More Than 120 Project Management Professionals and Academics from New York’s biggest companies and the Tri-State areas best colleges came to St. Francis College for the inaugural event of the Center of Excellence in Project Management at St. Francis College on Friday, June 10. The First Annual Practical Research Forum, a day-long event of lectures which brought together academic theory and real world project management experiences, was produced with the support of the Project Management Institute.

Among the lecturers were Manager for Academic Resources at PMI Carla Messikomer, PhD whose lecture, “Thought Leadership in Project Management: Academics + Practitioner in the Research Enterprise” focused on how project managers and academics can cooperate and collaborate in research enterprises. Associate Professor at the Howe School at Stevens Institute of Technology Thomas Lechler, PhD delivered the lecture, “Overcoming the Mental barriers of the Triple Constraint” which dealt with PMBOK© and how uncertainty during a project can have a positive influence. Past president of the New York City Chapter of PMI Beth Ouellette, PgPM, PMP shared her global project management experiences with a presentation that focused on the work of project managers across Africa and in Germany. (Watch the lectures: Carla Messikomer / Thomas Lechler)

The research forum attracted CEOs, CIOs, CTOs, PMOs, project managers, consultants and academics from a wide variety of major corporations in New York City including financial companies like: JPMorgan Chase, Barclays Capital, Citi Group, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, Deloitte, MetLife, and NYSE; media companies like Nielsen, Time Warner, Thomson Reuters, and Bloomberg; industry leaders including Pfizer, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Hess and Con Edison and educational institutions like NYU, NJIT, Stevens Institute of Technology, CUNY, and the New York City Department of Education.

“PMI Academic Resources is pleased to support the Center of Excellence in Project Management at St. Francis,” said Dr. Messikomer. “We acknowledge the important contributions of both scholars and practitioners to the fund of knowledge in our field, and to the critical roles both groups play in preparing the next generation of project managers.”

The Center of Excellence, headed by St. Francis Associate Professor of Management Barbara Edington, PMP, now offers a Graduate Certificate in Project Management taught at St. Francis; a four course concentration aimed at enhancing fundamental skills as well as specific areas like risk management, finances and optimizing management teams. The classes are offered Friday evenings and Saturdays allowing students to maintain their current jobs and earn the certificate in one semester. Plans are being developed to also offer specialized workshops on concentrations such as law, theater and arts, marketing, and entrepreneurship. A Master’s Degree in Project Management is also scheduled to be approved for fall 2012.

“There is a desperate need for well-trained project managers, and in just six months, we can help a student gain the skills that employers are looking for,” said Dr. Edington, who is also an Associate Professor of Management and Information Technology at St. Francis. “Our Graduate Certificate and this forum are just the beginning for what we hope to accomplish. We expect St. Francis to become a go-to institution for the training and placement of Project Managers.”

Attached photo: St. Francis Management and IT Professors Barbara Edington and Sandra Westcott

St. Francis College, founded in 1859 by the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn, is located in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y. Since its founding, the College has pursued its Franciscan mission to provide an affordable, high-quality education to students from New York City’s five boroughs and beyond.

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St. Francis College, 180 Remsen Street, Brooklyn Heights, NY 11201
www.sfc.edu