I would like to take this opportunity to discuss an annual program that benefits our communities as well as the next generation of city managers. Every year, the Michigan Local Government Management Association (MLGMA) administers the Local Government Management Fellowship Program. This year, the MLGMA Next Gen Committee will oversee the administration and coordination of this program. I would invite all of you who have the dedication and mindfulness for mentoring to apply to host a fellow in your community in 2016.
The Fellowship Program is a collaborative project in which MLGMA partners with a list of Michigan universities that offer a Master’s of Public Administration (MPA) program. Each year, the two Fellowships are offered to graduate students at two universities on a rotating cycle. In 2016, the program is offered to Oakland University (OU) and Grand Valley State University (GVSU). The Fellowship will start in June and last for 12 weeks until late August. MLGMA contributes $3,000 and the university matches that amount for each Fellow.
Benefits
The program can offer many great benefits to the host community, including the following:
- Provide freedom for professional staff to pursue more advanced projects
- Assist an organization in applying the latest strategies and techniques in the field
- Increase visibility on college campuses
- Promote community involvement
- Recruit future interns/fellows/employees
- Create awareness of unseen needs
- Give to the community through teaching a future member of the work force
The arrangement is mutually beneficial to the Fellow, with benefits including:
- Provide projects that complement academic learning
- Give broad exposure to the organization
- Provide mentoring
- Offer orientation into the profession
- Create professional network
- Gain real life experience
The Fellowship is designed to offer students the training necessary for an entry-level position in local government. In the past, fellows have worked on a variety of projects covering a plethora of topics that face city managers. Projects might involve grant research and application, participation in an election, resident and business survey development and implementation, recruitment efforts, and developing position descriptions within the organization. Host community applications will be rated based on what the community can offer in terms of projects and responsibilities.
Preparing for a Fellow
Before applying to host an intern, I would encourage organizations to adequately plan and assess their ability to host a fellow. Ask yourself if your organization can provide the kind of environment that the program wants to offer. The Fellowship is aimed at providing an opportunity for students to apply their graduate school learning to real world experiences. In order to bridge the gap between classroom learning and real world experiences, the host community should provide projects and work that are befitting of any city manager.
The next step in developing a solid program is to get buy-in from the many other parts of your organization. Make sure that the department heads and the board are aware of and supportive of this effort. Check to ensure that the roles that you plan to have the fellow take on do not violate any employee or union agreements.
Once buy-in is secured, the next step is to design the program. Create a list of projects, add timelines, and design realistic outcomes and goals that you hope to achieve. The best fellowships mix daily responsibilities with other short- and long-term projects. Who will the fellow report to? How will the fellow be evaluated? From this you can produce an orientation process in which these responsibilities will be communicated to the fellow.
Interested communities will need to submit an application to the Next Gen Committee. That application will be sent out on the MLGMA listserv in February. If you have any other questions about the program, please feel free to contact me. On behalf of the Next Gen Committee, I appreciate your interest in this program and I look forward to facilitating great community/fellow matches.
Aaron Desentz, City Manager
Leslie
Aaron has served as Leslie’s city manager since July 2015. Previous local government positions in Michigan included village administrator of Shelby and palling commissioner for the Village of Pinckley. Aaron is also the chair of the MLGMA NextGen Committee. You may reach him at dsentz@cityofleslie.org or (517) 589-8236.