The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) recently relaunched its student chapter at the Palawan State University (PSU), adding the campus to the existing 11 student chapters in the Philippines and 137 around the world.
Former ICMA President and Board Member and City Manager Troy Brown said the organization aims to support the career development of students in local governance.
“The goal of the student chapter of ICMA is to introduce students to local government—ICMA is committed to supporting students and interns in successful career in local governance,” he said.
ICMA has 13,000 members around the world, where 12 percent are composed of students.
The ICMA provides member support, publications, data and information, peer and results-oriented assistance, and training and professional development.
Its members are the professional city, town, and county managers who are appointed by elected officials to oversee the day-to-day operation of our communities.
Each student chapter develops its charter, by-laws, and strategic plan and establishes a student chapter board with a designated president. Students receive a two-year membership and free registration to the ICMA conference.
Isabelle Bully-Omictin, Interim Managing Director, Global Development and Engagement of ICMA said the student chapter is also a global network to share information to learn from one another.
“Why we are doing this? This is really career development and be able to prepare students to become local government leaders,” she said.
The ICMA also has a career compass publication that discusses strategies in career issues in local government and one-on-one coaching programs.
ICMA and PSU signed the student chapter agreement. The university believes that the chapter will also open learning opportunities not just for the students but also for the faculty and staff of the university.
“[This] will open doors for learning opportunities to our students and faculty and staff. Our young leaders will be trained for effective leadership while also promoting the public interest,” said Dr. Marjorie Española, PSU Vice-President for Research and Extension.
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