KU News Release

KU to honor public management program participants Sept. 26 in Liberal

LAWRENCE — Kansas Secretary of Administration Duane Goossen will join University of Kansas officials Wednesday, Sept. 26, in Liberal to honor participants in the Certified Public Manager’s program offered in southwest Kansas by KU’s Public Management Center.

Goossen and KU Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Richard Lariviere will address the participants, legislators, local officials and guests at 5:30 p.m. at the Liberal Country Club, 339 W. 18th St.

Participants include state, local and federal workers who have been enrolled in the program since January. The monthly class rotates among sites in Liberal, Dodge City and Garden City to accommodate students from the area. This year, students from Hays, Larned and Norton also enrolled in the program.

“In our ongoing efforts to serve the entire state, the KU Public Management Center first offered this course in southwest Kansas in 2006, and the response was overwhelming,” said Charles Jones, director of the center, which is in Topeka. “So we’ve offered it again, and again we received enthusiastic participation from across the region.”

KU’s Certified Public Manager credential is a nationally recognized emblem of management excellence and complies with the guidelines and standards established by the National Certified Public Manager Consortium. Working with the Public Management Center to offer the program are the Mid-America Regional Council, League of Kansas Municipalities, Kansas Association of Counties and U.S. Department of Agriculture Graduate School.

The Certified Public Manager program was established in 1993. Since then, more than 800 public managers have completed certification. The yearlong course concludes with a December graduation. Classes meet three consecutive days each month, for a total of 288 contact hours.

The program’s goals are to provide a foundation of knowledge and skills in management practices for those at all levels in government; offer opportunities for professional and personal growth for public-sector employees; and foster effective management practices in government organizations.

This year’s Certified Public Manager program participants and their employers are listed below.

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The University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university. University Relations is the central public relations office for KU's Lawrence campus.