Keane Fellowship

The Keane Fellowship is designed to identify the country’s most talented students aspiring to executive levels in local government. For more information on ICMA Executive Director Emeritus Mark Keane, please click here.

Benefits

As full-time students, Keane Fellows receive the knowledge, training, and necessary experience to become future city/county managers in local government.

  • Paid Management Internship Position

    • In both their first year and second year, Keane Fellows enjoy the prestige associated with working as a paid management intern for the Towns of Marana and Oro Valley (earning 6 credit hours for internship, to apply towards MPA degree completion). 

  • Graduate Teaching Assistantship

    • Keane Fellows also receive a Graduate Teaching Assistantship with the School of Government and Public Policy for two years (fall/spring semesters only). A 0.5 FTE graduate assistantship covers base tuition and includes an annual stipend of approximately $20,000 and health insurance.

  • UA International City/County Management Association Membership

    • Must serve as an active and engaged UA ICMA Board member either as a de-facto position, or apply and be selected for one of the five other open positions (President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Communications Chair, or Recruitment Chair).

    • Responsibilities include being the local government liaison for the organization, and ensuring the board's commitment to its academic year strategic plan.  

  • Arizona City/County Management Association Membership, which includes ACMA Summer Conference Attendance.

 

Application Process

Applicants to the Keane Fellowship program are accepted once every two years (even years only) for admission to begin in the Fall semester. The program will admit one student based on a competitive application review process designed to identify the most talented individual aspiring to executive levels in local government.

To apply:

  1. Submit an application for admission via GradApp to the Master of Public Administration or Master of Public Policy program. Please be sure to review the admissions criteria prior to applying.
  2. Submit an application to the Keane Fellowship. Please note it is strongly recommended to receive admission to the MPA or MPP program prior to applying for the Keane Fellowship.

Eligibility requirements:

  • All applicants must apply and receive admission to the Master of Public Administration or Master of Public Policy program.
  • Applications for both the MPA and MPP programs and the Keane Fellowship must be received by the posted deadlines.
  • Applicants must be considered an incoming graduate student at the time of application. Students currently in the Accelerated Master's Program (AMP) are not eligible to apply to the Keane Fellowship program.

The Keane Fellowship application for Fall 2024 will be available in January 2024.

 

Fellowship Experience

"The Keane Fellowship and the School of Government and Public Policy not only provided the financial support to pursue my Masters in Public Administration, but also gave me the opportunity to gain valuable local government work experience through the internships with the Towns of Oro Valley and Marana, Arizona. I was able to develop professional relationships within Arizona and across the country through my participation in International City Management Association (ICMA), Arizona City Management Association (ACMA), Arizona Town Hall, and our University of Arizona ICMA student chapter.

The internships offered a safe environment for me as a young professional to make mistakes, learn new skills, and apply the knowledge & experience that I gained through courses I took in the MPA program. Being the Keane Scholar allows you exposure to public speaking opportunities, assisting and organizing ICMA sponsored student events. The Teaching Assistant position gives you a chance to engage/mentor undergraduates who have an interest in Local Government.

The foundation set by the Keane Fellowship allowed me to secure the position of, Management Analyst with the City of Casa Grande, Arizona immediately after graduation. In my honest opinion without the mentorship, high quality internships, academic preparation, and networking, it would have been incredibly difficult, if not impossible to obtain this position that is a great fit for my future career."

-Mackenzie D. Letcher, MPA alum and Keane Fellow 2018-2020