The Australian and New Zealand School of Government’s (ANZSOG’s) 2019 Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA) cohort have celebrated their graduation – eventually – at a virtual event.
The group has seen the EMPA course shift online and their Government employers scramble to adjust to a disrupted environment, as they worked to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.
After two years of working together to address problems and learn new skills from some of Australia and New Zealand’s best academics and practitioners, ANZSOG said the group joined more than 3,600 ANZSOG alumni, many in key positions within the public sector.
James Goodwin from the NSW Environmental Protection Authority (pictured), was voted the Dean’s Prize Winner and delivered the valedictory speech on behalf of the cohort.
Mr Goodwin said he suspected most of his fellow graduates had no idea how much the world would change over the course of their EMPA and how much their journey would be shaped by those changes.
“To me, it seems so long ago that we first came together as a cohort in Melbourne…at the time, it felt like EMPA would equip us to be better leaders in an increasingly complex and uncertain world,” Mr Goodwin said.
He said he wanted to thank his fellow students for their role in sharing their experience and supporting each other.
“I know that for many of you, COVID transformed your work demands, whether it was through leading front-line responses, developing additional support for the community, redesigning your service delivery or in other ways,” Mr Goodwin said.
“This must have made it even more challenging to find time for EMPA, and you did it. I am particularly inspired by the resilience of the Victorian cohort given the additional constraints you experienced last year.”
In 2020, the EMPA was able to shift to online delivery while continuing to give participants the chance to work closely together, share ideas and build a strong network.
ANZSOG said the 2021 EMPA cohort has already begun its journey, and expressions of interest are now open for the 2022 EMPA.
Information about ANZSOG and EMPA can be accessed at this PS News link.
