The Master of Public Affairs program has received accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration, for the third time in a row.

The MPA program, which began in 1973, is designed to educate students to serve the public interest in government, non-profit and private sector arenas. The majority of its graduates live and work in Connecticut.

"We want to instill in students a strong sense of ethics, accountability and responsiveness," says Richard Kearney, a professor of political science and director of the program.

The program first achieved national recognition from the Association back in 1983. Every seven years, the program is reviewed in such areas as the quality of its faculty, resources and its admission standards.

"One of the things (the reviewers) were most impressed with is our faculty," Kearney says. "We are ranked number 39, which places us in the top 18 percent of all accredited MPA programs. That is quite an achievement for a small program."

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