Letters to the Editor: April 7, 2010

Preparing students for government service

Regarding “Robertson heirs start foundation” (Tuesday, March 23, 2010):

I read with interest your description of the new foundation started by the Robertson heirs, which will use $60 million of the $100 million settlement with Princeton to provide scholarships for students who intend to enter careers in the federal government. (The remainder of the settlement reimbursed the Robertson's litigation costs.) Though I wish the Robertsons success in their new endeavor, I would like to note the Wilson School’s superb track record of educating men and women for careers in government service.

Here are some facts. In 2009, 93 percent of the jobs accepted by our graduating MPA class were in the public or non-profit sectors, and 67 percent were in the U.S. federal, state or local government or in international organizations. Over 2002–2007, the fraction of our MPA graduates who took first jobs in federal, state, local or foreign governments exceeded that of comparable graduate programs run by American University’s School of Public Affairs, George Washington University, Georgetown Public Policy Institute, Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and Columbia University’s School of Public and International Affairs.

Also notable is our Scholars in the National Service Initiative, started in 2006. This highly competitive program admits exceptional students who aspire to careers in the U.S. federal government. These students are placed in two-year positions in federal agencies — in both domestic and foreign offices — between the first and second years of the MPA program. These students are also given opportunities for the intensive language training that is necessary for many federal government careers. To date, SINSI has successfully placed students in numerous government agencies including (but not limited to) the departments of State, Defense, and Treasury and the Central Intelligence Agency.

We are very proud of our record of preparing students for government service and will continue to pursue our mission as vigorously in the future as we have done in the past. It is unfortunate that the six-year legal battle initiated by the Robertsons resulted in substantial legal fees that otherwise would have been available to support this important mission.

Christina Paxson

Dean of the Wilson School