K-School Graduates Choosing Service

The Kennedy School of Government (KSG) announced last week that more of its 2002 graduates were entering public service jobs than any class in twenty years.

Out of those who graduated with a master’s in public policy in June, 83 percent will either be working for a government or in a non-governmental organization—that number is up from 61 percent last year and from 58 percent in 2000.

Additionally, nearly 60 percent of all KSG graduates will be working in the public sector—a number that is also higher than recent years.

KSG Dean Joseph S. Nye pointed to the resurgence of concern for security and other government issues following Sept. 11 as the largest of several factors that might have played a part in the increase.

Nye also said the economic downturn has limited the number of private sector jobs available, thereby prompting graduates to take government jobs.

Director of Career Services John H. Noble said he thought the corporate climate during the spring and summer may have also affected students’ decisions.

“The ‘Enron Affect’ was added in there at the end,” he said. “Our students started thinking that the private sector needed to be regulated and also that the public sector needed some help in that.”

Nye also said the KSG’s recent efforts to provide incentives to enter public service—including loan forgiveness and fellowships—had been paying dividends.

The school’s programs promote public work by helping such governmental careers become more financially viable for KSG graduates, he suggested. Currently, the KSG is working to increase funding for such fellowships in order to maintain the momentum Sept. 11 may have caused.

“We have several alumni who have indicated a willingness to do this with us,” Nye said.

The KSG’s programs are aimed at addressing what graduates say is the biggest hurdle to entering the public sector—high levels of loans indebtedness.

“It’s the biggest burden to our students,” said Noble. “They want to pay the rent and have a life, but still make a difference. So we’re trying to make it easier for them to realize their mission in life.”

Whatever the contributing factors, KSG administrators say the sudden rise in public sector employment is welcome news.

Until this year, the numbers of graduates nation-wide who went into public service had been declining, according to Nye.

“We are very much pleased,” Nye said. “Since the school’s mission is public service, this is a trend we favor.”

—Staff writer Katherine M. Dimengo can be reached at dimengo@fas.harvard.edu.