Remarks on Signing an Executive Order Establishing the Presidential Management Intern Program

THE PRESIDENT. About a year ago at Syracuse University, I espoused a proposal that had been made earlier by others, including Elmer Staats, to begin a Presidential Management Intern Program, bringing into our Government graduates of the public management programs.

We now have about 20,000 graduate students in public management in about 150 universities and colleges. I'm sure we'll have intense competition for these jobs in Government.

Many of the people in the audience today in the educational institutions have been involved in the preparation of the program which I will initiate today by signing an Executive order. But equally important are the administrators of our Government agencies who are also in the audience, who will find very valuable, I'm sure, these interns who will come in to serve for 2 years.

There won't be a special allotment of funds for this program; the billets are there, and the normal budget processes will prevail. But we will have a chance to bring into our Government the finest graduates of our business management schools.

I think it's accurate to point out that those who serve in management positions in our Government now are also of superb quality--deeply dedicated, highly competent professionals in every way. Quite often, they are not adequately recognized, and I think it's accurate to say that these new interns--and the program will undoubtedly be highly publicized--will help to reassure the American public about the high quality of all those who serve professionally in our Government itself.

I'm very proud of this program. We will have about 250 men and women brought into the Government under it every year. They will serve for 2 years. We'll have a maximum of 500 at any one time, and they will be offered a job at a good salary. At the conclusion of the 2-year period, they can decide to stay permanently in the Government or not-we hope that many of them will--and they will have the advantage of knowing Government at its finest.

I think that in the future, it's likely that we will expand this program. Alan Campbell is already working on some possible improvements to it. One might be a cooperative program for graduate students who are still in college, whereby they might work part-time in Government and receive credit from the Government and from the university, both, for this experimental work.

We have high hopes that this will meet all of our objectives and that it will be successful in every way. I think one other ancillary benefit will be that we can more directly tap the tremendous reservoir of innovation, education, experiment, advice, and counsel that exist within our higher educational institutions that are not often used by Government. And I think the intern program itself, because it has to be a shared program, will help to tie together much more closely our educational institutions and the Government on a continuing basis.

I think at the same time, the benefits would flow to the universities, because as a common assessment of the experiences of these interns is examined by Government and the universities, I think the teaching institutions will, then see some of the latest problems and achievements and challenges of the Government itself.

So for many reasons, I think this is one of the finest programs that I've had a part in, and I believe that all those assembled here today will insure the success of this effort.

I'd particularly like to express my thanks to Alan Campbell who heads our Civil Service Commission and who has been instrumental in bringing together these ideas. And it's with the greatest pleasure that I, as President of our country, sign an Executive order to implement the President's Management Intern Program for the first time in the United States Government. It will also be nice to have 250 other interns to join us newcomers to Government. [Laughter]
[At this point, the President signed the Executive order.]

MR. CAMPBELL. I believe the President has said it all. Those of us gathered here today are the ones who can make this program a success. I hope very much that all of us will make every effort to do that. I can assure you that you will have the full cooperation of the Civil Service Commission, both the Chairman and the other commissioners who are here with us today. It is, I believe, the first step--small, nonetheless significant--in our effort to totally revitalize the personnel system of the Federal Government.

Mr. President, you have the appreciation of all of us.

THE PRESIDENT. Thank you very much.