Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Management Consortium?
The Management Consortium is a convenient, flexible way to develop the skills of your supervisors, managers, and professionals in a broad variety of areas at an economical price. Member businesses and organizations annually identify and prioritize common managerial and supervisory development needs. A full-day workshop is then designed around each of the identified topics. The workshops are facilitated primarily by UNI faculty; these faculty members are carefully selected because of their expertise in providing interactive and activity-based development that is relevant and practical for today's business environment. Participants benefit from a vigorous learning environment that is created by the interaction among supervisors and managers from a variety of manufacturing and service industries from more than 20 businesses and organizations.

Why should my business join the consortium?
The consortium is cost effective, flexible, responsive to your needs and provides a measurable return on your investment. A healthy return on investment is ensured because participants are challenged to design a plan of action resulting from the ideas and strategies gained from the workshops. They are then charged to use what was learned to manage current issues they are facing. The annual fee entitles members to 10 seats in the consortium workshops; seats can be used in one workshop or multiple workshops of different topics. Consortium members can be confident that the training delivered is the training they need because they select the workshops to be offered. All member businesses form the Management Consortium Advisory Board, which meets each fall to determine the programming for the following year.

Where, when and how are workshops scheduled?
The workshops are held on UNI's campus in the Curris Business Building, Rooms 1 and 3. Two sessions of every workshop are offered during the year. Enrollment is limited to 30 participants to allow all to have an active role in the workshop.

How do participants register for workshops?
Simply call, fax or e-mail us to register. Changes in registration are accepted up to three business days before the workshop. Consortium member no-shows, those who do not cancel or those who do not transfer without required notice, are charged the full rate.

How can participants earn a certificate?
The Executive Development Center awards a Management Ground Rules certificate to participants who attend eight or more workshops throughout the calendar year. The certificate program provides participants with an opportunity to build the strong basic skills they need to be effective managers in their organization.

What does it cost to be a member of the consortium?
The membership rate is $1,849. Membership entitles an organization to 10 seats in any of the consortium workshop offerings. Additional seats can be purchased for $159 per person. Non-consortium members can purchase seats to these workshops at $209; there is a $25 non-refundable deposit per participant for non-consortium members. Fees include materials, parking, lunch and snacks. The above rates are good through January 31, 2007. This program is eligible for payment under Iowa Jobs Training Programs 260E and 260F.

How Long does it take to complete a certificate program?
One certificate program can be earned in approximate 4 months. Each program involves about 58 hours of instruction. The Business Management and the Leadership Development Certificate Programs are offered at different times in the year so you are able to complete the Business Management Certificate program first and advance into the Leadership Development Program. If you enroll in both certificate programs back to back, you will receive a 15% discount. A savings of $924.00.

What if I'm unable to complete all the required classes this year? There is a great benefit to completing all the classes in sequence, in one year because the classes are structured to build a learning progression. However, if you aren't able to complete all the classes, you can pick up the missed class(es) the next time the certificate program is offered, or sometimes a make up assignment can substitute for the class which approved by the Program manager of the Executive Development Center.

Do I have to pay in full when the certificate program begins, or can I pay as the program progresses? We request that 1/2 of certificate program cost is paid by the first class. The rest of the payment can be submitted at the end of the certificate program, or paid as the classes progress (e.g. monthly payments).

What if I Missed the deadline? If you missed the enrollment deadline for the Business and Management program or the Leadership Development certificate program, we advise you to enroll next year's program. The programs are designed around cohort-based learning model so the same group of people builds upon their learning experiences together.

How can non-members attend workshops?
When seats are available, non-members are welcome in any of our workshop sessions and may register via Telephone:319-273-5851; Fax:319-273-7581; or E-mail:execdev@UNI.edu. See the non-member rates noted above.

Our guarantee:
If at the end of any workshop you are not satisfied with its quality, you may elect to attend another workshop at no cost or receive a refund.

Contact us:
(319) 273-5851, execdev@uni.edu, www.bcs.uni.edu/execdev