Everett, Wash.
Published: Sunday, February 10, 2008

Make an investment in our future leaders

 The crowds at this year's presidential campaign rallies, including the recent ones in Western Washington, have revealed a phenomenon that mustn't be overlooked: young Americans who care, passionately, about their nation's future.

They're not only turning out at rallies, for candidates of both major parties, but at caucuses and primary elections. They're engaged and enthused. By the thousands, maybe millions, they're making the connection between their personal involvement and our national and global success.

If only such fire could be captured, bottled and unleashed on demand.

Well, perhaps it can. The future of the public institutions that make our society work depends on strong, skilled civilian leadership at all levels -- from local to national. National service is an American value that appears ready to be re-energized. Congress should embrace it by passing legislation to create a United States Public Service Academy, a national institution to promote public service and develop competent civilian leaders ready to tackle the myriad challenges our nation and world face.

Such a national civilian university would be modeled after the nation's fine military academies, which provide four years of tuition-free education in exchange for a five-year commitment of service following graduation. But rather than going into the military, graduates would go to work as teachers, police officers, park rangers, or in other critical public service jobs.

As with the military academies, enrollment slots would be allocated by state through a congressional nomination process that ensures proportional representation and keen competition.

A U.S. Public Service Academy would offer a pathway into public service that's largely unaffordable today. Many of today's top graduates whose first choice would be public service go in more lucrative directions because they're saddled with so much college debt. The roughly $200 million annual investment needed would pay off handsomely by drawing some of our nation's best talent into public service, gradually rebuilding a leadership structure that's graying rapidly.

We'd even agree with some local backers of the proposal that the logical place for such an institution is right here in the Northwest, where volunteerism has been and continues to be high.

The youthful energy and passion emerging from this political season has the potential to propel this nation to new chapters of greatness. But it must be nurtured. A U.S. Public Service Academy would do just that.



To learn more about the proposal to create a U.S. Public Service Academy, visit http://uspublicserviceacademy.org.
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA