The global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been felt across all sectors, and the importance of effective, evidence-based and transparent public management has never been more important.
This impact has also been felt by ANZSOG as the rapidly evolving situation has made implementing a range of our education programs a complex ever-changing challenge. We have now made the difficult decision to defer a number of foundation and executive leadership programs based on advice from our government owners, the availability of program leads domestically and internationally, and acting on our responsibility to help arrest the potential spread of COVID-19.
These deferred programs include our third annual First Peoples’ Public Administration conference, the 2020 Executive Fellows Program (EFP), the 2020 Towards Strategic Leadership (TSL) Program, some subjects being delivered as part of this year’s Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA), international programs and a number of upcoming Executive Education and tailored learning workshops.
Please see the individual web pages for details on program deferrals. We will continue to review all delivery options as the public health response in Australia and New Zealand unfolds.
Many countries have now reported COVID-19 cases from domestic as well as international transmission and have now introduced travel restrictions and specific public health responses.
As a result, we believe it is prudent to defer some programs, as many participants may be unable to travel due to restrictions as well as health and safety concerns.
We firmly place the health, safety and general wellbeing of our participants, faculty and staff members at the heart of all our decision-making.
Participants who had registered in these deferred programs will, of course, be able to retain their place in the program.
You will notice a number of ANZSOG programs now offer an Expression of Interest option. We encourage all current and future public sector leaders to consider filling out an Expression of Interest form. We fully expect that these programs will be running again when the situation stabilises. We expect to communicate new dates to participants in the near future.
ANZSOG continues to progress a number of smaller tailored learning programs within government agencies and our research program continues to address key contemporary issues in public administration, policy development and management.
We are also excited to announce a forthcoming research translation series which will be launched on March 25 which will provide the latest public administration and public policy research relevant to the work of the public service.
We will continue to work with our government owners and university partners to lift the quality of public sector leadership across both nations in different ways, including ramping up on-line delivery and exploring further multimedia options.
We aim to continue to educate, inspire, enrich and connect public sector leaders across agencies, sectors, jurisdictions and nations. This is all aimed at ensuring governments can deliver better outcomes for the citizens of Australia and New Zealand.
And we believe in uncertain times like this, our mission is more important than ever.
– Professor Ken Smith, ANZSOG Dean and CEO
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