Federal Executive Institute
However, the United States had not implemented any kind of education programs to prepare federal executives to manage this expanded workforce.
The United States military had a long experience of organizing and training millions of men and it was believed by many that a similar model of continuing education should be applied to civil servants, to prepare them for more senior assignments.
[6] Following President Johnson's speech, John Macy designated James Beck to coordinate the creation of the Federal Executive Institute.
Chairman Macy was able to convince Frank Sherwood, who was Dean and teaching at the University of Southern California School of Public Administration, to come to Charlottesville as the first director of the Federal Executive Institute.
The session lasted eight weeks, a period intended to take the executives away from the office long enough to allow them to "look seriously at themselves and their careers and to consider what changes they needed to make for the future."
The curriculum fostered ways of improving executive performance in the Federal government and developing people who played those roles as high-performing leaders.
Program objectives were to heighten executive responsiveness to national needs and goals, to increase appreciation for the totality of the governmental system, and to improve knowledge of managerial processes.
The lecture subjects were: Problems Facing a City Government, Weapon Decision Making at the Top, The Changing Role of the U.S. Labor Force, the Emerging Role of Unions in the Public Service, Impact of Computers and Electronics on Education, Southeast Asia and the Great Powers, the Presidency as It Operates Today, Big Industry View of Public Policy Issues, New Federalism, the Black Explosion: National and International, Role of the Minority Party in Presidential Transitions, World Population Explosion, Education and Civil Rights, Cost Benefit Analysis: A Management Tool, Ideas and Experiences Leading Toward Organizational Development, Impact of the Budgetary Process on the Administration of the Public Sector, the Roles of the President, Policy Making and Appropriation, the Professional Staff Member of Congressional Committees, Emergency Preparedness, Model Cities, Singapore Looks on Southeast Asia, US Tax Policy, the State of the Public Service, Black Studies: Campus Phenomena, and Our Nation's Resources.
[12][13] [14] Today the Federal Executive Institute (FEI) is part of the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
FEI operates five programs of leadership development which are delivered virtually (100% online), blended, and residential when safety and health COVID restrictions permit.
The program focuses on four themes: personal leadership, transforming organizations, policy in a Constitutional system, and the global context for executive action.
[citation needed] In addition to an intense curriculum based on Constitutional values, LDS offers a personal approach to leadership development.
By incorporating 360-degree assessments, inventories of strengths and areas for improvement, and constant feedback from peers and facilitators, participants are led to a larger picture of self-awareness.
Executives learn in Leadership Development Teams (LDTs) which are smaller discussion and peer consultation groups that include guidance from a professional facilitator.
All participants complete a comprehensive health risk appraisal to include blood lipid profile and fitness assessment and nutritional counseling.
FEI offers open enrollment courses throughout the year in areas such as: collaborating across organizational boundaries, emotional competence, and strategic leadership.
FEI has worked with such agencies as: USAID, NOAA, NAVAIR, FAA, Department of Defense, Internal Revenue Service as well as the Army Senior Leader Development Program, the Defense Senior Leadership Development Program (DSLDP) and the President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency in the Government.
These multi-day courses span a wide range of topics relevant to executive leaders including those which focus on individual skill development as well as organizational enhancement.
