Personal Testimony to the Lehigh Project Management Certificate Program
2005-2006
Los Alamos National Laboratory, home of the Manhattan Project, recently placed requirements on current and future Project Managers to hold the Project Management Institute's (PMI's) Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification. Although certified in 1998 as a PMP, I was made aware that the PM Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) had since become an ANSI standard. When the third edition to the Guide was released, I received a copy on CD as a sustaining member of the Institute. There were clearly enough enhancements to the document that I was moved to seek a formal education approach to keep up with my colleagues in the latest leadership skills, tools and techniques, and ethically-based problem solving methods.
After looking through a list of on-line campuses that offered solid training in the “application” of PMI principles, I looked deeper into this big little school in Pennsylvania . Not only was Lehigh the first university I found having their lesson plan already formulated from the third edition , but they were ranked higher overall by Business Week than any of the other competitors. I immediately called the Program Director with challenging questions regarding the program information on the website, and subsequently turned to the Laboratory to fund a year of maintenance to my education.
Lehigh's program included three on-campus sessions that crystallize team building essentials through exposure to actual projects in various other industries. These “Cohorts” challenged my perceptions of projects, customers, and what proper management truly is. As I moved through the coursework at a stimulating pace set by extremely successful certified instructors, I put my Los Alamos project together, and ultimately finished on budget, and ahead of schedule. Beyond this, I was part of a four-person team that worked on an actual project in the pharmaceutical industry that taught me how standardized project inputs, outputs, and tools and techniques could apply to any project, and must.
Since completing the Lehigh Certificate Program, I'm working on teaching principles through the language of the Project Management discipline to my team members, and even my humble manager. Part way through the Lehigh program, I was also elected Vice President of Programs in my local PMI chapter. Serving on the Board of Directors has provided a professional status that I've wanted to develop necessary leadership skills that are required in large international organizations.
Korwyn B. Christensen
Technical Staff Member
Los Alamos National Laboratory |
The Project Management Certificate Program is designed to accommodate the highly demanding schedules of professionals. Using a unique blend of online formats, including Elluminate Sessions that bring the entire cohort together weekly in a virtual classroom setting, and a series of three campus meetings that enhance the experience, the online Project Management Certificate offers a comprehensive program certain to bring value to your company. 