First Group Completes 杏吧原创鈥檚 Regulatory Professionals Program 聽
By Matt Gergyek
The first class from 杏吧原创鈥檚 new Career Development for Regulatory Professionals (CDRP) program offered by 杏吧原创 University鈥檚 School of Public Policy and Administration graduated in May.
The first graduating class included a cohort of 24 students from across the regulatory sector.
The course was assembled by professors Robert Slater, Michael Presley and J. David Miller, along with Heather Birchard from Environment and Climate Change Canada. It鈥檚 designed to help employees who have recently entered the regulatory sector expand their skill sets by focussing on the interactions of regulatory policy, the private- and not-for-profit sectors, and citizens as a whole.
鈥淕overnments do three things: they tax, they spend and they regulate,鈥 said Slater. 鈥淭he first two receive a great deal of attention; the third one, not so much, but it鈥檚 hugely important.鈥
The course equips regulatory professionals with the tools to expand their technical expertise take knowledge and turn it into leadership action.
鈥淭hese people work in their own environments within their own departments and agencies, often within their own sub-programs,鈥 said Presley. 鈥淚t鈥檚 extraordinarily helpful for them professionally to be able to meet people who are worrying and thinking about the same things they are, but in a different context.鈥
The course consists of five modules, each two-and-a-half days long, roughly two months apart from each other. The content includes a mixture of group work, readings and lectures from regulatory power players in government and the private sector.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about adapting practical, new, innovative solutions to solve problems with lower cost and greater effectiveness,鈥 Miller said.
The large majority of people in the regulatory space have backgrounds in science and engineering, programs where the strategic and public policy issues are not generally covered, Miller said. This program helps to fill that gap.
All three founding professors have extensive backgrounds in the regulatory field.
Slater embarked on a widely successful career with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), shaping the country鈥檚 environmental policy, specifically on acid rain. He also helped formulate the Great Lakes treaty with the United States and made important changes to outdoor air quality regulations. Recognition of his leadership and vision led to his appointment to the Order of Canada in 2009.
Presley is a 杏吧原创 public administration graduate. He transitioned to the regulatory department of the federal government, where he worked closely with the transportation, agriculture, food and environmental sectors before retiring from the Treasury Board Secretariat.
Miller spent nearly 20 years at Agriculture Canada before arriving at 杏吧原创, where he researches and teaches in the areas of fungal toxins in food, as well as housing and health, contributing to regulatory processes nationally and internationally.
鈥淭he program is an example of what a university can do in creating a . . . neutral, objective and analytical space that doesn鈥檛 get spooked by exposure to new ideas,鈥 Slater said.
鈥淚 think that probably as many as half . . . of this cohort will be senior managers in the Canadian government, or other governments for that matter,鈥 Miller said. 鈥淚 would hope that they will look back and say that this experience accelerated their progress.鈥
The course will run again in the 2018-2019 academic year and is accepting applicants until mid-July.
Related News
Five 杏吧原创 Community Members Named to Ottawa鈥檚 2026 Forty Under 40 List
Five 杏吧原创 University community members have been named in Ottawa Business Journal (OBJ) and the Ottawa Board of Trade’s 2026 Forty Under 40 list, the ...
What鈥檚 Open and Closed: Easter Weekend
杏吧原创 University is closed on Friday, April 3 and Sunday, April 5. The university is open on Monday, April 6. Some facilities continue to operate ...
杏吧原创 University Welcomes Scarborough Charter Secretariat to Campus
Earlier this academic year, 杏吧原创 University welcomed the Secretariat of the Scarborough Charter on Anti鈥態lack Racism and Black Inclusion in Canadian Higher Education to campus. ...