This article begins by reviewing developments in the field of public administration over the past 50 years and identifying factors that have served, in some cases unintentionally, to undermine public confidence in the actual practice of public administration. It then examines a number of important conditions that must be addressed in the preparation of the next generation of public administrators and the professional development of those currently in the field. The most important of these involves the recognition of the centrality of government, and thus public administration as well, for the building of an effective and productive society. Before concluding, a major initiative to encourage enhanced excellence in the education and training of public administrators, which was initiated by the United Nations in conjunction with the International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration, is examined.