The AGA Weblog

The Norwich University MPA and CGFM

By: William Clements, Ph.D.

William Clements, Ph.D., is Dean, School of Graduate Studies, Norwich University

The challenges facing today’s public service leaders are many, especially in light of the current economy and public expectations. Contemporary leaders must provide a larger vision, but equally important they must balance the needs of competing constituencies, understand and apply best practices, and do so under ever-present financial constraints. It is important, therefore, that contemporary leadership and administration at all levels be cognizant and vigilant in the wise use of public resources. Our future and security depend upon it.

An important component of good leadership and practice is continuing education, and the Association of Government Accountants (AGA) has been a leader in this area for many years. AGA and Norwich University (Vermont) recently entered into a partnership to enhance educational opportunities for AGA members as well as prepare aspiring and emerging leaders with the tools necessary to be successful in the dynamic and challenging environment of public administration. Specifically, students in the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program will be able to specialize in public financial management as part of their program in the School of Graduate Studies. The MPA program is designed for working professionals who seek to become leaders in the field of public administration. As it is oriented to the professional seeking to excel in the workplace, the curriculum places an emphasis on experiential learning with a focus on collaboration, best practices, evidence-based administration and innovative thinking.

The partnership is one of several new School of Graduate Studies initiatives now under way to provide MPA students (and students on other graduate programs) the opportunity to attain expertise in public financial management, and the first to provide the direct opportunity to prepare for an external certification. A new 12-credit-hour concentration in government financial management is planned for the Master of Public Administration program and will be launched in December 2008. It is envisioned that MPA students who pursue the government financial management concentration will sit for AGA's Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM) Exams on campus during their campus residency at the end of their studies and, if successful, simultaneously complete the MPA and CGFM credential. Norwich students will also be eligible for student membership in AGA while preparing for certification.

In addition, the concentration will be available to AGA members and students in all programs as a separate certificate and preparation track for the CGFM Examinations. Current CGFMs may also gain advanced standing in the MPA program to complete the degree in about a year. Those involved in management of governmental funds in a variety of settings such as public administration, health care, education, the military, nonprofit and private sectors may be interested in this program. Additional courses (credit and non-credit) and certificates are planned and will be available to SGS students and alums, as well as AGA members, as the partnership develops over the next few years.

The School of Graduate Studies offers distance education master’s degrees and an increasing number of related certificates across several professional fields. Norwich University is the oldest private military college in the nation, founded in 1819 and dedicated to rigorous and experiential learning. The online delivery of the MPA program provides a number of advantages for working professionals, including convenience and access that work schedules might otherwise preclude, application of theory and concepts to the workplace, and access to highly qualified and accomplished instructors from around the country.

Are there other areas of study, specialization or certification that you think would be useful, and perhaps necessary, for effective public management in the future? Is this a useful approach for providing ongoing education and professional development for those working in the field of public administration? These are but a few questions the field faces as it rises to meet the challenges faced by our federal, state and local governments. The enhanced MPA-CGFM approach is one avenue for providing the tools necessary for effective public management, although there may be others.

MONDAY: Edward W. Stepnick, CPA, retired federal auditor, on "Federal Auditing a Half-Century Ago: Some Personal Recollections"

It’s Never Too Late for Certification—Learning is a Lifelong Journey

By: Jeffrey C. Steinhoff, CGFM, CPA, CFE

Jeffrey C. Steinhoff, CGFM, CPA, CFE, a member of AGA’s Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. Chapters, retired earlier this year after 40 years of government service. His most recent position was managing director, Financial Management and Assurance, U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). He is an AGA Past National President and is known in the Association as the “father” of the Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM) Program.

For a financial management professional, learning is truly a lifelong journey. You have to always challenge yourself and never think that you have learned it all. You must always be looking to expand your horizons and learn new things. If you view your career as a job, it will always be a job. If you view it as a profession, it will be much more rewarding. But to get those rewards, you have to keep developing professionally. You have to keep learning. No one exemplified this more than the late Raymond Einhorn, AGA’s 11th National President and one of its founding members. Ray was active professionally and always learning until his passing at the age of almost 92. A month did not go by without me getting a call from Ray asking a professional question and wanting to get a copy of a GAO publication. To quote Ray, from AGA’s 2002–2003 Annual Report, “the hallmarks of professionalism and progress are continuing professional education and constant research.”

When AGA made the decision to move forward with the Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM) Program, there was a strong belief that the special and unique skills of government financial managers needed to be recognized. The program is doing great thanks to the hard work of the National Office staff and the strong commitment of AGA members throughout our 94 chapters. Ray Einhorn was one of the first wave of members who became a CGFM at the young age of 80 as did the late T. Jack Gary, AGA’s third National President, who was 83 when he became a CGFM. Both Ray and Jack truly viewed their career as a lifelong profession.

For a new financial management professional, it is really a no brainer. You should seek the CGFM designation early in your career. It is something that you will have for the rest of your life. Being a CPA for 35 of my 40-year federal career was very important to my career advancement and one of my proudest accomplishments is holding CGFM certificate No. 1 from AGA. Now some will say they are at a stage in their career where one more certification does not really matter. They may already have another certification, or they may be looking to a retirement date in the not too distant future. Well, I would submit that it is never too late to become a CGFM. Try it, and you will enjoy it

Why do I so fervently believe this? Well, last year I studied for and successfully completed the examination to become a Certified Fraud Examiner. This was just eight months before I retired from government and more than 39 years into my career. Being a CFE was certainly not going to do anything for my career. My job at GAO was very demanding. With long work days and horrible traffic in the Washington, D.C. area, the norm was leaving my home at 6:30 a.m. and getting home at 7:30 p.m. or later. All of my studies were on weekends, and there is a lot of material to cover. Early on in the process, there were a few second thoughts. What had I gotten myself into since to complete the study course, which was a prerequisite to taking the CFE exam, you had to correctly answer 1,600 questions? Trust me, 1,600 are a lot of questions. But once I got into it, the learning was enjoyable and there was a sense of achievement when it came full circle.

So, it is never too late for certification. Learning is a lifelong journey.

My question to the bloggers is rather simple: What do you think? Is it never too late for professional certification? Is learning a lifelong journey?

TOMORROW: AGA Asks You: What's the most important thing the next Administration needs to know about the current state of financial management? Share your opinions for a White Paper being developed by AGA and NAPA.

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