SPEA names MPA program director

IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs associate professor Michael Rushton was named director of the school’s Master of Public Affairs program.

He will also continue to be the director of the arts administration program at SPEA. Rushton, an economist, joined the SPEA faculty in 2006.

Rushton’s expertise includes cultural economics, policy and administration, nonprofit organizations and tax policy. He is also researching tax policy as it applies to nonprofit arts organizations.

The SPEA MPA program was previously directed by professor John Mikesell, who directed the program for more than eight years. It is a two-year, 48 credit hour, interdisciplinary program with a core curriculum as well as a concentrated area of study and a required internship or research component.

Currently, 270 students are enrolled in the program, and concentrations vary from economic development to public management and more.

In addition to the two programs Rushton directs, SPEA offers a two-year Master of Science in Environmental Science, a combined MPA/MSES degree, and joint degrees with degrees in law, journalism, library and information science, the sciences or world languages and cultures.

Rushton has worked at Georgia State University, the University of Tasmania, St. Francis Xavier University and the University of Regina. He has a doctorate and a bachelor’s degree from the University of British Columbia and a master’s degree from the University of Western Ontario.