The Keane Fellowship application for Fall 2024 is closed.
Application Deadline: March 22, 2024
The Keane Fellowship is designed to identify the country’s most talented students aspiring to executive levels in local government. Learn more about ICMA Executive Director Emeritus, Mark Keane.
Benefits
As full-time students, Keane Fellows receive the knowledge, training, and necessary experience to become future town, city, or county managers in local government.
Keane Fellows also receive the following benefits:
In both their first and second year, Keane Fellows enjoy the prestige associated with working as a Management Intern for the Towns of Marana, Oro Valley and Sahuarita.
This management internship will count as 6 units of credit towards MPA or MPP degree completion.
Keane Fellows receive a Graduate Teaching Assistantship with the School of Government & Public Policy for two years. This 0.5FTE GA position covers 100% of tuition and includes an annual stipend of approximately $21,750 and health insurance.
Keane Fellows must serve as an active and engaged UA ICMA Board Member, either as a de-facto position or selected by vote for one of five open positions: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Communications Chair, or Recruitment Chair.
UA ICMA board membership responsibilities include being a local government liaison for the organization, and ensuring the board's commitment to its academic year strategic plan.
Click here for more information on UA ICMA.
Keane Fellows are also inducted into the ACMA and may attend the winter or summer conference.
Click here for more information about ACMA.
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.
- All applicants must apply and receive admission to the MPA or MPP program.
- Applications for both the MPA or 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 AMP are not eligible to apply for the Keane Fellowship program.
- Submit an application for admission via GradApp to the MPA or MPP program.
- Please review the admissions criteria prior to applying:
- Submit an application to the Keane Fellowship.
- Application Deadline: March 15, 2024 --> extended to March 22nd!
- Please note it is strongly recommended to receive admission to the MPA or MPP program prior to applying for the Keane Fellowship.
- Application Deadline: March 15, 2024 --> extended to March 22nd!
Past Fellow Testimonial
"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