Service as a Celebration

PROVO, Utah – Apr 15, 2015 – Normally when people celebrate a golden anniversary, they throw a big party. How the Marriott School MPA student association planned to celebrate the MPA program’s 50th anniversary involved a lot more elbow grease and shoveling.

Their celebration took the form of the Romney Institute’s MPA Days of Service, which allowed those with ties to the program to give back in cities around the country. In March and April hundreds of MPA students, alumni and faculty joined together in six cities to tackle projects from graffiti abatement to repainting fire hydrants.

Students in the MPA Association hoped each gathering would celebrate not only the program’s success but also the ideals of George W. Romney: “There is no substitute for one human being who cares enough about another . . . to get out and help him.”

Service projects were held in Mesa, Ariz.; Orem; Provo; Sacramento, Calif.; San Antonio; and Washington, D.C. One hundred forty volunteers attended the Provo and Orem projects, which were held April 3 at Paul Ream Wilderness Park and Nielson’s Grove Park. Volunteers spread mulch, cleared underbrush and repainted benches at the two parks.

“We wanted to give people a chance to celebrate what they’ve learned and what this program has given them,” says Flint Timmins, a second-year MPA student from Alamosa, Colo., and MPAA member. “We thought giving back to the community would be a good way to honor the spirit of the program.”

Timmins, who organized the Provo and Orem projects, says the MPAA hopes to hold more service days in the future based on this year’s success.

“I had so much fun visiting with other alumni and current students of the program,” says Mike Johanson, a 2008 EMPA graduate who participated in the Provo project. “Everyone who participated seemed willing to roll up their sleeves and work.”

In Sacramento, 37 volunteers pulled weeds along a popular bike trail that is being restored following a recent brush fire. Koreen Hansen, a 2002 MPA graduate, organized the project and says people walking on the trail even stopped to help.

“It was very fun and family-oriented,” Hansen says. “It was nice to all come together, see old friends and perform a service that was needed in our community.”

The Marriott School is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. The school has nationally recognized programs in accounting, business management, entrepreneurship, finance, information systems and public management. The school’s mission is to prepare men and women of faith, character and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Approximately 3,000 students are enrolled in the Marriott School’s graduate and undergraduate programs.