Certified Public Manager (CPM) Program

About the CPM Program

The program is designed to enhance and develop the skills of the participants to deal with “real-world” challenges and situations. All tracks are developed from a “practitioner’s” point of view utilizing knowledge based skill sets that can be incorporated within your career path. The information conveyed is team taught by a combination of academic and practitioner faculty.

The Texas Certified Public Manager Program (CPM) is a nationally accredited program by the National Certified Public Manager Consortium and is cooperatively offered through the William P. Hobby Center for Public Service of Texas State University.

The Public Administration Program of The University of Texas-Pan American will administer and coordinate the curriculum, which is a seven-track course spread over a 14-month period. The CPM program is affiliated with the Master of Public Administration Program, which is within the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

John Milford, CPM Coordinator, is a Professional Practitioner, who also instructs in the MPA Program and has over 32 years experience in local government. Milford has received a Lifetime Member Achievement Award Recognition by the Texas City Management Association.

Location

The course will be held in various locations in Hidalgo County, Texas.

Registration Fee

Registration fee is $595 per track, which includes all materials and information. It also includes the cost of lunch for First Friday session of each track.

Participants have the option to register and pay for all tracks.

Click below for online payment option if using e-check or credit card. Online payment is recommended to assure space availability.

 Alternatively, to pay with purchase order or cash, fill out the PDF Registration and fax it to 956.928-1445. 

To pay online for individual tracks, please click "Register Now" buttons listed under the respective tracks. 

Minimum Educational Requirement

There is no minimum educational requirement to enroll.

Who Should Attend

Administrative officers, managers, elected officials, public safety officers, not-for-profit staff, federal staff and other participants seeking to acquire knowledge based skills to further their careers.

Continuing Education Credit

The CPM program has been approved for continuing education credit by the County Commissioners Education Committee as mandated by the Texas State Legislature. The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Education (TCLOSE), the Texas State Board of Accountancy and The County Treasurers’ Association has also endorsed the CPM Program for continuing education credits. Upon successful of all course work and assignments, the participant is eligible to receive the designation of “CERTIFIED PUBLIC MANAGER.”

Program Duration

The program attendance is intended to have a minimal impact on the participant’s job and career. Each track consists of a total of three business days over two months. For example, the first part of a track is offered on a full day on Friday and a half day on Saturday, with the second part offered on the following month on a full day on Friday and a half day on Saturday.

CPM 2010 - 2011 Schedule and Summary

Dates listed for each track are tentative and subject to change.

January 15, 2010 - February 19, 2011
PM courses (tracks) do not need to be taken in a particular sequence; however, all seven tracks should be completed within a five-year period to qualify for completion of the program and obtain Certification.

Track One:	Public Personnel Administration Focus: To provide essential information concerning personnel and labor relations to public administration. Example of topics that will be covered include recruitment / selection, equal employment, opportunity / affirmative action, performance evaluations, discipline / termination, health / safety, collective bargaining, classification, compensation and employee benefits. January, 15, 2010 & January 16th, 2010 February 19th, 2010 & February, 20th, 2010
Track Two:	Managing For Quality Focus: To provide essential information concerning the practice of building quality into public and non-profit organization. Practices such as Re-engineering, Total Quality Management (TQM) and Strategic Planning will be explored in detail. The course will also focus on how a systems approach can help public administration to understand the way in which organizations can improve their operations. March 19th, 2010 & March 20th, 2010 April 16th, 2010 & April 17th, 2010
Track Three:	Organizational Communication Focus: To provide essential information concerning the practice of communication within the organization. Topics include communicating with governing and oversight bodies, barriers to effective communication and dealing with disagreement, conflict and groupthink. Improving oral and written communication skills will also be covered in this track. May 14th, 2010 & May 15th, 2010 June 18th, 2010 & June 19th, 2010
Track Four:	Public Finance And Budgeting Focus: To provide essential information concerning the practice of public finance and budgeting. The basics of finance, budgeting and public sector accounting and auditing will be explored in detail. Additional topics include cut back management and economic development. July 16th, 2010 & July 17th, 2010 August 20th, 2010 & August 21st, 2010
Track Five:	Productivity And Program Evaluation Focus: To provide essential information on how to conduct public administration research leading toward the evaluation of public and non-profit sector programs. Benchmarking, program evaluation and the tools and techniques of public administration research will be explored. In addition, the basic principles of legal research will be covered in this track. September 17th, 2010 & September 18th, 2010 October15th, 2010 & October, 16th, 2010
Track Six:	Information Systems For Managers Focus: To provide essential information about management information systems used by public sector and non-profit sector managers. Tools and systems such as the Internet and on-line federal and state data bases will be identified and discussed in detail. Additional topics include geographic information systems, and radio frequency identification technology. November 12th, 2010 & November 13th, 2010 December 10th, 2010 & December 11th, 2010
Track Seven:	Applied Projects Practicum Focus: To provide students with the opportunity and tools necessary to prepare a major applied project / projects related to their organization or area of interest. This track is the “ capstone” of the CPM Program and will incorporate lessons and information provided in the other six tracks January 21th, 2011 & January 22nd 2011 February 18th, 2011 &February 19th , 2011