Using a model based on the five military service academies, two Teach for America alumni want to establish the U.S. Public Service Academy (USPSA), a national university, as their vision of a symbolic and substantive training ground for civilian leaders.
After an intense four-year education, graduates would repay the nation with five years of service. The government would post them wherever the country needed them as foreign language specialists, teachers or other vital public sector jobs. In March 2007, the Academy’s leading co-sponsors, Senators Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) as well as Congressmen Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) and James Moran (D-Va.), introduced legislation in Congress to create the USPSA. Nearly 150 members of the 110th Congress believe in the idea of a USPSA enough to co-sponsor the legislation. (By the way, our university’s namesake even advocated for the creation of a national university.)
The USPSA may or may not have appealed to you as a college option, but America desperately needs Americans to support it. Besides its symbolic importance, the Academy will solve concerns about a governmental “brain drain,” compensate for a shrinking federal work force as baby boomers retire and prepare leaders to serve in the difficult sectors of emergency management, foreign affairs and health care. Organizations like the FBI lack the necessary human capital to successfully wage the war on terror; state departments of education need leaders to create and help enact meaningful reform; FEMA must have competent management to respond to future emergencies. Presently, we do not do enough to draw promising young leaders into public service.
While opponents contend universities across the country already place an emphasis on public service—through institutions like Washington University’s Gephardt Institue for Public Service—they do not offer the comprehensive, intense learning and living environment of the proposed USPSA. Moreover, how often do Wash. U. alums engage in a five-year commitment to public service—let alone careers as public servants? Military men, women and their families bear a heavy burden in defense of our country, and I admire their commitment to serving the nation. USPSA graduates would also sacrifice years of their lives in their efforts to help America remain strong and prosperous.
Some detractors argue the proposed $164 million commitment by the government is an inordinate fiscal commitment. Why not simply increase loan repayment for public servants or offer more scholarships to existing universities? Academy co-founder Chris Asch offers a convincing response. On transitioningovernance.org, he says the Public Service Academy “will send a powerful message about the value we place on public service in this country—much the way that refusing to create a Public Service Academy (while offering five military academies) sends the message that public service is somehow less important, less legitimate or less patriotic than military service.” While I recognize we must reduce our national debt and exercise prudence during this economic downturn, Congress must adopt sensible and effective solutions. I consider the USPSA—with its emphasis on producing leaders to help address priorities such as education, national defense and energy independence—a transformational idea which must become a reality.
The U.S. Public Service Academy provides a practical and symbolic solution to the missing sex appeal of public service. If we want the same way of life for future generations, we must take action now to support initiatives like the USPSA. I encourage you to call your congressional representatives and sign the online petition, expressing your support of an institution which will impact the lives of all Americans.
Pass the Public Service Academy Act
Published: Monday, November 24, 2008
Updated: Monday, November 24, 2008
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