Washington, D.C. is an extremely competitive, political town and you must work hard to keep your agency an important part of government. It's the beginning of the legislative calendar and you must compete with other agencies and departments for a part of the budget and a high profile emphasis from the president.

Choose which federal executive department you would like to represent (see list below). Identify a current or new program that you will present to the president as a priority for your department. Write a report to the president describing the problem and the program that will alleviate the problem. You may prepare charts, tables and graphs to explain your plans to the President.

1. Submit a written report addressed to the president. A quality report will probably be between 750-1000 words. However, the president cares more about clarity and detail than length - charts and other visual aids may be more valuable than word count.

2. You should use at least 5 quality sources to research and clarify your report. When appropriate, the sources should be cited within the report using MLA or APA style. A complete bibliography should be attached to the report. A bibliography includes all sources from which you gathered information.

3. The president wants to focus on your ideas, not your errors. Be sure to check for clarity and appropriate word usage; complete sentences; correct grammar, spelling and punctuation.

4. As the head of your department you should demonstrate substantial understanding about your department and your priority program.

5. In order to get a favorable response from the president, be sure to follow all guidelines as outlined in the attached rubric.

6. In the report describe the top priority program for your department:

· How does this program fit into the official mission of your department?

· Why is your department best suited to run this program?

· Is this a new program or an existing program?

· What problem does the program solve? How significant is the problem? Give evidence, not anecdote.

· What is the estimated fiscal impact of the program and how does it fit into your department's budget?