History
The Master of Public Administration (MPA) program was established in May 2005 at the University of Regina, through the Faculty of Administration. In the beginning, there were only two full-time faculty members, some sessional lecturers, and one full-time staff member, serving the program's 43 students. Later that same year, the Faculty of Administration was renamed the Faculty of Business Administration, and the Graduate School of Public Policy was formed to offer the MPA program. The school was designed as a stand-alone academic unit under the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, and at the time was one of three public policy schools in Canada.
In June 2007, the school was renamed the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy after two of Saskatchewan's best-known public servants, Albert W. Johnson and Thomas K. Shoyama, both of whom began their careers in Saskatchewan and served as deputy ministers in Ottawa. Later in 2008, the school saw more growth when the University of Regina partnered with the University of Saskatchewan to offer the first provincial school of its kind.
In addition to its teaching and research, the school continues the work of the former Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy under the auspices of the school's Outreach and Training Unit. This unit continues to organize thought-provoking events and publish timely policy publications in an effort to continually engage the public and stimulate public policy debate.