Educating Local Government Managers for the Twenty-First Century: A Preface to the Symposium
Raymond Cox, Gerald T. Gabris & Mark M. Levin
Symposium Guest Editor Gerald Gabris, Raymond Cox and Mark Levin introduce this long-awaited symposium on how PA programs can, do, and should educate for local public management. Their preface provides some history and synthesis of the other articles in the symposium.

The Adequacy of MPA Course Content in Preparing Local Government Managers
Scott Lazenby 
What are the 118 skills in 12 major categories that city managers need? Find out in Lazenby’s analysis of existing ideas, joined with new data created through the use of a Delphi panel. He also discusses which skills are mostly missing from MPA programs, and which courses are superfluous. Perhaps controversially, Lazenby argues that policy classes are among the superfluous.

The Next Generation Challenge: Incorporating the Local Government Managers of the Future
James H. Svara 
We’ve all heard the terms: Traditionals, Baby Boomers, Generation Xers, and Millennials. All four of these different generations are now together in the workforce. Svara considers what this has to do with local government management and the future of ICMA.

Demand Versus Supply: Can MPA Programs Satisfy the Need for Professional Management in Local Government?
Gerald T. Gabris, Trenton J. Davis & Kimberly L. Nelson propose testable propositions for a research agenda regarding whether the demand for local government managers outstrips the supply. In addition, they provide some first-cut evidence, and some tactics for local governments that may have difficulty meeting their demand. 

The Pedagogy of Citizen Participation in Local Government: Designing and Implementing Effective Board Training Programs for Municipalities and Counties
Paul R. Lachapelle & Elizabeth A. Shanahan
In some areas, there is significant demand for training members of local citizen boards. Using a perspective that is grounded in both literature and data, Lachapelle and Shanahan discuss how PA programs can successfully take on this task.

The Evolving Role of Universities in Expanding Knowledge Among Local Elected Officials
Dale E. Thomson
Rich in descriptive data, Thomson’s article describes the policy, practice and professionalism needs of local, elected officials and how training programs can meet them. Next, he discusses how universities can help meet the need for this type of training—and at what cost. In counterpoint to Lazenby, Thomson argues that policy training is very useful.

Municipal Managers: Regional Champions or Agents of Parochialism?
George W. Dougherty, Jr. & David Y. Miller argue that inter-jurisdictional cooperation is key to many challenges facing contemporary local governments. They develop a model for understanding the likelihood of inter-jurisdictional partnerships. And, their analysis suggests that both ICMA and NASPAA standards under-emphasize this crucial reality.

Bringing the University to City Hall: The Master of Public Affairs in City Hall
Kimberly A. Aaron & Douglas J. Watson
UTD’s innovative “MPA at City Hall” program produces more—and better—local government managers. Learn its key features and consider how they might fit into your program.

A Profile of Villanova University’s Partnership with Local Government Managers
Craig M. Wheeland & Christine Kelleher Palus
Many PA programs use local government practitioners as adjunct faculty. However, Villanova’s approach is unique in its many and creative ways truly to integrate local managers into the teaching mission of the program while also allowing them time for their own lives. Evidence also suggests that their methods are unusually successful in inspiring students to pursue local government careers. See how they do it!

CALLS FOR PAPERS
Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice
JPAE Symposium on Undergraduate PA Education