KU School of Public Affairs and Administration: Courageous Conversations

The School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) is dedicated to fostering courageous conversations for the public sphere by encouraging bold ideas. As we prepare to celebrate our Master of Public Administration’s 75^th anniversary in 2025, we're raising funds to support dynamic lectureships and speaker series that will challenge conventions, spark critical dialogue and fuel innovation in public service. 

Your contribution will directly support our efforts to bring influential speakers to SPAA and provide enriching learning experiences for our SPAA students, the KU Community and beyond. 

These bold voices will inspire and equip our students and community with the knowledge, insights and perspectives needed to tackle the complex challenges facing our communities. By investing in our 'Courageous Conversations for the Public Sphere' initiative, you're not just supporting students, you're also contributing to the advancement of public service excellence and creating transformational ideas.

Some recent speakers KU SPAA has sponsored for in-person, hybrid and virtual lectures:

• Al Roberts | The Challenge to Democracy: Is the Field of Public Administration Ready to Meet It?
• Charles Stewart | Miracle or Tragedy? Anticipating the Challenges of Administering the 2024 Election.
• Erica Stein | Property as Conspiracy: Condo Media and Condo Mediation.
• Gala Korniyenko | International Planning: Challenges and Opportunities for Ukraine Green and Disability Inclusive Rebuilding.
• Cullen Merritt | Managing Mission-Norm Conflict in Public Organizations: A Look at Service Shaming in Academia
• Erin Borry | Humanizing Government: Human Rights and Empathy in Bureaucracy