In a recent blog post for Life, Well Run (an ICMA initiative), blog contributor Pam Weir, assistant to the manager, Goodyear, Arizona, spoke to the new generation of MPA students starting this year by telling them about what she remembers most from her time in graduate school. An excerpt of that post is below; the full post is available at the Life Well Run blog.

“On the first day of my first class of my MPA program, my public affairs professor asked the class: “How many of you remember anything you learned in college?” The room filled with chuckles and nervous glances as only a few brave souls tentatively raised their hands. My professor went on to explain that the reality is, few of us remember the names and dates and formulas learned as undergrads. Instead, what we hold onto are the big concepts, the paradigm-shifting ideas, and the basic skills of our chosen fields.

"She encouraged us to keep that in mind throughout graduate school. While yes, we would learn all about Frederick Taylor’s scientific management at the turn of the 20th century and Douglas McGregor’s X and Y theories of human motivation and management in the 1960s, it was highly unlikely we would hold onto the details beyond what was required for our assignments. She challenged us throughout the curriculum not to simply inhale lectures and readings and exhale papers, but to consider how the key lessons taught in graduate school can be applied to our careers in public service.

"My professor also helped us understand another big truth: The breadth of what we will face in our careers cannot possibly be prepared for through higher education alone.”