Local government officials will have an opportunity to network and bounce ideas off of one another at West Virginia University’s annual Local Government Leadership Academy on Sept. 25-26 at the Charleston House Holiday Inn.

Through a series of three-hour workshops, the academy provides an active exchange of ideas and information between West Virginia’s local government officials and the University’s finest scholars, prominent public officials and leading practitioners.

“Elected officials will receive training on a wide variety of leadership topics. Academic professionals and state policy makers instruct them on economic development, ethics and more. They receive exposure to ideas that they may not normally be exposed to in their own communities,” said Thomas Bias, coordinator of this year’s academy and assistant editor of the WVU Institute for Public Affair’s publication, West Virginia Public Affairs Reporter.

Coordinated by the Institute for Public Affairs, the academy sponsors two sessions each year with a fall session in Charleston and a spring session in Morgantown. This allows the academy to reach out geographically to the state’s elected and appointed local government officials, Bias said.

“The Local Government Leadership Academy is important to WVU because it’s a great example of our 21st century land-grant university mission,” said Chief of Staff Jay Cole. “WVU is committed to putting our resources into service for the people of West Virginia, and the academy is one way we do that. We are proud of the chance to work with local government officials to improve the lives of our citizens and the communities in which they live.”

To ensure that the academy meets the needs of many local government officials, the curriculum is developed with the assistance of the Executive Directors of the West Virginia Association of Counties, the County Commissioners Association of West Virginia, and the West Virginia Municipal League.

The Local Government Leadership Academy has six core workshops with over thirty electives available, and depending on the number of workshops attended, participants can earn up to four certificates in achievement, distinction, excellence and highest merit.

This year’s workshops include Strides to a Healthier Community; Professional Conduct: The Nuts and Bolts of Ethics and Open Meeting Laws; Grantwriting and the Value of Community Foundations; The Impact of War on Returning Veterans and the Community: Developing a Plan for Mutual Assistance and more.

The Local Government Leadership Academy is sponsored by the Institute for Public Affairs and the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.

For more information on the Local Government Leadership Academy and a brochure of events, go to http://ipa.wvu.edu.

-WVU-

dc/9/21/09

CONTACT: Robert Duval, Department of Political Science
304-293-3811 ext.5299, Bob.Duval@mail.wvu.edu

Kevin M. Leyden, Institute for Public Affairs
304-293-3811, Kleyden@wvu.edu