On Tuesday, seven Hamilton County public employees graduated from Ball State University’s Certified Public Manager Program.
Certified Public Manager Program
The Bowen Center for Public Affairs offers a unique training opportunity for Indiana public managers and their supervisory personnel. The Indiana Certified Public Manager® Program is offered exclusively by the Bowen Center for Public Affairs as a key initiative of its Institute for Public Service. The Indiana CPM Program provides government and non-profit employees with a comprehensive course of study that has recognized public management theories and best practices at its foundation. The program trains public managers to apply these theories and practices to the challenges they face in public service.
National Accreditation
The Indiana CPM Program is fully accredited by the National Certified Public Manager® Consortium, which establishes and enforces accreditation standards for the CPM programs offered in approximately 40 states. The Consortium has authorized the Bowen Center for Public Affairs as the exclusive provider of Certified Public Manager® training in Indiana.
The accreditation guidelines demand that the program curriculum require intensive study, application of important concepts in the work environment, and completion of a significant capstone project. Participants are required to demonstrate their proficiencies in seven fundamental public management competencies:
- Personal and Organizational Integrity
- Leading People
- Developing Self
- Change Leadership
- Managing Work
- Systemic Integration
- Public Service Focus
State Leadership
The national consortium expects each program to take the base course of study and tailor the program to fit local needs. In order to capture Indiana’s challenges and develop a curriculum to address those challenges, the Bowen Center for Public Affairs relies on its Public Service Advisory Board made up of leaders from around the state.
Receiving a Certificate
After completing the required 300 hours of learning activities, each public manager will receive the nationally recognized designation as a Certified Public Manager®.
Curriculum
The Indiana CPM program is divided into two segments. The first phase features 12 monthly, full-day sessions which teach managers to adopt an outcome-based perspective on managerial behavior, create measures of individual and organizational performance, and develop and enhance their interpersonal skills. Participants who complete the first phase are awarded a designation as a Certified Public Supervisor. They are then eligible to continue their development in the second phase, in which they acquire skills for thinking and acting strategically in leading their department or organization, for leading change efforts for organizational improvement, and for enhancing their negotiation and conflict resolution abilities.
Participants who complete both segments receive a nationally recognized designation as a Certified Public Manager.