Seminar Format

The Executive Seminar Program is a professional education program for senior managers in public, private, tribal and non-profit organizations. The program uses live case studies of controversial natural resource issues as a focal point for leadership development. Each seminar reconstructs a natural resource policy controversy by visiting the site of the issue, reviewing background materials and meeting the decisive players in the conflict. Through study of these cases, participants come to understand the complex social, legal and political context of today's environmental and natural resource problems. They can then identify improved approaches, learn effective techniques and develop greater ability to lead in the policy context resource managers face.

A total of four seminars will be held during the program year. Three seminars of approximately one week each will be held on site to reconstruct cases. Because the ESP is for senior managers in organizations involved in the natural resource issues of the day, the format seeks to build their learning not only from cases, program faculty and other specialists, but also from the participants themselves.

A fourth, two-day session in the Portland area will conclude the program with a review of leadership principles, techniques for policy resolution and a summarization of insights gained by the participants. This format seeks to identify and summarize the leadership lessons learned during the year for the seminar group. It will also build on insights from earlier seminar programs, and contribute to the learning of future program participants.

PSU faculty provide oversight and emphasize leadership principles, sound public administration practice and ways to improve policy outcomes. Presenters in past cases have included congressmen, governors, state legislators, agency heads, lobbyists, coalition leaders and journalists.