Most people coming to the School of Continuing Education live a few miles from its downtown Milwaukee location. Some are from other parts of Wisconsin and still others travel from all over the U.S. for specialized training and professional development.

The school recently signed an agreement to provide customized training for people who will be commuting approximately 6,280 miles from Uyo, the capital city of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.

Administrators of Akwa Ibom, one of 36 Nigerian states, were seeking public administration training for a government attempting to emulate U.S. democracy. Nigeria is a very young democracy, having adopted a new constitution in 1999 after decades of military rule.

UWM College of Health Sciences Associate Professor John Ndon, a Nigerian from Akwa Ibom, was contacted by the Akwa Ibom group after they learned of the UWM School of Continuing Education Public Administration training programs through an Internet search. The Department of Governmental Affairs offers an extensive selection of workshops in public administration training.

During a recent visit to the University, Mrs. Grace Anwana, Head of Service, Akwa Ibom, and UWM Chancellor Carlos Santiago signed an agreement initiating a new program. A pilot phase series of training sessions for middle and senior management to be delivered in July and October of this year. The administrators targeted for this training are those who have six to 10 years on the job and who are expected to remain in service for at least another 10-12 years.

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