2011 Annual Report
in the CLASSROOM
Thousands of officials and staff from all levels of government learn new skills and discover new ways of approaching their responsibilities in Vinson Institute classrooms every year. As the government landscape evolves, so too does the Vinson Institute’s comprehensive offering of training and development opportunities. Enrollments in Institute training courses grew to over 18,000 in 2011. The Institute also extended its training outreach to new countries through its International Center.
Indeed, even the Institute’s concept of “classroom” evolves along with technology and a changing world. In 2011, the Vinson Institute continued to innovate in information delivery by expanding online course offerings and by providing information on practical topics for free through a variety of multimedia formats such as videos and tutorials.
November’s fall color at Amicalola Falls State Park provided a scenic classroom setting for the inaugural Legislative Environmental Policy Academy, which was coordinated by the Institute’s Environmental Policy Program. Trading the politics of the capitol for the calm of one of the state’s beautiful parks, representatives serving on the House Natural Resources and Environment Committee attended the three-day event. They prepared for the upcoming 2012 legislative session and received objective information from experts and state agency leaders about the complex environmental concerns coming before the committee.
The Vinson Institute’s legislative training activities also included the fourth Georgia Legislative Leadership Institute (GLLI). Twenty-one freshman state representatives and senators participated in the program, which helps newer members of the General Assembly hone their leadership, problem-solving, and decision-making skills skills while learning about how things work under the Gold Dome.
The Institute broadened the reach of its training programs by signing memoranda of understanding with two South Korea organizations—the Governors Association of Korea and the Seoul Municipal Government—in October. Through these new partnerships, high-ranking Korean public officials have the opportunity to come to Georgia for short- and long-term leadership development programs coordinated by the Institute’s International Center. These partnerships open the doors for networking between government and business leaders from Georgia and South Korea and increased economic cooperation.
Chatham County employees applied what they learned about leadership and project management in the second level of the Institute’s Management Development Program (MDP) to inspire positive change in their community. After taking part in the classroom lessons about team building, group dynamics, motivation, and communication, the group tackled the planning for their community service project, which is part of the MDP program. They decided to erect a bench memorializing the victims of violence near the Chatham County Citizens Center. Engraved with the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the bench serves as encouragement to individuals and their families who have encountered violence.
