About a year ago, I became involved with a grassroots movement to create the U.S. Public Service Academy, this country’s first national civilian university. The U.S. Public Service Academy would be modeled after this nation’s military academies; it would be a civilian West Point, a guiding beacon highlighting America’s need for the best and the brightest of its youth to work in the public sector.
The academy would give 5,100 of this nation’s best youth the opportunity for a free undergraduate education in exchange for five years of public service upon graduation. There are currently identical bills in the House of Representatives and the Senate that would create this academy.
Although this is a new idea for this generation, the idea for a national university first came from George Washington. Now as 44 percent of all government employees are set to retire within the next five years, we need the academy more than ever. The U.S. Public Service Academy would create a steady flow of capable graduates eager to serve America wherever she needs them.
Sure, college graduates certainly have the option of going into the public sector upon graduation, but most accumulate so much debt from school that working for the government is just not a practical option. Working for the government has become seen as a last resort for most college graduates; however, it is a dignified calling that deserves a high place of importance in our society.
In conclusion, the time is now for the U.S. Public Service Academy; the United States has an obligation to create this institution, so Americans will once again see public service as one of the noblest ways to serve this great nation.
Brad Copenhaver
Meadowview, Va.
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