Ellis Island and Liberty Island
SWOT Analysis for the National Park Service – Ellis Island
History Background
According to the National Park Service, former U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson added Ellis Island to the National Park Service in May 1965. In 1990 Ellis Island became part of the Statue of Liberty National monument as a museum of immigration (2013). The history of Ellis Island begins in 1890 when President Benjamin Harrison designated the location as the first Federal immigration station. The United States counting immigrants coming to America beginning in 1892 through 1954 twelve million entered the portal of Ellis Island. The island grew from 3.3 acres to 27.5 with the increase attributed to both landfill from the New York subway construction and ship ballast loads (Ellisisland.org 2010).
American Indians called the sandy island Kioshk – Oyster Island and during the Dutch and English colonization of the New York area, it was remained so-called for a number of generations. Ensuing generations saw the island a pirate site, then Fort Gibson’s ammunition and ordinance depot. Finally, the island became the immigration station in 1890. Notably, during the American Revolution, with the British naval fleet easily occupying the island during the war, the United States understood its importance so before the War of 1812, the U.S. erected fortifications in New York Harbor. Ellis Island, eventually purchased from New York State by the Federal Government, in 1808, served as Fort Gibson as mentioned, until designated the U.S. Immigration port (Ellisisland.org 2010).
`Undergoing an extensive restoration in 1984, Ellis Island received $160 million in donations for the project. This successful effort resulted in the 1990 Main Building opening under the Ellis Island Immigration Museum Journeys. Prior to its closure due to damage incurred with Hurricane Sandy, the visitors to the island numbered nearly 2 million annually (Ellisisland.org 2013). Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty National Monument as part of the Department of Interior National Park system, serves the people of the United States. Primarily, national parks have few competitive aspects as an organization. It serves a specific purpose with enthusiastic global support through the visitation of millions annually. At the same time, according to the National Park Service, three outcomes of the assessments measuring the effectiveness of the national park system effect on the national economy. The assessment reveals:
- National Park Service generates and contributes to the national economy; b) the system creates over $4 million for every tax dollar investment in the Federal Government in public value; and, c) the comparison of the impact of national park localities contribution to private sector revenues are profitably measureable. (2013)
In addition, the benefits to the private sector profitable outcomes include $13.3 billion of the private sector economic activity with an additional contribution of providing 276,000 jobs. The economic impact of National Parks attracting both visitor revenues to local area business averages to one percent a year larger than the past three-decade statewide rates (National Park Service 2013).
The SWOPE Process
Incorporating the SWOPE process looks at understanding the dynamics of the National Park Ellis Island as part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument through the outcomes. The use of the SWOPE methodology for assessment looks at it as a monitoring tool for the National Park Ellis Island as part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument service organization to the American people. The idea suggests anticipating the possible need for the National Park Service determining whether there exists the need for developing alternatives toward its fundamental mission as a national park. Similar to most assessment tools, SWOPE may “play a crucial role in shaping ongoing monitoring and evaluation, and may also be a means for public involvement and empowerment, and for improving the accountability of planners and administrators.” (Barrow 2). "Expert systems have been shown to be effective in providing frameworks that bring all decision variables together in an easy-to-use form." (Desouza 83).
“Simply put, this acronym stands for assessing an agency's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, a critical phase in the general planning process as it helps determine exactly where the agency is and what resources it may or may not have.” (Garner 17). In identifying the strengths of an organization reveals what sections of an agency do well including “skilled, professional staff and a modern, well-equipped facility.” (Garner 17). Determining the weaknesses conversely reveals what an agency lacks doing well, “or what diminishes its effectiveness.” (Garner 17). Therefore, inadequate financial resources provide a fitting example of this section of the SWOPE process. Determining the opportunity section of an organization under the SWOPE process provides reflection of what an organization can incorporate for better outcomes. “Finally, threats are environmental factors that may hinder performance.” (Garner 17).
Ellis Island National Park and Statue of Liberty National Monument SWOPE
Strengths
Ellis Island and Liberty Island are part of the National Park Service under the government agency of the Department of the Interior. Ellis Island and Liberty Island are both under the National Park Service management. As a national park, tourists from all over the global community visit Liberty Island with its famous Statue Liberty with thousands visiting every day. Not only Americans but also, interested people from all over the world visit the island to appreciate such beautiful architecture and history. Companies including Statue Cruises provide visitors with New York harbor transportation to both islands. This remains an example of the revenue national parks generate for the private sector contributing to the national economy. In addition, such business enterprises help the National Park service by paying a percentage of their income they make from transporting visitors to the island.
Other examples of the strengths of the National Park organization exemplified by Ellis and Liberty Island as a national park looks at another independent company called Evelyn Hill. This organization offers gift shops and restaurants to the thousands of visitors to the location daily. This company in addition, helps the National Park service by sharing a contracted share of the profits with the American National Park Service.
The strength of the National Park Service receiving donations from visitors also helps in the ongoing process of the preservation of the parks; we have offices in Washington D.C and thousands of employees all over the United States at other national park locations. Looking at the strengths of the Ellis and Liberty Island national park as a part of the entire National Park Service must consider the historical and ongoing benefits as a characteristic strength of the organization. In doing this, the fact remains the American National Park Service continues protecting and preserving the nation’s cultural and national resources since 1931. There are 59 protected areas known as National Parks under the National Park service.
Weaknesses
One clearly arbitrary decision by management is the decision diverting the money needed to supply employees with their needed tools for doing their jobs. The decision by the National Park Service taking people from Manhattan and New Jersey for screening at Ellis Island, never thinking about the risk of another terrorist attack on visitors and park employees alike. Like so many of the government organizations, there are too many people employed by the National Park Service. Many of these employed receive enormous amounts of money for doing nothing while making poor decision ultimately affecting park funding.
The failure of the national park service-training managers with interpersonal skills for showing employee appreciation for their dedication and work is another weakness of this organization felt by everyone not in management. Those employed in the national park service doing the real work and never recognized, while those sitting behind desks get the credit for the success of the organization is a moral, ethical, psychologically debilitating, and pragmatic weakness of the organization. .
Opportunities
The National Park Service offers a variety of opportunities including programs encouraging community involvement. One such program offers students educational programs. This program includes internships with the opportunity for participating students working for the park while enrolled in school. This program providing internships working in the Ellis and Liberty Island Park, during one semester incorporates young Americans into the National Park System fundamental workings. This kind of opportunity allowing young Americans working with the National Park System promotes the idea the national parks of America do belong to every citizen creating community solidarity. Other opportunities in the National Park System allow seasonal work for people six months of the year. The National Park Service offers opportunities for volunteerism creating civic opportunities for Americans. Volunteer participate in work doing jobs including archeology, automotive mechanic, carpenter, ecologist, electrician, historians, human resources, landscape architecture, park police and park rangers, and small projects operations.
Threats
Threats at the National Park Service as an organization looks at weather deterring and keeping paying visitors away. Weather can be one of the major threats, when there is rain, snow, and cold weather affects both islands from visitors visiting both island locations. The effect of such threat is the loss of income to the park service and to the private enterprises connected to the park. Facilities on Ellis Island continue aging. Budgetary criteria does not have a fund for maintaining these historical building. These two threats to the integrity and the functionality of the Ellis and Liberty Island national park remain constant. Another very real threat that plagues the national park system is any applied federal budgetary cuts.
Recommendations
Looking at the three threats identified in the SWOT analysis shows two external and one internal threat. First, the internal threat. The fact the historical buildings housing so much of America’s immigration heritage continue deteriorating looks to alleviating this ongoing issue by having the National Park Service step up their lobbying for donations. With the success of the recent donations toward the cleanup and repair of the damage from Hurricane Sandy this is a viable option. For the threat to the park connected with the outside factor of the weather, causing both privately aligned businesses and the park itself losing revenues this remains a situation listed under “acts of God.” The unforeseen acts of nature plague every type of organization and the most honest view on alleviating such a situation has no plausible resolution. One viable method to address the issue would be an educational campaign informing the public how this unforeseen threat undermines the national park and the private businesses connected to the system and their profits as part of the contributing financial profile. In doing so, this type of campaign would ask for further donations to compensate for any unforeseen bad weather costing the park financial security.
The other outside factor threatening Ellis and Liberty Island national park interest is the budgetary cuts threatened each year. To counter this, those individuals sitting in offices working for the national parks getting the glory for the hard work of others not recognized in the service should be tasked to become proactive advocates on Capitol Hill for the National Park Services. While the assumption exists this is surely already an existing entity, clearly with the headlines showing the funding cuts threatening the National Park Service there is obviously not enough advocacy going on. This is an opportunity, again, to bring the public sector into the advocacy process by engaging public grade school children in projects as advocates. These are worthwhile and viable recommendations that one day may very well have to be initiated.
Works Cited
Barrow, C. J. Social Impact Assessment: An Introduction. London: Arnold, 2000 Book
Desouza, Kevin C. Managing Knowledge with Artificial Intelligence: An Introduction with Guidelines for Nonspecialists. Westport, CT: Quorum, 2002. Book
Ellisisland.org. Ellis Island History. The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc., The National Park Service. 2010. Web.
Garner, Randy. ""SWOT" Tactics: Basics for Strategic Planning." The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin Nov. 2005: 17+ Print
National Park Service. The U.S. National Park System: An Economic Asset at Risk. 2013.Web
