Transforming Public Service in a World without Boundaries

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2004.00385.x
• Published date: 01 July 2004
• Date: 01 July 2004

390 Public Administration Review •July/August 2004, Vol. 64, No. 4

Donald C. Stone Lecture

In July 1995, the American Society for Public Administration’s Endowment Board established the

Donald C. Stone Fund to honor the memory of this public administration legend. Income from this

fund is used to sponsor a lecture or symposium at ASPA’s national conference, which reflects

Stone’s varied interests and contributions to the field. This year marked the ninth Donald C. Stone

Lecture. On March 30, Adam W. Herbert was ASPA’s Stone Lecturer and gave the following

speech.

Transforming Public Service in a World

without Boundaries

I must begin my comments this morning with an ex-

pression of appreciation to our President, Walter Broadnax.

Thank you very much for the invitation to deliver the

Donald Stone Lecture. Of much greater importance, thank

you for your outstanding leadership of ASPA over the past

year and for your distinguished career of public service at

all levels of government and in higher education. Your

impressive career and the commitment to excellence you

have consistently demonstrated reflect the highest standards

and values of our profession. We are very grateful for the

example you have established in service to the public good.

National conferences such as this are so important for

our field because they afford us the opportunity to explore

new ideas and challenge old ones, reconnect with old

friends and establish new relationships and to learn from

those who have preceded us in the field. They provide hope

for the future as we meet the next generation of public

administration leaders and scholars.

As all of you know, it is a special honor for any ASPA

member to receive an invitation to deliver the Donald C.

Stone lecture. This privilege is especially meaningful to

me because of the personal relationship I was fortunate to

have with him. Each of us in this room can identify a small

number of faculty members who have greatly influenced

our intellectual development, values, perspectives, and

commitment to public service.

When I was a graduate student at the University of

Southern California, Chet Newland was a force in my life,

as was Don Stone at the University of Pittsburgh. My first

memory of Dean Stone dates back to the fall of 1967, when

I entered the doctoral program in the Graduate School of

Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) at the University

of Pittsburgh.

All new students in the school were invited to his home.

It was called “Stone’s Throw.” The house was isolated

among trees on the hill above the “Cathedral of Learn-

ing.” You could see for miles in every direction. Many of

us thought that such a setting was particularly appropri-

ate for an academic leader with the comprehensive vi-

sion he possessed.

At “Stone’s Throw,” Don and Alice welcomed groups

of students from throughout the world and across America

as if we were part of their family. It was clear they cared

very deeply about their students. As a Hoosier, I am very

proud to note that this dynamic team first met in Bloom-

ington at Indiana University in 1925.

There was no question of the Stone commitment to

GSPIA and to the importance of public service. He was

truly a leader who personified the best of our profession:

the selflessness, the high intellect, the strong appreciation

for and commitment to the public good. In a sense, he was

a modern Renaissance person. He had an incredibly wide-

ranging career that included city management, director-

ship of the Public Administration Service, a college presi-

dency and deanship, leadership positions in the Bureau of

the Budget, the Marshall Plan, and the Mutual Security

Agency. He was a consummate public servant.

It was consistently clear that he possessed a profound

understanding of the dynamics of organizations, the evolv-

ing environment of public enterprises, and the impact of

those environmental changes on both public policy and day-

to-day enterprise operations. He was then able to apply

that knowledge and understanding to multiple functional

areas and levels of government.

Dr. Adam W. Herbert is the 17th president of Indiana University, where he is

a professor of public administration in the School of Public and Environmen-

tal Affairs and a professor of political science in the College of Arts and

Sciences. He was previously regents professor at the University of North

Florida, executive director of The Florida Center for Public Policy and Lead-

ership, president of the University of North Florida, and chancellor of the

State University System of Florida. He received his BA and MPA from the

University of Southern California and his PhD from the University of Pitts-

burgh. E-mail: iupres@indiana.edu.