Guest Blog from Chuck Shoopman - The Relevance of Public Service

At the recent meeting of the Southern Consortium of University Public Service Organizations (SCUPSO) there was a significant amount of discussion about how much universities value public service work these days. With major emphasis around the country on university graduation rates, the job skills of college graduates and the declining number of American graduates in STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), and with fiscal constraints facing the private and public sector alike, many universities are questioning how important it is that their faculty and students invest time on public service projects and activities. As universities examine how to manage their fiscal challenges and where to focus their resources, it seems there are many institutions evaluating how public service education and work experiences are beneficial to students, faculty and the institution itself. In fact, most SCUPSO member organizations have recently experienced budget reductions that are greater than the average reduction shared across their universities.

I was EXTREMELY proud to represent an institution that is experiencing financial difficulty, is thoroughly reviewing all of its programs and organizational structure and has concluded that public service is too valuable to ignore. While UT’s Institute for Public Service is not immune from the challenges and difficulties facing our institution, our customers and our citizens, the leadership of The University of Tennessee has affirmed that serving the businesses, governments and communities of our state and enriching the experiences of our faculty and staff by engaging them in public service is a value-added opportunity for The University of Tennessee.

As we have the opportunity to represent our institution as we serve our customers, let’s be reminded that everyone doesn’t always value our work the way we do. It is important for us to do work that matters to our customers, to our institution and to us. If we don’t believe in the value of our work and we can’t effectively explain it to others, there is no guarantee that we will have unlimited opportunities to continue to provide our services. The experiences of our SCUPSO colleagues in other states remind me that the competition for resources doesn’t begin at budget time; rather, budgets often reflect the relevance that decision-makers believe the expenditures have to the mission of the organization. Let’s be sure to continue our tradition of assuring that investments in public service at The University of Tennessee produce results that are recognized benefits to our customers, our institution and our state.