by Cheryl Simrell King<\/p>\n\n\n\n
April 6, 2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are in unprecedented times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our MPA students and alumni are front-line workers in this global pandemic: first responders; data wranglers; policy advisors and makers; program implementers; service providers; people managers and inspirers; social movement organizers. Whether working from a hastily constructed home office (while managing a houseful of \u201cco-workers\u201d) or literally on the front lines in program delivery and services, you all are doing the good work of providing the order and safety nets that are the heart of governments and nonprofits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is not hyperbole to liken this moment to the times of Franklin Delano Roosevelt\u2019s presidency. As you know, he led the design of unprecedented governmental interventions for the relief, reform, and recovery from the Great Depression, which followed a devastating time of war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s been popular, from about the 1970s, to dismantle FDR\u2019s legacies. To see government as the problem, not the solution. To see government as the greatest barrier to the free market. And to idealize small government. It took the Great Recession of 2008 for some to, grudgingly, admit that government is essential in economic and national recovery. Yet, the pendulum has swung far back in the opposite direction under the current presidency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And here we are \u2013 at a time in which we need leaders like FDR like never before. Thankfully, we are finding this leadership at the state and local levels. And in the front-line public servants that embody FDR\u2019s experimental zest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This, dear MPAers, is where you come in. Thankfully, we are finding this leadership in you<\/em>. You are best served to do the bold and experimental work of leading us through this crisis and recovery because of your unique personal attributes and the Evergreen MPA experiences that helped shape you. Above all, try something. Be the change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was a privilege to work with you all over the last 20 years. It was a privilege to lead the MPA program and contribute to building a program that shapes the kind of public servants you all are. It was a privilege to do this work with my beloved colleagues and administrators\/leaders in the college and in our communities. Thank you for these opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m retiring from teaching at Evergreen, but I\u2019m not retiring from public service. I\u2019m retiring from teaching at Evergreen, but I am not retiring from observing the excellent work you all are doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s make this world better than we found it. There\u2019s never been a better opportunity (in our lifetimes). I believe in you and I\u2019m cheering you on from the sidelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (The MPA staff asked that I write a few words, as my retirement from Evergreen was effective April 1 (no, not April Fools!).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Cheryl Simrell King April 6, 2020 We are in unprecedented times. Our MPA students and alumni are front-line workers in this global pandemic: first responders; data wranglers; policy advisors and makers; program implementers; service providers; people managers and inspirers;… Continue Reading →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9454,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_s2mail":"yes"},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/mpanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1973"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/mpanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/mpanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/mpanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9454"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/mpanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1973"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/mpanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1973\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1974,"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/mpanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1973\/revisions\/1974"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/mpanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/mpanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1973"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/mpanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}