Illinois Public Service Institute celebrates 10 years of training excellence for public works professionals

Larry Lux, PWLF

President, Lux Advisors, Ltd Plainfield, Illinois Member, APWA Top Ten Review Committee

n October 2011, the Illinois

Public Service Institute (IPSI) celebrated its 10th Anniversary of service to the public works profession. From an initial class of 43 people in 2002, the Institute has consistently grown to the point where there are now approximately 140 people annually in the pipeline working towards graduation. The first graduating class was in 2004. To date nearly 300 people have graduated from the program. APWA membership is not required to attend IPSI.

The program is a three-year adult education model training program that provides leadership and management training that is specifically designed for public employees. The course itself is divided into three one-week sessions (one week per year for three years) that focuses on leadership development, service excellence and supervisory skills. The overall course contains 120 classroom hours of training and exercises.

Getting away from the workplace is an important element of the program and, therefore, the course is offered at the Keller Conference Center in Effingham, Illinois (South Central). This location was specifically chosen so that it was far enough away from the major population centers of Illinois to avoid the urge to travel back and forth every day, but still located close enough to allow a return home in a few hours or less should an emergency arise. IPSI contracts with several nearby hotels so that the students spend most of their week together as a group which adds immensely to the networking opportunities and success of the program. This strategy allows for maximum commitment and focus on the training itself. The success of the program is evident from the fact that many local and county government agencies in Illinois now indicate a preference for IPSI graduates in their personnel recruitment advertisements.

History

IPSI was originated in 2002 as a discussion initiated by the Illinois Chapter. The proposal was to form a partnership between the Illinois and Chicago Metro Chapters of APWA for the purpose of providing training to all levels of public employees and to prepare them for advancement in their public careers. The initial partnership agreement established a Management Committee consisting of eight members, one person designated as the “official” chapter contact plus three others designated from each chapter. It was

2011 Advisory Committee, left to right: John Heinz, Village of Libertyville (Chicago Metro Chapter); Larry Lux, Lux Advisors, Ltd. (Chicago Metro Chapter); Jeffrey Smith, City of Peoria (Illinois Chapter); Bob Scott, City of Decatur (Class of 2010); Roland White, City of Champaign (Illinois Chapter); Richard Berning, City of Springfield, retired (Illinois Chapter); Doug Paulus, Hampton, Lenzini & Renwick Engineers (Chicago Metro Chapter); Tony Torres, Village of Bolingbrook (Class of 2009); Larry Coloni, Village of Forsyth (Illinois Chapter); Kelly Amidei, Village of Libertyville (Illinois Assistant Municipal Managers Assn.); Allen Persons, Village of Plainfield (Illinois Section, American Water Works Assn.); Cindy Fowler, Bollinger, Lach & Assoc. Engineers (Class of 2008)

determined that the chairmanship of the committee would rotate every two years between the two chapters. IPSI was established as an independent entity of the two chapters in order to assure that the Management Committee effectively “owned” the program and was responsible for all management, curriculum and financial issues relative to the Institute. The Illinois Chapter agreed to assume responsibility for the annual audit and make the required APWA and IRS submittals as a part of their chapter reporting process. The Committee Secretary is responsible for initiating all contracts and financial disbursements and meeting all legal and fiscal requirements for the Institute, providing periodic reports on the fiscal status of the Institute to each chapter. The initial seed money to organize IPSI came equally from the two partner chapters. This funding was fully reimbursed to the chapters during the fifth year that the Institute was in operation.

A unique aspect of IPSI is that all major decisions and curriculum lineup are developed and endorsed by an “Advisory Committee” who also provides onsite management and assistance during the annual presentation. This Advisory Committee consists of the eight chapter representatives plus one representative from each of the IPSI “Sponsoring Organizations” (Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville; Northern Illinois University; Illinois Municipal League; Illinois Water Environment Association; Illinois Section, American Water Works Association; Illinois City/County Management Association; and the Illinois Assistant Municipal Managers Association), plus one representative from each of the three most recent graduating classes who are selected by their fellow classmates to represent the class. All members of the Advisory Committee are equals insofar as influence on Institute decisions and proposing changes or improvements to the program, each having one vote.

Business Model

• The two chapters jointly are the “owners” of the program.

A “Management Committee” of partnership chapter representatives makes all final financial and curriculum decisions. All management and curriculum recommendations are made by the Advisory Committee (described above).

• The basic goal of IPSI is to annually break even financially and to reinvest any potential profits into improving the quality

2012 Editorial Calendar

The topics for the APWA Reporter’s 13 issues in 2012 are presented below.

January: Emergency Management February: Water Resources March: Solid Waste Management April: Facilities and Grounds; Annual Buyer’s Guide May: Sustainability; Top Ten Public Works Leaders of the Year

APWA 75th Anniversary Commemorative Issue

June: Engineering and Technology July: Transportation; Public Works Projects of the Year August: Congress Show Issue; Utility and Public Right-of-Way September: Fleet Services October: Congress Highlights November: Winter Maintenance December: Leadership and Management

Columns & Features:

President’s Message Washington Insight Technical Committee News Global Solutions in Public Works Ask Ann Education Calendar APWA WorkZone Products in the News Professional Directory World of Public Works Calendar

of the overall program. Any profit beyond that required to deliver a high-quality educational experience is retained in a restricted fund as a “rainy day” reserve.

• The Management Committee retains and contracts with a Facilitator and a Program

Coordinator to work with the committee in the development of the annual course offerings, make speaker recommendations and manage the day-to-day affairs of the Institute.

• All aspects of IPSI are funded from an internal account controlled by the IPSI

Management Committee.

• Promotional information is developed by the Advisory

Committee for distribution to the sponsoring organizations.

• The curriculum basically follows the APWA recommended format.

• The three-year program will provide at least 120 hours of classroom contact. • Individual courses are presented based on the focus of the annual program (leadership development, service excellence and supervisory skills), current issues and events, and the availability of expert, qualified presenters. Each individual session is immediately evaluated by the participants through a formal written evaluation process.

• All courses are eligible for CEUs and PDHs. College credit is also available through the two sponsoring universities and requires additional commitment, writing and course work. • Each year, following the conclusion of the Institute, all evaluations are compiled by an independent unaffiliated organization. These evaluations are used by the Advisory

Committee to analyze and evaluate the entire program including individual topics, speakers and facilities. The evaluation is also used to make future speaker and course determinations and to suggest improvements to the overall program.

• All courses follow a true adult education format that is informal, interactive and entertaining and includes podium presentations, team and individual exercises and social interaction networking.

2011 Promotional Poster – 5x8 Banner

Conclusion

IPSI has grown progressively over the years due to the solid business model, quality management and a curriculum that relates directly to public employees led by highquality, knowledgeable and energetic public works and management professionals.

Continuing this tradition will assure the success of IPSI for many years to come. For further information, contact Larry Lux at luxadvisors@ comcast.net or Mary Bender at mbender102@aol.com.