2025 News
2025 CPS NEWS
- What is the CMBOK? Exploring the Common Language That Connects Contracting Professionals The CMBOK, or the Contract Management Body of Knowledge, defines the knowledge areas, competencies and practices that make up the contract management profession. The National Contract Management Agency (NCMA) uses the CMBOK as an organizing framework to identify its knowledge objects, ensure NCMA programs and publications stay within the boundaries of the profession, and ensure that all areas of knowledge are covered.
- What is Adaptive Leadership? Change isn’t something that happens occasionally; it’s the constant backdrop of everything we do. Markets shift, technologies disrupt and priorities evolve. For leaders, that means expanding the focus from delivering results today to knowing how to navigate uncertainty and guide others through it tomorrow—and in the future.
- Meet the CPS Class of 2025 Every year, the College of Professional Studies is proud to celebrate a graduating class, compromised of students of varying ages, from different backgrounds and different pathways to their degree. This year's graduates are no exception, with the Class of 2025 excelling in the classroom, in their careers and in their efforts to better the world around us. This page includes several stories of the members of this class making an impact.
- Philadelphia Eagles VP of Marketing Brian Papson Brings Championship Experience to the Classes He Teaches at Villanova Philadelphia Eagles VP of Marketing Brian Papson brings championship experience and real-world insights into the classroom at Villanova. From Super Bowl victories to global sports marketing, Papson shares his expertise to inspire a diverse student population in sports management and leadership.
- Thinking of Hiring a Firm? Read This First. What every self-employed professional should consider before outsourcing their marketing.
- Supply Chain Resilience Through Lean Six Sigma: Why Black Belt and Master Black Belt Certification Matter Supply chains have always lived with disruption, but the scale and speed of recent shocks have exposed deeper weaknesses: brittle networks, shallow risk buffers and overreliance on linear processes. The question many leaders are asking is not how to return to normal, but how to design operations capable of absorbing volatility and sustaining performance. That shift—from recovery to resilience—demands a different caliber of process leadership.
- HR Generalist vs HR Specialist Human resources is no longer confined to paperwork and policy—it’s a central driver of business strategy and employee experience. As organizations navigate remote work, shifting labor laws and rising expectations around engagement and retention, HR roles have grown more specialized and impactful. Discover which path best aligns with your career goals.Ìý
- From Strategists to System Navigators Across the government and government-adjacent sectors, contract managers, procurement professionals and vendor operations teams are experiencing a slow but seismic shift. What was once a domain of negotiation strategy, regulatory acumen and institutional memory is now being parsed into decision trees, automated risk scoring and clause libraries managed by AI.
- Scope Creep Happens: How Project Managers Keep Control Without Killing Creativity Projects rarely fail because teams lack talent or motivation. More often, they unravel slowly as the scope expands, one small request at a time. A new feature, an added deliverable, an unplanned approval step—all made with good intentions. Before long, timelines slip, budgets stretch and the original goal becomes hard to recognize.Ìý
- Mastering the Full Contract Lifecycle The government contracting landscape is undergoing significant transformation. From rapid technological advances to new regulatory updates and heightened performance expectations, contract managers across federal, state and local agencies face increasing complexity in a market that saw more than $759 billion in federal contract spending in FY2023 alone. Navigating this developing environment requires not just experience—but strategic upskilling.Ìý
- The 8 Wastes of Work You Don't Realize Are Costing You Tiime Busy doesn't always mean productive. We’ve all had those weeks that feel like a blur: back-to-back meetings, endless emails and a to-do list that never seems to shrink. But what if the real problem isn’t how hard you’re working, but what you’re working on?
- Are You Managing Tasks or Guiding Strategy? Here's How to Tell. Many professionals already perform the core functions of project managers without the formal title or training, bridging departments, managing deliverables and solving problems daily. True project management, however, connects execution to strategy, ensuring that every initiative aligns with business goals and produces measurable outcomes. Through structured frameworks and formal training, professionals can turn informal experience into recognized expertise, positioning themselves as strategic leaders who translate vision into results.
- DMAIC at the Enterprise Level: Lessons Learned from Black Belt-led Transformations Applying DMAIC within a single process is a test of discipline. Applying it across an enterprise is a test of leadership. At the Lean Six Sigma Black Belt level, the familiar Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control framework evolves from a tactical roadmap into a system for managing complexity.
- Paychecks, Perks and Purpose: Building a Holistic Total Rewards Strategy For years, conversations around Total Rewards in HR have centered on pay scales and benefits packages. While those remain core components, a narrow focus misses the broader truth: Total Rewards is about designing a holistic HR strategy that aligns organizational purpose with employee experience, creating a system that supports engagement, retention and long-term organizational health.
- Beyond the Prompt: Moving from Curiosity to Confidence in AI To thrive in an AI-driven economy, professionals must move beyond prompts and into confidence. That means moving past just asking questions and into learning how to evaluate answers, apply AI responsibly and integrate it into workflows in meaningful ways.Ìý
- THe Skills Gap in Digital Marketing: Why Data-Driven Decision Making Is the New Standard For many marketing professionals, career progress can feel frustratingly out of reach. You might be creating strong campaigns, writing compelling copy, or designing standout visuals, yet still hitting roadblocks when it comes to promotions or job searches. Increasingly, the difference between those who advance and those who feel stuck isn’t just creativity—it’s the ability to interpret and act on digital marketing analytics.
- What Do the Lean Six Sigma Belts Mean? Discover the career value behind each Lean Six Sigma belt level. This article explores the distinctions between training and certification, helping you understand how each belt can strengthen your skill set and open new professional opportunities. Learn how progressing through the Lean Six Sigma ranks can position you for leadership and long-term professional success.
- The Changing Role of the Instructional Designer The instructional design and learning experience design (LXD) landscape is shifting, again. As organizations adjust to hybrid work models, rising upskilling demands and an ever-expanding ecosystem of digital tools, learning and development professionals are entering a new era. It’s no longer enough to build content. Today’s instructional designers must architect learning experiences that are measurable, adaptive and learner-centered.
- Â鶹´å Appoints the Rev. David Cregan, OSA, PhD, as Dean of the College of Professional Studies Â鶹´å President the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD, ’75 CLAS, today announced the appointment of the Rev. David Cregan, OSA, PhD, ’89 CLAS, as Dean of the College of Professional Studies (CPS), effective August 1.
- Faculty Spotlight: Marvin Meissner, MBA Marvin Meissner, MBA brings decades of industry experience in Lean Six Sigma and Quality and Process Improvement to the CPS classroom. With a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and an MBA from Syracuse University, he spent 30 years working for a multinational corporation in roles spanning engineering, quality, education and training before shifting focus to teaching in higher education.