ABSTRACT
Public service reform in the last 30 years has over time transformed the public services, leading to extensive contracting with nonprofit and for-profit agencies, a wide variety of public-private partnerships, greater competition among service agencies, and much more emphasis on accountability, evaluation, and program impact. This transformation of the public services has in turn lead to fundamental changes in the education of students interested in public service careers. Students now demand greater course content on nonprofit management including certificate and specializations. At the same time, public service reform has blurred the boundaries between the public, nonprofit and for-profit sectors. Consequently, graduate programs in public affairs and public policy need to adapt their course content to provide a solid grounding in core management and leadership skills that can be valuable in different sectors. Thus, an integrated approach to nonprofit management education that includes content on nonprofit management in the core curriculum in graduate programs can be highly useful and relevant for students providing them with the skills and knowledge to effectively respond to the contemporary and future challenges facing their organizations and their local communities.
