Is a “Secretary of National Service” possible in our future?

Jun 18, 2008 Posted by Arun Inbavazhvu

Of the many suggestions proposed to strengthen national service, one that would make a virtually immediate impact would be transforming the Corporation for National and Community Service into a Cabinet-level department reporting directly to the President.  Firstly, such an action would show that the government is incredibly serious about expanding national service to scale.  With the President interacting with a Secretary of National Service on a nearly daily basis, achieving the goal of increasing national service to one million volunteers would come swiftly and efficiently.  It also would bring a great deal of public attention to national service.  I know plenty of college-age people that have the capability and will to serve if only presented with the chance.  A full-fledged Department of National Service would put the topic on the forefront of the minds of many engaged Americans.  Secondly, the establishment of such a Cabinet position would legitimize national and community service in the eyes of many Americans as a totally valid and fruitful way to give back.  Unfortunately, currently to much of the youth in this country, community service is seen as something to be done to “look good for college” or as part of sentence for a misdemeanor crime.  One only has to look to pop culture to see the state of things.  In the first season of the popular CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, the main character Ted Mosby discovers that his womanizing, self-centered, alpha-male friend Barney Stinson volunteers at a local soup kitchen and enjoys the work immensely, enough to be named “Volunteer of the Month”.  Ted spends the entire episode wondering how a self-seeking guy like Barney could possibly enjoy volunteering, only to discover near the end of the episode that Barney was performing community service as part of his sentence for getting arrested for public urination (on the side of a church, no less).  Creating a Department of National Service would show that the government believes increased service would be a positive thing for communities, not just as part of a sentence.  Thirdly, a future Secretary of National Service could coordinate with other cabinet level departments such as Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Labor, and many others.  Such cooperation could lead to solutions to tackle the current healthcare crisis and energy crisis that many Americans face today through specified national service programs such as the proposed “Health Corps” and “Green Corps”.  With a Secretary of National Service present, other departments would also be inspired into creatively using national service to solve issues.
    We already know that the next President will support national service.  Yet creating a Cabinet level position for it would probably be the best thing that could happen for the public perception of national service.  Time will tell if such a plan could become reality.

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cabinet department, executive, president, national service (all tags)

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