Program begun here
PATRONIZE KANSAN ADVERTISERS
KU yields city managers
Bu JOHN GANGI
Last year when the International City Manager's Association (I.C.M.) met in Phoenix, one out of twelve city managers was a KU product. One out of six of those with Master's degrees was from KU.
The Master of Public Administration degree (M.P.A.) was initiated at KU in 1948 when Dr. Edwin O. Stene, professor of political science, presented a program to the Carnegie Foundation in New York, which was accepted and approved. The Carnegie Foundation issued KU a five-year grant to build up and promote this program.
THE CLASS of 1948-1950 was the first to get their degrees through this program. The program called for one year of academic studies, and one year of internship as an assistant city manager.
Stene said, "We were playing with the idea of training city managers long before this grant came along. However, it was very difficult to promote the idea at that time due to inavailibility of funds, and the lack of interest."
During this internship the interns return to the University every six weeks to attend special seminar meetings. At these seminars they reported and discussed everything pertaining to their work.
Progress reports were kept and individual problems discussed. The interns sought advice from the professors, and the new students in the program questioned the veteran assistants. The information acquired from these seminars was used to instruct and inform the students who followed. The process still continues in the same way.
THE FIRST CLASS sponsored by the Carnegie Foundation consisted of seven students.
Stone said, "Almost all of them had G.I. benefits." However, the problem then was not really finance, but placement. "At that time I had to go out and hunt cities that would take them." Stene said.
The cities paid the interns very little, and the interns were located in Kansas, or Kansas City, Mo.
Soon, however, the G.I. benefits ran out, and after five years the Carnegie Foundation grant expired.
One of the early problems was that the city manager type of administration was not very popular. At the close of the war there were only 600 recognized council-management governments. By 1950 there were 1,000, and by 1965 over 2,000.
ANOTHER PROBLEM with the local government was the extensive use of home-town officials. But the trend changed in the 1950's when cities adopted the
council-management type of administration. Qualified city managers were being sought.
With the classes of 1949-1951, and 1950-1952, students began serving internships in Colorado, Texas, and Iowa, as well as Kansas and Missouri. Outside sources of finance ran out, but program was sponsoring itself, and cities competed for KU students by offering higher salaries.
"WE SORT OF SET our limit at ten for quite a few years," Stene said. However, the program has gradually increased, and there are now 16 students in the program.
The program expanded to include other states in the Midwest and Southwest. Interns salaries soared ranging from a few thousand dollars to $20,000 a year—which one intern presently earns.
The program requirements are good grades and very few prerequisites. Students are accepted from all areas of study. Most are political science majors.
According to Stene, the number will not exceed 16 because of limited classroom space.
At one time the applicants were interviewed, but now applications
are so numerous that this is impossible.
MOST OF THE students come from the Midwest. This is due to the competition afforded in the East by the University of Pennsylvania, and in the West by the University of Southern California, Stene said.
After serving his internship, the student must complete his thesis in order to receive his degree. Since its conception, 210 students have been accepted into the program and 180 have earned their M.P.A.
Stene said, "Of the 180 just about half are city managers." The other half can usually be found in government, foreign service, and universities.
The number of requests for KU interns this year is three times the number of students Stene said.
City managers are presently earnings as much as $25,000 per year.
Daily Kansan Monday, February 13, 1967
Something New
7
is Coming to the Union
Soon
Watch For It!
the university shop
Announces its
ANNUAL WINTER SALE
NOW IN PROGRESS
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Entire Stock DRESS SLACKS 20% Off
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ALSO
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ON THE HILL
AL HACK