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ORLANDO, Nov. 13, 2008 — Turkish officials who recently participated in the Department of Public Administration's Public Service and Leadership program, run by the Center for Public and Nonprofit Management, gathered today to celebrate their successful completion of the program's requirements.
It was the third group from Turkey to finish the program.
"This group consisted of nine participants who hold high-status positions, as senior chief inspectors, in public service in the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Turkey," said Associate Professor Naim Kapucu, who oversees the program.
Like the two previous groups, the senior chief inspectors completed intensive English-language and culture training at UCF's Center for Multilingual Multicultural Studies and workshop trainings.
They also visited government facilities and non-governmental sites.
"With the help of our dedicated community leaders, the group was able to visit the Orange County Emergency Operations Center, Central Florida United Way, City of Winter Park and Orlando Police Department," Kapucu said. "They also made a two-day trip the state capital, Tallahassee."
A focus of their studies was the U.S. government system.
"Each participant had a specific topic of interest to research," Kapucu explained. "They gathered information from their visits, workshops and literature to write a final report and will provide a copy to the department and the Ministry of Interior of Turkey."
During the graduation ceremony, the participants received a Certificate of Public Service and Leadership from the University of Central Florida. Afterwards they enjoyed a lunch with the department's faculty, experts from the field and others who contributed to their success.
"We did learn a lot from the program participants in terms of government operations and their role in the Turkish public administration system," Kapucu said. "I hope their experience with the program will enhance performance of government."
The graduates and guests at the certificate ceremony: (left to right) Abdullah Recai Akalan; Howard Tipton, chief administrative officer of the Clerk of the Court, Orlando; Mehmet Alparslan Isik; Metin Yilmaz; Ihsan Yigit; Ali Yüksel; Bülent Savur; Associate Professor Naim Kapucu; college Dean Michael Frumkin; department Chair Mary Ann Feldheim; Erkan Toprak; Adjunct Instructor Mike Abels; Anil Cengiz Özgün; Assistant Professor Thomas Bryer; and Mustafa Hilmi Dülger
— Associate Professor Naim Kapucu and Karen Guin
Photo by Igor Volkov, M.P.A. student and program assistant
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