Edvardas Jasaitis (United States of America) – Professor at Florida State University (USA), pioneer of public administration studies and research in Lithuania, head of KTU Department of Public Administration.
Fields of scientific interests: management of public organisations, organisational theory, total quality management, training/development of public servants. Fields of pedagogical activities: public administration principles, organisational theory for public institutions, society’s involvement in governance, policy of public institutions.
Professor was the consultant of the US-Baltic Foundation for public administration study programmes in the Baltic Region. He was valued as the active member of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), the Reserve Officers Association, advisory council of the Baltic Institute, and the Network of Institutes and Schools of Public Administration in Central and Eastern Europe (NISPAcee).
The title of Honorary Doctor was awarded for the following merits to the University:
- Development of the idea of KTU public administration research and studies;
- At his initiative the Municipal Training Centre (SMC) funded by the US-Baltic Foundation was established; it began to organise the qualification improvement courses for the employees of administrative system, it provides know-how and educates the employees of the Lithuanian state institutions;
- In 1995, E. Jasaitis established the Department of Public Administration at KTU and worked as its head (till 1999); he gathered the specialists of 4 fields of science in the department – management and administration, politics, sociology and law.
- At the professor’s initiative many employees of the department could complete internships at the USA universities; visiting professors from the Western universities constantly gave lectures and conducted research projects in the Master’s and Bachelor’s studies of public administration;
- E. Jasaitis prepared Master’s and Bachelor’s public administration studies that are representative in Lithuania and introduced them at the Department of Public Administration.
