Report on Theme III, Issue No. 2: Continuing Education
and Lifelong Learning
Introduction
The College of Extended Learning (CEL) plays a critical role
in advancing the institution's strategic plan. Specifically,
CEL (http://cel.csusb.edu)
supports the plan's first goal in assisting the university
in becoming a learning community that excels in creating,
applying and exchanging knowledge. As well, CEL supports the
plan's third goal by helping the institution adopt a long-term
strategy for university engagement in community partnerships.
An integral unit of the Academic Affairs division, the College
of Extended Learning is the designated continuing education
center on campus. It offers a variety of programs and services
to extend the resources of the university to a community that
spans the globe. Through its many offerings of credit, noncredit,
and continuing education courses and international programs,
CEL works to support learners of all ages and encourage lifelong
learning.
CEL is a financially self-supporting operation within the
university and, as such, is expected to cover all salaries,
overhead, and program-related and operating costs from fees
generated by its various programs.
CEL's Recent Past
The mission of CEL has remained essentially the same over
the years: "to develop and deliver high quality, innovative
educational programs tailored to the diverse personal and
professional learning needs of the many communities we serve."
While the mission has not changed much over time, there have
been some dramatic changes in how CEL has worked to carry
out this mission and how effective it has been in doing so.
From the early 1980's until the year 2000, CEL was in a financial
growth mode. The activities of CEL included programs and courses
offered under the aegis of Conference Services, Extension
Programs, the American Culture and Language Program (http://iep.csusb.edu),
Open University and Summer Session. At CEL's peak in 1998-99,
enrollment and revenue data indicated that CEL's programs
served an audience of nearly 25,000 individuals per year,
generating an annual revenue of over $6.5 million. While enrollments
and revenue were strong when compared with continuing education
programs at other CSU's, they were drawn largely from the
Summer Session and Conference Services programs, which together
accounted for over one-half of the total annual revenue generated
by CEL and nearly one-half of its annual enrollments. The
vast majority of the students enrolled in the summer program
were regularly matriculated CSUSB students and, therefore,
not necessarily representative of the larger continuing education
and learning community. And, although Conference Services
served a large number of participants each year, many of them
came from outside the region, the state, or sometimes the
country.
CEL drew one-fourth of its income and enrollments from its
American Culture and Language Program, a program designed
to help non-native English speakers (mostly from abroad) achieve
English proficiency. Again, the audience served was highly
specific and not representative of the larger continuing education
community.
Taken together this suggests that, while CEL was successful
in meeting its revenue and enrollment targets, it did so based
largely on two sizable programs and one smaller one that did
not necessarily help the college fully meet "the diverse
personal and professional learning needs of the many communities"
it's intended to serve. The remainder of the revenue and enrollments
came from the rather small Open University program and the
Extension program, the unit with the most potential for serving
multiple and broad-based audiences via a number of continuing
education course and program offerings. One might ask why
the Extension program and Open University were not larger
activities within CEL. The answer lies in the fact that, when
compared to regions such as San Diego, Orange County and Los
Angeles, the demographics of San Bernardino's metropolitan
area were not as conducive to supporting professional growth
programs. A low college-going rate combined with a primarily
service and retail economy generated less demand for typical
professional growth programs in the CEL portfolio. In any
case, because CEL remained fiscally solvent and in a growth
mode despite the limited breadth and scope of its programs,
it was not overly concerned with maximizing outreach or diversifying
its service base. Despite its mission to the contrary, CEL's
engagement with the external community was not particularly
broad-based nor diverse. A number of significant events affecting
the life of CEL, however, have prompted the college to reevaluate
itself and the role it plays in service and outreach to the
community.
CEL's Current Status
Although CEL's stated mission remains unchanged from the
earlier years, recent changes to the CEL landscape have prompted
the organization to rethink the ways in which it seeks to
accomplish its mission. Since 2001, CEL's enrollments and
revenue have been cut in half due to a number of unforeseeable
events. With the campus' earlier-than-scheduled move to a
state-supported year-round calendar in 2001-02, CEL lost its
highly lucrative Summer Session program. Soon thereafter,
many of CEL's conferences and international programs canceled,
which was attributed to the downturn in the economy and the
events of September 11, 2001. This left CEL in a position
to redefine, re-imagine, and rebuild itself.
Today CEL is a much smaller program than in previous years,
operating with fewer fiscal and human resources and extending
service to the community via a far fewer number of programs.
It should be noted that CEL is not alone in its experience;
many of the continuing education units at sister campuses
within the CSU are undergoing similar transformations due
to the same root causes. Indeed, many self-supporting continuing
education units across the country are reeling from the impact
of economic downturns and the effect of state budget cuts.
With the Summer Session program eliminated and the Conference
Services unit scaled back, CEL is now largely dependent upon
its Extension program to provide service to the region, augmented
by growing activity in customized, contracted education and
growth within the International Extension Programs unit.
To its credit, CEL offers many successful Extension programs
whose enrollments attest to the fact that they are meeting
real needs within the community. Examples include certificate
programs in "Grant Development and Management",
"Human Resources Management", "Management Practices",
"Computer Aided Drafting and Design", "Web
Page Design", "School Business Management",
and an array of certificate programs for K-12 educators in
the region. During the 2001-2002 fiscal year, CEL had 1,277
enrollments in certificate programs, 1,734 enrollments in
"In-Service Contract Credit" extension courses,
and 4,003 enrollments in CEU and non-credit courses. Public
school educators, in particular, have relied on the College
of Extended Learning for high quality, conveniently-formatted
courses that enrich their classroom teaching and assist them
in renewing teaching credentials.
A unique and award-winning program for retired seniors, entitled
Project HELP (Helping English Language Proficiency), has been
administered by CEL since 1993. (http://cel.csusb.edu/project_help.pdf)
Originally grant funded, the program is now funded through
a contract with the San Bernardino City Unified School District.
Project HELP has trained a cadre of retired seniors to teach
English as a second language to adults at public school sites.
Most of their students are Hispanic mothers of school-age
children who would not avail themselves of English language
development courses through local adult schools. Since its
inception, Project HELP has provided a valuable service for
our community while providing active seniors with deeply fulfilling
experiences with their students and colleagues. This program
was recognized by the California State University system,
which featured Project HELP at a Trustees' meeting as an example
of how one CSU campus is meeting the needs of under-served
populations. The program also received a "Distinguished
Non-Credit Program Award" by the Association for Continuing
Higher Education, Inc.
In addition, CEL continues to facilitate conferences for
a variety of audiences. For example, in the spring of
2003, CEL partnered with the university's Division of
Information Research and Technology to deliver the "Secure
IT" conference, focusing on information technology
(IT) security. (www.secureitconf.com)
Among many international program activities, the College
of Extended Learning maintains and cultivates a long-standing
relationship with Yasuda Women's University in Hiroshima,
Japan. Since the first group of 45 students arrived in 1988,
more than one thousand young women have visited and studied
on and around the campus of CSUSB, returning home with strengthened
English skills, broadened international perspectives and uniquely
rewarding home-stay experiences. Current programs take two
forms: one-month spring and summer intensive English programs
for all Yasuda university students; a six month semester abroad
program for English Department students. Faculty exchanges
and joint research projects are also an aspect of CEL's relationship
with the Yasuda Women's University.
Despite its many successful programs and service, the loss
of previous programs and revenue streams, as discussed above,
have forced CEL to rethink how it makes decisions about its
activities and programs. In addition to the need to grow existing
program centers noted above, the need to diversify its program
base and build new revenue streams is paramount for the CEL
operation. Certainly, it must do this increasingly within
the context of helping the university engage more fully and
effectively with the external community.
The current body of evidence that exists to help CEL understand
its current situation and make better informed decisions about
its future suggests that CEL needs to build a stronger capacity
for providing outreach to the community and at a higher level
than it does currently. A recent survey (Spring 2002) of the
CEL community-based Advisory Council-which includes 15 representatives
of various constituent groups CEL serves and who are well-versed
in CEL's mission and scope of activities-indicates that CEL's
image, visibility and "recognizability" need to
be improved.
Survey results based on a 5-point scale with 5 being "highest"
and 1 being "lowest" suggest that CEL is only moderately
known in the region: (a) as a leading provider of continuing
education and lifelong learning in general (3.8); (b) as a
leading provider of continuing professional education and
workplace training (including extension and certificate programs)
(3.8); (c) as a leading provider of English as a Second Language
and intercultural programs (3.5); and (d) for its ability
to develop and deliver conferences and manage large events
(3.3). It is even less well known in the region as a leading
provider of personal enrichment programs for students of all
ages-children through seniors (2.8). As well, the survey indicates
that CEL is only moderately successful in meeting the continuing,
professional and lifelong learning needs of its constituents
(3.6) and moderately effective in marketing its programs to
the region (3.4). The survey does suggest, however, that to
the extent that CEL is known in the region, it is quite positively
perceived (4.3).
On the whole, these results are reinforced by the opinions
of the University Advisory Board members. On a broad-based
survey administered to all 25 members in April, 2002, the
question was asked, "How successful is CSUSB in providing
the continuing education, noncredit courses and training needed
in the region?". Responses again suggested a moderate
performance for CEL (3.8).
And so, as CEL looks at its current status as a vehicle for
helping CSUSB achieve its strategic plan and engage the external
community, several important conclusions might be drawn:
- Despite CEL's currently limited resources, it does have
the potential and the desire to broaden its scope of services
while strengthening existing ones;
- Current CEL staff are knowledgeable and experienced professionals
who have the ability to expand continuing education programming
in the region and build a greater capacity for service;
- While maintaining its outreach to international and out-of-region
students, CEL, through its Extension program and contracting
capability, can broaden its overall continuing education
service to the local community;
- The marketing and promoting of CEL-both its programs and
its image-need to be strengthened and widened;
- Fiscal solvency alone does not define how successful CEL
is in engaging the external community and the region.
In light on these conclusions, CEL is moving into the future
with a renewed sense of its mission and is positioning itself
to reach out to the community in ways that will help CEL rebuild
itself financially while more fully supporting the university's
strategic plan.
CEL's Future Focus
As noted above, CEL's immediate and long-term (3-5 years)
goals are to rebuild itself financially while enhancing outreach
and service to all of the communities it serves. To do this,
CEL will need to look to various resources for better understanding
the continuing education needs of the region, a region that
includes all of CSUSB's historical two-county service area.
In addition to the information gleaned from the two advisory
board surveys, valuable data for helping CEL make decisions
about its activities and programs is available in a recently
completed (2000) needs assessment of the community and area
employers. Although the results of the assessment have implications
for the whole of the university, the vast majority of the
recommendations-especially those contained in the employer
survey-speak directly to CEL. More specifically, the evidence
contained in the employer needs survey informs CEL's future
program planning along a number of veins:
- New degree programs and fields of study (e.g., communication/customer
service, computer applications, medical programming, software
engineering, entertainment, transportation and distribution/logistics,
basic accounting and bookkeeping, and clerical-related training);
- Training needs (e.g., computer skills, communication skills,
foreign and English language skills);
- Desirable scheduling (e.g., evening classes on weekdays);
- Employer support for CEL's training programs;
- Complementing university-to-business partnerships.
CEL's future outreach will need to include an enhanced presence
in the Palm Desert area, especially as the university's new
Palm Desert Campus begins to flourish. Data garnered from
recent focus groups in that area reveal that many of the same
programs that CEL currently makes available in the greater
San Bernardino region are desired in the Coachella Valley.
Toward this objective, CEL has recently received a grant from
the Bernard Osher Foundation that will fund a new lifelong
learning institute for retired adults in the Coachella Valley,
slated to begin in the fall of 2003. In addition, CEL is working
with CSUSB's College of Business and Public Administration
to bring the MBA for Executives to the Palm Desert area, also
beginning in the fall of 2003.
And, increasingly, the High Desert/Victorville area is requesting
continuing education programming that can be delivered to
the region in a traditional on-site format or via various
distributed learning formats.
Clearly, as CEL looks to both its short-term and long-term
future, it needs to:
- Work more closely with campus academic colleges, departments
and faculty to broaden its efforts throughout the whole
of the university's service area;
- Pay attention to the existing body of evidence that suggests
the "who, what, when, where and why" for effectively
building its programs;
- Work more closely with the campus Office of Distributed
Learning to identify new, technology-based methods for program
delivery;
- Continue to build upon existing, successful programs in
the Extension, contract and International Extension Programs
units;
- Market and promote itself more widely and more effectively;
and
- Identify new audiences to serve and new revenue streams
(equivalent financially to the Summer Session program).
Realistic and "doable" though these goals are,
they will take time, and CEL is not likely to accomplish them
without a plan of action. The final section of this document
offers a few logical recommendations or "next steps"
to help CEL meet the goals outlined above.
Conclusions
First, CEL must reshape and refine a thoughtful strategic
plan which revisits and refines CEL's mission, vision and
core values, and this must be done within the context of the
university's strategic plan. (http://cel.csusb.edu/strategicplan.html)
To what extend is CEL really supporting the university's strategic
goals? To what extent is CEL working to assist the institution
in engaging more fully with the external community?
Second, CEL must revise its business plan that lays out one-,
three- and five year plans for financial recovery and program
growth. The recent hiring of an Assistant to the Dean for
Financial and Business Services is a good first step toward
achieving this goal. In this plan, the effectiveness of each
program unit must be examined and recommendations for changes
(even the elimination of under-producing units) must be included.
And, of course, once constructed, the plan needs to be implemented.
Third, and as part of the business plan, CEL needs to take
a hard look at its staffing levels and make decisions about
where and when to add staff and where and when to eliminate
positions that are not moving the program forward.
Fourth, a thorough marketing plan needs to be crafted for
CEL that not only focuses on improving market research, but
also articulating and communicating its mission to the region.
Certainly, if the results of the advisory board surveys are
heeded, CEL must make a concerted effort to make itself better
known throughout the area as a premier continuing education
provider.
Finally, CEL must work more closely with all entities on
campus to make more connections with its audiences, and to
ensure that it is supporting the university's goals of outreach.
It is incumbent upon the leadership of CEL to insist that
it remain inextricably linked to those institutional processes
(e.g., committees and planning boards) that are concerned
with building campus-community partnerships and strengthening
CSUSB as an exceptional learning community.
Appendix of Supporting Materials and Links for Theme III,
Issue 2
Inland Empire Annual Survey 2001: http://iar.csusb.edu/2001%20Final%20Full%20Report%20All.pdf
Institute of Applied Research Needs Assessment: http://academic-affairs.csusb.edu/wasc2/edueffrev/thm3/appendix/i1/needsassess.htm
Survey of CEL Advisory Board 2000: http://academic-affairs.csusb.edu/wasc2/edueffrev/thm3/appendix/i2/CELAdvisBrdSurv.pdf
CEL Enrollment Report to Chancellor's Office: http://academic-affairs.csusb.edu/wasc2/edueffrev/thm3/appendix/i2/CELEnrRep.pdf
CEL International Programs Report to Chancellor's Office: http://academic-affairs.csusb.edu/wasc2/edueffrev/thm3/appendix/i2/CELIntl.pdf
University Advisory Board Survey Results 2002: http://academic-affairs.csusb.edu/wasc2/edueffrev/thm3/appendix/i2/UABRes2002.pdf
CEL Business Plan 2002-2005 (hard copy only)
CEL Strategic Plan: http://cel.csusb.edu/strategicplan.html
CEL HOME Page: http://cel.csusb.edu/index-netscape.html
Teacher Job Fair Survey: http://academic-affairs.csusb.edu/wasc2/edueffrev/thm3/appendix/i1/TchrFairJobSurvRes0203.pdf
Wilkins Consulting Group Survey and Analysis of University
Image and Perceptions: http://academic-affairs.csusb.edu/wasc2/edueffrev/thm3/appendix/i1/MarkSurvAnaly.pdf
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