Certificate program geared for professionals

American Humanics (AH) is a new certificate program on campus offering students specialized training in nonprofit management and the ability to make a difference through a career in youth and human services.

Fresno State is one of 65 colleges and universi-ties throughout the country affiliated with American Humanics, Inc.; the university was recently chosen to be part of a five-campus student recruitment effort because of its student diversity and central California location.

The AH interdisciplinary certificate in non-profit management and leadership requires a minimum of 12 units and a maximum of 24, depending on experience. The certificate is open to all students and offers field experience with a nonprofit community-based service provider.

Program director Matthew Jendian said the certificate meets a need for more professionals in the nonprofit field. "Each year nonprofits need 50,000 entry-level professionals to fill staff vacancies," Jendian said. "Unfortunately, an adequate pool of diverse, competent candidates does not yet exist."

Jendian said that there are 1.1 million nonprofit organizations nationwide and more than 700 in the Central Valley. By the year 2006, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the need for qualified youth and human service professionals to increase by 49 percent.

Janice Mathurin, training director of the Nonprofit Advancement Center in Fresno, said that 200 additional agencies in the Valley are expected to be established in the next year.

This explosive growth has generated a demand for professionals that far exceeds the supply of qualified applicants. Jendian said that as the nonprofit sector grows at twice the rate of the government and private sectors, demand for capable nonprofit professionals increases tremendously. "Today the demand is higher than ever," said Jendian.

An AH orientation will be held at the Smittcamp Alumni House at 10:15 a.m., Wednesday, May 17. For more information, contact Jendian (559) 278-2891 (ext. 2) or matthewj@csufresno.edu.