26 |
Administration & Supervision |
10 |
2 |
7 |
3 |
4 |
7 |
2 |
8 |
Art |
- |
- |
- |
- |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
Biology |
6 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
7 |
5 |
Professional MBA |
9 |
15 |
7 |
14 |
8 |
14 |
14 |
16 |
Clinical Psychology |
- |
3 |
7 |
5 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
4 |
Counseling |
19 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
3 |
6 |
7 |
15 |
English |
2 |
4 |
- |
2 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
Environmental Science |
3 |
1 |
6 |
2 |
5 |
- |
3 |
- |
Language & Literacy |
2 |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Micronesian Studies |
1 |
- |
1 |
- |
- |
- |
3 |
- |
Reading |
- |
2 |
- |
16 |
12 |
16 |
14 |
14 |
Sec. Teaching: Practitioner |
8 |
19 |
12 |
11 |
9 |
13 |
13 |
1 |
Sec. Teaching: Research |
13 |
7 |
2 |
- |
2 |
- |
- |
11 |
Secondary ED |
3 |
1 |
1 |
11 |
2 |
8 |
11 |
3 |
Social Work |
Program Withdrawn |
|||||||
Special Education |
17 |
32 |
19 |
0 |
7 |
2 |
7 |
- |
TESOL |
2 |
4 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
5 |
- |
3 |
*From: 2017-2018 UOG Fact Book, Office of the UOG Institutional Research
Note: Summer graduates for AY2017-2018 were not included
NUMBER OF DECLARED MPA STUDENTS vs. OTHER SBPA DEGREE PROGRAMS
Program |
Fall 2007 |
Fall 2008 |
Fall 2009 |
Fall 2010 |
Fall 2011 |
Fall 2012 |
Fall 2013 |
Fall 2014 |
Fall 2015 |
Fall 2016 |
Fall 2017 |
MPA |
36 |
31 |
39 |
58 |
47 |
66 |
83 |
80 |
65 |
69 |
57 |
PMBA |
4 |
8 |
-- |
2 |
15 |
6 |
14 |
12 |
13 |
-- |
11 |
Fanuchånan Semester 2007 Through Fanuchånan Semester 2018
*From: 2017-2018 UOG Fact Book, Office of the UOG Institutional Research
In order to apply for admission to the Master of Public Administration (MPA) Program, applicant packets must include:
Only after completion of Steps 1-8, may applicants schedule an interview with MPA Chair.
The following will serve as the seven domains of the MPA Core Competencies. These domains relate to mission, public service values and functions as the basis for the program’s curriculum. Upon completing the requirements of the MPA degree, students will demonstrate the following abilities:
|
Demonstrate an advanced understanding of leading and managing in public governance; |
|
Demonstrate an ability to relevantly apply a real world understanding, participate in, and contribute to the policy process; |
|
Demonstrate a practical competency to analyze, synthesize, think critically, quantitatively/qualitatively reason, solve problems and make decisions; |
|
Demonstrate an advanced proficiency to articulate and apply a public service perspective grounded in professional, ethical and socially responsible behavior; |
|
Demonstrate a dynamic ability to be innovative, to communicate, and interact productively with a diverse and changing workforce and citizenry; |
|
Demonstrate an advanced proficiency in utilizing technology toward the betterment and advancement of the profession; and |
|
Demonstrate a comprehensive mindset that fosters an advanced understanding and appreciation of territorial, regional, federal, and international environments, with consideration of indigenous and global impact perspectives, and their relation to Public Administration. |
The following public service values are fundamental ideals and principles of the MPA program that are shared by its faculty, students, and stakeholders alike. The program’s mission, governance, and curriculum are structured to uphold the following public service values, which distinguishes this program from other degree programs:
Public Service Value 1 - Professionals Committed to Accountability, Transparency, and Ethics: Our mission will be met by competent professionals, committed to pursuing the public interest with accountability, transparency, and the highest standard of ethical consideration.
Public Service Value 2 - Public Servants Worthy of Public Trust: As Public Servants, with every thought, word, and deed, we must strive every day, and at every instance, to prove ourselves worthy of the public’s trust. We must be humble and consider ourselves privileged to be charged with the welfare of others.
Public Service Value 3 - Keepers of Respect, Equity, and Fairness Rooted in the Principles of Democracy: The Principles of Democracy must be at the heart of everything we do. We must also always strive to demonstrate respect, equity, and fairness in dealing with all people and fellow public servants. Further, it should be our pledge to be guided by Constitutional principles of the United States, the Organic Act of Guam, and be exemplars of law-abiding citizens in our respective roles within public service.
For more information, please contact the SBPA Graduate Programs Office at 735-2520 or email Dr. John J. Rivera, Program Chair at jrivera@triton.uog.edu
The Master of Public Administration program has three sequential stages: 1) Core Courses, 2) Elective Courses, and 3) Capstone experience. The capstone course shall only be taken in the student’s graduating semester. All pre-service students must take PA598 as an elective.
Course |
Course Title |
Credits |
PA501 | Applied Research Methodology (must be taken within first 12 credits) | 3 |
PA510 | Administrative Thought | 3 |
PA525 | Public Budgeting | 3 |
PA530 | Public Personnel, Disciplinary and Performance Management | 3 |
PA535 | Intergovernmental Relations | 3 |
PA540 | Administrative Law | 3 |
PA560 | Leadership and Social Responsibility of Organizations | 3 |
Course |
Course Title |
Credits |
PA545 (a-e) |
Special Topics in Public Administration Management
|
3 |
PA570 (a-e) |
Special Topics in Public Personnel Administration
|
3 |
PA598* | Internship | 3 |
PA690** | Special Project | 3 |
*Required of all pre-service students.
**May be taken multiple times only with the expressed written consent of the MPA Chair
Course |
Course Title |
Credits |
PA692 | Practicum, or | 3 or |
PA695 | Thesis | 6 |
Either PA692 Practicum or PA695 Thesis could serve as a capstone experience. The MPA Qualifying Exam will be distributed as part of the capstone experience and may only be taken in the student’s graduating semester. Instructor’s consent is required for admittance into a Capstone course.
TOTAL: 36 CREDIT HOURS
Toward Decolonization One Guam was effort brought together the MPA program, the UOG's Regional Center for Public Policy, and the Guam Commission on Decolonization. The culmination of the project was a Gubernatorial Debate held on May 8, 2018 at the Calvo Field House. Over 2000 people were in attendance with the event being broadcasted live, rebroadcasted by major media, and available on demand through the Internet. The debate brought together the five 2018 gubernatorial candidates on one stage for the largest debate on decolonization in our island's history to date. "One Guam" represented an educational approach to bringing more awareness to self-determination in our community. Testifying before the UN the Executive Director for the Commission on Decolonization, Amanda Blas, put into record listing the One Guam Gubernatorial Debate as one of Guam's "Achievements" in its effort toward self-determination.
The Fall 2017 Graduate Candidates for Master of Public Administration in partnership with the Regional Center for Public Policy will host the Western Pacific Conference on Public Administration and Policy Solution on Monday, December 4, 2017 at the Dusit Thani Guam Resort. Guam is home to one of the highest concentrations of military veterans. This year’s conference will focus on the challenges veterans and their families face. It is our hope that we will bring the community together to collaborate, explore, discuss and develop policy solutions towards the issues facing not only veterans on Guam, but within the Western Pacific region. The Western Pacific is undoubtedly known for its patriotism and our high military enlistment rates. We are committed to do our part to help ensure future generations of veterans find their voice and their families have the services they deserve. We are excited and humbled to announce that this conference will also unveil the “Veterans History Project.” This momentous endeavor will memorialize and pay tribute to the stories and experiences of some of our island’s war veterans. Selections from this project will be submitted to the Congressional Archives through our Congress Woman Madeleine Z. Bordallo's Office.
The overarching goal was to reduce the frequency and severity of crime from the F.A.S. community. Through outreach and research, the cohort determined that the most effective way to address this problem was to impact the mindset and perspective of youth in the 5th grade. It was determined that there was a significant potential for enculturation, fostering community values and shaping the understanding of citizenship and social integration. The Mandaña T.E.A.C.H. project produced an eight-module student and accompany teacher's workbook that explored the concept of cultural integration, character building, team building, conflict resolution, anti-bullying, drugs & alcohol, safety patrol and drill & cadence. The system was designed to be used, in whole or in part, and incorporate classroom integration, partnerships with public safety (law enforcement), parental interaction, and community group delivery. A pilot was run with very positive feedback from the various stakeholders.
At the request of the Judiciary of Guam, School of Business and Public Administration partnered and piloted an accelerated cohort based MPA program (June of 2016 and May of 2017). While fulfilling all the traditional requirements of the traditional MPA program, the pilot offered two uniquely value added propositions: 1) A Judicial Systems focus; and 2) Allow for participants to concurrently work towards earning a Certified Court Manager (CCM) credential. Their capstone "Project D.R.E.A.M." is a facilitator's guide of civic education plans relative to the needs of youth on Guam. The manual includes lesson plans in line with Common Core Standards, Step-by-Step instructions, activity worksheets, and YouTube links that center around five subject areas: Namely, Cultural Diversity in Micronesia, Basic Social and Civic Responsibilities, Appreciating the Law. the Adjudication Process, and the Judiciary of Guam Court Services. This work was submitted to iCivics for consideration of curriculum that is more in line with the needs of our youth from Micronesia. iCivics, inc. is a 501 non-profit organization in the United States that provides educational online games and lesson plans to promote civics education and encourage students to become active citizens. iCivics was founded in 2008 by retired Supreme Court of the United States Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. iCivics's stated mission is to "ensure every student receives a high-quality civic education, and becomes engaged in – and beyond – the classroom."
The Fall 2016 MPA Capstone Graduating Candidates, in Collaboration with Commonwealth Development Authority (CDA), CNMI Chamber of Commerce, and Northern Mariana’s College (NMI) embarked on a project aimed at helping the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) move toward a sustainable economy. The plan had two-part initiative. The first part was a CNMI economic report, policy recommendations, and a Grant 101: Train the Trainer workshop. The second part was an outreach to Northern Marianas High School. The group, joined by two members of Project Foresight (Rachel Flores and Evangeline Bernal), spoke to junior and seniors about issues of Cyber Bullying, Sexting, and Financial Literacy. This project responds to our call in G2G for our Great University to truly be a hub for the region. This project further demonstrates and reifies our commitment to the region, our role, and our relevance as the educational nexus for our region.
Project Foresight was created by the graduating Spring 2016 Practicum class to eradicate the act of sexting by discouraging the dissemination of child pornography, where minors are depicted in a sexually explicit manner.
The graduating candidates of this course worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Guam Coalition Against Sexual Assault & Family, the U. S. Attorney's Office, and key stakeholders to address growing concerns regarding sexting among Guam's youth. The members of the MPA Practicum Class employed the opportunity to develop a strategy to raise awareness of the implications of sexting and sexting laws to alter the perception and behavior of adolescents about their online activity, especially on social media. Project Foresight achieved this by developing links on social media, making Public Service Announcements (PSAs), hosting several community outreach events, and acquiring generous sponsorships by key organizations and businesses in the community. Moreover, the PSAs created were aimed at juveniles, young adults, and parents to educate and initiate changes in perspective and behavior involving sexting. These PSAs are currently circulating throughout the community.
The Practicum class's major accomplishment is the progression of Project Foresight as a non-profit organization that is currently active.
MPA Faculty, Dr. Kevin Ho, was recognized for the successful publication of his recent works in various journals. They are:
Professor Ron Aguon’s abstract for paper – Chemical Castration as Means of Reducing Recidivism Among Sex Offender Parolees - was accepted for presentation at the annual meeting for Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences held on March 29th – April 2nd, 2016 in Denver Colorado.
The University of Guam’s Public Administration and Legal Studies Program held a Harassment Prevention Workshop on Oct. 21 in the School of Business and Public Administration. The workshop features topics such as ethics, the legal process, and federal law. PALS/MPA faculty, the FBI, and a representative from Senator BJ Cruz’s Office were among the presenters. Link: http://www.uog.edu/news-announcements/uog-pals-hosts-harassment-prevention-workshop and http://www.uog.edu/news-announcements/uog-pals-program-hosts-harassment-prevention-workshop-for-students
MPA Program Chair Dr. John Rivera was identified and honored as one of the emerging leaders in the Government of Guam. Recognized for demonstrating excellence and motivation to improve government operations Dr. Rivera, along with twelve University of Guam employees, were among more than 100 individuals nominated and featured in the Association of Government Accountants Who’s Who in the Government of Guam 40 Years and Under publication.
Link: http://www.uog.edu/news-announcements/twelve-uog-employees-identified-as-emerging-leaders-in-govguam and http://issuu.com/agaguamchapter/docs/who_s_who_in_the_government_of_guam/1
Dr. Maria Claret Ruane, MPA faculty and Professor of Economics, launched surveys aimed at measuring residents’ perception of corruption and government regulations in Guam and in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). Each of the two surveys consists of corruption-related questions patterned after Transparency International’s Global Corruption Barometer survey...also contains government regulation-related questions and demographic questions designed to obtain a profile of the survey respondent.
Transparency International is a non-governmental organization that monitors and publicizes corporate and political corruption. Its Global Corruption Barometer (GCB) survey gathers government corruption data on the U.S. and over 100 other countries. However, no such data currently exists for Guam or the FSM.
Representatives from the MPA program joined other student leadership from the School of Business and Public Administration to host a roundtable with Youth Ambassadors from Taiwan, Republic of China. In the spirit of professionalism and teamwork, the goal of the Taiwan Ambassadors was to introduce Taiwan to friends from around the world, convey the essence of this year’s theme, and represent all that Taiwan has to offer.
A Survey of Guam's Residence An MPA student's (Daniel Brown) paper entitled, Familiarity and Knowledge of the US Constitution: A Survey of Guam’s Residence has been selected for publication in the Journal of Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Issues (JLERI). This research was presented as a proceeding at the 2015 ICBEIT Conference at the Westin Resort in Guam. The impetus of this research came from a Constitutional IQ survey in the fall of 2014 by the PA510: Administrative Thought class.
This is in line with the pursuit of NASPAA accreditation.
Link: http://www.uog.edu/degrees/master-of-public-administration
Tasha Wade, a Spring 2015 graduate of the University of Guam's School of Business and Public Administration MPA program, was chosen to attend the Mosaic Taiwan international youth leadership program in Taipei City, Taiwan from June 15 to July 3, 2015. Also selected was PMBA graduate student Russell Ocampo.
The Mosaic Taiwan Fellowship Exchange Program is a program for emerging US leaders who wish to gain first-hand experience of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Set up by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Mosaic Taiwan program provides young students and professionals with the opportunity to explore the beauty of Taiwan’s natural environment to increase students’ interests in global affairs, so they can truly understand Taiwan’s culture and society through extensive exchanges with local leaders from various fields. This program also gives young leaders from Taiwan international exposure by fostering dialogue with their overseas counterparts. Link: http://www.uog.edu/news-announcements/graduates-attend-mosaic-taiwan-youth-leadership-program and http://mosaictaiwan.net/
Under the leadership of Professor Ron Aguon and his Administrative Law Class, the MPA students launched their First Annual Spring Showcase. The event, which featured an evening of singing, dancing, skits, cultural performances, and chants from around the region, was also a demonstration of an MPA learning outcome linked to the institutional learning outcome of cultural appreciation.
Links:
http://www.uog.edu/events/mpa-programs-spring-showcase
PAA is a global honor society for public affairs and administration, held its first induction ceremony at the UOG School of Business and Public Administration in the IT&E Lecture Hall. PAA is the first honor society solely for graduate students in Guam. The inaugural members included 32 recent MPA graduates. Also inducted as the Chapter's Honorary Member was William Corbett, the senior supervisory special agent of the FBI’s Honolulu division, Guam resident agency.
PAA is administered by the National Association of Schools of Public Administration (NASPAA), the Global Standard in Public Service Education. It was formed to recognize and promote the study and practice of public affairs and administration. There are more than 160 chapters around the world at NASPAA member schools.
The Spring 2015 MPA Capstone Graduating Candidates, with collaborative support from the FBI, held a presentation of their research regarding Human Trafficking. The presentation included: 1) the results from a perceptions survey conducted earlier in that year; and 2) their findings on an academic simulation of current human trafficking grant opportunity. Following the short presentation was a roundtable opportunity for discussion provided for those in attendance. The community of attendees included Federal Agency Stakeholders, Regional Ambassadors, and other community members.
MPA candidate, Jesse Quenga, represented UOG in the NASPAA's inaugural Student Simulation Competition. Students competed across the U.S. at five regional sites and were asked to provide a locally led "bottom up" approach to healthcare reform. Nationally, 45 teams – representing 93 participating schools – explored more than 4,400 different health care futures.
The University of Guam MPA’s application was accepted and approved to start a Pi Alpha Alpha Global Honor Society. Pi Alpha Alpha is the Global Honor Society for Public Affairs and Administration. There are more than 160 chapters located around the world at NASPAA member schools. Members of Pi Alpha Alpha are recognized for their outstanding scholarship and accomplishments in public affairs and administration.
After conducting a Constitution Day IQ survey in the fall of 2014, MPA students from the PA510: Administrative Thought class have found that Guam residents compared favorably to other states in knowledge about the U.S. Constitution, scoring higher than over 40 states including Florida, Michigan and Vermont. Comparing the scores, Guam placed eighth overall.
The class took on the survey as a special project after finding that Guam and other U.S. territories were not represented in a national Constitutional IQ survey conducted by http://www.constitutionfacts.com. The class felt it would be interesting to see how Guam would compare with nationwide results. The class duplicated the survey and gathered a random sample of 200 participants. Link: http://www.uog.edu/news-announcements/guam-places-8th-in-uog-constitutional-iq-survey
The Master of Public Administration Program is now a NASPAA Member. NASPAA or The Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration is considered the global standard in public service education.
NASPAA is the recognized global accreditor of graduate education programs in public policy, public affairs, public administration, and public & nonprofit management. NASPAA has nearly 300 member schools located across the U.S. and in 14 countries around the globe. NASPAA's twofold mission is to ensure excellence in education and training for public service and to promote the ideal of public service. This is the first step toward the program’s pursuit of NASPAA accreditation.
The Fall 2014 MPA Capstone Graduating Candidates, for the first time of this year, had taken on the challenge to make the Gubernatorial Great Debate of 2014 a reality. Since 1994, the School of Business and Public Administration had hosted a Great Debate every gubernatorial election year. The Great Debate has been the largest and last debate culminating the gubernatorial race in any election year. This idea started in 1994 when the honorable senator, Dr. Judith D. Guthertz, member of the Public Administration and Legal Studies (PALS) student organization, and PA 304 (Public Relations and Public Information) originally developed the Great Debate as a class project.
Link:
http://www.uog.edu/news-announcements/uog-hosts-the-2014-gubernatorial-great-debate
http://www.uog.edu/events/2014-gubernatorial-great-debate
In a 2016 Alumni Employment Survey, respondents had the following responses to the questions provided:
Pi Alpha Alpha (PAA), a global honor society for public affairs and administration, held its first induction ceremony at UOG’s School of Business and Public Administration Lecture Hall on Thursday, May 21, 2015. PAA is the first honor society solely for graduate students on Guam and was organized by Master of Public Administration (MPA) Program Chair, Dr. John Rivera.
The inaugural members included 32 MPA graduates. Also inducted as the Chapter’s Honorary Member was William Corbett, the senior supervisory special agent of the FBI’s Honolulu division, Guam resident agency.
PAA is administered by the National Association of Schools of Public Administration (NASPAA): The Global Standard in Public Service Education. It is formed to recognize and promote the study and practice of public affairs and administration. There are more than 160 chapters around the world at NASPAA member schools.
The objectives of PAA, such as fostering integrity, professionalism, and effective performance, promote the advancement of quality in the education and practice of the art and science of public affairs and administration. PAA membership identifies those with the highest performance levels in educational programs preparing them for public service careers.
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