Type | Public |
---|---|
Established | 2004 |
Dean | Skip Rutherford |
Students | 90 |
Location | Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. |
Campus | Clinton Presidential Center |
Website | www |
The Clinton School of Public Service is a branch of the University of Arkansas system and is the newest of the presidential schools. It is located on the grounds of the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock. The school is housed in the Choctaw Route Station, a former Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad station built in 1899.
Former Senator and Governor David Pryor was named as the school's first dean. He stepped down from his position as dean in February 2006 but retained the title and active position of Founding Dean. Skip Rutherford was appointed to succeed David Pryor (Rutherford's mentor) when he was named dean on April 12, 2006.
The Clinton School is a graduate school offering its students a Master of Public Service degree. The program is described as a "two-year graduate program with a 'real world' curriculum." The mission of the school is "to educate and prepare individuals for public service, incorporating a strategic vision, an authentic voice, and a commitment to the common good." The program is unique within the presidential schools for its emphasis on practical courses, which include a practicum, summer internship, and capstone project. The school is further unique for its emphasis on leadership for social change, preparing students to become leaders in the public, private, and non-profit sectors, as well as its emphasis on creating bridges among those sectors. The Clinton School emphasizes equity, as opposed to emphasizing efficiency in public administration schools and effectiveness in public policy schools.
The Clinton School releases a biannual publication called Frank: Academics for the Real World. The fall/winter 2007 inaugural issue of Frank was entitled “Has the Dream Arrived?” and focused on race relations in America. It included pieces by David Eisenhower, President Bill Clinton, Carlotta Walls Lanier, Karl Rove, The Rev. Jesse Jackson, Richard Dawkins, Simon Cowell, Eboo Patel, Aneesh Raman, and Antonio Villaraigosa.