Your Project Manager Certificate training has served displaced executives for a year. What results can you report?
We've trained and served 350 displaced executives. At this time, 85 of them have been hired in six-figure jobs. Each of them gives high marks to Stony Brook's project management certification and the associated services we have rendered.

Describe the Help Wanted 'dead zone' that your program overcomes.
In this economy, there's a glut of resumes. It seems to many job seekers that their resumes are being sent into a Black Hole or a Dead Zone. We enable them to add a valuable credential to their resume: Project Management Professional.  Certified Business Analyst adds even more punch. Rather than knowledge, both certifications indicate actual competence, and that's a real leg up.

In addition to resume enhancement what else does Stony Brook offer?
A displaced executive may be job-searching for the first time in decades. The job market has changed greatly. We coach them how to navigate employment opportunities with social networking and seminars. Stony Brook's Career Development Office is synchronized to include our students in their job fairs. Meanwhile, I focus on two activities. One is to be sure they and their classmates function as teammates in collaboration. Another is to make sure Long Island's employers know about them and their availability.

What do those 'students' tell you about their Stony Brook experience?
"I had top-level executive training at Goldman Sachs, and I'm extremely impressed with the quality of Stony Brook's faculty." "At first I was tense about collaborating with a fellow student when we might later be in competition for a job opportunity. But Stony Brook knew better, and I'm grateful." "Thank you for providing facilities on campus for our newly formed 'job club' where we could invite guest speakers and study for the certification exam."

Besides the happily re-employed graduates, have your efforts produced additional benefits?
Many of our students want to enter clean and sustainable industries. We've added a LEED exam prep study group. The 14-hour curriculum thoroughly teaches the nationally accepted benchmark for design, construcion and operation of high performance LEED buildings. It's attracting a wide array of students who are using it as a survey course for green employment opportunities. I'm respectful of the many commercial organizations in our area that are valuing green skills.

What does that suggest you'll be doing in the future?
As I watch students self-select project management, business analysis and LEED prep I'm working on a way to enable each student to create the best personal mix of work experience and certifications.

What has developed between Stony Brook and Project Management Institute?
The Long Island PMI chapter and Stony Brook University are partners. Both logos are displayed on the screen at each of their functions. The synergy produced by both brands has real power. The PMI Long Island chapter is our largest referral source for students, providing about 200 students this past year.

What are the advantages of shared revenue deals and the relationships that result?
Each party has specific responsibilities that play to their strengths. Our strength is classrooms, staff, networking and student services. PMI and the Green Building Council provide exceptionally good curriculum.

Describe the synergy between the American Reinvestment Recovery Act and a research university.
The federal recovery money comes in all shapes and sizes. That includes research money, as well as funds that are directly related to job creation. With a measure of entrepreneurial savvy, a university staffer has a wide variety of ways to serve the community.

How important is Stony Brook's market footprint?
All of our work is done for local consumption. Our graduates are looking for jobs here at home. Long Island's large population insures there are a substantial number of employers, even in a down economy. Meanwhile, schools in many other U.S. locations have asked us for advice.

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