Class is in Session: Meet Your New Professor

 
 

The San Diego Taxpayers Educational Foundation offers leadership and governance courses for public servants, community leaders, and citizens throughout California on topics ranging from housing, school bonds, government spending, and pensions. Courses are taught through UCSD Extension and Point Loma Nazarene University, and students receive university-level continuing education credits. 

Haney Hong, the professor and creator of the courses, answered some FAQs about the upcoming classes in 2020. 

Who are some of the people who’ve taken the courses?

We’ve had mayors, city council members, county supervisors, and other elected officials at all levels of government take our courses. We’ve also had chief executives and the senior leaders of public agencies participate. In fact, this has been one way I’ve gotten to know so many of the K12 superintendents and agency executives around town. The majority of the folks who take the courses want to better understand policy best practices in order to advance their careers and to ensure we get effective and efficient public policy. 

What’s the best part about teaching the Leadership & Governance Courses?

Without a doubt, it is helping government employees and elected leaders get public policy right the first time!  Complex public policy is hard to create and execute, and we often see inefficiencies or mistakes manifest themselves years after a policy is implemented.  By teaching these courses, we are helping to get things right the first time so we avoid inefficiencies and waste later on in the life of a policy decision. 

There are a few different courses that are offered; do you have a favorite?

We offer two different levels of courses: 101 courses that focus on the high-level overview of a public policy issue and 201 courses that go more in-depth.   The 101 courses give students enough to be confident to ask good questions in their roles as public leaders; the 201 courses dive deep to understand the ins-and-outs of a policy area.  I really enjoy teaching our intensive 201 courses because I get to work with professionals who not only have to design public policy but also live with the implications in real life. This means the impact I have through these courses can be immense. 

What was the goal in developing this type of education?

We want to be helpful to our community leaders and professionals in municipal government. Our courses are meant to be a resource that helps folks succeed at reaching their public policy goals efficiently. The business of the people is hard to do and to manage, and education on these matters makes it a tad bit easier.

We also saw a need for reaching these professionals where they are. That’s why we offer 4-week courses in an online and hybrid (online and in-person) format, so they can be easily integrated with their current workload.

With the San Diego County Taxpayers Association as a watchdog and our Educational Foundation as a think tank, our organization is on the cutting edge of what to do and what not to do. If folks learn from us, they can be assured that they are governing with their taxpayers and citizens in mind. 

If there was one thing you hope students come away with learning from your courses, what would it be?

For our community leaders, we want them to leave with the confidence to ask tough questions that are needed to pass good policies and block ineffective policies. For the municipal government professionals, we want them to have their eyes wide open to the managerial challenges they may face, while being armed with the tools to tackle those challenges.

Are the classes interactive?

Our classes, whether online-only or hybrid, are successful because they are interactive. Some of our most positive experiences have been when elected leaders are conversing online together and when municipal employees of different agencies share their experiences to contextualize what we are discussing in class.

Can professionals still take the course even if they don’t want to be graded?

Yes. We are a resource, meeting folks on their terms. Therefore, we have participants that earn university-level credit and use it to show current and potential employers of their commitment to continuing education. Then, we have other professionals that are extremely busy and are committed to learning the material but do not want the stress of being graded. We cater to both. 

Are the courses for only those in San Diego?

No. We want to educate professionals throughout the state of California. Our online courses can be taken from anywhere. Our hybrid courses can be taken from San Diego, and they will be offered in Los Angeles and Orange County, where I will teach the in-person at each of these locations. 

What courses are on the horizon for 2020?

Our first courses of the new year are: 

Learn more



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