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Op-ed: Whatever happened to the Kennedy School of Government?

by Chris Asch Feb 06 2009, 09:45 AM Recently, I had the opportunity to write a guest blog for one of our nation's most distinguished graduate schools for public sector work: the Kennedy School of Government. At least, I thought I was writing for the renowned KSG. Turns out, KSG does not exist anymore…it has been transformed into HKS, the Harvard Kennedy School. Visit ...

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Muffling Obama's call to service

by Chris Asch Jan 07 2009, 09:06 AM In this week's Newsweek, Jonathan Alter warns President-elect Obama: "Don't muffle the call to serve." With all the concern about the economy and all the attention on the economic stimulus package, one has to wonder if Obama's call to public service will remain a top priority. Alter writes:  "...the dreams of ...

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Invest in Our Intellectual Infrastructure Too

by Chris Asch Dec 10 2008, 09:15 AM Everyone from the pundits to the pollsters to the president-elect is talking about "infrastructure" these days. Infrastructure projects seem to be widely accepted as a way to stimulate the economy, generate jobs, and help us pull ourselves out of this economic pit. By infrastructure, folks generally mean brick and mortar ...

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What can baseball teach us about the economy?

by Chris Asch Oct 27 2008, 09:01 AM For many of us, late October means one thing. No, not elections or polls or “October surprises,” I’m talking about the World Series! But alas, even the World Series has implications for governance and public service. Allow me to explain. As a Washington native and devoted Nationals fan, I take heart in the Rays’ worst-to-first run, though I have ...

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We Neglect the Public Sector at Our Peril

by Chris Asch Sep 24 2008, 08:43 AM The financial crisis has once again brought the issue of government regulation to the front pages. After decades of belittling those meddlesome government regulators, Wall Street now comes begging for a bailout. How interesting... Once the panic subsides, we would do well to reconsider our approach to regulations and the regulators. Mock them ...

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What does “service” mean to Obama and McCain?

by Chris Asch Sep 09 2008, 10:51 AM “Service” has become quite the theme in this election season. At their conventions, both Barack Obama and John McCain emphasized their long years of service to our country. On 9/11, they will make a rare joint appearance at the Service Nation Summit in New York to discuss their plans to encourage service and reinvigorate civic life. It’s ...

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'And it's all just a little bit of history repeated'

by Chris Asch Aug 13 2008, 10:10 AM "Just as the challenges of the nineteenth century led to the creation of West Point and the Naval Academy, and those of the twentieth century to the Air Force Academy, the challenges of the twenty-first century point to a new paradigm in leader development, a ‘civilian West Point' to promote public service and to develop a steady stream ...

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Why not scholarships instead of a Public Service Academy?

by Chris Asch Aug 04 2008, 09:53 AM When I talk to people about the idea to build a Public Service Academy modeled on the military academies, I generally get positive responses. "Why don't we already have one?" people ask. "I would have loved to have gone to that kind of academy!" others (particularly young folks) will say. But sometimes I face skepticism and ...

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Where does government fit into Obama’s call to service?

by Chris Asch Jul 23 2008, 11:51 AM Against a backdrop of uniformed soldiers in Colorado Springs a couple weeks ago, Sen. Obama told the audience that national service "will be a central cause of my presidency." But what exactly does he mean by "service?" Chastened by critics of his past speeches on the subject, Obama carefully included military service ...

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Raising the visibility of public service

by Chris Asch Jul 01 2008, 09:13 AM A recent New York Times article highlighted the dilemma that Harvard students face upon graduation. "Big Paycheck or Service? Students Are Put to Test" the headline read, and we heard from a collection of graduates who had to choose between earning six-figure starting salaries with hedge funds and consulting firms, or taking the ...

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