NKU Master of Public Administration

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Highland Heights, KY
NKU Master of Public Administration

NKU's MPA program is a 36-credit-hour degree that prepares students to be managers and leaders in government agencies, nonprofits, and related organizations.

We also offer a 12-credit-hour certificate in Nonprofit Management and various micro-credentials. NKU's Master of Public Administration (MPA) program develops leaders and managers for government agencies, hospitals and health-care institutions, universities and libraries, arts organizations, and other nonprofits. Our award-winning alumni and students are top city and county managers, police and fi

re chiefs, nonprofit executives, department and program directors, fundraising professionals, and volunteer managers. NKU's MPA program actively engages our students in learning, research, and service through capstone projects, student philanthropy, service learning, internships, the Pi Alpha Alpha global honor society, and the Public Administration Student Society (PASS). Our alumni go on to have successful and fulfilling careers that focus on serving people and improving communities in Northern Kentucky/Greater Cincinnati and beyond. It is the only MPA program in the Northern Kentucky/Greater Cincinnati region accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA), which is "the global standard in public service education." More info: nku.edu/mpa.

08/29/2026

Now that the Fall semester is underway, we want to take a moment to highlight three of our MPA alums who've recently taken on new opportunities in their professional careers. Congrats to Malika Glover (2016), Thomas Lankford (2016), and Hayley Jacobs (2022). ⭐⭐⭐ Here's a little more about each of them.

- Malika recently started as Associate Manager of School Partnerships at Edpursuit, which is a specialized platform for human resource management and compliance in K-12 schools. This is a major career transition for Malika, who had been serving as an assistant coach for women's college basketball teams, including California State at Bakersfield, Wisconsin at Milwaukee, and Youngstown State. Malika played on the basketball team at Northern Kentucky University (NKU) when she was a student, from 2012 to 2015.

- Thomas has become Trial Court Administrator 4 with the Marion County Circuit Court in Oregon, which is located in the state capital of Salem (near Portland). This is a change in job title and location for Thomas; previously, he was Trial Court Administrator 3 with the Coos and Curry Circuit Court, which is on the southern Oregon coast. The Marion County Circuit Court processes more than 23,000 new cases annually with 15 elected judges, 95 court employees, and a $31 million biennial budget. This court handles offenses ranging from traffic violations to capital murder as well as civil cases, family law, evictions, and multimillion‑dollar lawsuits.

- Haley has become a Senior Engagement Specialist with REDI Cincinnati (REDI = Regional Economic Development Initiative). This nonprofit organization assists businesses looking to relocate, expand, or start up in the Greater Cincinnati region, which includes 15 counties in southwest Ohio, northern Kentucky, and southeast Indiana. Previously, Haley worked at the Cincinnati Regional Chamber of Commerce for three years, and she was an Assistant Residence Life Coordinator at NKU for two years, while she was an MPA student.

08/28/2026

We want to formally thank Michael Cayse (MPA 2008) for teaching our Emergency Management course (PAD 582) during a Summer session. This was the first time in years the Emergency Management course has been offered and the first time Professor Cayse has taught in our program. PAD 582 is one of the two required courses for our NEW Emergency Management & Leadership micro-credential, which launched this Summer for both graduate and undergraduate students.

The class went very well, according to formal student evaluations and other feedback. A common theme was that students appreciated the real-world experience and expertise that Professor Cayse brought to the class. Also, students said their learning was enhanced by the structure and pacing of the class as well as meaningful and helpful feedback provided on assignments.

And it's worth noting that Professor Cayse was able to successfully teach this course while continuing to serve as Fire Chief in Asheville, NC. Kudos and thanks again, Professor/Chief Cayse!

08/25/2026

The best advice often comes from those who have been there 💛🖤

During MPA orientation last night, alumni Haley Jacobs, Kayla Lowe, and Sam Shelton shared their insights and career wisdom with our newest students. Thank you to our alumni panelists for investing in the next generation of public service leaders.

Welcome to campus, MPA students. We're excited to have you here!

08/21/2026

New faces. New connections. New possibilities. We're excited to welcome the 2026 MPA class - Brooke, Ethan, Mariana, Grace, Kylie, Marlayna, Justin, Shawndrea, Tyana, Collin, Ethan, and Tyler (all pictured) and Rebecca, Brock and Sarah (not pictured) to Northern Kentucky University!

Fall 2026 classes start on Monday. Let the journey begin 🖤💛🖤💛

08/17/2026

Dr. Darrin Wilson sole-authored an exploratory study on citizen academies in the Northern Kentucky / Greater Cincinnati region, which was recently published by the journal State and Local Government Review. Congrats to Dr. Wilson on this publication!

According to the article, citizen academies are developed by local governments to promote transparency and facilitate interactions between residents and government employees. Typically, they "involve regularly scheduled meetings between local government officials and a cohort of residents, where residents learn about the operations of the local government and officials hear feedback from residents."

Citizen academies can be a way for local governments to combat trends in our society, including increased misinformation about local governments and a decline in public trust of political institutions. The article concludes that most local governments in this study "had the desired outcome of training residents to become advocates in the community in order to combat misinformation and distrust."

Dr. Wilson's study involved semi-structured interviews with academy organizers in 11 local governments in our region -- three in Kentucky and eight in Ohio. Those interested in learning more can access a PDF of the full journal article here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0160323X261469510.

08/10/2026

A friendly reminder that the American Society for Public Administration's Greater Cincinnati Chapter (ASPA GCC) is currently accepting nominations for the 2026 Outstanding Public Service Awards at: https://bit.ly/4b9Wrlh.

Nominations will be accepted through Tuesday, August 25th at 11:59 p.m. A FREE awards celebration will be held on Wednesday, September 23rd (6-8 pm) at SparkHaus.

Please consider submitting one or more nominations for public-service professionals and/or initiatives in our region that deserve to be recognized. There are seven categories of awards: 1) Career Achievement; 2) Individual Contributor/Mid-Careerist; 3) Young Professional/Early Careerist; 4) Support Services; 5) Student; 6) Public Service Initiative and 7) Public Service Innovation. (Visit the web site for brief descriptions.) More than one nominee may be selected for an award in each category; that is, there is not a limit of one award per category.

08/04/2026

The Northern Kentucky University Master of Public Administration (MPA) program is proud to recognize Collin Jarrell as the recipient of the 2026 MPA Public Service Scholarship.

A first-generation college student with a passion for public service, Collin has demonstrated exceptional leadership through his work in local government, legislative affairs, business advocacy, and student governance. From serving as Community Liaison for the Bracken County Judge Executive to advocating for workforce development and public policy initiatives across Kentucky, Collin has consistently worked to strengthen communities and improve the lives of those they serve.

His leadership as NKU Student Body President, Student Regent, and Kentucky FBLA Collegiate State President reflects a deep commitment to civic engagement, effective governance, and creating opportunities for others.

💬 "My goal is to leverage strategic management principles to build stronger, sustainable communities and improve the quality of life for individuals who rely on effective public systems."
— Collin Jarrrell

Please join us in congratulating Collin on this well-deserved honor and celebrating his dedication to public service, leadership, and community impact. 🎉

07/30/2026

We are super proud of our two alums -- Sam Shelton and Tyler Gabbard -- who were recently selected for the 2027 class of Leadership Northern Kentucky! Organized by the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Leadership NKY brings together professionals from government, nonprofit, business, and other sectors and provides them with experiences and skills to make positive impacts in the Northern Kentucky / Greater Cincinnati region.

Sam is currently serving as Assistant City Manager for the City of Bellevue, Kentucky. Previously, he worked for the City of Fort Thomas, Kentucky for six years. Sam earned a number of credentials at Northern Kentucky University, including the MPA degree, Nonprofit Management & Leadership certificate, and a couple micro-credentials.

For nearly four years, Tyler has been Theatre Director for The Carnegie in Covington, which is a multidisciplinary arts venue including a theatre, galleries, and education center. Tyler earned his Nonprofit Management & Leadership certificate at NKU, and he's worked for a few other arts organizations, including The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati and NKU School of the Arts.

Congrats to Sam and Tyler! ⭐⭐

07/29/2026

Dr. Darrin Wilson was interviewed by WCPO 9 about the recent decision by the Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) board to place an earned-income tax levy on the November ballot instead of a traditional property tax levy. A key reason for the board's proposed shift is to "provide a more sustainable revenue source" for CPS operations, according to the WCPO story.

CPS is not the first school district in Ohio to attempt to move toward taxing residents' salaries and wages in lieu of or in addition to taxing their property values. In May 2026, there were 32 issues on the state's ballots related to school income-tax levies, and only eight of them passed.

Based on this recent history, Dr. Wilson indicated the CPS proposal has some challenges between now and November. "I think voters are going to have to get educated on what the earned income tax is," he said. "Historically, most school districts are solely based off of property taxes."

You can watch and/or read the full story here: https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/cincinnati/cincinnati-public-schools-asks-voters-to-consider-first-ever-earned-income-tax-levy-heres-how-it-would-work.

07/27/2026

🎉 Welcome Our New MPA Graduate Assistant (GA), Ethan Nhek! 🎉

Ethan brings communications and storytelling experience from internships with Visual Merchandising and Store Design Magazine and Cincinnati Magazine. His work included writing about sustainable retail design and emerging industry trends, interviewing designers about ethical retail practices, conducting extensive fact-checking, and supporting community outreach initiatives. These experiences strengthened his ability to research, engage diverse audiences, and elevate meaningful stories.

In addition, Ethan is passionate about creating meaningful change through everyday interactions. While working at Cincinnati’s Coffee Emporium, he helped lead a partnership with the Coffee Coalition for Racial Equity (CCRE), raising awareness and support for Black and Brown coffee professionals through fundraising, education, and community engagement.

As the MPA GA, Ethan will assist with MPA student recruitment, work on special projects within the MPA program, manage the Public Administrators Student Society (PASS), maintain the MPA student blog, and much more. Students interested in participating in PASS can reach out to Ethan at [email protected].

Please join us in welcoming Ethan to the MPA team!

Address

555 Founders Hall
Highland Heights, KY
41099

Telephone

+18595725326

Website

http://nku.edu/mpa

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