The Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas has earned accreditation from the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) through its Commission on Peer Review and Accreditation (COPRA).
Recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), NASPAA accreditation represents the global standard in public service education. The Clinton School is one of only six graduate programs nationwide to earn NASPAA accreditation during 2026, joining a cohort of public service institutions dedicated to academic excellence and student success.Â
“Our journey toward NASPAA accreditation began with a shared faculty commitment to setting the highest national standard for public service education,” Dean DeFrancesco Soto said. “This achievement is the result of years of collaboration with our students, faculty, staff, alumni, Dean’s Advisory Board members, community partners, and University of Arkansas System leadership. I want to extend my deepest thanks to Professor Al Bavon, whose dedicated leadership brought this vision to life.”
The Clinton School was founded to prepare individuals for service that advances the common good in Arkansas communities and beyond. Through this intensive process, our accreditation recognizes our foundation built over two decades that has been driven by our public service values.
“This achievement bookends a remarkable season of growth for the Clinton School. We celebrated our 20th graduating class in May, and we recently moved into our new home at One World Avenue,” Dean DeFrancesco Soto said. “Looking ahead, we are excited to build on this success as we continue to enrich our programs and support the public service leaders of tomorrow.”
Established in 2004, the Clinton School is a graduate school offering the nation’s first Master of Public Service (MPS) degree. Unlike traditional graduate programs, the Clinton School’s 46-credit-hour MPS program integrates three hands-on field service experiences directly into the core curriculum.
Through this practical training, the Clinton School’s nearly 750 graduates have completed over 1,500 projects locally and globally. Students have worked in 100 countries to address critical issues like public health, education, and economic development.
This extensive fieldwork has resulted in more than half a million hours of direct public service, equipping graduates to thrive across all sectors. Clinton School graduates apply their versatile professional toolkits across diverse fields, with roughly one-third entering government roles, one-third joining nonprofits, and one-third building careers in the private sector.
The Clinton School underwent a years-long process of self-study, site visit, and peer review that demonstrated the school’s commitment to the knowledge, research, and practice of public service. Accredited programs have embraced innovative approaches to curriculum design, community engagement, and data-informed decision-making, ensuring that public service education evolves to meet the demands of an increasingly complex and interconnected world, and students have the tools necessary to become the effective public service leaders of tomorrow.
“NASPAA accreditation requires a commitment to excellence and student success,” Crystal Calarusse, Executive Director of NASPAA, said. “We congratulate these schools on their hard-earned recognition and thank them for their commitment to strengthening public service institutions worldwide.”