Strathmore Institute of Public Policy and Governance Gain the Prestigious NASPAA Membership

Strathmore Institute for Public Policy and Governance (SIPPG), has gained the prestigious Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) membership. NASPAA is the largest accrediting body for public policy courses in the USA.

The institute has been actively participating in NAPAA conferences; last year, SIPPG Director Prof. Robert Mudida attended and presented the SBS training and academic curriculum review at the 2016 NASPAA conference, which attracts global participation from reputable institutions in Public Administration and Affairs and enables institutions to gain insights on the accreditation process and network with both accredited and institutions desiring accreditation.

In response to the membership approval, Prof. Mudida shared the following sentiments, “We are delighted about receiving NASPAA membership. NASPAA is the global standard in public policy education. Very few public policy schools in Africa have this prestigious affiliation. We now join the ranks of a select few schools in the developing world that are NASPAA members. The NASPAA membership considerably raises the visibility and recognition given to our Master in Public Policy and Management programme. NASPAA membership is a first critical step that allows us to apply for eventual accreditation of our public policy postgraduate Programmes and we have already begun this process with a stakeholder workshop with key public policy officials and our alumni. At the moment, there is only one fully NASPAA accredited University in Africa. We hope to be the second.”

In preparation for the accreditation process, SIPPG has been hosting accreditation workshops, as facilitated by Prof. Nadia Rubaii from Binghamton University in the USA. The first institutional visit took place in 2013, with consequent visits following suit in 2014, and in 2015.

The accreditation process from the body is a voluntary peer review quality assurance process for Master’s degree programs in public administration, public policy, and public affairs. The cycle involves a self-study report of the analysis, thereafter, an interim report is issued and representatives from the accrediting body make gradual visits to the institution.

The accreditation process seeks to review and improve the program, advance knowledge and practice, and the identification of gaps in the program. NASPAA’s entire accreditation approach is geared towards encouraging programs to improve continuously and manage the programs strategically.