Certified Public Manager Program

ORGANIZATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

West Virginia State University developed and began a Masters of Public Administration program in 2015 to provide a forum to study national, state, and local government affairs and to make recommendations for improved governance. In 2022, West Virginia State University was designated as the exclusive provider of public service training affiliated with the National Certified Public Manager Consortium. As an institution focused on improving the quality of government and management practices in the state of West Virginia, the program addresses the importance of understanding the environment in which public sector employees function. Leadership and management programs developed and delivered by West Virginia State University’s undergraduate political science, MPA, and forthcoming CPM programs strive to have public employees understand that government cannot, and should not, be run exactly like a business. However, governments can and should be run with sound, business-like, management principles.
 

The university’s faculty understand the importance of developing action plans to address the strategic priorities of policy-makers; this is the approach its faculty members and instructors will take when

working with state and municipal governments, as well as nonprofit employees. The approach calls for the elected officials to identify the vision and mission of the organization as well as the strategic priorities to meet them. Division directors and department heads develop action plans to identify the human and financial resources necessary to accomplish these priorities. The program faculty believes that good team leadership and effective management skills are fundamental to the success of action plans. The program further believes that action plans must include effective performance measures to demonstrate the quality delivery of services.
 

The curriculum for public leadership and management has been developed and continually refined over its lifetime to reflect new theories and models of leadership and to react to the realities of practice, such as the reduction of government employees and resources that are prevalent in the modern world. The program utilizes a blend of adult learning strategies and interventions to deliver the content. These interventions include experiential learning, case scenarios, small and large group work, and content assessment.
 

CERTIFIED PUBLIC MANAGER® PROGRAM
 

West Virginia State University’s Certified Public Manager® Program is an affiliate program of the National CPM® Consortium and is designed to improve the quality and efficiency of government agencies by developing the effectiveness and professionalism of its managers.
 

This is an intensive multi-part program in which you will learn about yourself, your organization, and how to lead and manage more effectively. Individuals completing the 300-hour program receive a Certified Public Manager Certificate from West Virginia State University and the National Certified Public Manager Consortium. As a certification program, the requirements include active participation in each class, completion of out-of-class assignments and projects, and full attendance.
 

The CPM® Program curriculum is designed specifically to integrate the seven core competency areas required by the National CPM Consortium.

WEST VIRGINIA CERTIFIED PUBLIC MANAGER PROGRAM
 

The West Virginia Certified Public Manager Program is a professional development and training program for public employees within the state of West Virginia. The program is designed to provide practical public management training, which is relevant to public servants, regardless of their current level of educational attainment. Toward this end, the program focuses on seven core competencies of quality public management, as outlined by the National Certified Public Manager Consortium.

Program Benefits

• 300 hours of quality public management training and professional development
• Nationally certified and accredited curriculum
• Affordable cost
• Capstone project provides tangible benefit to both employees and their employers
• Up to 12 hours of elective credit toward a WVSU bachelor’s degree, and up to 6 hours credit for a WVSU Master of Public Administration