FGCU opens new business compliance program

Enron, WorldCom and other corporate scandals spawned new laws requiring companies to establish compliance plans, and Florida Gulf Coast University has responded by becoming the first school in the country to offer a Graduate Compliance Specialist Program. The one-year program teaches entry-level compliance officers to fill the new workplace demand. Enrollment is now open for Jan. 2008 classes.

"A compliance specialist's job is to monitor ongoing business and financial systems to enable executives and board members to deal proactively with problematic conduct," said program director David E. Steckler. "This enables corporate governance practices to keep pace with the many ethical and legal challenges in today's business environment."

The intensive program stresses the "process of compliance," and requires completion of 15 graduate credit hours. Courses include Compliance, Ethics and Controls; Regulation of Business Conduct; Interviewing and Investigation; Forensic Financial Investigation; and Regulation of Medical Industry.

It is approved by the Society of Corporate

Compliance and Ethics, and Healthcare Compliance Association. Upon completion, graduates qualify to sit for SCCE and HCCA exams to become Certified Compliance Specialists.

The program is a combination of distance learning and intensive weekend sessions (two weekend sessions per course). This enables students to be on campus to attend seminars and workshops with industry and regulatory experts so that theory and practice of compliance operations is integrated into the learning process.

Compliance is recognized as a growing career field nationwide. Job opportunities exist in hospitals and most other health care organizations, public and private corporations, and not-for-profit organizations such as colleges and universities, law enforcement, and federal, state and local governmental units. Christian and Timbers, a leading executive search firm, last year listed Chief Compliance Officer as the number three "hot job."

Additional program information and applications are available on the Web at http://cps.fgcu.edu/cj/cs. To register for program contact Eileen Regelski at (239) 590-1098 or by e-mail at eregelsk@fgcu. edu.