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So we have been working on goals for the past several weeks, and we are making some progress in outlining future plans for the GSPM. This week I wanted to put the basic idea out to the community so everybody can look at it and share their reactions/ thoughts/ suggestions. The three goals listed below are ambitious and are quite beyond us right now; we need to recruit more students, build a larger faculty (full time and part time), raise funds to support more student aid, and significantly raise the visibility of the GSPM to make any of this possible. But I think we will not be who we want to be unless we set tough goals and work hard to get them done.

These three goals are the big picture. Once we are happy with that, our next step would be to start listing specific tasks and timelines against each of the goals. And I expect to be asking for input and advice every step of the way – several members of the GSPM community have already made great recommendations. Several others have offered to share their expertise in planning as we do this – please keep that coming!

Strategic Goals

The GSPM will fully embrace its position as THE School for professional politics. We invented the idea and launched the first such school. By default, the GSPM has been setting the terms of the field from the start. As more competitors enter the field, and as GSPM look both to state and local politics and to international efforts, being the default leader will no longer allow us to stay at the forefront of this growing intellectual field: we must actively pursue continued leadership in the field of practical politics.

To achieve this, the GSPM will:

1. Define the field through a comprehensive conversation about the standards, ethics, goals, purposes, and communications demands of practical politics and public affairs. The GSPM will pursue:
• A research program that captures best practices, tracks emerging trends, and shares this with the profession and the public
• Global outreach that engages all emerging and established democracies in a worldwide exchange on how to make politics better and democracy more robust
• Media outreach and branding to place GSPM at the center of the global discussion
2. Shape the global field of professional politics both directly through our graduates, and indirectly by advancing the profession through public education, outreach to the field and training programs for non-graduates. The GSPM will:
• Continue to grow its educational programs to prepare its students for the constant change of the field
• Expand executive and non-credit programs to further the conversation within the industry, and
• Engage the broader public in an ongoing discussion of how to strengthen democracy through professionalism through seminars and other events accessible by the public
3. Lead the field by producing graduates with the strategic perspective, ethics, communications skills, and knowledge needed to excel in their chosen paths in professional politics and public affairs. The GSPM will build these leaders by:
• Building a world-class faculty that brings professional relevance and academic rigor together in all our programs
• Continuously improving the academic programs offered by the School, and
• Expanding our programs to meet emerging professional demands

Please, share your thoughts!

We have been getting better over time at doing what we are trying to do, particularly our academic programs. I know we have more work to do, and I also know we cannot achieve our purposes without the help of our students, faculty, and alumni. So please share your ideas with us in the home office – if you prefer to share them anonymously, student services director This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it is great at collecting information and getting it to the appropriate office without your identity being attached.