GovernmentExecutive.com

Four lawmakers have agreed to introduce bills in both chambers of Congress establishing a civilian public service academy in the mold of West Point.

Just Thursday morning, backers of the academy sent an e-mail to supporters asking for help recruiting a Republican senator to co-sponsor the legislation.

"Almost exactly one year ago, at my desk in a small house out in the Mississippi countryside," said Chris Myers Asch, a former teacher, "I wrote the first sentence of a mission statement for a national public service university. Today, we are on the verge of introducing the Public Service Academy Act in the U.S. Congress."

The idea is to inject prestige back into public institutions. The 5,000-person undergraduate academy would be free to students, costing taxpayers $205 million a year. Students, nominated by members of Congress in a process much like that at the military academies, would be required to study abroad and to complete internships with nonprofit and military organizations. They also would undergo a summer of emergency response training.

After graduation, students would repay the country for their free education by spending at least five years in public service, working for either nonprofits or the government.

Asch, who came to Washington to lobby for the academy after founding a nonprofit to encourage college attendance in the poverty-stricken Mississippi Delta, already had signed on Reps. Jim Moran, D-Va., and Christopher Shays, R-Conn., and Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y. to introduce the bill.

He listed Sens. Arlen Specter, R-Pa.; John McCain, R-Ariz.; Olympia Snowe, R-Maine; Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C.; and Sam Brownback, R-Kan., as five possible targets to join them.

"We need your help," Asch said. "We have spoken with a number of senators who have expressed interest in the bill, but they have not made a firm commitment to co-sponsor. We think that they could be convinced to join our effort if they were to hear from people."

Less than 24 hours after his request, Asch sent another message to supporters announcing that Specter had agreed. He said he does not expect a vote on the bill before November's elections.

"It is an important step," Asch said. "We soon will have a bill with a name and a number, and we can begin building support for the bill nationwide."

The academy's supporters - which include former Education Department Secretary Richard Riley and retired Lt. Gen. Dave Palmer, former head of West Point - readily agree they have a long haul in Congress. New appropriations could be tough to secure with a $260 billion U.S. deficit.

COMMENTS

• Talk about "pork," how ignorant can you be. We need this like we another shrub. Dave Posted November 14, 2006 2:10 PM
• This is a prime example of a really bad idea gone to the limit. Why would the taxpayer fund this organization that provides services anyone can find at several different good colleges and universities? We have no need for the service academies so why create one for civil servants? The great Army Corps of Engineers is a product of West Point! That alone should seal the fate of this proposal! These are the government trained engineers that allowed for the flooding of New Orleans and drained the Everglades! We do not need more of this stuff! This group should focus its efforts on the colleges and universities that already offer this material and help focus the content for the desired purpose. Taxpayer Posted October 2, 2006 7:20 AM
• I have been a federal employee for more than 25 years. I have a college degree, and attended the academy when I joined the government. However, most of what I know I learned on the job, from co-workers and actual experience. Very little of a practical nature was learned in the classroom, and in fact, a lot of what was taught in class had no place in the real world. A public service academy sounds like a good idea, but the fact that each federal job is specialized, and the basics can be taught in a relatively short time, would seem to argue against an institution that offers years of study leading to a degree. As a previous poster pointed out, such programs already exist, and establishing a new one would be a questionable use of taxpayer dollars, and a duplication of effort. GovExec.com reader Posted September 29, 2006 12:49 PM