Skip to main content

Mission

The School of Public Service at Boise State University

Boise State University’s School of Public Service is dedicated to excellence in innovative teaching, cutting edge scholarship and meaningful community outreach, serving the State of Idaho, region, nation and global communities.

The School is comprised of rich and diverse academic programs, including Criminal Justice (BS, MA), Military Science (Minor), Political Science (BS), Global Studies (BA), Environmental Studies (BA), Urban Studies & Community Development (BA), and Public Policy & Administration (MPA, Ph.D), as well as talented affiliated faculty from departments and programs across the university. The mission of the School also is supported by a variety of centers and institutes that facilitate research and public engagement, including the Idaho Policy Institute, the Andrus Center, the Center for Dispute Resolution, Energy Policy Institute, and the Frank Church Institute.

Together, these complementary academic programs, centers and institutes strive to achieve local relevance with theoretical and applied research, as well as outreach provided to communities, local governments and businesses. National recognition is achieved with innovative and relevant scholarship that enriches our society.

The School prepares students, public servants, and leaders to think both regionally and globally in an interdependent world. As such, it serves as a centralized resource for policy makers—to assist them in making informed decisions—and for faculty and students to actively connect and engage with the community and participate in policy decisions. The bridging of disciplines across the university and the larger community enhances the education of students, allowing them to apply their knowledge and skills to the critical challenges facing the public, private and nonprofit sectors.

Empirical and applied research and the production of new knowledge are central to the mission. Faculty, staff and students make important contributions that balance theory and practice across diverse areas of contemporary scholarship, including the following:

  • Democratic & Collaborative Governance in the New American West
  • Policy Analysis
  • Systems of Law & Justice
  • Sustainability

The School uses analytical methods to create and disseminate knowledge highly valued by a variety of consumers of research, including policy makers and leaders in the public, nonprofit and business worlds. Finally, the School of Public Service’s transdisciplinary approach to knowledge seeks to provide professional expertise and promote public discourse and engagement across groups to produce innovative solutions to pressing and complex political, governmental, social, economic and environmental concerns.