Task Force Members

Co-chairs

Christi Bell, Associate Vice Provost and Executive Director, Business Enterprise Institute
Bonnie Nygard, Director of Workforce Development, Academic Affairs

Members

Paul Dunscomb, Professor/Chair, Department of History
Dan Kline, Professor of English & Director of General Education, Department of English
Karen Markel, Dean, College of Business & Public Policy
John Duffy, Adjunct Professor, College of Business & Public Policy
Gloria Burnett, Director, Alaska Area Health Education Centers
Marianne Murray, Director/Associate Professor, School of Nursing
Jennifer Harty, Coordinator of Professional Programs, Office of Professional and Continuing Education
Jeff Libby, Associate Dean, Community & Technical College
Kelly Smith, Assistant Professor, Department of Automotive & Diesel Technology
Jason Hotch, Fiscal Development Officer, Fiscal Office
LuAnn Piccard, Project Management Dept. Chair, Assoc Professor, Engineering, Science & Project Management
Molly Orheim, Director, Career Exploration & Services
Lisa Wedin, Program Manager, Center for Corporate and Professional Development
Talis Colberg, College Director, Matanuska-Susitna College Office of the Director

 

About this Task Force

This task force will make recommendations about how best to handle the critical function of Continuing and Professional Education, to include scope and organizational structure of a potential new or redefined Center for Continuing and Professional Education. As the university located in the largest business and economic center of Alaska, UAA has the potential to provide training and professional development to workers who need to continually update their knowledge and skills in current positions, and also to help them progress or transition into different careers. The working continuing and professional development market is different from working degree-seeking students. This market is also distinct from students in career and technical education programs.

 

Charge to the Task Force

Specific questions I would like the task force to address include:

• Current state analysis. What is the current state of continuing and professional development programs at UAA? What is potential demand for such programs within the Anchorage region, regions around our community campuses, and beyond. Review any previous work or reports on the subject of CPE, including the white paper by Chancellor Cathy Sandeen. 
• Best practice peer review. How are similar institutions organized to serve the CPE market? What is their general program array?
• Guiding principles. What is the main purpose of our program? To serve professionals? To provide general service to the community? To generate revenue? Others?
• Degree of centralization. A central unit knows the CPE market and focuses all effort toward serving that specific market. These individuals tend to be highly entrepreneurial. College-based staff have other duties and other missions that might conflict with serving the CPE market. Student enrollment and information systems require a much higher degree of flexibility than those designed for regular degree programs. What models of centralization would be most appropriate at UAA? (See Sandeen white paper.)
• Program array. What types of programs should UAA offer? What formats? Proportion of open enrollment to contract programs, classroom-based, online, or hybrid? Will we offer mandatory continuing education needed for licensure in many professions? Will we offer enrichment programs to the public? Do we include some degree programs as part of CPE?
• Faculty involvement. How do we involve faculty in CPE programs? As course instructors? As curriculum designers or approvers? As approvers of adjunct faculty?
• Policies. Which policies might need to developed or revised in order for us to effectively offer CPE programs? (E.g., revenue sharing under a centralized model.)
• Outcome measures. What are some appropriate measures for us to track progress in this area?
• Desired future state. Based on answers to questions above, what are options for an enhanced CPE unit at UAA. What are the steps needed to achieve these desired states? (Be realistic, but do not restrict your thinking due to resource concerns.)

 

Mission Alignment of this Task Force

• From the Board of Regents-approved UAA Mission Statement: The mission of the University of Alaska Anchorage is to discover and disseminate knowledge through teaching, research, engagement and creative expression.
• From UA 2025 Goals and Measures: 2. Provide Alaska’s stilled workforce and 5. Operate more cost effectively

 

Timeline

This task force will provide recommendations to the chancellor by March 30, 2019.

After Task Force Final Recommendations

• Chancellor will review recommendations
• Recommendations will be circulated to campus community for input
• Chancellor will review input and further consult with shared governance, cabinet and others
• Chancellor will announce a decision
• Implementation planning and implementation of some steps will begin immediately

 

 

Final Report