The Fels Institute of Government is the University of Pennsylvania's graduate program in public policy and public management. Its practical approach to public management education, its Ivy League pedigree and its relatively small size make it one of the nation's leading boutique programs in public affairs. The Institute was founded in 1937 by Samuel Simeon Fels of the Fels Naptha Soap Company in response to a wave of corruption and mismanagement in Pennsylvania government.[citation needed] Originally established for the purpose of training local government officials, over time Fels broadened its mission; it now prepares its students for public leadership positions in city, state, and Federal agencies, elective politics, nonprofit organizations, and private firms with close connections to the public sector. Its 2,000 living alumni work in leadership roles across the US and around the world.[citation needed] As of August, 2015 the Executive Director of the Fels Institute is Dr. Nelson Lim.
The Fels Institute is housed in Samuel Fels' former residence, a brick mansion located on the west end of the University of Pennsylvania's campus.
Academics
Fels offers a Master of Public Administration degree in both a full-time and executive (part-time) formats. Fels also offers four-course certificates in Nonprofit Administration and Public Finance.
Faculty
Faculty members include:
Dr. Robert Pearson: Carnegie-Mellon, Pearson's R (regression)- His model was not fully specified
Hon. Edward G. Rendell: Former Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Richard Steffens '88: US Diplomat and author & lyricist for the Carnegie Hall production "Mother Russia."
Rob Wonderling '91: Former Pennsylvania State Senator and current President and CEO of the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce
Stephen Dilts '96: New Jersey Transportation Commissioner
Peter Brown '99: Professor at the University of Minnesota and author of "America's Waterfront Revival Port Authorities and Urban Redevelopment."
Richard Keevey: Former Director of the Princeton University Woodrow Wilson School's Research Institute on the Region
Michael Masch: Chief Business Officer of the School District of Philadelphia
Anna Shapoval '04: Country Director, Doctors of the World - Kiev, Ukraine [2]
Greg Walker '05: Policy and Planning Officer, Sound Transit
Robert Bittenbender '98: Former Budget Secretary under Governors Tom Ridge, Mark Schweiker and Dick Thornburgh, and former executive director of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
MyVote1 National Election Report (Christopher Patusky, Allison Brummel, & Timothy Schmidt, August 2007): Summarizes the results of the 2006 MyVote1 National Election Hotline project.
The Philadelphia SchoolStat Model (Leigh Botwinik, Christopher Patusky, Mary Shelley, 2007): Describes how the Compstat and CitiStat models were adapted for the Philadelphia School District, what performance improvements occurred after implementation, and which features of the approach seemed to be the biggest contributors to improvement.
"Making the Most of Social Media" (Chris Kingsley, Allison Brummel, Catharine Lamb, & Jack Higgins, 2009): Discusses the growth of Social Media over the past several years, including the challenges associated with adopting them for public use - legal, practical and political, and distills the experience of cities who have done this both more and less effectively into seven suggestions that cover the full cycle of adoption, from pre-planning to self-evaluation.
