Mission

The mission of the Center for Public Policy Study is derived from and supports the Lamar University and the Texas State University System mission. The center strives to create new and real-world applicable knowledge of public policy (government, intergovernmental, and public – private partnerships); to advance the needs of a diverse student body through quality research and internships; and to enhance the capabilities of communities in the Southeast Texas Region and the State of Texas with graduates who understand and contribute to a diverse and global environment. 

The center achieves its mission through two main functions. First, the center has an established research agenda that focuses on the salient policy issues of the Southeast Texas Region and the State of Texas that include disaster policy and energy policy. Second, the center coordinates public internships with local, state, federal, and industry organizations to provide Lamar University students with a quality experience and valuable insight into how public policy is formed and administered.

While the Center for Public Policy Study provides research and internship tools to attract high quality students within the Department of Political Science, more importantly it provides the diverse student body from across Lamar University with a central hub to conduct policy research in conjunction with students from all disciplines. This is a vital piece to helping students understand how to function in an environment that has become more and more complex, diverse, and global.

The Center for Public Policy Study serves to support Lamar University’s desire to attract and retain a diverse and high-quality student body. The Center for Public Policy Study works in conjunction with the Department of Political Science and the Master of Public Administration program to facilitate student research through the Fast Track program that allows high achieving students to complete a Bachelor and Masters degree in five years. The purpose is to provide research support needed to complete an undergraduate and advanced degree and to excel in their professional aspirations.

Community Relations

The Department of Political Science strives to continually build community relations and increase research activity in the region with local government, local industry, and the community. The Department actively engages with City Managers and Emergency Managers as well as the executive staff of the South East Texas Regional Planning Commission to forge a lasting partnership with the community that supports the Lamar University and Texas State University System mission.

History

The Center for Public Policy Study was established within the Department of Political Science on October 11, 1989 by the Lamar University System Board of Regents. The center’s original purpose was to provide interdisciplinary training for public leaders through the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program (with a policy emphasis) with an interdisciplinary focus on the formulation, implementation, and evaluation of policies to confront the current (at the time) and future problems. The problems of the day focused on the decline of the petrochemical industry which had resulted in sever economic and social dislocations (unemployment) in the Gulf Coast Region. 

As a component of the Department of Political Science, the center has historically operated through an interdisciplinary program, that affords the opportunity for concentrated study in public services policy, economic development policy, environmental policy, and judicial policy. The center strives to promote and coordinate studies in public policy while promoting public and private funding of public policy research, scholarly publication, and community service in a global and diverse environment.