Rationale for Agency Selected

For this and the following assignments, which will become a major

part of your portfolio, you will take on the role of a consultant for a

government agency. The first role of the consultant is to familiarize

yourself with the agency, its departments, and key actors. Select a

local, county, state, or federal agency and a department within the

agency. Usually, you can find contact information on their Websites.

After selecting an agency and department, you are expected to:

1. Provide a rationale for your selection, and research the agency and department.
2. Interviewat least two (2) representatives of the agency’s department for thedifferent sections of the paper. (If you can obtain more than two (2)different interviews, do so. The more perspectives, the better.Interviews can be conducted in person, by phone, or by an electronicmethod such as email.)
3. Research the literature regarding issues that involve the selected agency and public administration in general.

Assumethe role of a consultant who works for a consulting firm that has askedyou to research this agency and file a report with the Vice President(VP) of Accounts and Client Support.

Write a two to three(2-3) page paper, titled Part I: Background of and Rationale for the{Selected Agency} in which you separate the content into sections:

1. Providebackground information about the agency and its department, mission,and its goals / objectives. (Title this section Introduction.)
2. Describe three to five (3-5) functions of this agency. (Title this section Functions of the Agency.)
3. Analyzetwo to three (2-3) current events involving the agency. (Use thee-Activities from Week 1 and Week 2.) (Title this section CurrentEvents.)
4. Explain the rationale for selecting this agency with two to three (2-3) justifiable reasons. (Title this section Rationale.)
5. Listfour to five (4-5) academic sources and government Websites you expectto access in your research. (Include no more than one (1) non-governmentWebsite.)

Some Websites you may want to access are:

• U.S. Government Printing Office located at http://www.gpo.gov/
• The Federal Register located at http://www.federalregister.gov/
• U.S. Government Accountability Office located at http://www.gao.gov/
• American Society for Public Administrators located at http://www.aspanet.org/public/

When using these sites, please make sure they follow APA formatting within the text and on the Reference Page.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Betyped, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), withone-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APAformat. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Includea cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’sname, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The sectionsmust have appropriate titles. The cover page and the reference page arenot included in the required assignment page length. The assignmentmust be submitted as a Microsoft Word document.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Examine the basic components and functions of public sector administration.
• Recommend ways to improve specific areas of public administration.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in public administration.
• Write clearly and concisely about public administration using proper writing mechanics.

Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality,logic/organization of the paper, and language and writing skills, usingthe following rubric.

Click here to view the grading rubric.