Perfect geography : "We're inside the Beltway, which gives us ready access to key national policy-makers and creates extraordinary opportunities for our students, yet just far enough away from the central corridors of power to keep our perspective," Kettl says.

Based in a major public research university : Of all the other public and international policy schools located inside the Beltway, Maryland is the only one based in a major public research university. Kettl says the university's scientific, engineering and business expertise and research, particularly in areas such as climate change and public health, make it much easier for public policy leaders to form the interdisciplinary partnerships major international problems demand. "Making policy involves more than mastering the levers of government," Kettl says. "Things are now so complex that policy-makers need expertise tailored to specific problem areas." As an example, he points to the School of Public Policy's unique collaboration with Maryland's A. James Clark School of Engineering- a joint degree program designed to help future government officials deal with complex, multifaceted issues such as energy and climate change.

Curriculum- Big-Issue /Domestic-International Orientation : Many international policy schools focus their curriculum on geopolitical regional issues, while many public administration schools emphasize the intricacies of rule-making, legislative enactment or administrative management. "Right now, with old distinctions breaking down in a highly-integrated globalized economy, Maryland's big-picture approach is perfectly suited to the times," Kettl says.

The Maryland School of Public Policy is one of the nation's leading graduate schools in public policy, management and international affairs with four programs ranked in the top 15 by U.S. News. It is a prime talent pipeline for the federal government, with nearly half of its graduates going into federal service.

The school has a unique array of scholar-practitioner faculty with distinguished research and teaching careers blended with high-level government service and practical experience, including a Nobel laureate, former top defense officials, the former commissioner of social security, White House policy advisors, the former U.S. Trade Representative and a former high-level official in the intelligence community.

"We have scores of years of government experience in our faculty as well as a firm research grounding to draw on," says I.M. "Mac" Destler, interim dean of the school. "We're all excited because Don will give us a big boost in attracting other great faculty, especially the rising young stars that will help cement our reputation."

Enrollments suggest that students are showing a new level of interest in public policy studies - especially at Maryland and other Washington-area public policy schools. For example, enrollments at MSPP rose 44 percent last year.

"I've never seen a generation of students quite so engaged and interested in government service," Kettl says. "President Kennedy's inaugural challenge inspired a generation to work in the public sector. What I'm seeing now is even greater - like Camelot on steroids. Student interest in public service paired with a commitment to superb training gets results."