Advanced Management Program Students Get Good Advice from Elizabeth McGrath, Deputy Chief Management Officer of the Department of Defense

January 28, 2011

On Monday, January 24, 2011, 28 members of the 42st class of the Advanced Management Program (AMP) were welcomed to the National Defense University Information Resources Management College (NDU iCollege) in a Convocation Ceremony by faculty and staff. Approximately 1,400 people have graduated from the NDU iCollege AMP program within the last 20 years. Many students have risen to senior decision making positions in the military, government, industry, and international organizations. They contribute to the global health and growth of the world economy and the security of nations’ around the world.

Special guest speaker, Elizabeth A. McGrath, Deputy Chief Management Officer of the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department’s Performance Improvement Officer, gave the key note address. Ms. McGrath touched upon three areas - process, policy and technology. She urged the students to seek transparency, be accountable, and to demand efficiency. She also emphasized the importance of education and the need to use it as a driver in the work place to challenge the status quo and to effect change. Ms. McGrath has spent 22 years with the DoD and was confirmed in her present position by the United States Senate in June 2010.

NDU iCollege Chancellor, Dr. Robert Childs, said to the audience that “Government has to take a good look at how we’re doing business. The world is changing at a rapid- fire-rate and we must be very careful to understand our vulnerabilities. Everyone in the work force will have to work harder and smarter amidst downsizing and pay freezes… because the requirements for productivity continue to rise.” Chancellor Childs closed the Convocation Ceremony with these thoughts, “Over the next 14 weeks our new AMP students will see that the NDU iCollege is an IT leadership and business school that enables leaders to take control of processes, policies, and technologies and weave them together to assert a positive change.”

The “AMP 42” student body represents a cross section of mid-to senior-level military officers and civilians from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department of Defense, (Army, Air Force, Navy, Defense Information Systems Agency), Data Sciences Directorate, as well as five international students from Armenia, Bulgaria, Israel, Pakistan and the Czech Republic. The course curriculum will cover Cyber and information assurance, IT policy and process management, web-enabled government, emerging technologies, domestic field studies, and more.

Mid-to senior level government officials may apply for the AMP or other programs of the National Defense University iCollege by visiting this link: http://www.ndu.edu/icollege/.

About the College - The NDU iCollege, a U.S. Department of Defense educational institution, prepares leaders to direct the information component of national power by leveraging information and information technology for strategic advantage. Although most students come from DoD (military and civilians), the school also accepts federal agency, private sector, and international students into its graduate programs. Education is focused around CIO, CFO, Information Assurance/Cyber, Enterprise Architecture, IT Project Management, and other information leadership competencies. The NDU iCollege is also currently working with the U.S. Department of Education to obtain approval for its new Government Information Leader Master of Science Degree. Courses are completed on campus and/or online. For more information about the NDU iCollege’s programs, please contact: Jolly Sienda at jolly.sienda.ctr@ndu.edu ; or for general information about the college, visit www.ndu.edu/icollege.

The National Defense University is the nation’s premier center for joint professional military education. The university is an accredited graduate-level institution that provides an educational and research environment to prepare future leaders of the armed forces and other civilian agencies for high-level policy, command, and staff responsibilities. For more information about the National Defense University, please contact: Dave Thomas, Public Affairs Officer, at 202-685-3140 or ThomasD2@ndu.edu; or visit www.ndu.edu.