How Should Public Administration Education Curriculum Within Indiana Higher Education Institutions Evolve to Reflect the Complex Homeland Security Issues Faced by Future Public Sector Employees

Abstract

The events of 9/11 impacted every community in this country. The effects of the attacks are still being felt today and have brought about many changes. Most of those changes were centered on the concept of homeland security. People and governments had to think differently and do business differently; our leaders had to change as well. The academic world has not been immune to these effects and changes. Soon after 9/11, specialty degree programs were developed in the homeland security field to arm our community leaders and other professionals with the skills and knowledge to deal with this new issue. This thesis explores the need to expand current homeland security education efforts to the already existing programs of public administration within colleges and universities in Indiana. By using survey data collected from homeland security leaders, emergency managers, and college students, the most important topics in homeland security were identified and compared to already existing public administration courses in order to determine the extent to which these topics are being addressed in current public administration programs. Using policy option analysis, potential solutions are evaluated and recommendations made to these Indiana institutions.