The Hobby Center

About the William P. Hobby Center

In April 1998, Texas State received a $1 million endowment from the Hobby Family Foundation in Houston, Texas. As a result, of the endowment, the name of Texas State University’s Public Service Academy was changed to the William P. Hobby Center for Public Service.

The Hobby endowment established the William P. Hobby Professorship, Texas CPM and PA scholarships and a Distinguished Lecture Series in honor of former Texas Lieutenant Governor William P. Hobby Jr.

The Hobby Center was established to provide a mechanism through which Texas State could carry out its service mission. Many of the university’s public service programs originated with former President Lyndon B. Johnson, an alumnus of Texas State University and continued through the efforts of former Texas Lt. Governor William P. Hobby Jr.

The Hobby Center focuses primarily on public service and public administration issues important to Texas. The mission of the Hobby Center is compatible with and not competitive with other Texas schools of public administration and public affairs such as The LBJ School at UT, the Bush School at Texas A&M and the Hobby School for Public Affairs at the University of Houston.

The William P. Hobby Center for Public Service provides services for public organizations and non-governmental organizations throughout the State of Texas and beyond. Through the delivery of the Texas CPM Program and related programs, the Center seeks to instill in public and not-for-profit manager and supervisors, the ethical values and technical competencies associated with outstanding service to the public.

The Hobby Center for Public Service currently provides support for the public service and public administration programs which are already in place at Texas State University. The programs are:

The Master’s (MPA) Program in Public Administration
Created in 1974, the Texas State MPA Program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA). The MPA program currently has about 70 students enrolled. Many of these students are managers and supervisors of Texas state and local governments.

The Bachelors’ (BPA) Program in Public Administration
Established in 2000, the Texas State BPA has quickly become one of the most popular majors on the Texas State campus. Currently more than 100 students have enrolled and are seeking a BPA degree.

The Texas Certified Public Manager® (CPM) Program
In 1995, Texas Governor George W. Bush and the National Consortium of Certified Public Managers designated Texas State University as the lead university responsible for delivering the Texas Certified Public Manager® (CPM) Program throughout Texas. Texas State now heads a consortium of Texas universities that offer the Texas CPM program to public and not for profit employees throughout the state. These universities include the University of Texas at Arlington, the Center for Public Service at Texas Tech University, Stephen F. Austin State University, the University of Texas of Rio Grande Valley, Texas A&M International University and the University of Houston.

The Visiting International Scholars in Texas (VISIT) Program
Over the years, the Hobby Center has provided support for international students and faculty. The goal is to internationalize our Texas State academic and certification programs.

Collaboration with the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) & the Texas City Management Association (TCMA)
The Hobby Center collaborates with national and Texas State public administration & public policy organizations such as the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) and the Texas City Manager Association (TCMA). The Hobby Center sponsors Good Governance Worldwide, the ASPA Journal/Website and sponsors academic and professional symposiums for ASPA’s local, regional and national conferences.

Texas State University

Texas State University is one of Texas’ largest universities. Its current enrollment is over 35,000 undergraduate and graduate students. It is one of the leading universities in Texas with a public service mission and orientation.

Texas State has developed outstanding national and state accredited academic & professional programs in public service, public administration, education, health services, criminal justice, geography and planning. It also provides accredited professional development and training to employees, managers and supervisors in the public, private and not for profit sectors through its nationally accredited Certified Public Manager® (CPM) Program

Texas State is proud to be the alma mater of former President Lyndon B. Johnson. Its mission is to provide outstanding service to the Texas public.