Continuing Career Program Gives Skilled Retirees Room to Grow
By Elena Barbre
In the midst of widespread cutbacks and downsizing as our economy sinks into
recession, George Mason is expanding a program that has increasing relevance for
both industry and academia, and allows highly skilled government employees to
continue to use their talents and expertise as they transition from work to retirement.
Created in 1998 with a $1.2 million grant from the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA), the School of Public Policy’s Continuing Career
Program (CCP) focuses on transitioning professionals who aren’t yet ready
to trade in their laptops for fishing poles. Through this fellowship program,
faculty and graduate students are able to tap into the professionals’ expertise
to fuel their work in the public and nonprofit sectors. CCP offers a unique way
to address technology workforce demand by providing a context for NASA scientists
and engineers to retool their skills, says Roger Stough, associate dean for academic
affairs in the School of Public Policy.
NASA has renewed funding for the program, and CCP Director Frank Hoban has
ambitious plans for building on its success, including expansion to other government
and private-sector organizations that are looking to give their employees an attractive
alternative to traditional downsizing.
“Our program has been called ‘the ultimate in technology transfer,’”
says Hoban, who spent 30 years at NASA before joining George Mason. “It’s
difficult to leave any job you’ve had for 20 to 30 years—to face the
prospect of never again using the experience and knowledge you’ve gained.”
CCP gives retirees a second chance, and all parties benefit from this partnership
that brings together professionals who have decades of corporate knowledge, experience,
and technical skills, and empowers them to solve difficult contemporary problems.
The CCP relationship begins when a downsized employee with a science, engineering,
or management background applies for an advertised research opportunity. Candidates
must be at the top of their game—willing to tackle challenging projects and
committed to remaining highly productive. Once selected, the CCP fellows join
the School of Public Policy and are assigned to problem-solving teams. Fellows
receive a stipend of $20,000 per year for up to three years for part-time work
that averages to one day a week. They can work from any location with Internet
access, communicating regularly with School of Public Policy faculty and staff
at the Center for Innovative Technology, where the program is based.
The program’s goal is to guide the fellows into meaningful projects that
will engage their lifelong interests and employ their highest skills, says Hoban.
“Some fellows view CCP as an alternative career opportunity, a time in
life when they can plunge into work that excites them and that demands all their
resources to accomplish.” At the end of the three years, the fellows may
start second careers as consultants, form their own companies, or even join the
university faculty.
Since the program began, the 10 CCP fellows from NASA have prepared a guide
for space ports and written case studies on government–industry cooperation—projects
that address pressing issues in the space industry and are already reaping benefits,
says Hoban. Of the original group of 10, one fellow has started a consulting firm,
one now teaches at a community college, and one consults for a major aerospace
company. “The rest have apparently decided to retire fully the second time
around,” says Hoban.
All our objectives were met in our first three years, and “we’re
ready to do it again.” Hoban has begun to put feelers out to the Central
Intelligence Agency, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the National Security
Agency, as well as private-sector organizations facing imminent workforce reductions,
for new recruits.
Hoban’s dream scenario is to have a hundred or so participants working
in teams on issues with which they have no experience, such as health care delivery.
“I’d love to team up an engineer who has worked on spacecraft with a
couple of researchers and a manager, then mix them up with our faculty and students
and have them ask the perennial question, Why are you doing it that way? That’s
how you get true innovation.”
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