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The University of Colorado Denver School of Public Affairs is located in the historic Lower Downtown ("LoDo") district of Denver, Colorado. The School is ranked 34th among schools of public affairs in the United States and is fully accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA). The School enrolls approximately 700 students in graduate programs in public administration, public affairs and criminal justice, and undergraduate programs in criminal justice and public service.
Contents
- Academics
- Public Affairs and Administration
- Criminal Justice
- Concentration Areas
- Graduate Certificates
- Other Certificate Programs
- Research and Outreach
- Research Centers
- Local Government
- Education Policy and Governance
- Network Science
- Criminology Justice and Victimization
- Workshop on Policy Process Research
- Center on Domestic Violence
- Wirth Chair in Sustainable Development
- Certified Public Manager Program
- Colorado Education Policy Fellowship Program
- Network Leadership Training Academy
- Denver Community Leadership Forum
- Rocky Mountain Leadership Program
- Alumni
- Awards and Honors
- Leo C Riethmayer Outstanding Colorado Public Administrator Award
- Former Faculty
- References
The School of Public Affairs hosts a wide range of events each year featuring distinguished practitioners, community leaders and politicians. It is also home to a number of highly regarded leadership development programs, including the Colorado Certified Public Manager Program and the Network Leadership Training Academy.
Paul Teske, a University of Colorado Distinguished Professor, was appointed Dean of the School in July 2008. Prior to his appointment as Dean, Teske served as the Director of the Center for Education Policy Analysis and Director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education at the School of Public Affairs, in addition to his teaching and research activities as a professor. He earned his Ph.D. and M.P.A. degrees in Public Affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. Teske received a B.A. in economics and political science, with highest honors in economics, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a James Johnston Scholar and Phi Beta Kappa.
Academics
The School of Public Affairs offers a number of highly ranked programs, including environmental policy and management (ranked 10th), nonprofit management (15th), public management administration (24th), and city management and urban policy (25th). The online Master of Criminal Justice program was ranked in the top 13 nationwide in January 2017.
Courses in all of the School's degree and certificate programs are designed to provide students with both theoretical frameworks and practical knowledge, and are taught by full-time faculty as well as distinguished practitioners.
Public Affairs and Administration
Criminal Justice
Concentration Areas
Both the Master of Public Administration and Master of Criminal Justice programs offer students the opportunity to select a concentration area within the degree. Approximately one-third of the Master's students select and complete a specific concentration; others choose electives from a variety of concentration areas to best meet their professional goals.
Graduate Certificates
The School of Public Affairs offers a variety of graduate certificates to help individuals advance in their career. Anyone who has completed a bachelor's degree from an accredited university is eligible to enroll in one of the School's graduate certificate programs.
Other Certificate Programs
Research and Outreach
School of Public Affairs faculty are highly productive researchers and recognized leaders in their areas of specialization. They conduct research that informs policy making and management in the public and nonprofit sectors, and are actively engaged in the critical issues and debates in their fields.
Research Centers
The School of Public Affairs houses five research centers with affiliated professional development opportunities, each of which contribute to issues that are important to the people of Colorado. Researchers affiliated with these centers bring diverse, substantive expertise to bear on critical issues in Colorado and across the nation.
Local Government
As interim head of the Center for Local Government, Dr. Toddy Ely works with city managers, the Colorado Municipal League, the Denver Regional Council of Governments, the Colorado Department of Local Affairs and others on local government issues like fiscal indicators, resilient response to emergencies and transit-oriented development. Training is offered through the Center’s Certified Public Manager program.
Education Policy and Governance
Led by Dean Paul Teske, the Center for Education Policy Analysis aims to advance public education by serving as the go-to resource for education decision-makers. CEPA works with state, local and nonprofit partners interested in analysis of school finance, governance, innovation and reform, and policy implementation. The Center also manages the Education Policy Fellowship Program.
Network Science
Dr. Danielle Varda directs the Center on Network Science, which works to improve network systems by serving as a resource for network managers and leaders. The center builds the knowledge, skills and tools available for practitioners to use data to promote change, understand their networks and improve their collaborations. Training is offered through the Network Leadership Training Academy.
Criminology, Justice and Victimization
Dr. Angela Gover and Dr. Lonnie Schaible co-direct the Criminology, Justice and Victimization Research Center, which connects practitioners to empirical research on domestic violence, gun violence, policing strategies and human trafficking.
Workshop on Policy Process Research
Dr. Chris Weible and Dr. Tanya Heikkila run this workshop, which focuses on how difficult policy issues, especially in the area of environmental policy, are discussed and resolved. Recent work has focused on organic agriculture regulation, aquaculture, fracking and water policy in Colorado.
Center on Domestic Violence
Founded in 2000, the CDV is an academic, research and service center whose work focuses on ending domestic violence by fostering institutional and social change through leadership development, education, research and community collaboration. The Center is led by Barbara Paradiso.
Wirth Chair in Sustainable Development
The University of Colorado established the Wirth Chair in Environmental and Community Development Policy in 1993. It honors the environmental and sustainable development achievements of former Senator and Undersecretary of State Timothy E. Wirth. The Wirth program works to fulfill its mission through a variety of ongoing programs and activities, including monthly Sustainability Series events, the annual Wirth Chair Sustainability Awards, and extended learning trips to international sustainability sites. The current Wirth Chair is Mark Safty.
Certified Public Manager Program
Designed to offer individuals in the public and nonprofit sectors an opportunity to develop and improve their management and leadership skills. CPM meets the needs of the state’s professional community through instruction offered by seasoned practitioners and university faculty affiliates.
Colorado Education Policy Fellowship Program
This 10-month professional development program is designed for individuals whose work record reflects strong leadership abilities and a concern for issues important to children and education. Participants hold full-time positions in diverse organizations at the local, state and national levels.
Network Leadership Training Academy
Public sector leaders learn, share ideas and develop skills for the “network way of working." Many are struggling to find tools and a place to build skills for this new way of connecting across boundaries. This training includes conversations about network leadership, activities to share and demonstrate skills and ideas, and tools to translate back to practice.
Denver Community Leadership Forum
For over three decades, the DCLF has helped shape the skills community leaders need to turn challenge into opportunity and conflict into collaboration. The program aims to build strong linkages and working relationships among leaders from different sectors and provide an understanding of new leadership needs and capacities.
Rocky Mountain Leadership Program
In this intensive residential seminar participants examine their role in the public sector, explore the changing environment in which they operate and develop leadership skills to facilitate effective public action. Attendees include elected officials and upper-level managers from the federal, state and local levels of government, and nonprofits.
Alumni
The School of Public Affairs has 4,000-plus alums around the globe. Many of them hold prominent leadership positions, including the 5 who made the 2015 "40 Under 40" list in the Denver Business Journal.
Below is an abbreviated list of some of the School's prominent alums, their degree program and current position:
Awards and Honors
Leo C. Riethmayer Outstanding Colorado Public Administrator Award
Named for the School’s founder, the Riethmayer Award annually recognizes a distinguished Colorado public servant. Past recipients include: