Kris Norman
Kris Norman teaches several courses in both the Master in Public Administration (MPA) and Doctorate in Public Administration (DPA) programs, but her emphasis is on public policy and social policy. She received her Ph.D. in Political Science from Vanderbilt University, her M.A. in Public Affairs from the Humphrey School at the University of Minnesota, and her B.A. in Political Science and Business Administration from Hamline University.
Professor Norman has public sector experience working for both the St. Paul Public Works Department and Minnesota Department of Education. Her current research examines issues of cultural competency and social equity in public administration and includes co-editing with Susan Gooden of Virginia Commonwealth University the book, Cultural Competency for Public Administrators.
All of Professor Norman's courses emphasize theory-to-practice learning which includes both the academic and practical sides to public administration. She believes students should leave every class session with information they can use in their work. Her philosophy is that students should always play an active role in their own learning. Developing students' critical thinking and analytical skills are especially important in all of her classes.
“Success for me is having students leave class with more questions than when they came in. I don’t provide answers, I help give students tools to ask questions and wrestle with answers on their own.”
- Kris Norman
