OPED builds on the successful work of the School's Nonprofit Management program and Milano's Community Development Research Center (CDRC). Some successful programs include the Hispanic Leadership Institute, the Milano Faith-Based Institute, and a plan for an Employment and Training Institute.

Hispanic Leadership Institute
To date, the Hispanic Leadership Institute has provided 58 executive directors and middle managers of Latino organizations with a for-credit management overview course. The Institute, over the last three years and through the generous support of the Hispanic Federation, has provided over $100,000 in tuition scholarships and another $100,000 in program supports to participating agencies through Milano.

Milano Faith-Based Institute
The Milano Faith-Based Institute, a program of executive training, workshops and support for faith-related institutions serves Atlantic City, New Jersey through a $150,000 contract with the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority. This Milano/ CRDA capacity building initiative addresses the organizational development needs of eight faith-based community based organizations through an on-line for-credit course, facilitated workshops and consulting services to participating member organizations. This raises the support we have garnered for our faith-based capacity building initiative to $180,000 over the last 3 years.

Employment and Training Institute
A consulting project, in collaboration with CDRC, developed a detailed plan for an Employment and Training Institute for the staff and managers of NYC workforce development agencies.

New Projects

• The Annie E. Casey Community of Practice Pilot, a program development initiative ties on-line learning opportunities to a web-based support network for workforce development professional around the country. This project, managed by OPED, is funded by the Casey Foundation as a pilot initiative in the amount of $200,000 over two years and is being developed with CDRC. To date, the project has delivered an on-line course to 42-workforce development program staff and managers and has launched its on-line community through the use of an intranet infrastructure which is providing a platform for delivering another 8 on-line courses. The pilot project is expected to conclude in the spring of 2004.
  
• OPED is consulting with the Milano Living Cities Collaboration. OPED will be assisting the project in the design of training and curriculum addressing the human resource and management training needs of Community Development Corporations. This consultation is scheduled to be conducted over a two-year period.
• In partnership with Milano's Manager of Online Communication, OPED is managing a six-month planning study to explore management issues in community-university collaborations. The project - the Community University Learning Initiative Planning Project -- explores opportunities for enhancing such collaborations and will emphasize the use of electronic communications to facilitate improvements. The Ford Foundation has provided a planning grant of $120,000 for the initiative.

• The Finance Lab focuses community based organizations on how to prepare and maneuver around the new market focus and how to take advantage of the new market based solutions for distressed communities.

• Certificate in Organizational Development Provides students with the concepts, skills, and techniques applicable to a variety of organizational situations.
• Certificate in Training and Development Designed to broaden the skills of those who are currently working or planning to work in the field of training and development. 
• Certificate in Career Planning and Development Designed to broaden the skills of those entering into the career counseling and development discipline.