Understanding Changing Roles in Continuing Education Units

Mary S. Grant, Ph.D.University of Wisconsin-Extension

Division of Continuing Education, Outreach and E-Learnin

The Study

• Two Big Ten Institutions• Both with Central Main Campus and multiple

regional branch campuses• Comparable in size, age, budget and

undergraduate enrollments• One CE is Centralized; One CE is decentralized

Comparison of Continuing Education Operations at University and State

Characteristic University State

Organization Centralized Decentralized

Relationship to Parent

University

Close Distant

Reporting Relationship of

Head of C. E.

Vice President Dean of College of Agriculture

Institutional policy

governing integration

Institution-wide directing efforts to Continuing

Education

None

Units Multiple and Large:

Conferences and Institutes

Non-Credit

Credit and Contracts

Finance

IT and Distance Education

Adult Student Advisors

Few and Small:

Conferences and Institutes

Non-credit

Credit and contracts

Finance

IT

Adult Student Advisors

Number of Staff

Large (more than 100)

Small (25-30)

Then and Now

Then Now Centralized: Control of Distance Education and all revenues

Centralized: Control of Distance Education; limits on revenues

Centralized: Growth of DE Centralized: Targeted growth of DE/revenue Centralized: No budget oversight committee Centralized: Budget oversight committee Decentralized: Control of Contract Credit in CE Decentralized: Control of Contract Credit in Colleges Decentralized: Relationship with Alumni Office Decentralized: No relationship with Alumni office

Money is the Root

• Matkin concludes that the financial structure is both a model for change and a target of some shifts in the underlying financial structure of higher education (2004).

• The university continuing education unit is increasingly being looked at as a resource in meeting the challenges of revenue production and increased access (Ebersole, 2003).

Discussion

• What major changes are impacting your CE unit?• Is you budget being cut, and if so, how much?• Is your unit expected to contribute revenue back

to the institution>• Are you losing or gaining oversight of activities?• What do you see as the three areas for growth in

the next five years• What are you doing to position your unit to be

successful in turbulent times?