UMass Boston

Services

The Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center for Public Management in the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston is dedicated to improving efficiency, effectiveness, governance, and accountability at all levels of government, with a particular focus on state and local government. The Center’s aim is to enable public entities to provide high quality services to the people they serve on a sustainable basis.

Consultant services include, but are not limited to, the list below. However, if you have a service need not identified here, we will strive to find a qualified team to assist you.

Budget and Financial Assistance

Get more information about our Financial Management services.

  • Capital Improvement Plan development
  • Financial and budget forecasting
  • Financial management policies development
  • Budget transparency and improvements

Charter Change Assistance and Government Study Committee Facilitation

  • Charter revisions or amendments
  • Special Acts
  • Study committee facilitation
  • Public presentations
  • Research

Classification and Compensation

  • Position descriptions
  • Salary and compensation surveys
  • Classification structure review and recommendations
  • Compensation structure review and recommendations

Executive Recruitment

  • Recruitment
  • Transition services

Human Resources 

  • HR Organizational and operational reviews
  • HR Policy review and development
  • City/Town-School shared services review and recommendations
  • Succession planning

Management and Operational Reviews

  • Administrative code development and revisions
  • Analyses of departmental operations
  • Compensation and classification studies
  • Human resource audits and policy recommendations
  • Information technology assessments
  • Public safety operations and organizational reviews

Performance Management

  • System design and implementation
  • Data and analytical support
  • New England StatNet

Regionalization and Collaboration

  • City/Town – School collaboration assistance (get more information)
  • Development of inter-municipal agreements
  • Feasibility studies for shared services

Strategic Planning and Community Involvement

  • Community needs assessment
  • Economic development research and planning
  • Meeting facilitation
  • Strategic planning
  • Trends analyses

Training and Education

  • Customized professional development
  • Leadership coaching
  • Management, supervisory, and leadership training
  • Performance management for governments and nonprofits

Project Reports

Check out our Publications.

Collins Center on LinkedIn
McCormack Graduate School on LinkedIn

Our Approach

The Center aims to enable public entities to provide high quality services to the people they serve on a sustainable basis. Several key characteristics exemplify the approach taken by the Collins Center project team. 

These characteristics include:

  • The consulting team includes service area specialists who have in-depth expertise in municipal finance, human resources, public works, planning and economic development, public safety, parks and recreation, and nearly every area of municipal service delivery, in addition to generalists. 
  • Projects are approached with a firm grounding in analytical methodology. Clients receive detailed analyses of their specific issues. Issues and impacts are identified and analyzed in as much detail as possible to ensure that recommendations can be implemented and that clients can understand the reason for change.
  • Projects are characterized by extensive interaction between consultants and client staff, management, and policymakers.

 

Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center for Public Management

Healey Library, 10th Floor, Room 25
University of Massachusetts Boston
100 Morrissey Blvd.
Boston, MA 02125 USA
617.287.4824

 

The Collins Center is affiliated with the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies.