After nearly four decades of partnership, Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center has entered into a new era of education with IU Executive Education, announcing its first Education Services Agreement (ESA) with Indiana University. This ESA will allow the government to offer personnel the opportunity to take advantage of educational services through Indiana University—including Executive Education.
“For more than 35 years, the partnership between NSWC Crane and IU has offered high quality and relevant programs for Crane employees,” said Siân Mooney, dean of the O’Neill School. “This collaboration is a testament to the mutual commitment and vision of both partners to advance the public good through education, research, and service. NSWC Crane also plays an important role in boosting the economy of Bloomington, Monroe County, and the surrounding area by offering thousands of jobs that feature higher-than-average wages. This partnership will equip Crane personnel with the skills and knowledge to manage complex projects effectively and efficiently, and we couldn’t be prouder of their achievements and contributions to Crane’s mission.”
NSWC Crane and Indiana University have a long history of educational partnerships dating back to 1988 with the Public Management Certificate (PMC) and in 1991 when the Masters of Public Affairs (MPA) program was first introduced. The application process to join the programs is competitive. Selected employees for the Executive Education program must first earn their Executive PMC before they can apply for the Executive MPA program. Participants who complete the 39-credit hour EPMC travel to Indianapolis and the Westgate Academy 12 times for week-long courses and to Washington, D.C., for one week of class.
“Developing leaders at NSWC Crane has been a strategic priority of Executive Education since I came to O’Neill,” says Executive Education Director Sara Johnson. “We wanted to create a strong partnership that would withstand any leadership changes either at Indiana University or at Crane. I believe this agreement is a testimony to the fact that we’ve developed a partnership that will stand the test of time.”
To date, the PMC program has 525 graduates and the MPA program has almost 300 graduates. That includes NSWC Crane Technical Director Angela Lewis who earned her PMC from O’Neill and IU Executive Education in 2005.
“Partnerships like the Education Services Agreement with Indiana University allow our workforce the opportunity to gain leadership skills and to grow their professional network,” Lewis said. “By providing services such as this, we are able to ensure a mission-ready workforce that continues to support the warfighter. Indiana University has a long history with NSWC Crane and I look forward to another decade of developing our future leaders.”
NSWC Crane and IU’s partnership has continued to grow over the years. Currently, active partnerships include permanent shared spaces, shared faculty, and ongoing educational partnership agreements, among others. In addition, IU recently announced a 110 million dollar commitment to education, research, and innovation that accelerate economic competitiveness in the area of microelectronics, an NSWC Crane key strategic area.
NWSC Workshop Development Branch Manager Heather Strange looks forward to what the future holds for this partnership.
“This Education Services Agreement represents our continued dedication to developing our workforce through our partnership with Executive Education at IU,” Strange said. “Their PMC and MPA programs have stood the test of time and continue to provide the curriculum and experiences needed for our next generation of leaders. We continue to experience high demand from our workforce for these programs and others administered by this amazing cadre of faculty, so we are excited to have this formalized 10-year agreement that will carry our partnership through another decade of learning.”
Employers interested in exploring their own Executive MPA cohort in Indianapolis or at their location can learn more about the program at the O’Neill School website, or contact Executive Education Assistant Director Barbara Fisher.
