Fels Institute of Government
| Fels Institute of Government | |
|---|---|
 Fels Institute of Government | |
  Location within Philadelphia | |
| General information | |
| Status | Previously the home of Samuel S. Fels |
| Location |
3814 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19104 |
| Coordinates | 39°57′13″N 75°12′00″W / 39.9535°N 75.2000°WCoordinates: 39°57′13″N 75°12′00″W / 39.9535°N 75.2000°W |
The Fels Institute of Government is the University of Pennsylvania's graduate program in public policy and public management. Its practical approach to public management education, its Ivy League pedigree and its relatively small size make it one of the nation's leading boutique programs in public affairs. The Institute was founded in 1937 by Samuel Simeon Fels of the Fels Naptha Soap Company in response to a wave of corruption and mismanagement in Pennsylvania government. Originally established for the purpose of training local government officials, over time Fels broadened its mission; it now prepares its students for public leadership positions in city, state, and Federal agencies, elective politics, nonprofit organizations, and private firms with close connections to the public sector. Its 2,000 living alumni work in leadership roles across the US and around the world. As of August, 2015 the Executive Director of the Fels Institute is Dr. Nelson Lim.
The Fels Institute is housed in Samuel Fels' former residence, a brick mansion located on the west end of the University of Pennsylvania's campus.
Academics
Fels offers a Master of Public Administration degree in both a full-time and executive (part-time) formats. Fels also offers four-course certificates in Nonprofit Administration and Public Finance.
Faculty
Faculty members include:
- Dr. Robert Pearson: Carnegie-Mellon, Pearson's R (regression)- His model was not fully specified
- Hon. Edward G. Rendell: Former Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
- Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky: CEO, Women's Campaign International; Former Member of Congress
- Jim Kenney: Mayor of the City of Philadelphia
- Stephen Mullin: Senior Vice President, Econsult Corporation; Econsult Solutions Inc.; Former Philadelphia City Finance Director
- Eric Costello Neiderman: Manager, Cargo Security Research & Development, Transportation Security Administration, Dept. of Homeland Security[1]
- Wayne A. Smith: President and CEO, Delaware Healthcare Association; former House Majority Leader, Delaware General Assembly
Notable Fels alumni
- Jennifer Beck: New Jersey State Senator, Represents the 12th legislative district
- David Byerman '95, Secretary of the Senate of the Nevada Senate
- Robert Bittenbender '98: Former Budget Secretary under Governors Tom Ridge, Mark Schweiker and Dick Thornburgh, and former executive director of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
- Peter Brown '99: Professor at the University of Minnesota and author of America's Waterfront Revival Port Authorities and Urban Redevelopment.
- Donna Cooper '87: Senior Fellow,Center for American Progress,and former Pennsylvania Secretary of Policy and Planning
- Stephen Dilts '96: New Jersey Transportation Commissioner
- Joseph A. Esposito '06: Former Deputy Under Secretary for International Affairs at the U.S. Department of Education
- Chaka Fattah '86: US Congressman
- Matthew Gallagher '97: Chief of Staff, Governor of Maryland Martin J. O'Malley
- Wilson Goode: First African-American Mayor of Philadelphia (1984–1992)
- Richard Keevey: Former Director of the Princeton University Woodrow Wilson School's Research Institute on the Region
- George M. Leader: Former Governor of Pennsylvania (1955-1959)
- Michael Masch: Chief Business Officer of the School District of Philadelphia
- Rob Powelson '03: Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; Former Chairman of Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission
- Anna Shapoval '04: Country Director, Doctors of the World - Kiev, Ukraine[2]
- Richard Smith '91: Acting Assistant Deputy Secretary of Education
- Richard Steffens '88: US Diplomat and author & lyricist for the Carnegie Hall production Mother Russia.
- Greg Walker '05: Policy and Planning Officer, Sound Transit
- Rob Wonderling '91: Former Pennsylvania State Senator and current President and CEO of the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce
Fels Publications
- Vacant Property Reclamation and Neighborhood Change in Southwest Center City Philadelphia (July 2008): Details the current status of vacant properties surveyed in 1998 to better understand the changing neighborhood.
- MyVote1 National Election Report (Christopher Patusky, Allison Brummel, & Timothy Schmidt, August 2007): Summarizes the results of the 2006 MyVote1 National Election Hotline project.
- The Philadelphia SchoolStat Model (Leigh Botwinik, Christopher Patusky, Mary Shelley, 2007): Describes how the Compstat and CitiStat models were adapted for the Philadelphia School District, what performance improvements occurred after implementation, and which features of the approach seemed to be the biggest contributors to improvement.
- "Making the Most of Social Media" (Chris Kingsley, Allison Brummel, Catharine Lamb, & Jack Higgins, 2009): Discusses the growth of Social Media over the past several years, including the challenges associated with adopting them for public use - legal, practical and political, and distills the experience of cities who have done this both more and less effectively into seven suggestions that cover the full cycle of adoption, from pre-planning to self-evaluation.
