Preface

Federal Agency Profiles for Students (FAPS) is the first volume in the U.S. Government for Students series, to be followed by Special Interest Group Profiles for Students (release date, June 1999) and Presidential Administration Profiles for Students (release date, July 1999). The purpose of the series is to provide an overall view of the workings of the United States government geared specifically to meet the curriculum needs of high school students, undergraduate college students, and their teachers. Each profile in a U.S. Government for Students volume will cover not only the basic facts found in directories such as the United States Government Manual, but will include the historical and political context, or the how and why. Furthermore, the series focuses on the relevancy and immediacy of government, explaining how an agency, a special interest group, or a presidential administration can impact the life of an average citizen and, in some cases, how a citizen can become actively involved in the federal government. While the series was designed to reflect curriculum standards, the general reader and researcher will also be able to find answers to their questions about the U.S. government.

FAPS includes profiles of over 175 government agencies. The term "agency" is used genetically here to describe any government body and is not always included in a group's official name. Therefore, FAPS includes profiles of:

  • Departments, which are agencies of cabinet rank. There are 14 cabinet-level departments including the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services.
  • Government Corporations and Authorities, including agencies like the Federal Labor Relations Authority, which are headed by a board and a manager and are involved in activities that are business related.
  • Administrations, such as the Farm Credit Administration, which is headed by a single administrator.
  • Commissions, which are agencies that regulate business activities. An example is the Securities and Exchange Commission. Commissions may also be an investigative, advisory, or reporting entity such as the Federal Election Commission. All commissions are headed by a group of high-level officers called commissioners.

Some agencies are affiliated with a specific branch of government and act in a supportive or advisory capacity. For instance, during the Clinton administration there were 11 agencies that comprised the Executive Office of the President (EOP). Each president reorganizes the EOP to reflect the issues and needs of the current administration. EOP agencies include the Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Council on Environmental Quality. Other support agencies include the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, which is part of the judicial branch and has the purpose of assisting the federal court system.

Many agencies function as a bureau, branch, office, or division of one of the 14 departments. The scope of some of them merit a separate profile from the parent organization. An agency such as the the National Institutes of Health is part of the larger parent Department of Health and Human Services, but has developed over time into a substantial body with its own vast network of subagencies. There are also more than 200 independent agencies that exist outside department boundaries.

Selection Criteria

Not surprisingly, selecting which government agencies to profile in FAPS was a daunting task. Gale editors began by surveying high school civics and government sources including top-rated textbooks and the National Standards for Civics and Government. We also relied on course curriculu supplied by our advisors that represented various school districts across the United States. A core list soon emerged that included the 14 departments and approximately 50 agencies. We were then faced with a myriad of independent agencies, quasi-subagencies, bureaus, and offices. Our advisory board, consisting of high school teachers, media specialists, and subject experts, helped sort through and pare down the list based on their knowledge of common classroom assignments.

We were also faced with the quandary of whether or not to include agencies that no longer exist because they had become defunct or perhaps been subsumed by a larger agency. The list suddenly began to expand again as we attempted to untangle the ever surging web of government reorganization. Through discussions with our advisors, it became apparent that FAPS should encourage a dynamic look at the immediacy of the U.S. government during the current administration. Our advisors also suggested that FAPS include profiles of the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Supreme Court. While they are not agencies, these bodies serve as the core of the United States government around which the satellite bodies revolve. After taking this advice under consideration, we arrived at the current list.

How Each Profile is Organized

Profiles are arranged in alphabetical order, according to the official name of the agency as presented in the United States Government Manual. Each profile heading also includes the agency's acronym or other variant names. For additional access, readers should also refer to the index for alternative name representations and the two tables of content: one is in book order, the second is based on government organization. The following elements may be contained in each profile:

  • Parent Organization: Indicates the government body to which the agency reports or identifies that the agency is considered "independent." If an agency is part of a subagency under a larger parent parent, deference was made to the largest parent. This information was also used to organize FAPS's second table of contents.
  • Established: Generally refers to the date that the organization as we know it today was established. Many of the agencies went through multiple incarnations. For instance, the original predecessor of the Coast Guard was the Revenue-Cutter Service established in 1790. The profile's "History" section outlines the agency's progression over the ensuing 200 years, but this field includes the date it became officially known as the Coast Guard.
  • Employees: Includes the number of employees retained by the agency based on 1998 figures. If figures are based on non-1998 information, the date is included in parentheses. The number of employees is an approximate figure as the structure of an agency can often be quite complicated. For example, the structure of the Foreign Service is complex with officers serving in a multitude of countries.
  • Contact Information: General mailing address, telephone number, toll free telephone number, TDD number, fax number, E-mail, and URL.
  • Agency Heads: Limited to the inclusion of the agency's top officials. These individuals shift positions frequently, especially with each presidential administration.
  • What is Its Mission?: The mission usually contains a quote directly from the agency being profiled, which encapsulates the agency's primary motivation. Information was taken directly from published statements released by the agency administrator or from annual federal reports. In some instances authors attempted to further define the mission if the statement required clarification.
  • How is it Structured?: Outlines the general structure of each agency. The section begins by placing the agency within the larger construct of the federal government and continues by outlining the internal administrative organization at the national level progressing all the way down to the regional and local branches.
  • Primary Functions: This is the action center of the profile that offers a broad brush look at what an agency or department does. What are its primary responsibilities as a whole? Does it enforce guidelines, create legislation, conduct research? How does it interact with other agencies, branches of government, or special interest groups? Authors made a particular effort to stress the connection between agencies and branches to underscore that the federal government is truly a collaborative enterprise.
  • Programs: Offers a general overview of the number and type of programs the agency administers. The section also profiles one or two of the agency's most notable or newsworthy. For instance, the Medicare program is highlighted in the entry on the Health Care Financing Administration.
  • Budget Information: Budget information is primarily based on 1998 actual or 1999 estimated figures. The section details where the agency's funding comes from and how resources are allocated. When possible, the section will also include what percentage of the federal budget is targeted for the agency. Figures are based on information supplied by the agency and reported in the annual federal budget. An agency's budget does not usually change drastically from year to year; the greatest difference usually occurs between administrations. The Office of Management and Budget site on the Internet at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/budget includes a comprehensive breakdown of each agency of the federal government, along with a Citizen 's Guide to the Federal Budget, and Economic Reports from the president, both past and present. Readers may also obtain the budget for the current fiscal year (and other years) from the Government Printing Office or any U.S. government bookstore.

A budget graphic accompanies most profiles, which illustrates the agency's outlay of funds. It is sometimes quite dramatic to see how very much, or very little, of an agency's dollars are spent on a particular initiative.

History: This section details the history of the agency, including key events, administrations, people, and legislation. The narrative usually includes history that pre-dates the organization's formation explaining why it was necessary for this department or agency to be established.

Political Issue: The political issue section serves as the nerve center of the profile. It begins with a brief introduction that outlines the agency's current concerns and the controversies surrounding them. A case study is then highlighted to illuminate a particular issue. Authors were careful to include all sides of the story by relating how the agency is involved with the issue, how the public was impacted by the event, how the public feels about the agency, and how other government agencies, special interest groups, or other countries responded.

Successes and Failures: A variety of indicators determine a success or a failure. A success is apparent when an agency establishes a benchmark for success, such as timeliness in delivering work results. For example, the General Accounting Office reported that completion of an average task from start to finish decreased from 9.5 months to 5.4 months in 1998 and considered this a mark of success. Other successes and failures are much less tangible and tend toward the subjective. If a piece of legislation is pushed forward by the Forest Service that allows for logging to occur within an environmentally protected area, an activist group like the Sierra Club may not necessarily consider it a success. Authors were careful to include events that would invite analysis by FAPS readers.

Future Directions: Where is the agency headed? What challenges does it faces? What are the agency's projected goals for the future? Information for this section was gleaned from reports submitted by agency administrators.

Agency Resources: Resources refers to agency hot lines, information clearinghouses, dockets, information centers, libraries, databases, document repositories, and archives. The section includes how to access the information whether via mail, E-mail, telephone, or Internet.

  • Agency Publications: The section provides information about the number and type of publications the agency makes available. Representative pamphlets, newsletters, and other publications are included along with contact information on how an interested party can access them.
  • Bibliography: An alphabetical list of sources, including books and current periodicals quoted in the profile, with full bibliographic information. Also lists other critical sources that may prove helpful for the student and researcher.

In addition, a FAPS profile may contain one or more of the following supplementary sidebars:

  • Get Involved: A key sidebar that includes suggestions as to how an individual can become involved with an agency. Key, because the primary reason for producing FAPS is to have students understand that government issues are "living" and that students and the general public can be active participants. All activities include full contact information. A "Get Involved" may also incorporate examples of how local groups got involved in the workings of a larger government initiative.
  • Fast Facts: At-a-glance facts that are current and reflect how the agency impacts the daily lives of all citizens. Facts may reflect the workings of the agency being profiled or might illustrate the issues that have been discussed throughout the essay. Each fact is fully cited.
  • Biography: An individual who was pivotal to an agency's history is profiled in a biography sidebar that includes birth and death dates, identifier, a brief sketch, and a thumbnail photo.

Additional Features

In an attempt to create a comprehensive, one-stop reference tool for the study of the U.S. federal government, FAPS also includes:

  • Illustrations that depict historic events, notable individuals, and current issues along with graphics and maps.
  • A chronology of over 750 key events in U.S. history that allows students to place each agency in an historical context.
  • A glossary containing over 400 political terms used throughout the profiles.
  • A subject index for easy access to agencies, people, places, and events.
  • Diagram appendices that depict graphically the organization of the federal government, the system of checks and balances, breakdown of the federal budget, and how a bill becomes a law.

Acknowledgments

It is important for Gale to acknowledge the bounty of materials available to us and all researchers through the United States government. Specifically, the United States Government Manual was a much-thumbed, constant source of information that helped untangle the vast web known as the federal government. It is a valuable first-stop directory that is held by most libraries and is available for purchase at U.S. government bookstores. It is also available on-line at http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/nara00l.html. The Government Printing Office (GPO) is the United States's preeminent publisher that offers a plethora of information resources on every facet of government. Catalogs may be requested by writing to 732 N. Capitol St. NW, Washington, DC 20401 or visit the GPO Web site at http://www.access.gpo.gov/#info.

We must also recognize the contribution made by each of the agencies profiled. Agency Web sites made good launching pads for beginning research. To further guarantee accuracy of information our industrious researchers and authors went further and made many persistent requests by telephone, fax, and e-mail. They were often rewarded for their efforts thanks to agency representatives.

Special thanks must be extended to our advisory board who continue to serve as the backbone of the U.S. Government for Students series. Their input was invaluable from the genesis of the series and remains constant through each volume. In addition, we must mention our various contributors, many of whom are former teachers. Their classroom experience led to the creation of well-researched, thoughtful, and enjoyable profiles that hopefully will stimulate students' interest in U.S. government.

We Welcome Your Suggestions

The editor of Federal Agency Profiles for Students welcomes your comments and suggestions. Please direct all correspondence to:

Editor, Federal Agency Profiles for Students
The Gale Group
72500 Drake Rd.
Farmington Hills, MI 48331-3535