Their practical experience would clearly benefit students, but universities seem to place a higher value on recruiting those with doctoral degrees, research and publications. Federal managers should make a greater effort to engage faculty and students in their work. Faculty members could serve on advisory panels, act as a sounding board for new ideas and work as consultants. Students can be brought in as interns, part-time employees or to help out on special projects. Such relationships help build a stronger public administration infrastructure-a powerful network of students, faculty and public managers that develops, shares and applies the tools, techniques and personnel essential for good government.
Conferences also can forge closer partnerships between the academic and federal communities.
The American Society for Public Administration, for example, a professional organization with large contingents from both sectors, could help develop a research agenda of the most pressing problems facing public service. Universities could use the agenda to guide their research, knowing that the results could have immediate application. For the scientific community, failure to close the gulf between universities and industry would have further eroded the nation's ability to compete in the global marketplace.