If you are interested in public service and want to develop your leadership and advocacy skills, you might be interested in a brand new minor offered by the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University. The minor will launch this fall and will be open to all undergraduate students at IU.
What you’ll learn
The minor in Leadership, Advocacy, and Public Service consists of five courses (15 credit hours) that will help you understand the role of public service in society, the challenges of leading and managing public organizations, and the strategies behind effective advocacy.
The minor’s three core courses are:
- SPEA-V 203: The Call of Public Service: History, Philosophy, Values, and Outcomes: Examine different motivations for public service, as well as its historical roots. This course is taught by instructors like Tom Guevara, director of IU’s Public Policy Institute and an experienced public servant.
- SPEA-V 407: Advocacy, Policy Change, and Government Relations: Examine how citizens join together to shape issues of public importance and advocate for change. One instructor for this course is Jill Nicholson-Crotty, associate dean of graduate public affairs and policy programs at O’Neill.
- SPEA-V 412: Leadership and Ethics: Explore leadership dilemmas and ethical frameworks for decision-making. Learn from instructors like Karen Gahl-Mills, director of O’Neill’s Arts Administration program and former CEO of various nonprofit arts organizations.
You will also choose two elective courses from a list of options offered by the Kelley School, O’Neill, and the English and Military Science departments.
Join a network of future leaders
The minor in Leadership, Advocacy, and Public Service will help you learn how to become a more effective and ethical leader, advocate, and citizen. It will also help you develop connections with students and faculty who share your interest in governance and making a difference.
This new academic program is an outgrowth of themes explored in the NextGen Leadership Program. NextGen was launched at IU in 2021 through the support of the Volcker Alliance, an organization that seeks to educate, connect, empower, and inspire current and aspiring public servants. To date, more than 270 students have participated in workshops and seminars, competed in policy case competitions, or earned scholarships through NextGen.
Other hands-on ways to explore leadership at O’Neill include the O’Neill Leadership Program, which provides funding to support professional experience in the public and nonprofit sectors, and the Washington Leadership Program, which gives students the opportunity to spend a semester in Washington, D.C.
Get started
The minor in Leadership, Advocacy, and Public Service is a unique and exciting opportunity for IU students who want to make a positive contribution to their community and the world. To learn more, reach out to O’Neill’s Undergraduate Programs Office or email oneillug@iu.edu.
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