THE BIGHORN CENTER FOR PUBLIC POLICY LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

Curriculum Overview

The curriculum consists of four elements: personal leadership development, public policy analysis, campaigns and elections, and governance. The program has three distinctive characteristics. First, each Fellowship is tailored to a particular region of the state or policy issue. Second, the program has a pragmatic focus on skills development. Finally, a series of lectures, legislative exercises, and consultations with Colorado policymakers provide participants the opportunity to create strong policy proposals. The curriculum is based on a diverse set of learning activities, including lectures, panel discussions, group exercises and discussion, a mock legislature, readings, and interaction with state and regional political leaders.

The curriculum of each weekend is outlined below.

Weekend 1: Personal and Group Development
The first weekend is oriented towards increasing participants' understanding of individual leadership styles and preferences, building insight into the social and political context for leadership, developing an understanding of the differences between political leadership and other kinds of leadership, building practical skills for effective leadership, and establishing a peer learning community. Lectures and readings explore different models of leadership, including facilitative leadership and results-based leadership, as well as the topics of constituent expectations, conflict management, and gender differences in leadership. Exercises help participants explore their personal leadership styles and learn from other participants' leadership experiences.

Weekend 2: Creating Change through Public Policy
The second weekend is designed to enhance participants' ability to recognize and use appropriate policy tools and political strategies, help participants recognize the multiple influences on the policy-making process, to provide an opportunity for participants to propose and begin to develop a public policy idea, and to continue building political leadership skills. Faculty will lecture and lead participants in discussion on public policy, political parties, and public speaking skills. A case study on growth in Colorado will help illustrate public policy issues. Participants also begin to develop a public policy proposal that they will refine over the course of the Fellowship.

Weekend 3: The Budgeting Process and its Influence on Public Policy
During this weekend, participants gain familiarity with the overall governmental budget process and its effects on policy decision-making, practice and analyze a local government budgeting problem, learn about the unique external implications on the Colorado political budgeting process, and learn how power and knowledge of the budgeting and funding process limit and influence public policy outcomes. An experienced budget analyst leads the group in lectures and in an in-depth exercise on budgeting. The session emphasizes understanding the statewide implications of the Tabor Amendment, but also helps participants learn about budgeting on a regional level. A local government panel discussion and activities centered on writing legislation round out the session.

Weekend 4: Campaigns and Elections
The goal of this session is to enable participants to gain a realistic perspective on the campaign process and to develop the framework of a campaign plan. Lectures by a state political leader will cover the topics of developing a media strategy, fundraising, campaign law, and campaign strategy. Discussions with successful and unsuccessful candidates and campaign managers will help participants understand the ingredients of a successful campaign. Participants also will refine their public speaking skills.

Weekend 5: Governance and Ethics
During this session, participants will learn how to integrate previous elements of the Fellowship into an increased capacity for public service, further integrate values and ethics into their leadership development, and develop a better understanding of how they are perceived in a political context. Lectures will focus on the role of ethics in politics. Participants will also further develop their understanding of parliamentary procedure.

Weekend 6: From Proposal to Policy
The Fellowship will culminate in a session focused on participants' policy proposals. During the final weekend, participants will refine their policy proposal, present it to a panel of policy makers for review and critique, engage with others in a deliberative process and attempt to gain support for passage of their policy, and sharpen their leadership development plans based on the experiences of elected officials and participants' own experience in garnering support. A Mock Legislature will serve as a forum for presenting policy proposals.

Contact: Brenda Morrison, 303-839-4300 x 208/888-839-4301 x 208 (toll free).
e-mail: brenda@bighorncenter.org