Kirby Brown, M.S., Dean, College of Management
James Vanderleeuw, Ph.D., Director, Master of Public Administration Program

For more than three decades, the Hauptmann School of Public Affairs (HSPA) has been advancing the key public service values of moral courage, protecting human dignity, the common good and service.

The HSPA was founded by and is named for distinguished Park University Professor Emeritus Jerzy Hauptmann, Ph.D. A native of Poland, Hauptmann was involved in the resistance to the Nazi invasion of Warsaw in 1944, serving as a “sewer rat.” After serving time as a prisoner of war, he completed his Ph.D. when the war ended and immigrated to the U.S. After one year at Northwestern University, he joined the Park University faculty in 1951 and remained for 50 years at the institution he loved. He maintained his association with the University as professor emeritus until his passing in January 2008.

Hauptmann founded the HSPA in 1982 to house the Master of Public Administration program, which he designed as a cross-sector, values-grounded, liberal arts-based graduate degree program rooted in the inter-connectedness of all sectors of society and the impact of human action on the world. Hauptmann ensured that the school was connected to the local and broader community and made civic engagement a lifelong expectation of graduates. The school’s mission and vision statements reflect this historic grounding and permeate all programs of the HSPA. The Hauptmann School of Public Affairs is dedicated to advancing the values of citizenship, civic engagement, moral courage and commitment to the common good that Hauptmann’s life exemplified. Today, the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program resides within the College of Management and graduates leaders prepared to shape the future in these times of relentless change and to make a difference in their communities and in the world.

Expectations of Graduates

The Hauptmann School of Public Affairs expects our graduates to promote rationality, responsibility and responsiveness in their organizations, within a framework of the highest ethical values. The HSPA also expects its graduates to be citizens dedicated to responsibility and the common good. With the study of public administration, students will understand the system of government and society of which they are a part, complete with its opportunities as well as its shortcomings, and also recognize that the future direction of the system will be influenced and affected by what they do, or fail to do.

Degree programs housed within the Hauptmann School of Public Affairs:

• Master of Public Administration
• Bachelor of Public Administration (Information can be found in the Park University Undergraduate Catalog)

Additional university-wide programs and initiatives:

• Dr. Jerzy Hauptmann Distinguished Guest Lecture Series
• Unscripted Future Initiative

The Dr. Jerzy Hauptmann Distinguished Guest Lecture Series

Established in honor of a remarkable educator, Jerzy Hauptmann, Ph.D., this annual lecture series is a tribute to Hauptmann’s outstanding accomplishments in public administration and international politics. The series brings internationally renowned scholars to the Kansas City area to address topics related to Hauptmann’s three areas of study: international relations, public administration and democratic theory. The Lecture Series has included some of the top names in those aforementioned fields, including Dr. Emily Hauptmann (Jerzy Hauptmann’s daughter), Dr. Patricia Ingraham, Dr. Donald Kettl, Dr. Lawrence Korb, Dr. John Mearshiemer, Dr. David Mathews, Dr. David Rosenbloom, Dr. Walter Broadnax and Dr. Dwight Waldo. The lecture is free and open to the public. Additional information about the Hauptmann Lecture Series can be found on the Park University website.