"The PMF Program is the nation's most prestigious management training program for students graduating with degrees in public administration, management or policy," said Genie Stowers, professor and director of the MPA program.

SFSU has the highest number of finalists among all CSU campuses and had 10 students nominated for the fellowship. University of California, Berkeley's public policy program also has four finalists.

Once a PMF finalist becomes a fellow by securing a position with a federal agency, he or she has the opportunity to receive formal mentoring by high-level managers and rotate among other agencies to learn more about the government, Stowers said.

The Office of Personnel Management provides finalists the chance to attend a PMF job fair in Washington, D.C., to explore jobs within the executive branch of the government. Hundreds of agencies, including bureaus of defense, national security and international policy, took part in the recent job fair.

Brown, an Alameda resident, is a Children's Protective Services social worker. The Center for Army Analysis recently offered her a position at Port Belvoir -- just south of Washington, D.C. -- as an operations research analyst.

Wei, a Berkeley resident, accepted a position with the Social Security Administration (SSA) in the San Francisco region.

Gilbert, a San Francisco native whose interest lies in community development and urban policy issues, expects to receive an appointment from the Department of Urban Housing and Development or an organization in a related field.

Melrose Berman, a San Francisco resident, received a job offer from the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.

The Master of Public Administration program is the only program accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs in San Francisco. Its faculty is comprised of nationally known scholars -- three are former PMF participants -- who train students to excel in administration, governance and policy in the public and nonprofit sectors.

-- Student Writer Lisa Rau with Matt Itelson