Public Management Academy Launches With Full Contingent

In its commitment to grow the knowledge of regional public sector managers, UNC Charlotte’s
Master of Public Administration Program launched the MPA Public Management Academy
Professional Development Certificate program in spring 2017, with a full house of 35
participants from across the region.

The fall 2017 offering also is full, as the Academy addresses the specific challenges public sector
managers face that differ from those of people working in the for-profit arena. Plans call for
offering the Academy each fall and spring at UNC Charlotte Center City, in partnership with the
University’s Continuing Education Office.

This professional development program is designed for first-line supervisors and high potential
staff in the government and nonprofit sectors. The format includes presentations by MPA faculty
and practitioner roundtables on topics such as strategic planning, performance management,
program evaluation and ethical leadership.

“There are certainly general management skills relevant to any setting, but there are fundamental
differences between the private and public sectors,” said Tom Barth, director of MPA Program.
“Government and nonprofit managers deal with divided but shared power, complex performance
measures that can be hard to quantify and communicate, and with multiple sources of
responsibility and accountability.”