This syllabus is subject to change
without notice. Contact the professor for most recent changes.
Urban Management Process - URSI 601-Revised
Monday
Instructor: Dr. J.E. Cherrington-Cucore (Dr. “J”) Morris Hall 104
Office Phone: (507)389-5031 Fax: -6377 (mark to Attn: Dr.
Cherrington-URSI)
email: janet.cherrington@mnsu.edu web address*: www.intech.mnsu.edu/cherrington
office hours: see my web site under “Office Hours”
Texts: (required)
Banovetz, James M., Drew A. Dolan,
John W. Swain (editors).
Managing
Hall, Jay, Jerry B. Harvey, Martha S. Williams, Styles of Management Inventory (Woodlands, TX: Teleometrics, 2000)
Berman, West, Bonczek(eds.) Ethics Edge (Washington DC:ICMA, 1998) ISBN 0-87326-161-5)
Copy Shop: (required) Class packet for URSI 601 (available at Morris Hall copy shop).
Course Purpose: The purpose of this course is to provide a broad survey of local government operations useful to public sector administrators and department heads. Aspects of local
government addressed will be: MN local government organization, legal authority and policy-making; council-staff relations; personnel and budgeting management. Overall this course will provide you with an overview of local government management practices, processes, and issues. Additionally, it will assist you in analyzing your management style currently—or your tendencies as a future manager—under a variety of conditions.
Students with Disabilities:
Every attempt will be made to accommodate qualified students with disabilities. If you are a student with a documented disability, please see me as early in the semester as possible to discuss the necessary accommodations and/or contact the Disability Services Office at (507) 389-2825 (V) or 1-800-627-3529 (MRS/TTY)
Learning Outcomes: Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to:
·
understand the broader local government
perspectives of budgeting and finance, personnel and labor relations,
communication, citizen participation and intergovernmental relations.
·
articulate approaches to building better
communities-- specifically, planning (land use, long-range, strategic) and
economic development and--more generally, public works, leisure and human
services.
·
articulate the legal structure of community
government and the sources and limits of its authority and specific legislative
forms, e.g., ordinances/resolutions and contracts/franchise agreements.
·
identify the roles of the city manager,
administrator, clerk, and other department heads.
·
understand management-behavior styles and where
you fit in these as a manager.
·
articulate different ways that communities can
deliver public safety services while fulfilling the overall responsibility of
protecting the public.
·
relate how ethics shape and define the nature of
public professions, state-of-the art ethics management practices and emerging
ethical issues.
· identify and define the challenges of community government today, in the future, and the professionalism of community leadership.
Personal Skill Development Goals: In addition to the specific course outcomes, there are 4 additional goals that are most common to all other graduate courses at MSU. They are:
· to develop your creative and critical thinking powers in addressing problems and opportunities.
· to develop your personal communication skills, both written and oral.
· to improve your ability to work and interact with others in a team approach.
· to improve your understanding and use of technology.
Instructional Methodology & Teaching Strategies: A variety of techniques will be used throughout the semester including small group discussions, lecture, guest speakers, and student presentations. My teaching style in this course is based on an “adult-centered” model wherein students are active participants responsible for their own learning. I act as a facilitator and resource to help you engage in a meaningful academic experience.
Assignments: This course is a combination of reading,
lectures, guest speakers, field research and student presentations. Students must find a local government
mentor to draw upon for fieldwork and relevant information. (Mentors must be from different local
governments.)
Class work/Guest Speakers: You
are expected to read the assigned texts prior to their due date. Managing Small Cities and Counties discusses
how today’s smaller community governments play an increasingly complex and
challenging role as they attempt to meet their community’s needs. Ethics Edge presents state-of-the-art
ethics management practices and uncovers emerging ethical issues.
On the dates when we have guest speakers, you will be expected to prepare 2 appropriate questions (based on your reading and class discussions) for each speaker beforehand and to pose your questions to them when they are present. You should also type these questions with your name and course number and submit them for credit at the start of class. (No late submissions or pencil copies accepted.) (6 points)
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Written Projects:
Fieldwork – You should select
a local government to draw upon for relevant information and research. The broad purpose of selecting a particular
government is to help you clarify and relate the course readings to “real-world”
situations. The more finite purpose is
to provide you the informational resources needed to complete the written
assignments below. Information regarding
management process and style should be obtained through face-to-face interviews
and telephone/email communication with the chief administrative officers or
relevant department heads and hard copy or Internet accessible public
documents. For example, the latter might
include the chief administrator’s job description, the city’s charter or
legislative statute, and the current and prior year’s labor contract(s).
New Assignment #1 Prepare a 2-3 page memo regarding the
city-manager form of government using information obtained in an interview with
the city chief executive officer.
Include an analysis of the city charter, the ordinance and *state statue
that establishes the city’s legal basis.
Analyze the role of the city manager/administrator, city clerk, elected
officials, staff and citizens in your chosen municipality. Tip:
The following site may be helpful for analyzing this: http://www.lmnc.org then click on “handbook”
for the Handbook for MN Cities. (15
points) (Due 10/03)
Assignment #2 Prepare a 2-3 page memo analyzing the labor
contract of a bargaining unit within the local government with which you chose
to work. You should compare the current
contract with prior ones and summarize its impact on hiring or “freezes.” Also
address the following: Where did management
start? Who has the primary bargaining responsibility in the city/county? Are
management’s rights delineated in contract clauses, laws or ordinances? Using one bargaining contract, discuss: position classification and the method(s) used
to set pay. How large were the
raises? Discuss hours of work, overtime
and other special arrangements (benefits).
After the contract was settled: what was management’s reaction? the publics? (15 points) (Due 10/31)
Styles of Management Inventory
– You should read the Teleometrics
International’s Styles of Management Inventory.
BE SURE YOU READ THE BOOKLET THROUGHLY AND UNDERSTAND IT BEFORE BEGINNING
THE ASSIGNMENT. Using the booklet
complete your SMI. Now prepare a written
analysis of what you have learned about yourself as a manager and how you
compare to the larger pool of managers illustrated in the study. Be sure to comment on how you could build on
your strengths and improve on your weaknesses.
This should be at least a 3 page
essay double spaced. (20 points) (Due 11/21)
Oral presentation - Meaningful
group discussion provides an opportunity to not only express ideas but to think
in terms of the dynamics of their expression and to develop a broader
perspective of knowing. Many of us don’t
really know what we are think until we hear ourselves say it aloud. Bottom line—it’s an excellent learning
experience. A portion of every class
will be devoted to a student class led PowerPoint presentation. It is important
that you focus on two or more important aspects of the assigned readings using outside
sources and “real-world” correlations to expand your
topic. You should email the
instructor your completed PPt by Friday (
COURSE EXPECTATIONS
Attendance and Class participation: Class attendance and frequent interactive class participation is strongly encouraged. Each student is expected to actively function as discussant, listener, presenter, writer, and researcher. (9 points)
All written assignments must be submitted in duplicate and typewritten. One copy should be submitted at the start of class, the second retained until the end of class for your reference and then turned in at the end of class. Keep your returned graded copy until completion of the course.
Late Assignments will not be accepted (unless prior arrangements have been made with the instructor). If the latter does occur, you may still be subject to a significant point reduction. Should an emergency arise, email your written assignment (to my email address on page 1) before the start of class to receive credit. Note: Any email attachments must be in PC (not Macintosh) platform.
Local Government
Student Name: ________________
Please list three.
Name/phone/email
City Title
1.
2.
3.