|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 15, 2005
CONTACT: Eric Landau
(202) 204-3624
CHANGES IN ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT PROCESSES NEEDED AT THE
CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE
Washington, DC—November 15, 2005— A Panel of the National Academy of Public Administration has released a report of the leadership, operations and management at the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). The report, “The Corporation for National and Community Service: Building a Foundation for the Future”, came at the request of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
The Panel concluded that CNCS has been moving forward to deal with the many challenges that confront it. Even before the study began, the Corporation had been addressing the need for improvement in its management. The Panel has built upon the Corporation’s progress and added a number of other steps for the Corporation to take to improve its management.
The Academy report focused on four components:
• Leadership and overall management of the Corporation, including the role of the Board of Directors, lines of authority, and effect of the dichotomy in funding,
• The organization and program structure of the Corporation, including the field structure, grant program structure and operations, and financial management,
• Human resources management, including process changes made as part of the strategic human capital management plan, and a follow up on recommendations made in the earlier study on the Alternative Personnel System,
• CNCS interactions with State and local entities and other stakeholders.
The Academy Panel found that since its creation, CNCS has faced many problems, including many who question the programs and even its very existence. There also has been a lack of integration of the older and newer programs, which has hampered its ability to operate. The Panel recommended several actions to better integrate and coordinate CNCS’ programs, and the creation of a management analysis capability to provide the chief executive officer (CEO) with the tools needed to manage this complex organization.
In the area of grants, the Panel noted that CNCS is, primarily, a grant making organization. As the grants workload has increased, steps have been taken to simplify and reform its grants management operations. The Academy Panel recommended additional actions, including consolidation of offices involved with grants. The Panel believes that more basic reform is also needed, and recommended legislation to simplify the matching requirements for the AmeriCorps program.
The Panel found that CNCS’ Board of Directors is neither a governing board nor an advisory board yet it has characteristics of both. Some in Congress believe that the Board should be a governing board, however, it currently does not have the power to assume such a role—it cannot hire or fire the CEO, it cannot approve the budget, and it cannot set the Corporation’s agenda. These powers are reserved for the President and Congress. The Panel believes that the Board needs to become more like a governing board and, to do so, its powers must be strengthened.
The National Academy of Public Administration is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit corporation chartered by Congress to provide trusted advice to government agencies on issues of governance and public management. Under its Congressional charter, the Academy is charged with advancing the effectiveness of government at all levels—federal, state and local.
For more information about the National Academy of Public Administration, visit http://www.napawash.org.
|
