Receiving my master of public administration (MPA) degree from EKU completely changed my life. I started work with the City of Richmond, Kentucky shortly after earning my degree. I am confident that the education and training I received from EKU is the reason I was given the position. In fact, I was told as much by my former department head. He knew that my education would be vital in my day-to-day work and that I would be able to bring new ideas and techniques to city government.
I started with the City of Richmond working as the planning and zoning clerk. As the clerk, I interacted with citizens, acted as secretary for the Planning and Zoning Commission and Board of Adjustments, and handled all civil plan submittals. My experience in my courses during my MPA helped me to feel confident in my duties. The courses I had taken, including introduction to city planning; public sector organizations and management; research methods; and community development, all proved endlessly helpful.
Thanks to my MPA degree, I have been able to prove my effectiveness and worth to the city at large. In November of 2017, the City of Richmond consolidated several departments to create the Division of Codes, Planning, Safety and Risk Management. I soon became the codes and planning coordinator. I know that my MPA has helped me to become an asset to city government and has helped me become the most effective public administrator that I can be. Almost every day I reference something that I learned in a class, I consult a text that was used during discussions, or tell someone about an experience I had during my time at EKU. Getting my masters of public administration degree from EKU was the best thing I’ve ever done.
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By: Tyler Stone, EKU master of public administration graduate