Professor Gordon Whitaker to Retire after Nearly 40 Years of Teaching in the MPA Program

GORDON WHITAKER: "THE HEART AND SOUL OF THE MPA PROGRAM"

by Safa Sajadi

There are certain timeless elements that are so much a part of the MPA program’s mission and identity that it’s difficult to envision the program without them. These include the MPA cohort experience, the education of future public servants, and Professor Gordon Whitaker, who has announced his plans to retire in the summer of 2012.

For well over 30 years, Whitaker has taught, directed, and been an instrumental force for the MPA program. His impact has been felt in the classroom, in North Carolina communities, and around the world. His accomplishments extend well beyond his required course work, capstone meetings, and the occasional MPA social get-together.

THE PEACE CORPS: MAKING THE WORLD BETTER

Whitaker grew up on a farm in Bloomington, Indiana. Gardening—one of his favorite pastimes—developed as a direct result of working in his family’s fields. After obtaining an AB from Cornell College, Whitaker spent time in Somalia with the Peace Corps. “At the time, there was a great deal of interest in trying to make the world better and the belief that government played a role in that,” he says. He attended graduate school at Indiana University, where his dissertation chair was political economist Elinor Ostrom, who was awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences.

Whitaker’s doctoral dissertation focused on how public service organizations like police forces could better meet the needs of their citizens by evaluating their own organizational frameworks. Understanding the experiences of citizens, how they evaluated their police forces, and how those differences factored across city and county lines were paramount factors in his research. As a result of this research, Whitaker and his colleagues were awarded a National Science Foundation grant to study the organization and delivery of police services across the country.

THE CAROLINA CONNECTION

A few years later, his path took a turn toward the University of North Carolina when Deil Wright contacted him about an open position for a visiting professor in the Political Science Department at UNC-Chapel Hill. Whitaker began teaching program evaluation and statistics, but ultimately his interest in organizational management aligned with the MPA program’s need for someone to teach organizational theory and management. Over the next few decades, he continued his research, served as the MPA program director (1980–1992), implemented the MPA Assessment Center, helped to develop the North Carolina Civic Education Consortium, and organized the School of Government’s Public Intersection Project. “We are doing important work at the School of Government,” Whitaker says.

He says there have been changes to the field of public administration over time. “The boundaries between government, business, and nonprofits are more blurred; there is not a sense that government needs to produce all public services and can work with others to produce them.” Understanding these blurred boundaries and working with them is a common theme with the Public Intersection Project. “Instituting the collaborative governance course for MPA students and practicing collaboration with local government officials are some ways we are preparing public officials to face these issues effectively.”

THE NEED FOR CIVIC EDUCATION INCREASES

Through his involvement with the North Carolina City/County Managers Association’s “Civic Education Project” he wrote Local Government in North Carolina, an introduction to civics for all North Carolina public schools. “In comparison to the 1960’s, the public seems more skeptical about government,” says Whitaker. “Though these beliefs and ideas do happen in cycles, there is an overwhelming distrust in government resulting in a real need for civic education and engagement.”

According to Whitaker, civic engagement is an ongoing practice throughout one’s life. “That’s the great thing about living in a democracy,” he says. “People are engaged in governing themselves, letting government know what they need, and working with government to get things done.”

THE TRAVELER

In the moments when he is not working (which seem few), Whitaker enjoys reading, gardening, and traveling. He has visited France, Italy, Turkey, Cyprus, India, Romania, and South Africa. Although his desk is littered with papers and books, his office walls are adorned with items he’s purchased overseas, including a rug from Romania.

Retirement will present a major change for Gordon Whitaker. Though things will continue to change, the MPA program and students, the state of North Carolina and beyond will forever be inspired and impacted by his countless years of service. “As I look back on my career the one thing I value most is my connection with the MPA program, and it is where I have put my greatest effort.” Perhaps Dean Mike Smith captured it best when he said, “For many years Gordon has been critically important to the MPA program—he has been its heart and soul.”