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MPA Fellows Address Pressing Problems

Naoru Koizumi
Associate Dean of Research and Grants
nkoizumi@gmu.edu
703.993.8380

Ryan J. Pryke
Senior Grants Administrator
rpryke@gmu.edu
703.993.3758

Office of Grant Development
Schar School of Policy and Government
George Mason University

3351 Fairfax Drive, MSN 3B1
Van Metre Hall, 5th Floor
Arlington, VA 22201
Phone: 703.993.2280
Fax: 703.993.8215

The MPA Northern Virginia Public Service Fellows in class
The MPA Northern Virginia Public Service Fellows in class

Before graduating from the MPA program, every cohort of Mason’s Northern Virginia Public Service Fellows completes a capstone project that puts the theories learned in the classroom to work in the public sphere. In spring 2013, PIA’s ninth cohort addressed an issue with immediate, local impact: the closure of Fairfax County’s Northern Virginia Training Center (NVTC), which provides housing and support for 136 intellectually and developmentally disabled individuals.

For this cohort, the reality of diminishing budgets added an extra challenge when they investigated a complex issue facing Northern Virginia.

Following a multiyear investigation, the Commonwealth of Virginia determined to close four of its five residential training centers for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. NVTC, located off Braddock Road in Fairfax County, is tagged to close in June 2015 with the expectation that surrounding Community Service Boards (CSBs) will provide group homes with comparable care and engagement for their new residents.

Under the guidance of Tony Griffin, Mason’s practitioner-in-residence and former Fairfax County executive, the 11 capstone students (many of them current employees of local municipal governments) interviewed local leaders grappling with the challenges that arise with the facility’s closure. Some students explored the possible uses for the property once it is vacated. Another group looked at the state’s obligation to provide services and housing for NVTC residents. A third group investigated the employment options available for disabled individuals in the surrounding area. The financial implications of any actions weigh heavily on decision makers.

“I look at this as a field exercise,” Griffin says. “I looked for a project that was worthwhile and challenging… something relevant, current, and of potential use to the CSBs. The students use what they learned in the program, along with their professional experience to address a challenging topic.”

While grappling with the complexities of this problem, Griffin says, “the students learned that all the jurisdictions have similar issues and concerns. The interesting aspect of this particular topic is that the entire community has a stake in it.”

Read the full article here.

February 24, 2014