More and more Iowans are crossing the border to get an advanced degree when they tackle a mid-life career change, public office or running a nonprofit or public organization. That’s because the Public Administration program’s booming at University of Nebraska at Omaha. Public Administration professor Dale Krane says it’s like an M-B-A for people in public service. Alumni serve in all levels of national and state government, and non-profits around the region. Krane says public administration trains people how to put ideas into action, especially in the public arena. The courses teach what one does once lawmakers decide there will be a program, whether it’s the state carrying out a national child-health program or running its parks. Eighty-percent of students are well past their undergrad years, working adults who average late-thirties in age. It’s historically been one of the strongest programs in the Midwest in skills like budgeting, finance, personnel, information management, and the way agencies are operated. Krane says the 30-year-old program has graduated plenty of people who serve in Iowa towns, counties, and city agencies. With its growing recognition, the department will become the SCHOOL of public administration within U-N-O.
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