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International Corner

School of Public Affairs
Arizona State University

Posted December 2004
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Public Administration Linkages With Kosovo and Armenia

The School of Public Affairs at Arizona State University (ASU), in collaboration with ASU’s Russian and East European Studies Consortium (REESC), has public administration linkage programs with institutions in both Kosovo and Armenia.

University of Prishtina, Kosovo. The Public Administration Program at the University of Prishtina in Kosovo has been taking part in a two-year linkage program with the ASU School of Public Affairs, the ASU REESC, the ASU College of Business, and Gateway Community College. This public administration linkage program is invaluable, because the University of Prishtina is located in a region that has recently experienced interethnic conflict and is currently struggling with both a transitional government and a transitional economy. The goal of the program, funded by the U. S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is “to encourage substantive curricular reform by combining hands-on experience of American business management and public administration classroom instruction with sustained small-group discussion of teaching methodology and the practical work environment.”

Carol Withers, the ASU co-project director, notes that the current developments in Kosovo will require the University of Prishtina to provide future leaders in the public service sector. “Not only are the government and the economy in a time of transition, but the university is also transitioning. Now faculty, staff, and students are dealing with changes in policy and in the organization of their university. Under United Nations Mission in Kosovo supervision, the University of Prishtina has launched its first public administration program, offering the equivalent of a Bachelors of Arts degree. It is acting now to train leaders for the next generation.”

The linkage program participants are faculty and graduate assistants at the University of Prishtina who have been chosen through an application process to attend ASU for one semester to study public administration or business management. Participants attend classes in the ASU School of Public Affairs or the ASU College of Business and work with faculty in both of these nationally recognized programs. As Barbara McCabe, project facilitator for the ASU School of Public Affairs, states, “We want to continue to have a relationship with the University of Prishtina, because it faces incredible challenges as it starts to offer public administration as an academic discipline. We have the opportunity both to influence its program and to be influenced by it.”

Yerevan State University, Armenia. The ASU School of Public Affairs, in conjunction with the ASU REESC, is taking part in a three-year linkage program with Armenia’s Yerevan State University (YSU). The program is funded by the U. S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

During fall 2004, the ASU School of Public Affairs is hosting five YSU faculty scholars in its MPA program as preparation for the development of a new public administration program at YSU. Robert Denhardt, director of the ASU School of Public Affairs, is excited about the opportunities that these visits provide both for the scholars and for the School of Public Affairs: “Our hosting these interesting and engaging scholars from Armenia enables us to help them build a strong program in public administration that will have an impact in Armenia, as well as provides our faculty and students the opportunity to learn more about Armenia and the world.”

During their visit, the YSU scholars are attending classes in the MPA program, meeting with School of Public Affairs faculty and students to expand their understanding of western theories of public administration, and developing practical teaching skills and methodologies. In addition, throughout the semester they are developing sample syllabi for public administration courses that will become part of the new YSU MPA degree program.

Steve Batalden, project director for the ASU-YSU linkage program, stresses the cultural relevance of the program in terms of the post-Soviet era climate in eastern Europe: “The future of public sector reform in eastern Europe depends upon the success of new graduate training programs in public administration. This linkage program is a great opportunity for genuine cross-cultural collaboration that will make a difference.”

The Armenian scholars plan to use the practical and theoretical knowledge of public administration that they are gaining at ASU to help speed the transition toward a more American/European style of educational training in Armenia. The development of a strong MPA program at YSU will be an important move toward a more democratic system of governance in Armenia.

For more information about this and similar linkage programs at ASU, contact Robert Denhardt, Director, School of Public Affairs, at 480-965-3926 or rbd@asu.edu.

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