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Copyright of International Journal of Canadian Studies is the property of University of Toronto Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Presents several letters to the editor on issues related to public administration. Problems faced by black elected administrators; Criticisms on an essay related to black administrators; Details of political pressures on black administrators.

This article reviews the methods used to evaluate graduate programs in public administration in the U.S. and lists considerations for future evaluation methods. There are three generic types of evaluation. Differing in area of emphasis, programs may be evaluated differently--even significantly differently--depending on the mode of evaluation used. These are the Quantitative Emphasis, Reputational Studies and the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) method based on Delphi-exercise. The NAPA method has been criticizes as lacking of methodological rigor as well as for its dependence on the Delphi method. The Quantitative Emphasis approach uses numbers of student credit hours and faculty contact hours to compare costs of programs versus outputs therefrom. It is often biased towards larger programs and can be done quite cheaply. Reputational Studies, on the other hand, are much more sensitive and open to very subjective analysis. It compares reputation and productivity, making it a target of much publicity. Aside from these three, further evaluations are being carried out on topics of special interest and pivotal importance. For example, public administration extension activities are under scrutiny. Surveys on knowledge and skill needs, should play a greater role in evaluation in the future. The future evaluations of graduate public administration programs will have to consider more carefully the overall impacts of evaluations, intended or not.