UCLA – School of Public Affairs
                                    Department of Public Policy
                                     MISSION STATEMENT

                                                                                         March 21, 2006

VISION

To improve the quality of decision-making and execution on matters of public concern.

MISSION

The Mission of the Department of Public Policy is to enhance both the range of ideas and knowledge about how to deal with public problems and improve the skills of those who deal with them professionally, by conducting research directed to public issues, educating public policy professionals, and partnering with public servants and the community to disseminate and apply new and existing knowledge for solving public problems.

GOALS

It is the goal of the Department of Public Policy to improve the quality of decisions made about matters of public interest through research, teaching, and service at the local, state, national and international levels

RESEARCH

    The Department aims to:

    •   Promote and engage the faculty’s scholarly expertise to address          problems of public concern.
    •   Understand and improve the performance of public, non-profit, and          business institutions in the United States and globally.

EDUCATION

    The education goal of the Department is to:

    •   Enroll a talented, accomplished, and diverse group of individuals         committed to careers in public service.
    •  Deliver a Masters-level education program that provides students with a         robust set of analytic and decision-making skills that they can use to         address a wide range of policy questions and that encourages students to         understand policy issues from a variety of intellectual perspectives. These         skills empower our graduates to tackle today's challenges as well as         policy issues that emerge in the future.
    •  Expose undergraduate students to public policy issues and teach them         basic analytic tools.
    •  Develop professionals who will take on leadership roles in public,         non- profit, and private institutions.
    •  Assist students in obtaining advanced professional positions in public,         non-profit, and private organization.

SERVICE

    The Department seeks to:

    •  Collaborate with members of the greater applied research community to         analyze and develop effective solutions to important public policy         questions.
    •  Collaborate with the governmental, non-profit, and business communities         to enhance the availability of skilled professionals and to address specific         public policy problems.
    •  Collaborate with colleagues at UCLA and in the University of California         system to ensure adherence to the highest standards of personnel         recruitment and institutional performance.

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

    The Department commits to maintain a self-reflective organizational     environment engaged in ongoing evaluation, assessment, and improvement.