It is my immense pleasure to welcome you to the UCF School of Public Administration. Our school opened its doors in 1975, and since then, we have educated more than 5,000 students in the areas of public administration and policy, nonprofit management, urban and regional planning, research administration and emergency management. Our strong alumni network serves communities in Central Florida and beyond in various roles including city and county managers, planners, nonprofit executives, emergency managers and research coordinators.
Over the past four decades, we have expanded the number of academic programs we offer from two to over 20. Our faculty has more than doubled in size, and we now boast one of the largest public administration faculty in the state of Florida. In addition to our full-time faculty members, our school employs a number of adjuncts from Central Florida's professional community. Our graduate programs in emergency and crisis management, nonprofit management and public administration are ranked by U.S. News and World Report. Our master’s program in public administration has been accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration for over 20 years. Our graduate degrees in nonprofit management and urban and regional planning are also accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration and the Planning Accreditation Board, respectively.
In addition to several academic programs, our school also houses the Center for Public and Nonprofit Management (CPNM). The CPNM supports our faculty’s research and serves the public sector and local nonprofit community by hosting capacity-building seminars for public service professionals, supporting funded research projects and promoting opportunities for nonprofit and policy development. It also hosts the annual Public Administration Research Conference, which brings together students, faculty and practitioners from across the globe.
The best evidence of the quality of our work lies in our students and alumni. While we are very proud of the national recognition we have gained over the past four decades, we are even prouder of the spirit of collegiality and camaraderie that touches every person who connects with the school.
As the director, I invite you to join us – as a student, a faculty member or a community partner. Together, we can change not only the community, but also the world, for the better.
