Helping students link classroom theory with the real-world demands of a job in local government management is the goal of a popular graduate-level course at the University of Georgia that is administered in part by the Vinson Institute.

Public Administration and Policy 7500 combines academic study and practitioner discussions to introduce Master of Public Administration students to local government management and help them determine if they want to pursue a career in the field, explains Vinson Institute faculty member Harry Hayes, who works with class instructor Dr. Delmer Dunn to coordinate a wide array of guest speakers. "As part of its mission to help provide better government for our state, the Vinson Institute is in a natural position to support the practical component of this course," Hayes explains.

Topics explored include the career of the local government manager, planning, manager and governing board relations, local government finance, citizens and interest groups, service delivery, legal issues, public safety, infrastructure, and human resource management.

"The panel discussions with experienced professionals who are out there working in local government now have helped me get a grasp of the many different issues they must deal with and how public policy is shaped in their environment," says class participant Lesley Sisk.

In the photo here, panelists at the April 9 class shared their perspectives about the future of city and county management. Instructor Dr. Delmer Dunn, left, introduces panelists David Lynn, Athens-Clarke County Government commissioner and Vinson Institute governmental services faculty member; Jerry Griffin, executive director, Association County Commissioners of Georgia; and Perry Hiott, research director, Georgia Municipal Association, not pictured. Dunn was serving as director of the Vinson Institute when the course was begun in 1989.