ATHENS, Ohio -- Scholarships are available for public managers in and around southeast Ohio to participate in the Ohio Certified Public Manager (OCPM) program at its new site in Chillicothe.
Ohio University's Institute for Local Government Administration and Rural Development (ILGARD) will grant the ILGARD 20th Anniversary Scholarship to five managers in township, village, city or county government who have shown "dedication to their community, Appalachia and their position as a public manager," says Pat Dewees, director of the management advisory services group at ILGARD.
"We provided these scholarships to encourage dedicated public managers in even the smallest communities to gain certification and professional training. We think this is particularly important now as managers face tight budgets and increased responsibilities at the local level in Ohio," says Dewees.
The Ohio Certified Public Manager Program is a statewide nationally recognized comprehensive management development program designed specifically for public managers in Ohio. The program offers courses at six sites across the state, including southeastern Ohio. Completing OCPM leads to professional certification and enhances leadership skills while bringing managers up to date on new developments in the theory and practice of public administration.
The scholarship will cover half the tuition cost for the two-year certification period. Eligibility requires that the manager work for a government office located in one of the 29 Appalachian counties, is in charge of two or more people (or a major project) and is accepted by the Ohio Certified Public Manager program for the Chillicothe site this fall.
For more information, visit www.ilgard.ohiou.edu//ocpm/ilgard.html, or call Marcia Nation, coordinator for the southeast Ohio OCPM program at (740) 593-3643 or toll free, 1-877-321-OCPM. Also, see the general OCPM Web site at http://ocpm.state.oh.us.
The Ohio Department of Administrative Services in partnership with Ohio's public universities administers the OCPM program. ILGARD and Ohio University-Chillicothe are responsible for the new OCPM site.
Visit the ILGARD Web site at www.ilgard.ohiou.edu
