News Release

Tom Ridge to highlight School of Public Affairs celebration

January 28, 2010

A Feb. 23 public presentation by the nation’s first Secretary of Homeland Security, former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, highlights a year-long celebration of public affairs academic programming at Penn State Harrisburg.

Ridge will deliver the “Homeland Security and Leadership” keynote at a dinner celebrating the college’s Public Administration milestones. The event at the Harrisburg Hilton begins with a 5:30 p.m. reception. Visit http://harrisburg.psu.edu/event/spa-celebration for information. The cost for the evening is $75.

The School of Public Affairs at Penn State Harrisburg enjoys a national reputation for the quality of its faculty and students and is designated the University’s flagship school of public affairs. U.S. News and World Report ranks the college’s Master of Public Administration program among the top 20 percent in the nation.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Ph.D. program in Public Administration, the reaccreditation of the Master of Public Administration program, and the launch of online programming in Homeland Security and Defense.

Graduates of the master’s and doctoral programs in public administration number more than 1000 and serve in all levels and branches of government, nonprofit organizations, and the military. Alumni of the programs have held such notable posts as Pennsylvania State Senator, Secretary of the Commonwealth, U.S. Army Lt. General, and Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner.

Penn State Harrisburg’s Ph.D. program in Public Administration was launched in 1989. The Master of Public Administration program admitted its first students in January 1972 and since 1979 has been accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration. The college is also home to the certificate program in Homeland Security and Defense, delivered through Penn State’s World Campus.

Following the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, Ridge became the first Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and on Jan. 24, 2003 became the first Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He was governor of the Commonwealth from 1995 through October 2001.