The federal government spends millions of dollars annually on executive training programs administered by external providers.
Sen. Charles Grassley recently asked the U.S. Government Accountability Office to review the costs and value of this training, which, in a report released in January, recommends, among other items, that government agencies be more efficient in spending their development dollars.
Hearing Sen. Grassley’s call for efficiency and effectiveness, Brookings Executive Education, a partnership between the Brookings Institution and Washington University in St. Louis, has announced a new fellowship program aimed at boosting senior-level success in a cost-efficient manner.
The Brookings Executive Education (BEE) Fellowship program, launching this fall, will build on the legacy of the successful Brookings Legis Congressional Fellowship, which places mid- and senior-level executives from both the public and private sectors on Capitol Hill as Congressional staffers for seven to 12 months. This new BEE Fellowship will help agencies and individuals develop the thinking and behaviors needed for fostering skilled government leadership, while doing so at a significantly reduced cost.
“BEE Fellows is an innovative and higher value alternative to expensive centralized agency developmental programs, while providing assessments, coaching, classroom content and learning projects,” says Jackson Nickerson, PhD, the Frahm Family Professor of Organization & Strategy, Brookings Non-resident Senior Scholar in Government Studies and dean and director of Brookings Executive Education.
“Rather than offering a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to the classroom component, we are providing options to participants to make this truly focused on developing the individual based on their leadership needs,” Nickerson says.
Those who join the BEE fellowship program will be part of a “customizable cohort experience” that includes cohort-based learning sessions and provides vouchers for participants to attend other BEE masters’ classes.
For a nominal additional fee, individuals and agencies can opt for the Enterprise Leader “add-on” that includes SES Boot Camp, services of a writing coach and credit towards Washington University’s Masters of Science in Leadership degree.
At the completion of the program, students are asked to quantifiably demonstrate the impact of the experience on their job performance. Participants describe in detail the application of what they learned in class to their day-to-day job duties, demonstrating that their new skills have made an impact.
Through its coursework, the fellowship introduces students to Leading Thinking, a set of processes to help leaders successfully tackle even the most difficult challenges.
The program will consist of government-focused content offered at a lower cost than other programs, Nickerson says.
“We are able to leverage the Brookings Executive Education experience – the combined knowledge and tradition of Washington University and the Brookings Institution,” Nickerson says. “We are proud to make the bold claim that the BEE Fellowship program is the most advanced and impactful executive development program available for high potential government leaders.”
As the nation celebrates Public Service Recognition Week May 4-10, Brooking Executive Education salutes the men and women who serve our nation at the federal, state and local levels and stands ready to provide them the best training and support to keep making this country the best it can be.
The BEE Fellowship program is open to GS-14 and GS-15 government employees.
The program consists of 20 course days spread over nine months and begins with an assessment of fellows’ capabilities with respect to the Office of Personnel Management executive core qualifications. The fall cohort begins in October. Applications are due July 31.
For more information or to apply, visit brookings.edu/about/execed/bee-fellowship.
Brookings Executive Education
Brookings Executive Education (BEE) is committed to developing the mastery of today’s managers and executives in policymaking and organizational leadership.
The Robert S. Brookings Graduate School was originally founded and designed to teach the art of handling problems rather than simply impart accumulated knowledge. This graduate school ultimately evolved into the executive education function at the Brookings Institution.
In 2009, Washington University Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton and Strobe Talbott, president of Brookings, announced an academic partnership through which joint programs are now offered, including internships, lectures and other educational opportunities.
Faculty from the university’s Olin Business School design and deliver BEE’s curriculum, like the new BEE Fellowship program, which is structured to develop a cadre of public- and private-sector managers adept in leading change.
The Brookings Institution and Washington University in St. Louis
The Brookings Institution and Washington University enjoy a common history, with St. Louis businessman Robert S. Brookings both founding the Washington, D.C.-based think tank and serving as leader of the university’s governing board for 33 years.
The Brookings Institution is a private nonprofit organization devoted to independent research and innovative policy solutions. For more than 90 years, Brookings has analyzed current and emerging issues and produced new ideas that matter — for the nation and the world.
Currently ranked 14th overall in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Washington University is renowned for its scholarship and innovation in science, medicine, business, and the arts. Its distinguished faculty members have received numerous awards for research, including 22 Nobel Prizes. The partnership between Washington University and the Brookings Institution brings Robert Brookings’ vision full circle.