Star Search: Learning From Prominent Scholars

The authors assign first-year doctoral students the task of conducting an assessment of the contributions of a "star" in the field of public administration. As part of the assignment, students conduct interviews with the stars using email, telephone, and personal communication. The interviews are the novel part of the assignment. The inteviews foster unusually active and vivid linkages with the stars and, often, a sense of mentorship. This paper details how faculty and students conduct the project. It also offers faculty assessment of its effects.