Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
Twenty-five students graduated from the MMA-Suffolk Municipal Finance Management Seminar on March 29. This was the 14th session of the seminar, and more than 350 local officials have graduated from the program.
Applications are due April 30 for the MMA-Suffolk University Certificate in Local Government Leadership and Management program.
In September, the MMA and Suffolk will launch the 23rd and 24th sessions of the graduate-level certificate program, which provides a solid grounding in municipal management, covering topics such as human resources management, budgeting and financial management, and strategic leadership.
The program is held over the course of 25 Fridays from September through May. The 2024-2025 certificate programs will be held in Sharon and Pittsfield in a hybrid format; approximately 10 classes will be held in person and 15 will be held via Zoom.
The program application is available on the MMA website.
Human resources seminar
The MMA and Suffolk University are launching a new Municipal Human Resources Seminar in April, with a second session scheduled for the fall.
The Municipal Human Resources Seminar will review human resources management, policies and practices specific to Massachusetts cities and towns. Topics include hiring and onboarding, benefits administration, policy development, collective bargaining, and employee reviews and evaluations. Students will also review relevant labor laws and best practices in municipal human resources management.
The seminar is designed for municipal employees interested in furthering their career in municipal human resources, employees who are new to municipal human resources, and employees who work in a municipal function with human-resources-adjacent tasks.
The fall seminar will be held via Zoom over the course of five Fridays, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dates for the fall seminar are Sept. 20 and 27, and Oct. 4, 11 and 18. The cost is $875.
Applications for the fall seminar will be available online on April 15 and are due by June 30 to seminars@mma.org. This is a competitive application process; applicants will be informed of their status by the end of July.
Finance seminar
The five-week MMA-Suffolk Municipal Finance Management Seminar will hold three programs in 2024.
The finance program, held on Fridays, provides an overview of municipal finance in Massachusetts. Students learn about the structure and purpose of local government, municipal budgeting systems and sources of revenue, financial reporting and record keeping, financial management, principles of property assessment, the intersection of human resources and financial resources, and best practices in local government finance.
The application period for the fall 2024 session is open through July 31. The application is available on the MMA website.
Municipal Fellowship
Municipal professionals interested in pursuing a Master of Public Administration degree at Suffolk University are encouraged to apply for the Municipal Fellowship.
The fellowship program, launched in partnership with the MMA in 2021, offers a scholarship of up to $28,000, while the recipient’s municipality commits to continuing their salary and position while they attend the program part-time.
Fellowship applicants must be accepted for admission to Suffolk’s Master of Public Administration program and must receive the support of the chief municipal official in their municipality. Additional consideration will be given to graduates of the MMA-Suffolk Certificate in Local Government Leadership and Management program.
Those interested in the Municipal Fellowship should check off that they are a municipal employee interested in the Fellowship on Suffolk’s application, and apply to Suffolk by May 1. The fellowship selection committee will interview qualified applicants and award up to two fellowships in June.
Questions
For more information on any of the MMA-Suffolk programs, visit mma.org/suffolk or contact Katie McCue at 617- 426-7272, ext. 111, or kmccue@mma.org, or Kate Evarts at 617-426-7272, ext. 172, or kevarts@mma.org.