LAWRENCE – The University of Kansas Public Management Center is proud to announce this year’s graduates of the Kansas Certified Public Manager program. The graduation ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 1, in the House Chamber at the Capitol in Topeka. University of Kansas Chancellor Douglas A. Girod will attend as a special guest and make remarks to the graduates.

The 85 graduates, who began their coursework in January, represent local, county, state or federal agencies from across Kansas. They participated in classes held in Topeka as well as the Kansas City and Southeast Kansas areas.

Of these participants, 21 are graduates of the Law Enforcement Leadership Academy (LELA) Command School who completed their CPM certification through classroom instruction and online work. While they were recognized last week at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center, they will be included in the graduation ceremony in Topeka.

“The Kansas CPM program is a dynamic and engaging certification program of 300 contact hours that uses a Capstone project as the final exam and course materials that inspire new ways of thinking and innovative approaches to solving problems,” said Terri Callahan, program manager.

“I am very impressed with the caliber and dedication of the CPM graduates. Their love for public service and leadership is evident by their commitment and dedication to their organizations, communities, and the citizens they serve. We feel very fortunate to have the chancellor coming to show his support of this program.”

The Kansas CPM program is a professional education opportunity for managers working in government agencies, nonprofits and organizations that contract to provide public services and meet community needs. CPM is a nationally accredited management program and certification in which participants develop and strengthen their management skills through a competency-based curriculum. Nearly 1,600 CPM graduates have earned the nationally recognized emblem of management excellence through the Kansas program.

The CPM program can fill a training gap for staff with significant technical expertise who seek to further their knowledge of current management practices. The Kansas program offers a blended learning approach of classroom hours, online learning and outside assignments to meet 300 hours of structured learning. The curriculum addresses personal and organizational integrity, managing work, leading people, developing self, public service and leadership during times of change. Along the way, participants complete a capstone project focused on an opportunity for cost savings, revenue generation, process improvement or innovation in their workplace.

The list of area graduates is below:

Ellis County
Hays
Jeff Crispin, City of Hays
Timothy Huck, City of Hays