MASTER OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Fellowship of her dreams

Christina Ingle enrolled in the MPA program in Fall 2015 with the dream of launching a career in local government management, and she finished the program by being selected for the most prestigious fellowship in the field.

Christina was one of 3,000 students who applied for the 2017 Local Government Management Fellowship sponsored by the International City Management Association (ICMA), and she was only one of about 50 chosen for a fellowship -- a 1.6% selection rate. Fellows are placed in full-time local government positions where they develop real-world management skills. Many go on to become town, city and county managers.

She is serving as Management Analyst with the Town of Munster, Indiana, in the Chicago metropolitan area. Munster is home to Three Floyds Brewing Company, three lakes, 10 parks and 20,000+ residents ... including one very happy and proud NKU MPA alumna.

MPA students assist museum

The city of Newport, KY is developing a museum to document historical eras in the city and region. Two MPA students helped move the museum forward with their capstone projects.

The City of Newport Museum will be located in the old Southgate Street School, an historic building located behind Hofbrauhaus that served as the African-American school for Campbell County from the 1870s to mid-1950s. It is expected to have an exhibit on the relatively peaceful desegregation of schools in the 1950s. Other exhibits may focus the city's role as a military base during the 1800s ("Newport Barracks") and its thriving but illegal gambling scene from the 1920s to 1960s ("Sin City"). 

MPA student Charles Powell drafted a set of collection management policies, geared toward the effective acquisition and  conservation of artifacts. Fitzgerald Chibamu created a plan for a travelling exhibition that could be taken to K-12 schools to teach history lessons as well as other local organizations to raise awareness about the museum.

Supporting Latino Families

As Patrol Commander for the Covington Police Department, Amanda Donelan witnessed an increase in immigrants, who don't speak English as their primary language, and the challenges that sometimes result.

When she was on patrol one night, she approached a Latino man who, unbeknownst to her, had been stabbed in the back, literally. The man was afraid to report his injury to police, but his friend turned him around, and Amanda saw blood streaming down his back and legs.

Shortly thereafter, the city of Covington designated Amanda as liaison to Supporting Latino Families (SLF), a recently-formed group of local professionals working to improve communication and service delivery for Spanish-speaking populations. At the time, she was a student in the MPA program.

After serving as liaison to SLF for a year or so and moving through the MPA program, Amanda decided to work with the group for her Capstone project. Specifically, she helped formalize the group by applying for 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, developing bylaws and a strategic plan, and writing a grant application.

There's still much to be done to help immigrant families in Northern Kentucky. But Amanda's project has gone far to create a more strong and sustainable organization to assist them.