PP 5303. Race and Public Policy
Focus area: Public Policy, Diversity and Inclusion; Social Policy; Public Policy
This course focuses on an examination of contemporary public policy through the lens of race. Students will begin by looking at the policy process, the racial and ethnic composition of the United States, the impact of immigration, and the malleability of race and ethnicity. Throughout the course, students will analyze past public policies that systematically disadvantaged African Americans compared to their White American counterparts through de jure discrimination and will discuss why policies designed to remedy the resulting disparities have seemed unsuccessful at closing the Black/White wealth gap. Finally, students will trace this gap to the public policy of slavery in the United States and brainstorm about ways how this gap can be reduced or eliminated through race-related public policy proposals regarding reparations for African American descendants of the enslaved.

PP 5304. Public Policy, Diversity, and Inclusion
Focus area: Public Policy, Diversity and Inclusion; Social Policy; Public Policy
This course is a management course that will focus on racial disparities, how to measure them, and how to address them. These examples will be extended to gender, and other domains with a history of exclusion, to obtain the broadest possible sense of diversity and inclusion. Laws and policies will be discussed as to how they changed over time and how they evolved from equal employment opportunity and affirmative action, to diversity and inclusion. Issues of measurement will be considered along with policies that organizations have devised to achieve diversity, and policies to maintain diversity and achieve inclusion. By the end of the course each student will develop a diversity and inclusion plan for an organization of their choice.

PP 5317. Capital Finance and Budgeting
Focus area: Public Financial Management; State and Local Government Management
This course is designed to familiarize students with the municipal bond market and to expose them to key public policy and management issues. Specifically, the course will focus on how the proceeds from municipal bonds are used, the types of securities and issuers, who the players are in the bond market, how prices are determined (including the municipal bond credit rating process), disclosure, and ethical issues in the industry. The course focuses on long term tax exempt public debt; however, there will be some discussion of short term debt.

PP 5318. Financial Management for Public Organizations
Focus area: Leadership and Public Management; Public Financial Management
This course is designed as a survey of the principles, issues, and skills of financial management in the public sector. The focus will be on preparing students to be skilled consumers of financial information who possess the ability to analyze it and make sound decisions based on their analysis. This is not a government accounting class, but the development of the ability to understand accounting practices is an important part of the course.

PP 5325. Labor-Management Relations, Negotiation and Contract Management
Focus area: Leadership and Public Management; State and Local Government Management; Executive Leadership
This course is designed as an overview of the fundamentals associated with collective bargaining in the public sector. The class is a graduate level discussion on these topics to familiarize the student with the fundamental tools necessary for labor-management relations, negotiation and contract management. Topics for discussion will include the statutory basis for collective bargaining, the collective bargaining process, impasse procedures, a review of the costs associated compensation mechanisms, health benefits and pensions, and contract management. The course will cover negotiation and bargaining procedures, techniques, and strategies, as well as alternate dispute resolution methods.

PP 5326. Public Investment Analysis
Focus area: Public Financial Management
Students in this course will study investment theory and public financial management. Students will acquire an introductory understanding of financial instruments and portfolio theory, the theory and evidence on efficient markets, and proficiency in the key dimensions of investment decision making.

PP 5327. Analysis for Management Decision Making
Focus area: Leadership and Public Management
This course introduces students to modeling approaches that can be used to solve public, nonprofit, and business management problems.  This is an applied course with a particular focus on setting up and solving management problems using spreadsheets and Excel Solver. Students will practice model building and gain experience with modeling techniques including decision analysis, queuing analysis, linear programming, simulation, and data envelopment analysis. Students will also learn to interpret model results in different policy or public management context and conduct sensitivity analysis.

PP 5344. Social Policy
Focus area: Social Policy; Public Policy
This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to social policy. Students will examine the power structures that promote or deny policy, various theories put forth to understand how social policy decisions are made, and the underlying theories, logics, and social contexts that guide particular social policies.

PP 5346. Child and Family Policy
Focus area: Public Policy, Diversity and Inclusion; Social Policy; Public Policy
This course applies social science theory to the study of the family and is composed of three parts. The first covers the microeconomic tools and perspectives that will be utilized throughout the course. The second focuses on the theoretical models developed to inform our understanding of the family. A variety of topics will be covered including marriage and divorce, fertility, employment, and human capital. The final section will be devoted to the application of this theory in the policy arena. Subject matter in the application section will consist of, but is not limited to, income support, education, and child support policies. Domestic policies are the primary source for examples. Throughout the course, children and their outcomes are of particular concern.

PP 5348. Urban Planning Principles and Methods
Focus area: Urban Planning; State and Local Government Management
Urban planning is an interconnected, complex, technical and political activity that focuses on the physical environment of cities and suburbs.  This course is an introductory graduate-level course, intended to help students understand what urban planning is, why it is done, and who does it. The first portion of this course addresses the history of urban planning and urbanization in the United States and why, how and for whom government engages in planning and implementation. The course then examines several major substantive areas, like sustainability, affordable housing, transportation and urban design. The assignments are designed to develop professional analytical and writing skills. This course is most appropriate for those students who aspire to understand the planning function in a local government setting.  Those who prefer to work in state government will also benefit from developing an understanding of the local planning function.

PP 5349. Public Procurement and Contracting
Focus area: Leadership and Public Management; State and Local Government Management
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the principles of contract formulation and administration in public procurement.  The growing significance of contracting out and outsourcing in the public sector requires the availability of procurement specialists that are educated and comfortable with best practices in procurement activities from the identification of the need through the close out of contact activities.  Students will learn about best practices for effective contracting relationships between the public and private and nonprofit sectors. 

PP 5350. Urban and Regional Policy
Focus area: Urban Planning; State and Local Government Management
The course will explore the theories and empirical analyses used to explain how spatial economies function and generate public policy challenges. Students will develop an understanding of urban economies relevant to a range of policy issues, such as infrastructure provision, governance, economic development, climate change and housing, and skills in employing analytical frameworks and empirical methods to investigate a set of substantive policy issues faced by state and local governments. The course is most appropriate for students who plan to be professional engaged in state and local public policy. Exposure to upper division or graduate course work in microeconomics and statistics, preferably regression analysis, prior to enrolling in this course is recommended.

PP 5363. Local Government Management and Leadership
Focus area: Leadership and Public Management; State and Local Government Management; Urban Planning
In this course students will examine the characteristic functions of local government management, such as finance & administration, human services, parks & recreation, planning & zoning, public safety, and public works. The focus will be on understanding of the structure and role of local governments, learning about issues critical to the operation and effectiveness of local governments in Connecticut and elsewhere, and gaining an appreciation for current trends in public management thought and practice.

PP 5366. Executive Leadership
Focus area: Executive Leadership (MPA Executive Track)
This course is designed to help students improve their skills, behaviors and techniques in three areas: Effective Leadership, Negotiations, and Strategic Planning. In each one of these three areas, students will complete a series of readings and activities and simulations. The goal is to enhance student skills in these three areas, and to empower them with tactics and techniques to enhance their ability to achieve outcomes for their current and future employing organizations.

PP 5368. Performance Management and Accountability
Focus area: Leadership and Public Management; State and Local Government Management
This course will focus on the practical aspects of performance management and accountability including: measurement development, operationalization, data collection and compilation, various aspects of reporting, basic performance diagnostic and problem-solving techniques, linking performance, budgeting and planning, cost measurement and performance management, performance based contracting and performance monitoring, how performance measurement supports program evaluation, and performance measurement and data democracy.

PP 5373. Budgeting in Public Service Organizations
Focus area: Public Financial Management
In this course, students will explore various public budgeting and financial management issues facing decision makers. The budget represents an organization’s priorities, and as such, is arguably its most important policy document. Further, budget approaches send strong incentives through an organization—for good or ill. As a result, the budget process is where policy and management intersect. In the end, students will be familiar with important public budgeting issues, understand different budget and finance concepts, and be able to construct and analyze simple budgets using Microsoft Excel.

PP 5374. Topics in Financial Management
Focus area: Public Financial Management
This course is focused on familiarizing students with the core areas of local government financial management. Topics covered include accounting and financial Reporting, budgeting, debt management, investment management, compensation and benefits, risk management, and procurement. The course features lectures, discussion, and the comments of professional experts. Readings come from the research literature and from the Government Finance Officer’s Association.

PP 5397. Special Topics in Public Policy: Policymaking and Legislative Process
Focus Area: Public Policy
This course will introduce students to the role and processes of Connecticut’s General Assembly. Topics for discussion will include formal and informal rules and procedures by which legislation is developed and enacted, other legislative authority such as approving regulations and oversight, the impact of elections on the legislative process, methods of tracking and researching legislation, legislative bill drafting, and the role of the public and other stakeholders in shaping and influencing the legislative process. Students will participate in classes and complete assignments designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of Connecticut’s legislative process and begin to develop the skills necessary to substantively participate in that process.  Guest speakers will include legislators and others with roles in the legislative process.

PP 5397. Special Topics in Public Policy: Ethics, Law, and Accountability
Focus Area: Leadership and Public Management
This course explores government accountability in the United States. What does our government owe us, and how do we keep the government accountable for what it owes? How do we expect government officials to behave, and why? We will examine these questions through the lens of the federal, state, and local governments in this country. We will introduce theories of normative ethics, and how historical and philosophical views of “ethics” might apply. We will follow the maturation of government ethical rules throughout American history. We will examine governmental corruption and conflicts of interest, and how our idea of governmental “corruption” has changed over time. We will look to citizen participation in government decision-making and oversight. We will look briefly at campaign finance policy and whether our democratic system can hold elected officials accountable through the ballot box.

PP 5397. Special Topics: Equity in Public Policy and Evaluation
Focus Area: Public Policy
The first few weeks of the course will introduce students to an equity framework for public policy evaluation and administration. The remainder of this course we will work to apply this equity lens to the study of higher education policy, where we will discuss various issues related to (in)equity in higher education. This will include institution-, state-, and federal-level higher education policies (including financial aid, loans, and admissions policies) and student higher education outcomes (including access, inequality, and social/economic mobility).

PP 5319. Program Development and Evaluation
This course is geared toward professionals who are engaged in, or preparing to enter, the nonprofit sector. The course will focus on program development and program evaluation, their interconnectedness, and how that interconnectedness can support nonprofit professionals in increasing program effectiveness. Topics include program planning frameworks, program development, performance measurement, performance management, data collection, and evaluation.

PP 5323. Leading and Governing Nonprofit Organizations
This course examines the strategies and skills of leading and governing that support the building of a healthy and sustainable nonprofit organization that meets the needs of its community and stakeholders. A strong focus is placed on applying leadership skills that build the organization, engage with the community and manage strategic partnerships. In addition, a strong emphasis of the course focuses on developing effective nonprofit governing boards operating practices and cultivating the key working partnership with the CEO.

PP 5324. Grant Writing and Government Contracting
This course will provide the student with the core understanding and approaches to researching private and government grants to fulfill the work of a nonprofit. The course provides a strong grounding in grant and proposal writing that supports the usage of program outcomes, financial, and qualitative data to “tell the story” of a nonprofit and its case for financial support. The course also provides a strong foundation in the skills essential to responding to RFPs for government contracts for service provision, along with examining the pros and cons of contracting with government agencies. In addition, the course will focus on the holistic organizational system approach to responding to grants and government contract RFPs, along with collaborative multi-agency collective strategies which can strengthen proposals and the impact of final deliverables.

PP 5328. Business Functions of Nonprofit Organizations
This course examines the principles, issues and skills of financial management and accountability in managing the financial resources of a nonprofit. Topics include variance analysis, nonprofit accounting, financial statement and ratio analysis, forecasting, cash flow analysis, internal controls, and other key financial tools. A strong focus is placed on developing your proficiency in the use of financial data for organization and program decision-making, and to communicate and work with organization stakeholders (governing boards, funders and community) in using financial data and tools.

PP 5329. Nonprofit Advocacy, Government Relations, and Law
This course will provide students with a comprehension of the legal landscape, rights, and obligations in which nonprofit organizations operate in the United States. A second pillar of the course is the examination of advocacy practices of nonprofits with government in support of its client communities, and the support community voice and action in civil discourse and grass roots action with government and other stakeholders. The course will also the review of the legal and tax implications related to advocacy, lobbying, and political activity of nonprofit organizations.

PP 5336. Fund Development and Nonprofit Sustainability
This course will provide the student with the important skills to address the key questions and practical applications of developing funding to support the financial requirements for nonprofits to meet their mission. Key to this learning objective will be the development of the skills needed to create a fund development plan that uses diverse funding strategies to meet nonprofits’ long-term financial sustainability requirements. We will examine essential aspects of key philanthropic funding methods: general fundraising, annual fund, major gift, capital, planned giving campaigns, and the demographic dynamics of giving. The course will also investigate the growing usage of new revenue development methods; such on-line giving, earned-income enterprise, social impact bonds, and other developing methods of funding for organizational sustainability.