American University

  • Despite bipartisan support and years of experience in the Defense Department, Ash Carter's confirmation hearing to be Defense secretary might not be smooth sailing.

    January 21, 2015
  • Hearings on the nomination of Ashton Carter to be the next Defense Secretary will get underway next month. They'll be much more than a discussion of Carter's qualifications. The 2016 budget proposal will also be out then, so the hearings will likely cover wider ground. So will it be smooth sailing for President Barack Obama's nominee, or a bumpy road? Defense analyst Nora Bensahel, a distinguished scholar-in-residence at American University, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to offer some insight.

    January 21, 2015
  • New members of Congress have a crash course available to teach them about the biggest challenges facing your agency. Bob Tobias is professor of Key Executive Leadership Programs at American University. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he said the program is missing some important details.

    January 12, 2015
  • A new Congress starts today, and a crash course is available for incoming members to learn about the biggest challenges for federal agencies. Bob Tobias is professor of Key Executive Leadership Programs at American University. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he described at the Bipartisan Program for Newly-Elected Members of Congress, and thinks the incoming class might not know exactly what they're signing up for.

    January 05, 2015
  • Major reforms are coming to the Senior Executive Service. A Leadership Development Program, an advisory group and new customer service award are some of the major changes President Barack Obama has proposed. Bob Tobias, professor with Key Executive Leadership programs at American University, says the reforms are a start. In his Top 3 for 2015, he tells In Depth with Francis Rose he's looking for stronger leadership over of the Executive Branch in 2015.

    December 29, 2014
  • Federal agencies are losing the leadership skills that truly inspire employees to do a good job. Bob Tobias, professor of Key Executive Leadership Programs at American University, draws that conclusion after looking at the results from different categories in the latest Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey. He tells In Depth with Francis Rose what leaders are lacking.

    December 08, 2014
  • The largest reorganization in Veterans Affairs Department history won't look like most re-orgs you've seen before. That's according to Bob Tobias -- he's professor of Key Executive Leadership Programs at American University. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he said the organizational chart at the VA won't see the changes most other agencies do.

    November 12, 2014
  • Six airstrikes near Kobani in Syria are part of today's Operation Inherent Resolve action. The Defense Department says the military executed two more airstrikes near Fallujah in Iraq. Gordon Adams is Professor of International Relations at American University, and distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center. He writes in Foreign Policy magazine under the title "The Varnish of Vietnam." On In Depth with Francis Rose, he explained why the fight against the Islamic State isn't winnable.

    October 20, 2014
  • The Veterans Affairs Department tops the list of most time spent on union business in fiscal 2012. The VA uses a little more than 1 million hours in total. But when you look at the numbers by hours per union employee, you get a completely different list. Bob Tobias is professor in the Key Executive Leadership Programs at American University and teaches about labor-management relations. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he offered insight into the figures on official time.

    October 15, 2014
  • Only two agencies show any progress in following the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010. Those two are the Office of Personnel Management and the Labor Department. The Government Accountility Office says GPRA compliance is actually getting worse at other agencies. Bob Tobias is Business Development director of the Key Executive Leadership Programs at American University. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he explained what the failing grades mean for performance-based management in the federal government.

    October 01, 2014
  • The House passes a series of bills to change the work life of some federal employees. The Senior Executive Service Accountability Act changes the due process for career SESers accused of misconduct. Three bills aimed at the IRS would target how employees work and communicate with each other. Bob Tobias is a professor for Key Executive Leadership Programs at American University. He explained the ramifications of the bills on In Depth with Francis Rose.

    September 17, 2014
  • The Internal Revenue Service has a In Depth with Francis Rose, he shared what he thinks the key is to put a dollar value on the work employees do.

    September 04, 2014
  • Your agency needs to clarify what it expects from employees who telework. That's according to the Patent Office Professional Association. Their president says the recent telework controversy at the Patent and Trademark Office exposes problems with how agencies manage employees working outside the office. Bob Tobias is director of Key Executive Leadership Programs at American University. He explained what he sees behind the controversy on In Depth with Francis Rose.

    August 20, 2014
  • It's been almost five years since Congress eliminated the National Security Personnel System, and almost three years since it told the Pentagon to come up with a new performance management system for civilian personnel. Now, DoD has released some early details on what that new system will eventually look like. In a semiannual report to Congress last week, officials said they had notified DoD labor unions that the new system will evaluate employee performance in three tiers and promised that those performance reviews will be linked to organizational goals. Bob Tobias is Director of Key Executive Leadership Programs at American University. He explained the system changes on In Depth with guest host Jared Serbu.

    August 06, 2014