. A blogumn by Emily Farrell Now is an exciting time to be studying public administration. When my Economics and Public Finance class first met in August, we talked about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and just how exactly the housing bubble had been created…and then burst. Since September, class time has been spent on the financial meltdown and government bailout. What role should government play in the private sector and in people’s lives? When and how should government intervene? How will government (i.e. we the taxpayers) pay for everything? Already I feel like I have a better understanding of how different levels of government gather revenue and the issues they have to consider when spending for both shifting and fixed expenditure priorities. The week before the election, my Introduction to Public Administration professor asked who had taken advantage of early voting in Colorado; more than half the class raised their hands, and most of the rest seemed to intend to get out and vote in the next seven days. Even with an estimated 60% voter turnout this year, that is just 60% of registered voters, which in turn make up about 70-75% of eligible voters. That means that only 40-45% of potential voters are actually deciding the course of our country. I expect people in the field of public administration to have a vested interest in voting and participating in the election process, but it was still exhilarating to see proof in the classroom. In my final class, Leadership and Professional Ethics, we have talked about both historic figures (Gandhi, President Johnson) as well as the contemporary examples of Kwame Kilpatrick and Eliot Spitzer. After the election, we spent time discussing Obama’s leadership style and vision. What challenges does he face as a...

. A blogumn by Emily Farrell A few days before I started grad school, a friend at work gave me a present—a Trapper Keeper folder. And not just any Trapper Keeper, but a purple one (my favorite color). I’ve been slowly filling it with handouts and Web printouts from the three classes I’m taking this semester. But other than this binder and a spiral notebook for taking notes, I haven’t taken part in America’s traditional back-to-school shopping orgy. I started thinking about being a kid and what it used to mean to go back to school—backpacks, pencils, lunchboxes, new clothes, book covers, and all the fun, brightly colored, themed products you could buy every year. That gave way to graphing calculators and 40-pound book bags in high school. In college it meant a plane ticket across the country, numerous trips to bring boxes out of storage in the basement, and the fun of decorating a new dorm room. I’ve always enjoyed those back-to-school rituals and the sense of anticipation that struck every August. Starting grad school this year, however, didn’t seem to have any milestones that really screamed “back-to-school.” In high school we would be issued copies of the standard text books, which we then lugged back and forth to school every day. In college I loved the thrill of reading the course catalog, picking the perfect classes, and then fighting crowds at the bookstore to get all my texts. This year, my course selection was limited not only by what was offered for my specific graduate degree but also the core classes I wanted to take first. I created an online schedule and registered for classes with a click of the mouse. With a few more clicks I found the required books and...