Professional Executive Leadership School (PELS)
Session 27: September 13-17; October 11-15; & November 8-11, 2010
Session 28: January 10-14; February 7-11; March 7-10, 2011
Session 29: September 12-16, October 17-21 & November 14-17, 2011
*Applications will be accepted for each session up to 60 days prior to the beginning of the session or until the class is filled.
• Application and Selection Process
• Program Fee and Scholarship Information
Program Information
What makes a great leader? What is the difference between management and leadership? The Professional Executive Leadership School (PELS) is an intensive three-week, liberal arts-based educational experience that focuses on the study of leadership. PELS is geared for chief executive officers and managers, and candidates from the private sector, public safety, and government agencies are invited to apply. Faculty members from the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia, teach the classes and are drawn from the Management Institute, Jepson School of Leadership Studies, Robins School of Business, and several other schools within the university.
A wide variety of topics from the liberal arts perspective are included in the program. Curriculum topics have included foundations of leadership, relationship-centered leadership, setting goals for your team, leadership and politics, arts and leadership, literature and leadership, religion and leadership, psychology and leadership, negotiations, strategic leadership, media relations, leadership in crisis, motivational leadership, leadership and the law, and making a difference, among other topics. Case studies and topical issues are also explored. Legal credit is included in this program.
The PELS program is conducted at the executive center of the Management Institute, located in the Robins School of Business on the campus of the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia, for one week per month for a three-month period. Attendees are required to attend all three weeks of the program. Classes are held from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm daily, except on Fridays when classes will adjourn at 12:00 noon. Individuals accepted to the program must be prepared to commit to this schedule.
Attendees who do not live in the greater Richmond metropolitan area will be provided lodging in a local hotel within close proximity to the school.
Who Should Attend
The PELS program is appropriate for individuals who meet the following criteria:
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Applicants must be in an executive or upper management position within the public or private sector. Out-of-state applicants are welcome.
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Currently serving in a management or senior command position; mid-level managers are eligible to apply if they also meet the remaining criteria.
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Occupy a position responsible for making or impacting policy within your organization.
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Possess an associates degree or equivalent.
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A personal commitment to expand your leadership abilities and use these skills to benefit your organization.
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Possess prior training, education and life experiences consistent with the requirements and expectations of this program.
A program of this type requires a total commitment on the part of the attendee and his/her organization. Full-time attendance is mandatory for all classes and program activities. For these reasons, the agency chief executive is required to nominate each candidate.
Certification and Credit
This program has been approved by the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) for in-service training credits. At the end of the program, pre-approved Partial In-Service Credit forms (DCJS Form PIC-3) will be distributed to those participants who fully complete all parts of the program. In addition, the Virginia Police Chiefs Foundation and the University of Richmond will jointly award a certificate of completion to those individuals who successfully complete all phases of the program. Continuing Education Units can be awarded upon request.
Application and Selection Process
To attend the PELS program, each applicant must submit the following:
- A completed application form endorsed by the agency chief executive;
- Resumé of the applicant (include work experience and education and training history);
- Agency organizational chart with the current position of the applicant clearly indicated;
- A letter of interest to the PELS Selection Committee indicating why he/she wants to attend PELS and the applicants goals and expectations of the program.
Please note, great care should be given to completion of the application packet, as acceptance to this program is limited to 25 individuals per session. Completed applications can be submitted electronically to stephanie@vapolicefoundation.org or by mailing it to the Virginia Police Chiefs Foundation, 1606 Santa Rosa Rd., Ste. 134, Richmond, Virginia 23288. Faxed applications will not be accepted.
An open enrollment process is utilized for the PELS program. To facilitate this process, applications received are provided to the PELS Selection Committee at various intervals. A member of the PELS Selection Committee will contact the applicant for a brief interview. After the selection committee discusses each application and makes their decisions, applicants are notified of the status of their application. Application packets are evaluated based upon the following criteria:
- The applicant meeting the pre-requisites of the program;
- Proper completion of the application;
Submission of all required attachments; and - Thoroughness, thoughtfulness, and professionalism demonstrated in letter of interest to the PELS Selection Committee.
Program Fee and Scholarship Information
The cost for each attendee is $3,000, which includes tuition, textbooks, course materials, lunch, and lodging for those individuals who live outside of the greater Richmond metropolitan area.
The graduates of the 24th Session of the Professional Executive Leadership School have created the Lex T. Eckenrode Scholarship for PELS. This is a partial scholarship for PELS and is available to sworn law enforcement officers employed in the Commonwealth of Virginia who qualify for and are accepted into the Professional Executive Leadership School. The amount of the scholarship will be determined by the Scholarship Committee. For more information on this scholarship, please click here.
When funding is available, the Virginia Police Chiefs Foundation will accept applications for needs-based scholarships from applicable law-enforcement agencies. For more information on these scholarships, click here.
Questions?
For more information or any questions concerning this program, please contact the Virginia Police Chiefs Foundation office at (804) 285-8227 or email info@vapolicefoundation.org.