Browse Exhibits (29 total)

Architecture and Public Works

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Public Service as a Profession

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"Careers focused on lifting up our communities – whether it's helping transform troubled schools or creating after-school programs or training workers for green jobs...are not always obvious, but today they are necessary. Solutions to our nation’s most challenging social problems are not going to come from Washington alone. Real innovation often starts with individuals who apply themselves to solve a problem right in their own community. That’s where the best ideas come from." 

- Michelle Obama, Former First Lady of the United States

Public service embodies the ethical principles of the common good, service to others, and social equity. Public service is important because the essential components of our society are largely carried out in the public sphere. For example, public service is central to education, health, justice, security, environmental protection, museums, and the arts. Employment in the public sector attracts individuals with special motivations, often based on a sense of duty or an intense inner commitment to a cause that extends beyond the pressures of the moment and the self. Those who work in public service institutions are personally motivated by making societal contributions, which extend beyond personal goals. They enter public service out of a desire to serve the common good and to connect with the larger community.

The parameters of public service continue to evolve and expand in order to meet the diverse needs of growing populations. The values framework of the public sector is becoming more complex as it embraces ideas from multidisciplinary approaches. To meet the needs of our communities, education, training and professional practice   in public service related fields must continuously evolve to accommodate these developments.

Government and nonprofit organizations offer opportunities for building careers in public service. Government positions range from direct service providers to commissioners and cabinets secretaries. Typical employers include cities, towns, and townships; counties; school districts; courts; legislative agencies; state agenices; and federal departments. Nonprofit positions similary include both hands-on direct service roles to operational roles including fundraising and leadership. Typically, employers include a range of nonprofit agencies, foundations, special interest groups, libraries, museums, historic sites, research organizations, and educational institutions.

In the educational resources section is an overview of a collection of public service narratives, "Ask me why I care," under "Tell your story." They were curated by the University of Nebraska at Omaha College of Public Affairs and Community Service in a Public Service Stories Project. Project Co-Directors are Dr. Mary Hamilton and Ms. Rita Paskowitz. The collection is presented in four groups and each group is accessible in the related VMPS galleries. Each group includes a set of suggested assignments for students. Further details are provided in the Public Service Stories exhibit, which can be opened below in this gallery.

Philanthropy

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“We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.” 
 
-Winston Churchill
 
Philanthropy is an age-old concept, which comes in many forms to provide support in dealing with the root causes of major global challenges; resource scarcities in small communities; and individual needs among the disabled and disadvantaged. Philanthropy provides a broad perspective for thinking about the meaning of one’s life in reference to personal sacrifice, and good will. The desire to “give back” may be the province of the most fortunate among us, but the desire to give is much more universal. Donors, whether large or small, also recognize the importance of giving more than money. Many are able to give non-financial assets, such as their influence to advance advocacy programs, contacts and networks to expand the reach of fundraising initiatives; and their professional expertise. The field of philanthropy also plays an important role in supporting experimental stages of innovative ideas, which when proven can be utilized and implemented by governments toward addressing public problems. Philanthropists are often at the helm of initiatives involving partnerships between public and private organizations as well as civil society.
 
Philanthropists have traditionally been the major contributors to the establishment of important public institutions, such as free libraries, hospitals, medical colleges, science laboratories, sports and entertainment centers, and universities.  These are recognized as social investments with returns that can reduce human suffering and improve the general well-being of individuals and societies through solving social problems, enriching cultures, and strengthening societies. Philanthropy is fundamental to culture of the United States. The number of benevolent organizations continues to rise. Private businesses are also becoming more caring and socially responsible with organizational policies that promote better working environments and practices that benefit society beyond what they are legally required to do.
 
The Philanthropy gallery presents examples of noteworthy philanthropists from the mid 19th century on, who have made important contributions to humanity.

Postal Service

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“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."
 
-Inscription on the James Farley Post Office in New York City 
 
The United States Postal Service (also known as USPS, the Post Office or U.S. Mail) is responsible for providing postal service in the United States as one of the representative frontline agencies serving citizens from 1775.
 
An American History 1775 to 2006 was published by the United States Postal Service (USPS) to document its history as a universal mail system from its inception. The authors affirm that its system has strengthened the bonds of friendship, family, and community, encouraged civil discourse, disseminated information, and bolstered the national economy serving as the hub of vital industry and as a trusted courier for American businesses and businesses worldwide. Much of the development that took place in the US is attributable to the postal service, for “binding” the nation. Mail was first moved using steamboats, along the rivers and then by rail. More inland communities were later served by the Pony Express. There were also innovative ways of moving mail due to challenges faced in different terrains. Mail was transported into the mountains via horse-drawn sleds, early in the 20th Century.
 
Title 39 of the United States Code, enacted in 1960, outlines the function of the postal service. (See under Primary Documents). Chapters 10 and 12 of Part 2 of the Code outline the personnel and labor-management policies and establish a framework for a postal career service. Famous public servants, who began their careers in the postal service, include Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Harry Truman. In 1833, at the age of 24, Lincoln was appointed postmaster of New Salem, Illinois and served in that capacity for three years. According to postal records, Harry Truman was appointed postmaster of Grandview, Missouri, on December 2, 1914. It is further stated that he turned the position over to a widow in need of money.

Barefoot Mailman

The barefoot mailmen of Florida worked as carriers on the first U.S. mail route from Palm Beach to Miami. It took them three days each way walking barefoot on the sand to complete their routes. Though the United States Post Office Department has maintained no record of the Barefoot Mailmen, a monument at Hillsborough Inlet and a New Deal era mural currently hanging in the West Palm Beach Post Office depict the mail carriers at work.

Serving the Public in Elected Office

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“What made you choose this career is what made me go into politics – a chance to serve, to make a difference. It is not just a job. It is a vocation.” 
 
-Tony Blair

 
Elected officials are political leaders at the federal, state and local levels of government.  They include presidents, prime ministers, congressmen and congresswomen, governors, legislators, mayors and county executives. In North America, for example, there are also elected tribal leaders- chiefs, who are recognized by the federal government. The term of office for elected officials varies from two to six years. In most cases elected officials can be re-elected for more than one term. There is usually no limit on the number of terms officials elected to congress can serve. The Presidents of the United States, however, can serve in office for a maximum of two four year terms.
 
Elected officials bear the responsibility as citizens’ representatives, to fulfill their promise of public service and of protecting the publics’ trust. The media pays a lot of attention to elected officials to ensure that they live up to the electorate’s expectations. The public expects that their service will not be motivated by personal career and financial aspirations, but rather by an intrinsic desire to contribute to the common good. For this reason, the service of elected officials is regarded as a vocation, or “calling” inspired by an interest in public policy, compassion for others,  and commitment to servicing others more so than for personal gain. In a democracy people from all walks of life who hear the ‘calling’ to public service can campaign to become elected officials to serve in government. Their families often share in their commitment to public service and traditionally take on missions of their own, with some becoming celebrated for the contributions they make to their communities and beyond. United States First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt (1933-45), for example, successfully led the formulation of the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights (1948) in the immediate post World War 2 period. This international agreement declares the right to life for all people, with rights to privacy, nationality, safety and security, fair trial, freedom of thought and expression, education, assembly and property. 

First U.S. Senators

This featured exhibit presents the first U.S. Senators from different minority groups across the US diverse population. 

Timelines of Public Service

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"History does not refer merely, or even principally, to the past. On the contrary, the great force of history comes from the fact that we carry it within us, are unconsciously controlled by it in many ways, and history is literally present in all that we do." 
 
James Baldwin.
 
Public services are usually provided by governments to their constituents and financed with public funds. In cases where nonprofit or private organizations provide such services, they can do this in partnership with governments and under government regulation in order to safeguard the public's interests. Public services guarantee universal access to essential services and amenities, including emergency services such as paramedics and ambulances, fire protection, healthcare, law enforcement and police protection, the military, libraries, schools, and social services. Many utilities are also provided as public services, for example: electricity, gas, telecommunications and water. In some parts of the world public services may also include environment protection, housing, transportation, and waste management.
 
The timeline through which the nature and extent of public services are defined is influenced by a wide range of economic, political and social factors and priorities. The consecutive endeavor and intellectual tensions to provide appropriate public services within limited resources and uncertain clues of each phase of history lead to present and future configurations of public service provisions.  The size of the work force for delivering public goods and services also reflects these kinds of influences. According to the United States Census Bureau's annual survey data (2013), released in December 2014, federal, state and local governments employed 14.2 million full-time public service workers and 4.8 million part-time. Across the nation, local government employees comprise the majority (72.3%) of the state and local government workforce. For the same timeline, local governments employed 76.2% of all full time local employees.

Security, Fire and Emergency Management

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"I can assure you, public service is a stimulating, proud and lively enterprise. It is not just a way of life; it is a way to live fully. Its greatest attraction is the sheer challenge of it – struggling to find solutions to the great issues of the day. It can fulfill your highest aspirations. The call to service is one of the highest callings you will hear and your country can make"

Lee H. Hamilton, Chairman of 9/11 Commission.

The main goal of security, fire and emergency management is to keep the United States safe. Tasks range from aviation and border security to emergency response.  With the advent of modern information and communications technologies, cybersecurity analysis has become a significant role in security management. Crises, disasters and catastrophes resulting from natural and terrorist events also command a lot of the attention of The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), whose mission it is to protect the nation and to ensure its resilience against terrorism and other potential threats that it might face. When it was created in 2002, DHS combined 22 different federal departments and agencies to form one integrated agency. Among the agencies combined are:  border protection, customs, national immigration service, plans and animal inspection, the U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Secret Service.

Those employed in security, fire and emergency management work in education, fire science, occupational and traffic safety, risk management, and emergency management services. Some have administrative roles and others work on the front line as first responders. 

In the additional resources section to the right is a collection of related public service narratives "Ask me why I care,"under "Tell your story." They were curated by the University of Nebraska at Omaha College of Public Affairs and Community Service in a Public Service Stories Project. Project Co-Directors are Dr. Mary Hamilton and Ms. Rita Paskowitz. The collection comprises videos and Suggested Assignments for Students.

Military Service

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“I have never advocated war except as a means of peace.”
 
-Ulysses S. Grant
 
Military service can be voluntary and involuntary. Although many countries have their military service made up of volunteers, in times of war, mandatory military service can be conscripted by governments to ensure that adequate numbers are available for national defense. Some countries have mandatory military service and require that all citizens serve for a period of time, for example, two years in active duty five years in the reserve.  The United States does not have mandatory military service; however, on occasion its government has imposed a draft into military service.
 
The U.S. has several uniformed services that, throughout its history, have protected the country over land and sea, and in the air.  These services are: the U.S. Army, Marine Corps., Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, National Guard and the Public Health Service Commission Corps. Some branches of the U.S. military service date back to the Revolutionary War. The U.S. Army, for example, was first the Continental Army, founded in 1775 to fight in the Revolutionary war. The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps were also founded in 1775. Since its inception, young people have given their lives to preserve peace and security and to protect the United States.
 
The Pentagon located in Washington D.C. is the headquarters for the U.S. Department of Defense (D0D). The mission of the DOD is to provide the military forces needed to deter war and to protect the security of the U.S. The Department of Defense is the U.S.'s oldest and largest government agency. The DOD has 1.4 million men and women on active duty, and 718,000 civilian personnel. It is the nation’s largest employer. Another 1.1 million serve in the National Guard and Reserve forces.
 
(Source: The U.S. Department of Defense. http://www.defense.gov/about/#mission)

Protecting the Public's Interests

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"I consider ethics, as well as religion, as supplements to law in the government of man." 
 
-Thomas Jefferson, Third President of the United States
 
Protecting the public’s interest is the responsibility of governments and their executive agencies. Decisions made concerning the allocation of public resources to the provision and delivery of public goods and services is guided by the need to protect the public’s interests. The interpretation of what represents the public’s interest may vary at any point in time among stakeholders. Consequently there is ongoing debate among lobbyists, who are often more concerned about the special interests of individuals, groups and firms than about the interests of the larger community and society as a whole.
 
Overall, those concerned with protecting the public’s interest focus on issues related to public safety and welfare, and what will be of long-term public benefit. They are interested in the development and implementation of public policy. According to Harold D. Lasswell (1990), essentially, public policy determines “who gets what, when, and how”. Policy making can involve lengthy disputes over what is best for the public at a particular juncture. Governments can rarely afford to attend to all demands from their constituents, hence the rivalry among constituents for attention to specific needs.
 
The debate about what is best for the public has traditionally been resolved by applying rational economic decision-making, in terms of achieving the most returns on the least investment. The rational for this approach is careful management of public resources. In recent decades other approaches to protecting the public interests have been developed. These include, for example, organization-based strategies, where the competence and capacity of the organization are taken in to consideration when determining governments’ potential for being effective.
 
Promoting ethical behavior among public officials is one of the key aspects of protecting the public’s interests.

Public Safety and Law Enforcement

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“Understand, our police officers put their lives on the line for us every single day. They’ve got a tough job to do to maintain public safety and hold accountable those who break the law."

U.S. 44th President Barack Obama

Police officers, firefighters, and other public safety and law enforcement officers provide necessary services to the community and their work deeply connects them to the people they serve. Quite often, these professionals put their own safety in jeopardy to guard the safety and well-being of citizens, to protect their private property, and to guard vital institutions.

Public safety and law enforcement organizations include emergency management agencies, fire departments, rescue services, emergency medical technicians, departments of motor vehicles who administer driver’s licenses and conduct vehicle inspections, and animal control units. Employees of these organizations come face to face with the daily conflicts and crimes that occur on the streets of our cities and neighborhoods. These vary from littering and noise pollution to property damage, trespassing, burglary, domestic violence and other forms of improper social behavior. In the United States, The Department of Homeland Security is the federal agency responsible for public safety and for federal emergency services rendered through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA works proactively to mitigate the impact of disasters such as earthquakes, floods and hurricanes.

Public safety and law enforcement officers play an important role during natural and manmade disasters to save lives and support the stabilization of communities in difficult times when people are suffering from personal injury, or the loss of their relatives, homes and other valued possessions. Preparedness is an important aspect of their training. This enabled them to respond quickly and efficiently and to provide well-coordinated and effective incident support and disaster relief.

Contempraneously, law enforcement agencies are under heightened scrutiny, prompting reflection and action from advocates and policymakers on the role, power, and structural justice questions of those whose role it is to promote public safety.

In the additional resources section to the right is a collection of related public service narratives "Ask me why I care,"under "Tell your story." They were curated by the University of Nebraska at Omaha College of Public Affairs and Community Service in a Public Service Stories Project. Project Co-Directors are Dr. Mary Hamilton and Ms. Rita Paskowitz. The collection includes videos and Suggested Assignments for Students.