Extension Communications
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
5/21/03
For immediate release
Contacts:
Kurt Thurmaier, Department of Political Science, at (515) 294-7207, kthur@iastate.edu
Lynette Spicer, Continuing Education and Communication Services, (515)
294-1327, lspicer@iastate.edu
E-Government Curriculum at ISU Meets Changing Needs of Public Professionals
AMES, IOWA – A new world of study and practice is opening up for public service professionals as government offices, as well as the general public, increasingly rely on computers and the Internet.
In June, the Iowa State University (ISU) Department of Political Science launches the first course in a new curriculum concentration – e-government – designed to help public employees better and more efficiently meet the needs of their constituencies through new technologies.
"This is a very progressive move by Iowa State," said Michael Armstrong, Chief Information Officer with the City of Des Moines. "As budgets continue to shrink, we find we are operating more and more in an electronic environment."
"There are only four or five universities with a similar focus on e-government," noted Yu-Che Chen, who will teach the first course. Chen has been on the faculty at Indiana University and will come to ISU this summer.
"They have the vision at Iowa State. I think it will be a nationwide draw for students," he said.
Armstrong, who was on a team of external advisors that assisted in developing the e-government studies package, said it strongly relates to the two primary current concerns of service professionals – access and services. It is about improving as well as being able to afford those efforts. Nine courses have been created that will allow public service professionals to increase their capabilities in the e-world, gathering graduate credits toward a Master of Public Administration degree.
The first course begins June 25 at the Des Moines Higher Education Collaborative at Capital Square. It is E-Government and Information Policy, for three graduate credits, and will provide public administrators with the knowledge to successfully manage special projects and information. Registration deadline is June 11. Information about the curriculum and registration is available at www.lifelearner.iastate.edu/degree/mpa.htm.
Beginning fall, courses will be offered at selected Iowa Communications Network (ICN) sites and by DVD.
"We (the City of Des Moines) will work with ISU professors on practical projects in e-government studies," Armstrong said. "I think it will be a tremendous opportunity for students. It will give them a different dimension to their studies."
Future courses include Managing IT in the Public Sector; Information and Security Management; Electronic Democracy; Science, Technology and Public Policy; Telecommunications Management; Business Processes and Systems Development; and others about e-commerce and GIS systems and application design.
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