The Northern Michigan University’s Master of Public Administration (MPA) Capstone Paper is an original, independent research project tailored to each student. This paper focuses on identifying a specific policy issue and proposing viable solutions to address it. The capstone paper aims to showcase the student’s ability to apply the knowledge and skills acquired throughout the MPA program to a real-world context. Additionally, this practice-oriented research paper is expected to reflect the student’s analytical abilities, graduate-level writing proficiency, and thorough understanding of relevant public administration literature.