Utah Valley University
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review
2006 – 2010
Prepared for
Board of Trustees 2011
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
Reviewers:
External Reviewers
 Gregory Marsello, Vice President for Organizational Development, Learning Resources Network
Internal Reviewers
 Dr. Bonnie Henrie, Special Assistant to the Vice President of Student Affairs, Utah Valley
University
 Dr. Anton Tolman, Director of Faculty Center for Teaching Excellence, Utah Valley University
Program Description:
The central purpose and role of Utah Valley University (UVU) Community and Continuing Education (CCE)
is defined as:
UVU Community and Continuing Education fosters engaged, lifelong learning to enrich individuals and
businesses through exceptional, personalized non-credit courses, events, and trainings throughout the
region.
CCE originates, develops, and nurtures new non-credit programs for the campus and the community to
enrich lives and position participants at the forefront of technological and educational advances. CCE
serves as an outreach arm of the University and strengthens the regional community and economy.
Community and Continuing Education offers courses, programs, and events through Conferences,
Community Education, Driver Education, Elder Quest, Road Scholar (formerly Elderhostel or Exploritas),
and Workforce Development. Each department is engaged with the community, region, and service area to
provide for a wide variety of community needs for non-credit education. A five year strategic plan is in
Appendix 3.
CCE meets the UVU Mission and Roles by offering engaged and inclusive life-long learning for all ages and
education levels. CCE fosters engaged learning throughout all CCE programs, offers opportunity through
open enrollment non-credit courses and programs, meets regional educational needs through trainings that
provide professional expertise, and provides multiple points of learning and engagement for life-long
learners. CCE engages the UVU Roles through community and professional engagement, non-credit
career and technical education courses, and economic development by offering non-credit programs and
services for individuals and organizations. Please see UVU’s Mission and Roles at
http://www.uvu.edu/planning/about/mission.html.
Community Education consists of non-credit enrichment courses for all ages from babies to the elderly and
is primarily marketed through the printed Discover brochure and online. Courses are held on the UVU
Orem and Wasatch campuses, at local junior high and high schools within the Alpine School District, as
well at partner’s facilities. Courses are determined by community need and change rapidly from one term to
the next to accommodate changing demand. Instructors are community experts in the field. Course topics
include arts and crafts, language, hobbies, personal and family growth, business and finance, job
certification, dance, music, sports and fitness, hobbies, cooking and home improvement, and youth
programs. Some specific classes include Basic Auto Mechanics for Women, Beginning a Business, 3-D
Drawing and Design, Zumba for Kids, Web Page Design, and Cake Decorating. Visit
www.uvu.edu/ce/classes for online brochures.
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Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
Conferences offered include educational or professional development conferences, seminars, or
workshops in partnership with: UVU colleges, schools, or departments; outside community partners such
as professional groups or associations; or without partners to fulfill community demand. Most of the events
are held on the UVU Orem campus and UVU partnered events are considered outreach, recruitment, and
engagement, because the community is welcomed to the campus. The independent CCE conferences use
community advisory committees and have a conference advisory committee charter that outlines the scope
of the committee and is in Appendix 4 along with the list of the advisory committee for the Facility and
Grounds Management conference as a sample. Committee members are invited or volunteer and
represent experts in fields that are the focus of the conference. Conferences, seminars, and workshops are
marketed to the targeted market through many methods including mail, email, and online. An example of a
CCE conference is the Facility and Grounds Management Expo, a partnered conference is the High School
Counselors Conference provided in conjunction with Prospective Student Services, and the Financial
Literacy Conference has been offered in partnership with the Jumpstart Coalition. Visit www.uvu.edu/ce/cw
for current conferences being offered.
Driver Education is an online course offered in partnership with a local driving school and is taken primarily
by regional high school and international students. The course is marketed online and information is given
to high schools to communicate to their students. Visit www.uvu.edu/classes/drivered for more information.
Elder Quest is a learning in retirement group for people 55 and up that offers peer-taught courses and
group travel events. Many retired university professors teach courses on a myriad of subjects ranging from
current events to world religions with subjects changing each semester. The group has funded an endowed
scholarship for credit students and contributed to the first CCE non-credit scholarship in 2010. An example
of current classes includes Watercolor Painting, Mayan History, Armchair Travel, and Classic Movies. Visit
www.uvu.edu/classes/elderquest for events and the class schedule.
Road Scholar is an educational travel program for those 50 and above that brings primarily out-of-state,
retired adults to Utah to experience Utah’s outdoors and is marketed through the partnership with national
Road Scholar. The UVU Road Scholar program is one of very few programs designated as a Super Site by
national Road Scholar administration, because of the high number of programs provided annually, the high
rating by attendees of programs, high attendance, and professionalism of the leaders. UVU Road Scholar
provides 32 weeks of programs with only two full time staff. Visit www.uvu.edu/ce/classes/roadscholar to
see upcoming and past programs.
Workforce Development offers professional development, workforce training, custom training, executive
education, and public courses through traditional classrooms or online offerings with partners including
ed2go, Gatlin, and CareerStep. CCE partners with UVU Career and Technical Education to provide
courses needed by regional businesses using the Short Term Intensive Training (STIT) state grant. In
partnership with the College of Technology and Computing CCE provides some non-credit computer
related career education to low income individuals through the federal Community Based Job Training
Grant. Visit www.uvu.edu/ce/cw for the online Professional Trainings Catalog and
www.uvu.edu/ce/classes/online for online offerings.
The Marketing Department provides marketing support for all programs through print, media, and website
design. The department conducts community and target market research to determine the efficacy of
current marketing.
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Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
The Senior Director manages the departments, networks, and builds community relationships and
engagement. The CCE Community Advisory Board, which began in April 2010, is made up of influential
business and community leaders to determine local needs and increase community involvement. Appendix
5 is the Community Advisory Board Charter, requirements, and current members. The CCE Campus
Advisory Board began in January 2010 and is made up of interested and supportive UVU leaders, who are
listed in Appendix 6.
In FY2009 Community and Continuing Education was reorganized to a 21st century model for increased
flexibility and productivity. The new organization consists of Instruction, Operations, and Marketing, which
allows each employee to specialize rather than generalize, while still providing diverse educational
offerings. Instruction is responsible for course and program development, instructor interviews and hiring,
pricing, and new course and program research. Operations is responsible for registrations, refunds, course
and program logistics, evaluations, and operational details. Marketing is responsible for advertising and
marketing the programs and courses. Prior to the reorganization, coordinators of programs were
responsible for most of these duties for their program. The reorganization streamlines duties, increases
productivity, and allows flexibility for rapid response to changing community educational needs. Please see
Appendix 7-a, b, c for current and past organizational charts.
Highlights
 CCE was named a Learning Resource Network (LERN) Certified Program and at program
certification in 2010 was one of only 32 LERN certified programs in the world.
 Workforce Development held custom, job specific training for local engineers at Klune Industries,
Inc., a contractor in aerospace and defense technologies. With $50,000 of Catia training, Klune
was able to compete with Boeing and Lockheed and was awarded a $140 million contract as a
direct result of the training.
 CCE reorganized in FY 2009 to be more efficient and move to be self-supporting. Have saved
$500,000/year in state funding through cutting two full-time positions and moving two other full-time
positions to soft funding.
 Partnered with Disney Institute to offer The Disney Keys to Excellence for over 200 regional
participants in 2009 during the depth of the Great Recession.
 UVU IR conducted focus groups of past students and community members to determine a new
name to reflect engagement and outreach. Were officially renamed Community and Continuing
Education in 2010.
Faculty & Staff:
Staff includes 11 full-time administrative staff, 2 full-time secretarial/clerical, and 13 part-time administrative
staff. The Senior Director has an MBA and extensive business experience. Other staff have backgrounds
that include master degrees, bachelor degrees, and extensive educational and experiential backgrounds
appropriate to their positions.
Community and Continuing Education draws instructors from both UVU and the community. Though there
are no full-time faculty, CCE instructors are considered adjunct instructors. Faculty credentials are
determined primarily by their knowledge, skill set, and abilities including the ability to teach others on the
topics and courses in community demand.
CCE faculty include:
200 part-time Conferences presenters
200 part-time Community Education instructors
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Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
20 part-time Road Scholar instructors
8 part-time Road Scholar site coordinators
40 part-time Workforce Development instructors
A total of 468 part-time instructors, presenters, and coordinators
These Community and Continuing Education instructors and presenters provided approximately 200,000
seat hours of instruction each year for the past 5 years.
Students
Community and Continuing Education seeks to meet market demand for lifelong learning and business and
regional training needs through a variety of non-credit programs.
Department
Enrollment 05-06
Enrollment 06-07
Enrollment 07-08
Enrollment 08-09
Enrollment 09-10
Community
Education
5,122
4,549
2,920
2,899
4,382
Conferences
6,960
9,118
11,047
9,183
10,387
Driver Education
672
688
1227
856
865
Elder Quest
Workforce
Development
771
936
1,823
2,033
2,846
589
386
112
802
1,160
Road Scholar
Total CCE
Enrollments
1,008
1,093
1,343
1,060
703
15,122
16,770
18,472
16,833
20,343
Seat Hours 05-06
Seat Hours 06-07
Seat Hours 07-08
Seat Hours 08-09
Seat Hours 09-10
Community
Education
49,407
23,302
14,172
30,457
28,718
Conferences
66,387
60,079
94,858
64,876
74,544
Driver Education
28,224
27,672
46,494
35,952
36,322
Elder Quest
Workforce
Development
3,084
3,744
6,740
15,203
30,837
3,720
2,315
2,456
6,992
4,347
Road Scholar
Total CCE
Seat Time
50,400
54,650
67,150
53,000
35,150
201,222
171,762
231,870
206,480
209,918
Department
Note on attendance variations: Community Education enrollments varied as the program was revamped
and course prices were revised to reflect all costs. With the addition of a Marketing Coordinator in 2009,
Community Education enrollment increased by 51% over the previous year. Conference and Road Scholar
enrollments dropped sharply in FY09 due to economic factors. Workforce Development enrollment is now
on the rise due to increased demand, but dipped due to changes in requirements for Contractor Continuing
Education and reduced demand for Command Spanish®.
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Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
Registrations*
Generation X (1965-1979)
33.42%
Generation Y (1980-2000)
29.67%
Baby Boomer (1944-1964)
25.04%
Generation Z (2001+)
6.97%
Veteran (1943 and prior)
4.00%
Unknown
0.89%
6 Generations
100.00%
*Does not include Road Scholar and Elder Quest Data. To be enrolled in either program, students must be
over 50.
Community and Continuing Education students are 65% female and 35% male. Students come from 436
USPS carrier routes throughout Utah and Wasatch counties in addition to other counties of Utah, all 50
states, and Australia, Canada, England, Germany, Ireland, and Taiwan, because of the Road Scholar
program.
Students in each CCE course and program are given the opportunity to fill out evaluations of the course
and instructor. This information is entered into a database and course instructor changes are made in
response to evaluations. The LERN Program Review survey of CCE student satisfaction found that CCE
students rate quality of CCE programming at 4.3 out of 5 and rate the CCE registration experience at 3.9
out of 5.
Financial Analysis
CCE’s budget is approximately $3,000,000. Of the $3,000,000, approximately $700,000 is currently
allocated by UVU. CCE covers the remaining $2,200,000 with fee-based revenue. CCE is currently not
100% financially self-sufficient; however CCE covers program direct costs and soft-funded allocations with
course fees. With the reorganization in FY2009 two positions were cut, two positions were moved to soft
funding, and two positions remain to move to soft funding during the next two years. The current goal with
UVU administration and CCE is to fund program related positions with soft funds, while administrative
positions will remain hard funded. However the external program reviewer has a different view and believes
that the program should be 100% self support to protect from economic downturns and legislative changes.
Community and Continuing Education plans to meet the UVU administration goal in two years with the
external reviewer’s goal of 100% financial self support as a long-term goal.
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Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
UVU does not track expenses in the way the R411-7.2 template outlines so the table has been revised to
reflect that.
Expense
Staff Salary Costs (Appropriated Funds)
Program Expenses & Marketing
(Appropriated Funds)
Staff Salary Costs (Soft Funds-Grants)
Program Expenses & Marketing (Soft Funds
– Grants)
Total Expense
FY06*
FY07*
FY08*
FY09
FY10
2,120,819
1,040,665
1,213,218
773,027
558,918
144,026
118,231
213,556
121,657
92,164
1,208,255
1,974,597
873,506
2,045,603
781,830
2,020,298
358,201
1,817,121
436,551
2,112,431
5,447,697
4,078,005
4,228,902
3,070,006
3,200,064
2,388,026
1,018,508
2,084,733
14,471
5,505,738
1,286,780
1,092,168
2,005,784
0
4,384,732
1,433,141
1,025,222
2,422,089
0
4,880,452
900,274
0
2,204,684
0
3,104,958
692,701
0
2,521,670
0
3,214,371
58,041
306,727
651,550
34,952
14,307
Revenue
Legislative Appropriation
Grants
Soft Funds from Tuition
Fees
Total Revenue
Difference
Revenue-Expense
*Note on expense, revenue, and grant amount variations: Wasatch Campus was part of CCE and is
included in the totals of FY06. Turning Point and the Women’s Resource Center were part of CCE in FY0608 and were moved to Student Services the beginning of FY09 when the major reorganization occurred.
Other structural changes have influenced the changes in appropriated funds and are not directly
attributable to the size of the unit.
Program Support
Community and Continuing Education efficiently uses the facilities allocated, which include two houses
converted to offices. Current office facilities are sufficient for current staff; however, additional space will be
needed as growth occurs. Current on and off campus classroom and computer laboratory facilities are not
sufficient and approximately 32 classrooms for non-credit courses, at least 2 computer labs, and additional
conference space is needed for future non-credit students and community outreach as UVU grows.
Staff computers and equipment are sufficient for needs and 15% of staff computers and laptops are
replaced each year. Printers, copiers, and projectors are replaced on an as needed basis. Equipment
including computers, copiers, and printers are regularly maintained and service agreements are held for the
two copiers (one per building).
Professional development funds are adequate to enable the Senior Director to present or attend up to two
conferences per year and the Director of Instruction, Director of Operations, and IT and the Marketing
Coordinator are able to attend one out of state conference or event annually. In addition, there is sufficient
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Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
funding and it is a leadership priority to provide professional presenters at monthly staff meetings and
retreats, register for pertinent trainings within Utah, and provide the necessary training and professional
development for all CCE staff. During October 2010, eight CCE leaders and staff were able to visit the
University of New Mexico in Albuquerque for two half days to learn best practices and gain fresh ideas.
External Program Assessment:
Program assessment by an external reviewer was conducted by Gregory Marsello, Vice President for
Organizational Development, Learning Resources Network (LERN), who performed a LERN Program
Review for the possible certification of UVU Community and Continuing Education after reviewing
programming, marketing, sales, and operations efforts, processes, and procedures.CCE was evaluated
and rated in two parts. Please see Appendix 8 for the full program review and Appendix 1 for Mr. Marsello’s
qualifications.
Part A consisted of four performance criteria that must be passed, which include demonstration of a longterm pattern of increasing service; exhibition of quality programming by attaining a median average of 3.5
rating by participants; written support of CCE by President Holland; and to be financially self-sufficient. CCE
was rated a 3.5 out of 4 on this performance criteria and was passed.
In Part B of the review the program was rated on 47 additional continuing education performance criteria of
which 60% or better must be met for a program certification. UVU Community and Continuing Education
was awarded 34.5 points out of 47 for a 73% score and was passed.
1. Programming Diversity. CCE’s six departments provide an assortment of diverse programming reaching
a diverse mix of customer segments. Offerings include community education, workforce development,
online learning, conferencing, and Road Scholar.
2. Staffing Structure. CCE is transitioning to a staffing structure where operations tasks are centralized so
revenue generators can focus on revenue generation and are supported by CCE marketing staff. The
transition progress made by CCE in a short period is very impressive.
3. Catalog Printing Reduction. CCE was able to reduce its catalog print run number, thus the cost of
printing and mailing by 80%, but did not experience a drop in registrations and revenue (any drop in
registrations and revenue is due to the economic downturn). Staff is doing a better job of
target mailing promotions.
4. Banner Flex Reg. Having a software system supportive of CCE’s operating model and student needs is
critical, and UVU has supported CCE’s efforts by supporting their purchase of Banner’s Flex Reg software
module.
5. Central Administration Support. UVU’s President, Matthew S. Holland, believes CCE is “a valuable part
of Utah Valley University” and CCE’s programs and courses are vital to helping UVU meet the University’s
mission.
6. New Programming. Over 20% of CCE’s courses are new - brand new or redesigned - thus giving CCE
students new opportunities.
7. Road Scholar. CCE’s Road Scholar program, formerly Elderhostel/Exploritas, is a premiere program
offering high-quality experiences. Road Scholar’s Director, Gary Nielsen, is nationally recognized for his
programming and customer service.
8. Conferencing. Most community and continuing education divisions do not have the expertise to fully
support institution and community conferencing needs the way CCE can, especially without a separate
conference center dedicated to community and continuing education conferencing efforts.
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Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
9. Strategic Plan. CCE has a strategic plan guiding CCE’s transition.
10. Advisory Council. CCE has an Advisory Council providing CCE’s Senior Director with guidance
regarding CCE’s direction.
The following are the main recommendations of the external program review:
1. Transition Timeline. Most community and continuing education reorganizations take time, but CCE’s
reorganization transition has been implemented much more quickly than any other community and
continuing education division I have reviewed. The next six months will be critical to the success of the
transition and CCE should focus staff resources on completing the transition. It is easy to try and take on
other initiatives during the transition, but staff needs to be focused on finalizing policies and procedures,
implementing Banner FlexReg (this transition in itself is enormous but actually is an important component
of the reorganization), and finalizing staffing positions and responsibilities. So far excellent work has been
done, and I am confident CCE’s staff can be fully transitioned by June 30, 2010.
2. Financial Self-Sufficiency. CCE’s goal should be to become 100% financially self-sufficient within three to
five years. Financial self-sufficiency means CCE would not require any hard funding for any promotion,
production, or administration costs. All costs would be supported by program and service fees. If UVU
wants to allocate monies, those monies would be used to invest in new start-up initiatives with the potential
of supporting future CCE growth.
3. Financial Analysis. Becoming financially self-sufficient will require CCE to monitor and analyze finances
more closely. Although CCE will need to continue to report finances following UVU’s finance accounting
methods, CCE should be using the LERN Financial Format to analyze overall, department, department
divisions, programs, course, services, and classes. Most importantly, CCE should understand the
importance of reviewing and, where necessary, improving operating margins. CCE’s overall operating
margin should at the minimum be 40% with the goal of increasing the operating margin to 50%, while no
department, department division, program, course, service, or class should have an operating margin less
than 30%.
4. Data Collection and Benchmarks. Data analysis and measuring up to benchmarks will become more and
more important. Programming, marketing, operations, and similar decisions will need to be made based on
data and not assumptions, dictates from above, or wishes. The most critical data to be collected includes –
A. Student demographics: address, gender, birth date/year, and in the case of continuing professional
education, work specialty and job title. With this data, CCE can determine best customers, primary market
segments, best carrier routes, repeat rate and lifetime value, the next class a student is most likely to
register for, and much more. NOTE: It will be important to make sure student address records are accurate.
In the data I reviewed, approximately 10% of addresses were not accurate.
B. Promotion method: the promotion method generating the student’s registration or the
business/organization decision to purchase a service. This way the Marketing Department can determine
the promotion methods to reduce, eliminate, or increase.
C. Email addresses: eMarketing will continue to grow as a percentage of CCE’s marketing budget, so the
collection of email addresses will provide the Marketing Department the ability to do targeted eMarketing.
Presently 10-15% of the marketing budget should be spent on eMarketing, while 75% should be spent on
direct mail (do not even consider eliminating printed materials).
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Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
Other LERN recommendations include:
•
Enhance engaged learning and community engagement for UVU
•
Capitalize on workforce development and contract training growth opportunities
•
Increase integration with UVU main campus
•
Improve collaboration and cross-promotion between CCE departments
•
Reach more UVU students
•
Offer certification and re-certification non-credit programs
•
Offer more Command Spanish® programs
•
Establish new partnerships (CTE, CAL, ESL, Apple, CCI, Disney, and others)
•
Connect with online community (blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.)
The following are some important challenges identified during LERN’s review of CCE:
1. Give Reorganization and Financial Transition Time. [In 2009] CCE began the process of reorganizing
how the division operates. Reorganization includes realigning the organizational structure, but at the same
time incorporating industry best practices and transitioning to data driven decision making founded on good
data collection and analysis, as well as short-term and long-range planning.
CCE has made tremendous progress. The reorganization is not easy on the division or the staff, and takes
time. Consistently evaluating progress and making the necessary adjustments is important. You do not
always get it right the first time. Also staff requires the tools necessary to reach goals, and the expected
goals must be clear and realistic. Becoming fully financially self-sufficient is critical and will also take time. If
CCE can become fully financially self-sufficient in three years, staff will have made significant progress. I
am confident financial self- sufficiency can be accomplished, and UVU must be understanding and
supportive.
2. The Future of Road Scholar. CCE’s Road Scholar program is a nationwide leader, but the future of Road
Scholar locally must continually be evaluated. The shift in economics and the difference between Veterans
(born prior to 1944) and Baby Boomers (born between1944-1964) is significant. Making Road Scholar fully
financially self-sufficient is a must. This report provides recommendations for enhancing Road Scholar, and
the recommendations should be considered as CCE sets a future Road Scholar plan and direction.
3. Staff Commitment to New Structure. The new structure being implemented is very different for staff, but
the direction is the right direction. Other successful community and continuing education divisions have
centralized operations, allowed revenue generators to generate revenue, and focused staff resources on
marketing. CCE has taken all the right steps, and staff members must be open to these changes as they
are not made on a whim, but instead due to the success of similar North American programs. Each North
American community and continuing education division is of course “unique,” but LERN’s research clearly
identifies the most successful divisions as the ones which have made organizational structure changes.
Communication is important, as well as understanding that changes are a transition. Staff training is critical,
and each staff person should have a staff training plan supporting the new structure. As stated earlier, staff
must have the right tools as well as clear and realistic goals. CCE should be congratulated for taking on the
organizational structure change, and staff will find the benefits clearly outweigh the challenges the transition
will uncover.
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Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
4. Taking on New Initiatives. A major downfall for many community and continuing education divisions is
they take on too many new initiatives each year, thus stretching staff resources too thin and having limited
success with each new initiative.
A new initiative is a new product area, new market segment, and/or a new delivery method with the
potential of generating $100,000 by year three, as well as an operating margin of at least 40%. From
brainstorming to implementation, it normally takes two to three years to completely implement a new
initiative, and the community and continuing education divisions with a clear understanding of new
initiatives normally only implement one new initiative every year.
CCE should consider LERN’s 8-Step Needs Assessment Model as a tool for guiding new initiative decisionmaking. Also UVU must be sensitive to not “dumping” new initiatives on CCE which have not followed a
decision-making process like LERN’s 8-Step Needs Assessment Model. New initiatives are important and
one per year is a must - but being able to say no to initiatives which will drain resources and head CCE in a
direction with no real long-term benefits is also a must.
Internal Program Assessment
The internal program assessment was conducted by Dr. Bonnie Henrie, Special Assistant to the Vice
President of Student Affairs, and Dr. Anton Tolman, Director of Faculty Center for Teaching Excellence.
Please see Appendix 2 for the reviewers’ qualifications and Appendix 9 for their final comments.
The following are commendations and highlights of the internal review:
1. CCE fulfills its mission at a highly professional level with both efficiency and flexibility.
2. CCE has dramatically increased its responsivity to input from stakeholders and has already
demonstrated significant benefit to the community in terms of economic development.
3. The direction of the CCE, in terms of reducing the need for institutional and state funding, is
commendable in a time of scarce resources.
4. The 51% increase in Community Education enrollments in 2010 compared with 2009, despite increases
in program fees, suggests that the new organizational model is working well and should be continued.
The following are the main recommendations of the internal program review:
1. The mission of CCE should be explicitly tied to the mission of the University as appropriate in
communications and print material. In addition, the UVU Core Themes (Serious, Inclusive, Student
Success, and Engagement) should be visible in strategic planning documents and decision-making.
2. CCE is now two years into a five-year strategic plan. Progress or changes in fulfillment of the
vision and goals should be noted annually and should be reported back to the campus and regional
community. The Strategic Plan also contains a section on Major Goals which has an almost bewildering
array of targets, mostly divided up by specific program. This makes it hard to determine CCE priorities or
where the major emphases are being placed since they all appear to have equal weight. Develop both
annual priority targets for the coming year and then longer-term strategic goals that are being worked on
with their own outcome and process indicators.
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Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
3. The focus on assessment should continue, especially in regards to collecting data on
student/participant/client outcomes and satisfaction. Such data is crucial to being responsive to community
needs and to being prepared to address new trends and challenges. Satisfaction with CCE programs
should be a driving force especially with a shift towards support via program fees and the move away from
institutional funding.
4. A good practice for reporting back information might be to summarize the input received by both advisory
boards along with a description of how these recommendations were acted upon or the reasons why the
recommendations were not followed. This would demonstrate the ongoing involvement of the community
with CCE and responsiveness of the organization to input.
Institutional Response to Program Assessments
UVU Community and Continuing Education appreciates the recognition of the strength of its programs and
the emphasis placed on community engagement and outreach. The reviewers had many positive
comments about CCE programs, departments, and accomplishments.
Recommendations suggested by the external reviewer focus primarily on business practices.
Recommendations from the internal review primarily concern Community and Continuing Education’s
integration with the UVU mission, refining the planning process, assessment, and community involvement.
CCE acknowledges areas of weakness identified by the reviewers; in most cases, those concerns have
been expressed by the CCE administrators and staff with a desire to work on them as resources allow.
Recommendations made for specific departments and programs will be addressed by those units as
appropriate and within resource limitations. Community and Continuing Education intends to pursue the
following recommendations at all levels:
 Increase service to regional community members and businesses.
 More focus on engaged learning and community engagement.
 Stronger integration with UVU credit departments and UVU mission.
 Greater emphasis on community and regional feedback and student assessment of courses.
 Improve data collection and reporting for more relevance to productivity.
 Improve financial reporting to better assist decision making.
 Refined strategic plan with prioritized goals.
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Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
Appendix 1
Gregory Marsello
Brief Curriculum Vitae
3991 Main Road, Tiverton, RI, 02878
401-624-4983
marsello@lern.org
Education
Hamilton College, Clinton, N.Y.
B.A. Liberal Studies, 1977
Learning Resources Network
Certified Program Planner, 1990
Certified Contract Trainer, 1995
Relevant
Experience
Imperial Pearl Company, Inc.
Co-owner, V.P. for Product Development and Manufacturing
1977-1994
Learning Connection, Inc., Providence, RI
Founder and President
1980-present
Learning Resources Network
Co-founder and V.P. for Organizational Development
1994-present
Adjunct Instructor
University of South Dakota College of Education, Online
Masters Degree in Adult Education
2005-present
Books and
Publications
LERN Publishing, Manhattan, KS
Author
Re-engineering Lifelong Learning Programs, 1996
Developing Successful New Programs, 2000
Developing your One Year Marketing Plan, 2005
Increasing Staff Productivity, 2009
Developing Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning Strategic Plans, 2010
Creating New Initiatives, 2011
Editor
Lifelong Learning, The Essentials, 2005
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
Curriculum
Program Management in Lifelong Learning
Development Intensive course in program management providing certification (CPP) and
4 hours of graduate credit through University of South Dakota
Certified Contract Trainer
Certification course for Contract Training Professionals
3 hours of graduate credit through University of South Dakota
Institute in Operations Training for Lifelong Learning
Certification course for Operations professionals in lifelong learning
3 hours of graduate credit through University of South Dakota
Advanced Programming Institute
Advanced program and development training for lifelong learning professionals
3 hours of graduate credit through University of South Dakota
Recent
Consulting
US Military Morale, Welfare & Recreation Division
Areas include financial management, program development, marketing, and strategic
planning
Abu Dhabi Government Continuing Education Department
Focus on analysis and development of continuing education programs and services
Association of Continuing Education Legal Professionals
Organizational analysis, strategic planning and marketing
Software
Lumens Software
Development Web-hosted software system for continuing education and lifelong learning programs, in
conjunction with Augusoft, Inc.
1999-present
LERN Data Analysis Software Tools
Tools for market segmentation, program planning, contract training, customer service,
promotion tracking and job performance tracking and analysis
2004-present
Representative LERN Annual Conference
Presentations Multiple sessions on marketing, budgeting, strategic planning
program development, financial analysis, and operations
1978-present
National Park and Recreation Association
Marketing and Financial Management
1998
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
Keynote
Keynote speeches for a variety of state, provincial, and national conferences
Addresses on wide ranging issues in the field of lifelong learning
1978-present
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
Appendix 2-a
Bonnie G. Henrie
Curriculum Vitae
Utah Valley State College
800 West University Parkway
Orem, UT 84058
(801) 863-8311
e-mail: Bonnie.Henrie@uvsc.edu
Educational
History
Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership and Policy
University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 2002
Developmental Education Specialist
Kellogg Institute, Appalachian State University, North Carolina, 1995
Master of Science in Industrial Education/Curriculum Development
Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 1991
Bachelor of Arts, cum laude
Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 1968
Associate of Arts
Dixie College, St. George, UT, 1966
Professional
Experience
Dean of University College, Utah Valley University
On July 1, 2008 Utah Valley State College became Utah Valley University. The School of
General Academics was re-named University College, title which is a better fit its mission.
July 2008 – July 2010
Dean of General Academics, Utah Valley University
Since the reconfiguration of the School of Learning Resources into the School
of General Academics, provide vision, direction, and administrative leadership
to address student success and satisfaction, retention, and academic expectations
through cross-functional partnerships with academics and student services.
General Academics currently incorporates all services from Learning Resources
and discussions continue about the School’s evolutionary nature and role.
July 2003 – July 2008
Dean of Learning Resources, Utah Valley State College
Provide leadership and direction for the School of Learning Resources,
including the Library, academic and assisted learning components of the
Learning Enrichment Center. September 2000 – 2003.
Acting Dean of Learning Resources and Services, Utah Valley State College.
Direct and administer the School of Learning Resources, including the Library,
academic and assisted learning components of the Learning Enrichment
Center. January 2000 – September 2000.
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
Associate Dean of Learning Resources and Services, Utah Valley
State College. Administer the Learning Enrichment Center, a major academic
division of the college with six programs, and several tutorial assistance
programs. 1992 – 2000.
Acting Dean of Learning Resources and Services, Utah Valley State College.
Direct and administer functions and components within the division of Learning
Resource and Services, including the Library, Media Services, and the Learning
Enrichment Center. December, 1992 – July, 1993.
Department Chair Learning Enrichment Center Reading & English, Utah
Valley State College. Direct and administer five academic programs. 1991 –
1992
Honors
Outstanding Research Award, National Association for Developmental
Education, 2003
“Excellence in Teaching” Award, 1988
National
Assistance with Learning Math: College Students’ Perceptions and Needs.
Conference National Association for Developmental Education, St. Louis, 2004
Presentations Association for Developmental Education, Detroit, 1999
But I’m not a counselor: Helping students in distress. National
Association for Developmental Education, Atlanta, 1998
Growing from adversity: Responding to the revolving door labeled ‘Right
to fail’. College Reading and Learning Association, Sacramento, 1997
Advising safety nets for under prepared students. National Association of
Academic Advisors, Las Vegas, 1994
State and
Effects of Using UVSC Math Lab, University of Utah Graduate School of
Regional
Education Research Fair, 1999
Presentations
Jumping the gap between high school and college. Conference on Tech
Prep and School-to-Careers, Provo, UT, 1999
Developmental education in Utah higher education. Utah Community
College Conference, Salt Lake City, 1995
Advising the underprepared student: An integrated process. Utah
Conference on Academic Advisement & Orientation, Park City, 1993
Service –
Scholarly
Activities
National Level
Annual Conference co-chair, Albuquerque NM 2005, National
Association for Developmental Education
Co-chair Research Committee, National Association for Developmental
Education. 1997 – 2001
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
Co-chair Research Awards, National Association for Developmental
Education. 1994 – 1997
Regional Level
Northwest Accreditation Site Team member, 1993 – present
President, SouthWest Association for Developmental Education. 1993 –
1995
School-to-Careers Regional Committee. 1995 – 2000
Alpine Life & Learning Center Advisory Committee. 1994 – 1998
Institutional
Faculty Workload Task Force, Co-chair, 2004-05
Honors Task Force, Co-chair, 2004
Task Force on Web-based Faculty Evaluations 2004
Task Force on Distance Education 2003
Task Force on English as a Second Language 2004
Calendar Committee, 1990 – present
Capital Campaign Leadership Steering Committee, 1994 – 1996
Professional Association of College Employees Board, 1993 – 1995
Faculty Senate President, 1990 – 1991
Curriculum Committee, member, 1986 – 1988
Faculty Senator, 1981 – 1984
Faculty Senate Constitutional Committee, 1985 – 1986
Faculty Association and Senate Secretary/Treasurer, 1984 – 1986
Accreditation Committee on College Mission Statement, chair, 1983
Professional National Association for Developmental Education, 1991- present.
Memberships SouthWest Association for Developmental Education, 1992-present.
College Reading and Learning Association, 1983 – present.
American Education Research Association, 1998 – present.
National Academic Advising Association, 1994 – present
National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, 1998 –
2010
Utah Association of Advisors, 2001 – 2010
Research &
Teaching
Assistance with Learning Math: College Students’ Perceptions and
Needs
Improved Alignment of Requirements – Higher and Public Education
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
Appendix 2-b
Anton O. Tolman, Ph.D.
Curriculum Vitae
800 West University Parkway
Orem, UT 84058
(801) 863-6011
e-mail: Anton.Tolman@UVU.edu
Professional Work Experience:
Associate Professor, Behavioral Sciences Utah Valley University August, 2006 to present
Department of Behavioral Sciences, MS115
Director, Faculty Center for Teaching Orem, UT 84058
Excellence May, 2008 to present (801) 863-6011
Assistant Professor of Psychology Grand Valley State University
August, 2000 – 2006 Department of Psychology Allendale, MI 49401
Private Practice Parmalee & Winebarger Psychological Consultg
February, 2001 – 2006 321 Fulton Ave, Grand Haven, MI
Psychological Services Manager Wyoming State Hospital
Assistant Superintendent (1996-1997) P.O. Box 177 Quality Management Coordinator
Evanston, WY 82931
Education:
Ph.D. Clinical Psychology University of Oregon August, 1991
M.A. Psychology University of Oregon December, 1986
B.A. Psychology University of Denver August, 1985
Licensure and
Certification: State of Utah, Licensed Psychologist, #6261866-250
Registrant, National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology
Certified Forensic Examiner, Utah
Professional
Affiliations
and Honors:
Member, International Association of Forensic Mental Health Services
Member, American Psychological Association: Divisions 2 (Society for the Teaching of
Psychology), and 41 (American Psychology Law Society)
Member, Utah Psychological Association
Fellow, Utah Valley Senior Executive Leadership Forum (UVSELF), 2009-2010
Coordinator, State Chapter Chairs of APA Division 55 (Society for the Advancement of
Psychopharmacology), 2001 – 2010
Representative at Large, APA Division 55, 2004 – 2006
Chair, Medical Psychology Committee, Michigan Psychological Association, 2002 to 2006
Member, Michigan Society of Forensic Psychologists, 2000 – 2006
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
Courses Taught: Clinical Practicum
Introduction to Forensic Psychology
Theories of Counseling/Introduction to Counseling and Psychotherapy
Clinical Interviewing Skills
Mental Retardation
Abnormal Psychology/Psychopathology
Psychology of Adjustment
Introduction to Psychology
Publications Tolman, A.O. (accepted). Creating transformative experiences for students in Abnormal
and Reports: Psychology. (Invited chapter for an e-book on engaged teaching in psychology to be
published by the Society for the Teaching of Psychology [American Psychological
Association, Division2]).
Tolman, A.O. & Biggs, B. (in preparation). Enhancing student learning through the use of
metacognitive instruments in the classroom.
Tolman, A.O. & Stone, R.S. (in preparation). Attorney perspectives on expert testimony
regarding violence risk.
Tolman, A.O. & Ercanbrack, M. (in preparation). Power Sharing in the Classroom: What
Does the Syllabus Say?
Tolman, A.O. & Christiansen, J. (May 4, 2009). Defining and Measuring Engaged
Teaching at UVU: A White Paper. (Unpublished internal report). Utah Valley University,
Orem, Utah.
Scholarly/
Tolman, A.O., Sorensen, U.N., & Lewis, J. (2010). Overcoming Intertia: Campus Wide
Presentations: highlighted) Change Strategies for Improving Teaching. Workshop presented at the Annual
Conference of the Professional Organizational Development Network (POD), St. Louis,
MO, November 5, 2010
Tolman, A.O. (2010). Measuring Faculty Readiness to Adopt Effective Teaching
Strategies. Workshop presented at the International Consortium for Educational
Developers (ICED), Barcelona, Spain, and June 30, 2010
Tolman, A.O. & Sorensen, U.N. (2010). Getting Everyone on Board: Ideas for Campuswide
Engagement in Effective Teaching. Workshop presented at the International Consortium
for
Educational Developers (ICED), Barcelona, Spain, June 30, 2010
Tolman, A.O., Biggs, B. & Binks, K. [student] (March 12-13, 2010). Using Metacognitive
Instruments to Help Students Become More Effective Learners. Workshop presented at
the Annual Conference of the International Alliance of Teacher Scholars (Lilly West),
Pomona, CA
Tolman, A.O. & Sorensen, U.N. (October 29, 2009). Faculty Development 2.0:
Regenerating Teaching and Student Learning Using Learner-Centered Teaching.
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
Workshop presented at the Annual Conference of the POD Network (Professional
Organizational Development, faculty development network), Houston, TX
Grant Awards Principal Investigator with Ursula Sorensen, Michael Shaw, Joyce Oliphant, Kristie Binks
and Michael Nguyen [students]: “Student Feedback as a New Window to Improving
Principal Investigator with Ursula Sorensen, Michael Shaw, Joyce Oliphant, Kristie Binks
Engagement: The SCOT Program”. Grant proposal submitted to the Center for Engaged
Learning, UVU, Orem, Utah, October, 2008. Amount Requested: $10,000.00. Status:
Awarded $6500
Principal Investigator with Co-Investigators Ronald Hammond, Barton Poulson, KD Taylor,
Gordon Stokes, and Ursula Sorensen: “Improving Student Outcomes in Undergraduate
Science and Math by Overcoming Faculty Resistance to Learner Centered Teaching
Methods”, submitted to the National Science Foundation, CCLI Program, April, 2008.
Amount Requested: $145,700. Status: Not funded
Principal Investigator with Ursula Sorenson (FCTE); submitted proposal to the Perkins
Foundation for funding to carry out an NSF pilot study at UVSC, Fall, 2007. Amount
awarded: approximately $3500.00
Community
Service
Dr. Tolman is a licensed forensic examiner for the state of Utah and performs
competency to stand trial and restoration to competency evaluations for the
state as requested Tolman, A.O. (2010). Publishing in the Discipline. Invited presentation
at the First Annual Mental Health Counseling Institute, Argosy University, Draper, Utah,
November 20, 2010
“Antisocial Spectrum Disorders: Diagnostic Clarification, Ethics, and Implications for
Campus.” Two workshops presented to the UVU Health Center mental health staff,
Summer 2010 newsletter/newspaper sent to all attorneys in the state. Topics have
included: false confessions, juvenile competency, judicial views of psychologist expert
testimony, violence and mental illness, risk assessment and psychopathy. Duplicate or
edited versions of several of these columns also appeared in the Utah Prosecutors’
Newsletter. These columns were written between 2007 – 2009
University
Service :
Utah Valley State College/Utah Valley University
Director, UVU Faculty Center for Teaching Excellence. May, 2008 to present.
Member, Advisory Board, UVU Center for Engaged Learning, Fall, 2009 to present.
Chair, Developmental Curriculum Committee, Department of Behavioral Sciences, Spring,
2007 to present.
Co-Coordinator (with Drs. Cameron John and Kris Doty): Faculty-Student Research Group,
Fall, 2006 to present.
Member, UVU Writing Council (charged with evaluating writing across the UVU campus),
Fall, 2008 – Fall, 2009.
Member, Accreditation Subcommittee on Faculty Affairs, Fall, 2009.
Instructor, Teaching Academy, UVU Faculty Center for Teaching Excellence. (Focus of the
Teaching Academy is on the use of Learner Centered or engaged Teaching strategies).
Fall, 2006 – Spring, 2008.
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
Chair, Clinical Psychology Search Committee, Dept. of Behavioral Sciences, Fall, 2007 –
Spring, 2008.
Continuing
Education in
Teach/Train
Pedagogy
While Director of the FCTE: participant and chair of multiple Learning Circles
(reading groups) at UVU, participant in multiple teaching or pedagogical-related
conferences
Participant, Shaping Faculty Roles in a Time of Change: Leadership for Student Learning
Conference. Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U), San Diego, CA,
April 2-4, 2009.
Participant in Learning Circles sponsored by the Faculty Center for Teaching Excellence,
UVSC. Books discussed included: Teaching with Your Mouth Shut, and Learner Centered
Assessment on College Campuses. Fall, 2007 – Spring, 2008
Participant (and chair): Learner Centered Teaching, Teaching Circle, Faculty Center for
Teaching Excellence, UVSC, Fall 2006 – Spring 2007. Book discussed included: Learner
Centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice; spring term included a review of
pedagogical literature on a variety of LCT related topics
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
UVU Community and Continuing Education Strategic Plan
Appendix 3
Fiscal Years 2009 to 2013
Revised June 2010
Mission Statement
The central purpose and role of UVU Community and Continuing Education is defined as:
UVU Community and Continuing Education fosters engaged, lifelong learning to enrich individuals and
businesses through exceptional, personalized non-credit courses, events, and trainings throughout the
region.
UVU Community and Continuing Education supports the mission of Utah Valley University by:
 Meet community and regional non-credit educational needs
 Foster engaged learning
 Train non-credit students through hands-on learning to be professionally competent
 Provide education and enrichment for lifelong learners
 Prepare non-credit students to be leaders and stewards of a globally interdependent community
 Contribute to economic well-being of the region
UVU Community and Continuing Education ties in with the four strategic directions by:
 Engaged Learning-CE meets community needs through professional development and personal
enrichment programs
 Community Engagement-CE brings tens of thousands of community members and students to
campus
 University Student Experience-CE uses interns and student workers and partners with credit
departments to enrich the student experience for a number of credit students
 Resource Development and Efficiencies-CE is working to have departments self-funded
Vision
The vision of UVU Community and Continuing Education in 5 years is:
 To be well known for community engagement and engaged learning
 To have an excellent reputation for premium programs and service
 To be known in our region as experts in training and non-credit education
 To be financially self-sufficient and transparent
Organizational Values
The organizational values governing UVU Community and Continuing Education will include the following:
 Community and Continuing Education is an integral part of UVU and the community.
 Meaningful educational service as requested by community members is a top priority.
 Community and Continuing Education provides excellent service to our students.
 Community and Continuing Education operates in accordance with the highest standards in all
relationships with students, instructors, staff, campus, and the community.
 Community and Continuing Education fosters a climate which encourages innovation and diligence
amongst staff.
 Community and Continuing Education values open communication, teamwork, financial
responsibility, and a good work ethic.
 Transparency in all operations including financial planning and accountability.
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
Strengths, Weaknesses, Threats, and Opportunities
This strategic plan addresses the following key strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities for UVU
Community and Continuing Education.
Strengths:
 Outreach arm of UVU
 Highly engaged in community
 17,265 students/attendees FY 08
 All programs involve engaged learning
 Entrepreneurial and innovative
 Experienced and dedicated staff
 Quality programs that are beneficial to
the community
 Collaborative & form partnerships
 Fiscally minded
 Customer centric website
 Website and printed material integrated
 Non-credit focus; adapt quickly
 Many complex community connections
Weaknesses:
 Need improved relations between CCE
and the university
 Low awareness of most programs in the
community
 Misunderstood by campus entities
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
Threats:
 Competition from for-profit credit and
non-credit programs
 Competition from rec. centers and
Thanksgiving Point
 Other UVU departments attempting to
build their own community outreach and
non-credit programs
 Shortage of funds, staff, and space
Opportunities:
 Enhance engaged learning and
community engagement for UVU
 Workforce development and contract
training are poised for rapid growth
 Stronger integration with UVU main
campus
 Better collaboration and cross-promotion
between CE departments
 Reach more UVU students
 Certification and re-certification noncredit programs
 New Command Spanish programs
 New partnerships (CTE, CAL, ESL,
Apple, CCI, Disney, and others)
 Online community (blogging, Facebook,
LinkedIn, etc
Organization Objectives
Longer term business objectives of UVU Community and Continuing Education are summarized as:
 To expand the programs and outreach to the community and region.
 To become self-sufficient within 5 years (excluding administrative/support staff.)
Key Strategies
The following critical strategies will be pursued by UVU Community and Continuing Education:








Create new revenue centers including Apple programs (Community Education & Workforce
Development), contract training for businesses (Workforce Development), and vendor cultivation
(Conferences)
Build campus relationships by assigning staff liaison for specific departments
Collaborate with faculty and with the main campus
Promote partnerships on and off campus
Work as a team to cross-promote departments
Include adequate overhead in all program pricing
Offer successful programs at Wasatch Campus
Establish metrics and track key performance indicators for programs and courses
Major Goals
The following key targets will be pursued by UVU Community and Continuing Education over the next 1-5
years:
 Elderhostel net revenue: FY2009- $42,000 1 position move from hard to self funding; From FY2010
on- $100,000 2nd position move from 66% hard to 100% self funding.
 Conferences net revenue: From FY2013 on- $65,000 (1 position move from hard to self funding)
Driver Education net revenue: From FY2011 on- $65,000 (1 position move from hard to self
funding for Non-credit Registration Coordinator)
 Lifelong Learning net revenue: From FY2012 on- $65,000 (1 position move from hard to self
funding)
Workforce Development net revenue (Full-time new hires all self funded):
 FY2009-$65,000 Use for self-funded Workforce Development Coordinator;
 FY2010-$65,000 Use for 2nd self funded Workforce Development Coordinator;
 FY2011-$65,000 Use for self funded Marketing Coordinator;
 FY2012 Use for self funded full-time Graphic Designer $65,000.
(Total Workforce Development self funding for positions: FY 2009-$65,000; FY2010-$130,000; FY2011$195,000; From FY2012 on-$260,000.)
Total Community and Continuing Education conversion from hard to self funding:
 FY2009- $42,000; 2010- $100,000; 2011- $165,000; 2012- $230,000; 2013- $295,000 (Make
transfers every 6 months from department accounts to main CE account.)
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010










Measure success using metrics and performance indicators including evaluation numbers,
course/program carry rate, repeat students and others.
Elderhostel: FY2009 Add $2,000-3,000 overhead to each program; FY 2010 Add overhead and
additional 5-10% bus and hotel cost buffers, develop Costa Rica, and Samoa Elderhostel programs
and Hopi Road Scholar program; FY2011-2013 Continue to run profitable programs and cut those
not carrying.
Elder Quest: FY2009 Report accurate membership and attendance numbers, increase enrollment,
board members’ responsibilities, and community involvement; FY2010 Change Elder Quest
endowed scholarship to focus on engaged learner; FY2011-2013 improve marketing and increase
membership.
Conferences: FY2009 Self-support for all soft positions; FY2010 Increase vendor fees for all
conferences, focus marketing to increase enrollment and revenue, cut smaller conferences not
serving the community; FY2011-2013 Develop new conferences with better margins serving larger
community groups.
Driver Education:FY2009 Improve marketing by using Facebook and MySpace ads to increase
enrollment and revenue; FY2010 develop new Driver Education training videos; FY2011-13
Develop Spanish language Driver Education program.
Lifelong Learning: FY2009 Increase enrollment 15% Wasatch, 7% Utah County and course carry
rate to 75% with focused marketing, develop new Kids College youth program; FY2010 Increase
enrollment 16% Wasatch and 9% Utah County, increase Kids College program with marketing to
schools, parent organizations, and MySpace; FY2011 Increase enrollment 17% Wasatch and 10%
Utah County; FY2012 Increase enrollment 18% Wasatch, 10% Utah County; FY2013Increase
enrollment 15% Wasatch and 11% Utah County, increase number of sites and courses, increase
average class fee and students/class to increase revenues, increase course carry rate to 85%.
Workforce Development: FY2009 Develop major outreaches to businesses to increase business
relationships and private trainings using Disney, Apple, and other new programs; partner with CTE
to provide STIT courses and apply for Jobs Now funds, market courses using online communities,
convert 1 part-time Coordinator position to full-time ½ paid possibly paid by CTE funds; FY2010
Convert 1 part-time Coordinator position to full-time; FY2011-13 Continue to build business and
community relationships.
IT: FY2009 Implement new online Driver Education and non-credit registration systems, migrate
websites to UVU, and create non-credit RFP for new registration system, become experts in new
content management system; FY2010 Improve partnership with IT programming; FY2011-13
Achieve seamless integration with campus mainframe.
Non-credit registrations: FY2009 Increase CEU registrations from 350 to 700/year, build
relationships with various campus departments and the community to give support for all non-credit
activities including Banner; FY2010-13 seamless Banner integration with non-credit.
Senior Director: FY2009 Develop campus advisory committee for CE; FY2010 Develop community
advisory committee for CE, create system to share alumni with Alumni Office and to market CE
courses to alumni; FY2011 Revamp CE strategic plan; FY2012-13 Continue to build CE and
community connections.
Organization Objectives
Longer term business objectives of UVU Community and Continuing Education are summarized as:
 To expand the programs and outreach to the community and region.
 To become self-sufficient within 5 years (excluding administrative/support staff.)
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
Appendix 4-a
Community and Continuing Education Conference Advisory Committee Charter
(December 21, 2010)
Purpose:
Provide input for conference content, keynote speakers, presenters, vendors, and
sponsors
Composition:
3-5 participants with demonstrated expertise in the field of…. Members serve at
the discretion of the Senior Director of Community & Continuing Education.
Tenure:
Each member will be asked to serve a two-year term with the option of applying to
serve on subsequent year’s committees. A minimum of 1/3 of members should be
new each year.
Selection:
CCE selects members based on demonstrated expertise in the field of ___.
Accountability:
Reports directly to the conference coordinator.
Limitations:
The content, speakers, presenters, vendors, and sponsors recommended by the
committee shall be subject to review and approval by the conference coordinator
and CCE.
Time investment:
The committee will meet at least six months prior to the conference with a postconference debriefing meeting approximately two weeks after the event occurs.
Additional meetings will be held at the discretion of the conference coordinator.
Responsibilities:
The general responsibility is to help CCE identify and develop content, speakers,
presenters, vendors, and sponsors for the ___ conference. The committee is also
responsible to disseminate conference information to potential participants and
future committee members.
Benefits:
The committee will help to create an engaging and valuable conference in the area
of ____. Committee members will be compensated in the amount of $100 to be
paid after the final committee meeting.
Discount on booth rental for all current and past committee members to be
determined each year.
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
Appendix 4-b
UVU Facility & Grounds Management EXPO
2010 Advisory Committee
Name
Company
Adrian C. Hinton USU Extension
Mike Caron
USU Extension
Katrina Van Cott UVU/Conferences & Workshops
Heather Clarke
UVU Conferences & Workshops
Mark Larsen
Brady Industries
Susan Markey
Waxie Sanitary Supply
Terrel Kofoed
Brady Industries
Merrill Oyler
UVU/ Sorenson Student Center
Dolin Robbs
Bestway Products Co.
Scott Davis
Bestway Products Co.
Paul Porter
Bell Janitorial
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
Appendix 5-a
Community and Continuing Education Community Advisory Board Charter
(January 26, 2010)
Purpose:
In cooperation with the UVU Senior Director, identify, develop and implement non-credit
educational opportunities in the UVU service region.
Composition:
10-15 volunteer participants representing the following UVU stakeholders:



Selected donors to UVU
Community volunteers
CCE Senior Director (non-voting member)
Tenure:
Each member will be asked to serve a 2-year term with the option of serving for three consecutive
terms. Terms will be staggered with 1/3 of the Board rotating off and new members rotating on
each year.
Selection:
Senior Director will work with Institutional Advancement to choose Board members.
Accountability:
Reports directly to CCE Senior Director.
Limitations:
The policies and/or activities recommended by the UVU Community and Continuing Education
Community Advisory Board shall be subject to review and approval by the Senior Director.
Procedures:
At least half of the voting members of the UVU CCE Community Advisory Board shall constitute a
quorum. Decisions may be made by a simple majority of the members in attendance at a meeting
of the Board.
Committees:
Committees shall include Scholarships, Corporate Alliances, Instruction, Technology, and
Marketing. Additional committees will be developed as needed and directed by the procedures of
the Committee.
Time investment:
The Board will meet on a monthly basis each year or as requested by the Board chair. Committees
will meet quarterly or as determined by committee chair. Board Members who miss more than half
of their scheduled meetings in a given year may be asked to resign.
Responsibilities:
The Board’s general responsibility is to help CCE identify, develop, and implement non-credit
educational opportunities in the UVU service region. Additional responsibilities include:





Outcomes:
Assist with messaging and help increase enrollments.
Determine how the community perceives the CCE brand and improve perceptions.
Identify service gaps and resources needed to implement changes.
Identify and take advantage of key opportunities that arise.
Advise on strategic direction and priorities for CCE.
UVU Community and Continuing Education will build community relationships that will strengthen
course offerings and programs.
The Board members will enjoy a challenging and rewarding assignment and have closer
relationships with UVU.
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
Appendix 5-b
Community Advisory Board Mission Statement
The Advisory Board of Utah Valley University Community and Continuing Education provides support to the
Community and Continuing Education mission by helping to identify, develop, and implement non-credit
educational opportunities in the UVU service region.
UVU Community and Continuing Education
Community Advisory Board Requirements
2009-2010




Participate in twelve Advisory Board meetings annually, six Board meetings and 6 committee
meetings.
Chair or serve on a committee. The committees include, but are not limited to: Scholarships,
Corporate Alliances, Instruction, Technology, and Marketing.
Serve as a resource on an individual basis from time to time for specific issues and challenges and
lend expertise as needed.
Mention involvement with UVU Community and Continuing Education in any biographical material.
Time Commitment
 6 monthly meetings and preparation
 6 committee meetings and preparation
 Additional commitment of 2 hours of
advice and assistance per month by
individual Board member
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
20 hours
20 hours
24 hours
Appendix 5-c
CCE Community Advisory Board
Member List
Name
Title & Business
1.
Alan D. Ayers
April 2010
Council Chair 2010
Technology Committee
Financial Advisor,
Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.
2.
Bob Ballantyne
April 2010
Council Co-Chair 2010
Instruction Committee
V.P. and General Manager
Klune Industries, Inc.
3.
Brent M.Cook
April 2010
Scholarship Committee
Board of Advisors,
Knox Capital
4.
Tish Dahmen
August 2010
Corporate Alliances Committee
Executive Officer,
Wasatch County Board of Realtors
Hammond & Ellis Aesthetic & General Dentistry
5.
Dr. Chad Ellis
August 2010
Corporate Alliances Committee
6.
C. Russell Fotheringham
August 2010
Instruction Committee
Utah County Economic Development Manager,
Economic Development Corporation of Utah
7.
Steve Hafen
April 2010
Marketing Committee
Chief Operating Officer, Pinnacle
Partner, Precision Exams
8.
Susan Larsen
April 2010
Scholarship Committee
Region Manager,
Far West Bank
9.
David Lewis
April 2010
Corporate Alliances Committee
Business Development Manager,
Big-D Construction
Orem City Council Member
10.
Karen McCandless
April 2010
Instruction Committee
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
Appendix 6
CCE Campus Advisory Committee
Member List
Name
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Heidi Condie
MS: 276
Office: LA 221k
Lars Eggertsen
MS 115
Office: LC 221d
Nicki Gilbert
MS: 111
Office: AL 207
Chris Goslin
MS: 275
Office: LC 407G
Ronnie Price
MS: 184
Office: BA 110
Eugene Seeley
MS: 146
Office: WB 219
Shad Sorenson
MS: 291
Office: LC 410n
Abraham Teng
MS: 249
Office: CS 632
Renee Van Buren
MS: 179
Office: PS 214
Mark Werner
MS: 130
EE 008
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
Title & Department
Associate Professor,
Department of ESL
Assistant Professor
Department of Behavioral Science
Program Manager
Alumni Relations
Assistant Professor,
Department of College Success
Studies
Associate Vice President, Equity
Officer for Human Resources
Human Resources
Associate Dean,
Woodbury School of Business
AVP Student Advisement & Support
Services,
Student Affairs
Associate Dean,
School of Computing
Professor,
Department of Biology
Technician III - Macintosh
Help Desk
Key:
Associate Vice President
Engaged Learning Brian
Birch
Utah Valley University
Community & Continuing
Education
February 11, 2011
Hard Funded Full Time
Position
Soft Funded Full Time
Position
Part Time Hourly
Position
Soft Funded Part Time
Position
Senior Director
Diana Hunter
Student Part Time
Position
Financial Coordinator
Karen Watson
Director Operations and
Area IT Robert Ward
Web Programmer
Justin Gast
Coordinator Marketing
Susan Palmer
Operations Manager
Katrina Van Cott
Operations Specialist
Mary Saunders
Admin IV
Frankie Jensen
Customer Service
Specialist
Olena Hunt
Operations Specialist
Customer Service
Specialist
Matt Terry
Operations Specialist
DeLayna Crockett
Customer Service
Specialist
Debbie Ferguson
Operations Specialist
(MVH)
Ellen Doane
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
Graphic Designer
Marti Major
Student Employee
Emily Stroud
Director
Road Scholar
Gary Nielsen
Coordinator Elderhostel
and Elder Quest Jillana
AhLoe
Director Instruction
Louis Allen
Admin III
Sally Menefee
Coordinator Driver
Education Melissa
Burton
Instruction Specialist
Leslie Crane
Coordinator Workforce
Development
Becky Sanderson
Instruction Specialist
Wasatch
Sonya Duke
Coordinator Workforce
Development Kathryn
Johnson
Instruction
Specialist Saratoga
Springs Bernard
Poduska
Appendix 7a
Key:
Vice President
Academic Affiars
Elizabeth J. Hitch
Hard Funded Full Time
Position
Soft Funded Full Time
Position
Part Time Hourly
Position
Soft Funded Part Time
Position
Utah Valley University
Community Education
Senior Director
Diana Hunter
A98072 G41
June 11, 2009
Workstudy Part Time
Position
Financial Coordinator
Karen Watson
A98655 G33
Coordinator Marketing
NEW HIRE
Area Director
IT and Operations
Robert Ward
A98663 G43
Student Designer
Ken Wilcox
10322188
Web Programmer
Trevor Wilson
A99060 G35
Area Technician
Gus Curletto
G99665 G17
Administrative Assistant
Cindy Caruso
A99344 G13
Operations Specialist
Kimberly Ralphs
G98532 G09
Coordinator Elderhostel
and Elder Quest Jillana
AhLoe A99080 G33
Coordinator Non-credit
Registration Center
Olena Hunt
A99153 G07
Registration Specialist
Jamie Nowell G98546
G09
Operations Specialist
DeLayna Crockett
G99654 G08
Registration Specialist
NEW HIRE
Professional Education Coordinator
Concurrent Enrollment
Community and Continuing
Education
Christan
Zamelis
Program Review 2006-2010G98981 G09
Director Instruction
Louis Allen
A99152 G36
Workstudy Marketing
Assistant (Social Media)
NEW HIRE
Operations Manager
Katrina Van Cott
A97785 G33
Administrative Assistant
Jodee Zaccardi
G99253 G08
Director
Elderhostel
Gary Nielsen
A98926 G37
Workstudy Receptionist
Deborah Ferguson
10267598
Workstudy Receptionist
Jamie Carroll
10533023
Admin III Community
Education Sally
Menefee A98990 G11
Instruction Specialist
Leslie Crane
G98581 G08
Coordinator Driver
Education Melissa
Burton A97852
G09
Coordinator Workforce
Development Susan
Palmer G98703 G11
Instruction Specialist
Wasatch
Marvin Rust
G98959 G08
Coordinator Workforce
Development
Becky Sanderson
G98962 G11
Instruction Specialist
North Valley
Replace Loretta Herem
10420636
Coordinator Workforce
Development GRANT
FUNDED
Instruction Specialist
Replace Sheila
Heindel 10002031
Appendix 7b
Utah Valley State
School of Continuing
Education October 2007
Appendix 7c
President
William A. Sederburg
Vice President
Academic Affiars
Elizabeth J. Hitch
Dean/Assistant VP
Continuing Education
Pamela Gardner
Therapist
Coordinator
Women’s Resource
Center
Peggy Pasin
Coordinator
Child Care
Resource and
Referral
Julia Mohr
Coordinator Noncredit Registration
Center Olena Hunt
Senior Director
Turning Point
Carol Verbecky
Assistant Director
Dixie Sevison
Coordinator Wee
Care Center Mary
Ellen Larsen
Advisor/Marketing/
Adult School-toCareers
Shalene Matthews
Turning Point
Classes
LuJean Marshall
Assistant Dean
Marketing
Diana Hunter
Community
Education
(5 individuals)
Marketing
Command Spanish
& Contractors
Continuing Ed
Coordinator
Professional
Development &
Certification
Louis Allen
Conferences
(5 individuals)
Driver Education
Director Equity
in Education
Sarah Parsons
Director
Elderhostel
Gary Nielsen
Coordinator
Elderhostel and
Elder Quest
Web Programmer
Trevor Wilson
Director Capitol
Reef Field Station
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
Administrative
Assistant IV
Assistant to the
Dean
Karen Watson
Area IT Director
Robert Ward
Area Technician
Appendix 8
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
Learning Resources Network
PO Box 9, River Falls, WI 54022
December 31, 2009
Ms. Diana Hunter, Senior Director
Community and Continuing Education
Utah Valley University
800 West University Parkway
Orem, Utah 84507
Dear Ms. Hunter:
It is my pleasure to report that Utah Valley University’s Community and
Continuing Education Division has completed and passed LERN’s Program
Review and Certification. Congratulations!
The LERN Program Review and Certification was created in order to
respond to the needs of both central administrators and the community and
continuing education CEO (chief executive officer)/Senior Director to
measure the effectiveness of the institution’s community and continuing
education division.
Community and continuing education is important if not critical to the
success of higher education institutions today. As the economic base of
higher education continues to shift from a funding to a market base,
community and continuing education serves the general public and enhances
support for the total institution. It also may very well represent a financial,
programmatic, and strategic model other aspects in the institution may want
to adopt.
Without a viable community and continuing education division, a university
loses many capabilities and opportunities. In the new Information Age of the
21st century, universities will be needed by society even more than the last
century. Yet each and every individual university has no guarantee of
success. Like no other division, community and continuing education is the
university’s research and development division for the 21st century. Without
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
a viable community and continuing education division, a university risks
being at a serious disadvantage in a growing yet competitive education
marketplace.
Utah Valley University should be applauded for contracting with LERN for
a Program Review and Certification. The business of community and
continuing education has changed dramatically. Competition has increased;
technology has improved; and the community and continuing education
student has become more demanding. Surviving and thriving in the 21 st
century will not be an easy task. Building on strengths and correcting
weaknesses will be critical. Only community and continuing education
divisions that are willing to review/analyze their operations will be able to
develop effective business plans.
Attached you will find a Utah Valley University Program Review and
Certification Scorecard and Final Report. Included in the Final Report are an
explanation of the Program Review and Certification, a Program Review and
Certification scorecard, a listing of positive actions Community and
Continuing Education has taken, and a listing of Program Review and
Certification recommendations.
Community and Continuing Education will be recognized at LERN’s
Program Review and Certification Ceremony on Saturday, November 6th,
2010 at LERN’s Annual Conference in Chicago.
You should be proud of your accomplishment. I would like to thank you and
your staff for your efforts and cooperation. Please feel free to contact me
with any questions you may have. Keep up the great work!
In learning,
Gregory Marsello
Vice President for Organizational Development
Phone: 401/624-4983
Fax: 401/624-9650
E-mail: marsello@lern.org
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
Utah Valley University
Community and Continuing Education
LERN Program Review & Certification
FINAL REPORT
The Program Review & Certification (PRC) was an assessment and
evaluation of Utah Valley University’s (UVU) Community and Continuing
Education (CCE) Division. Started in October 2009 and completed in
December 2009, the PRC was designed to respond to the needs of both
UVU’s central administration and CCE’s Senior Director to measure the
effectiveness of CCE.
The PRC was conducted by the Learning Resources Network (LERN), a
nonprofit educational association and the world’s largest consulting
organization in continuing education. Greg Marsello, a LERN co-founder
and Vice President for Organizational Development, conducted the PRC.
The PRC started with a review of LERN’s PRC data, information, and
materials requests. CCE staff then collected requested data, information, and
materials; Marsello visited CCE and met with staff to gather additional
information and present preliminary recommendations; and Marsello
prepared this Final Report.
UVU is located in Orem, Utah. CCE is a division of Academic Affairs and
reports to the Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs, Kathie
Debenham. CCE includes six departments – Community Education,
Conferences, Driver Education, Elder Quest, Exploritas, and Workforce
Development. Over three terms a year, CCE offers open enrollment courses
to the general public using direct mail catalogs, brochures/flyers, and
eMarketing. CCE has twenty-three staff members who handle programming,
marketing, sales, and operations.
This PRC Final Report is composed of eight parts - Part I: Role of
Community and Continuing Education, Part II: Why Community and
Continuing Education Divisions Are Successful, Part III: CCE’s PRC
Scorecard, Part IV: CCE Positive Actions, Part V: CCE Challenges, Part
VI: CCE Recommendations, Part VII: Conclusion, Part VIII: PRC
Attachments referenced in the Final Report.
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
PART I: The Role of Community and Continuing Education
in Universities and Colleges
Community and continuing education in universities and colleges now has a
long tradition of service in North America.
Universities and colleges in North America form the best system of
community and continuing education in the world, judging by its diversity,
offerings, formats and audiences served.
While community and continuing education had been important over the
past 50 years in the Industrial Age of the last century, community and
continuing education will be even more central and essential to the
information society and knowledge workers of the Internet Age of the 21 st
century.
For example, members of the most important economic sector in society,
knowledge workers, are updating and expanding their skill sets by taking
certificate programs from community and continuing education divisions at
universities and colleges. Thus, community and continuing education is
playing a central role in the economic development of our society.
Community and continuing education divisions have most often been the
organizations in society that respond to new issues, trends and changing
learning needs of our citizens. They have developed new growth initiatives
to serve new audiences, provide new course delivery formats, and foster
curriculum development in new subject areas.
Within the universities and colleges, community and continuing education
divisions are almost always the first organizational divisions to pioneer new
customer service, needs assessment, marketing, management and operational
innovation. From brochure design to taking credit cards to online registration
and more, community and continuing education divisions are continually
adopting improved strategies of service to learners that later become adopted
by other areas of the institution.
With curriculum development, many credit courses and even degree
programs began as non-credit courses first offered by community and
continuing education. Community and continuing education acts as the
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
creative incubator for new offerings and delivery of courses in many
institutions.
Financial challenges
Today community and continuing education divisions are being challenged
financially like in no other time. And decision makers in central
administration in universities and colleges have to face tough choices and
make financial decisions - decisions better made by understanding the role
that community and continuing education plays in their institutions and
communities.
Some university and college administrators have in the past eliminated their
community and continuing education division based on too few facts and
numbers, as well as a misunderstanding about the important role of
community and continuing education in the institution. These universities
and colleges risk being at a long-term disadvantage over those universities
and colleges that confirm that community and continuing education
divisions are part of the central mission of the university or college.
There are three issues at stake here:
1. Fiscal. The need, and ability, of community and continuing education
divisions to break even financially and not be a drain on university or
college resources and reserves
2. Indirect Benefits. The indirect, yet more important financial benefits,
only divisions of community and continuing education provide to the
university or college
3. Mission. The central, unique and critical role the division of community
and continuing education plays in the mission and future of the university or
college.
1. Fiscal outlook
For most years of its existence, university and college community and
continuing education was seen financially as a community service and not
asked to be financially self-sufficient. Beginning in the 1990s, this changed.
Early in that decade, community and continuing education divisions were
cast as the “cash cows” for the university and college (1), although that has
never been the case. The reason for such discrepancy and misunderstanding
lies in the fact that universities and colleges have used a fund-accounting
financial format, while community and continuing education needs to use a
market-based financial format (2). One of the contributions of community
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
and continuing education to universities and colleges has been this
alternative and more fiscally accountable financial measuring stick.
In 1996, LERN did a North American study of community and continuing
education and found that 75% of community and continuing education
divisions were making money, although the amount of money made was
modest compared to institutional budgets, and never constituted a “cash
cow” for the institution.
In that study, community and continuing education divisions in North
America generated more than $4 billion in income, and contributed an
estimated three-quarters of a billion dollars to their institutions (3).
Thus, community and continuing education divisions by and large have met
the financial expectations of central administrators until recently.
This also illustrates another financial feature of community and continuing
education divisions. Like businesses at large, community and continuing
education divisions go through business cycles in which most years are
generally average or above average financially, and in some years are
inevitably and unavoidably operating at a loss.
During a down or uncertain economy, many community and continuing
education divisions experienced a decrease in income of up to 30%. For
example, in the early 2000s a big increase was followed by a dip in
computer classes and training (due to training saturation and the computer
skill level of 20 year-olds entering the work force). That forced many
community and continuing education divisions to expand their programming
areas and program delivery methods.
Another trend we have watched has to do with the purpose of the community
and continuing education division. Some universities and colleges treat
community and continuing education as a “catch all” or miscellaneous
division, and give community and continuing education all the odds and
ends for which other divisions do not want to be responsible.
Community and continuing education is a business and needs to make good
business decisions about what it should and should not be doing.
Community and continuing education needs to build a clear image in the
community. And by targeting, community and continuing education
divisions have done an excellent job of building multiple “communities.”
Some universities and colleges also fracture community and continuing
education by providing academic schools, colleges or divisions the option of
doing their own community and continuing education. This strategy works if
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
the academic department has a community and continuing education
mindset, skilled community and continuing educators, and the operations
and marketing tools to support programming. Most departments will be
much more successful working in partnership with a centralized community
and continuing education division.
Community and continuing education divisions should have financial
reserves, but in most institutions have not. In those institutions where the
community and continuing education division has been allowed to create a
financial reserve, the community and continuing education division is not in
financial jeopardy despite losing money over the past two to three years.
The financial outlook for community and continuing education divisions in
universities and colleges is a positive one. Short term, by implementing
specific targeted cost-control measures, community and continuing
education divisions can break even financially and not constitute a
significant drain on university or college reserves. This usually involves both
cost-cutting and revenue-enhancing measures.
Long term, community and continuing education divisions can also
contribute to institutional reserves, as long as expectations are reasonable
and modest, the community and continuing education division is also given
additional resources to grow revenue, and motivation is provided to its staff
for performance.
Contributions to central administration must be seen not as cost recovery but
as profit or surplus generated. If community and continuing education were
truly profitable, it would exist outside of the nonprofit institution of higher
education. Like most every other division in the institution, community and
continuing education cannot and should not be expected to pay for
institutional overhead. Institutional decision makers need to understand that,
should their community and continuing education division disappear, the
institution would lose whatever financial contributions community and
continuing education makes while saving little or nothing in overhead costs.
2. Indirect financial benefits
Community and continuing education divisions provide numerous indirect
financial benefits to the institution. Here are some of them:
∗ Wills and bequests
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
As baby boomers, a prime audience for community and continuing
education for another 20-25 years (4), move into retirement, they are also
likely to be writing and rewriting wills and bequests in larger numbers than
before. At one institution, a couple wanted to take community and
continuing education classes in clowning and macramé. The classes, while
losing money, were astutely conducted by the community and continuing
educator. Later the couple provided the funds for a million-dollar performing
arts auditorium for the institution.
∗ Service to adults
More than 50% of higher education students are now “non-traditional”
students over the age of 22. This trend shows no signs of reversing itself.
Community and continuing educators have always served adults and
understand how to serve adults, teach adults and market to adults.
∗ Marketing credit and degree programs
Marketing credit and degree programs is a specific area of expertise and
skill. Most faculty, department chairs and deans do not possess this skill.
Community and continuing educators have produced results superior to
academic administrators in marketing credit and degree programs, especially
non-resident credit and degree programs. This reason alone sustains many
community and continuing education divisions in universities and colleges.
∗ Mainstream adaptations
Community and continuing education has always served as an incubator for
successful programs for the mainstream campus. From computers to
certificates to specialized Master’s degree programs, there are dozens of
illustrations of programs that have been proven in community and
continuing education divisions first and then had mainstream adaptations
into credit and degree programs within other colleges, schools and divisions
in the institution.
This benefit is also one of the reasons why it is often difficult for central
administrators to see the contributions of community and continuing
education to the institution. One of the very functions of community and
continuing and corporate education in the university or college, often to the
chagrin of community and continuing education professionals, is that
successful programs are frequently moved out of community and continuing
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
education and placed in other colleges, schools or divisions.
1. Publicity
Community and continuing education is one of only a handful of ways that
an institution can consistently and regularly generate positive publicity.
Community and continuing education and outreach activities are often new,
or innovative, visible, or of interest to the media. Community and continuing
education serves a valuable institutional service by being a source of positive
publicity.
2. Credit student generation
Community and continuing education has traditionally been a source for
moving some people from non-credit classes to credit and degree programs.
Community and continuing education historically has had around 6% of its
non-credit students eventually become credit and degree students, a huge
additional bonus for the institution. The revenue benefit of this has not been
measured, but should be.
3. Jobs created
Even small community and continuing education classes can have a big
economic impact for the community. For instance, in English as a Second
Language (ESL) classes, every successful student makes a positive impact
economically in the community, moving from a recipient of services costing
society money to a taxpaying contributor to society. Computer classes (5),
basic skill classes, and numerous others, while having low enrollments,
produce a big impact.
4. Business served
Community and continuing education divisions are able to identify business
leaders, business segments, and business needs. Community and continuing
education has the flexibility to respond to the rapidly changing needs of
business. When the community and continuing education division provides
contract training, customized education, special events, conferences, or
professional development classes, that business impact is large in the
community.
3. Mission
Community and continuing education is inseparable from the university or
college of the 21st century. Community and continuing education’s role is to
sustain and advance the mission of the institution. The mission of
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
community and continuing education has been found central to that of the
university or college over the last 50+ years.
There are at least three “big-ticket” ways in which community and
continuing education serves the mission of the university or college of the
21st century.
Taxpayer support
By far the leading financial benefit of community and continuing education
for the institution is that community and continuing education generates
taxpayer and citizen support for universities and colleges.
Exit polls conducted by LERN after referendums document that participants
in community and continuing education vote more favorably for institutional
issues at a rate 20 points higher than the general voting public. This means
that in many cases, the votes of community and continuing education
participants pass referendums and influence legislators.
The reason is that the vast majority of citizens do not have a child in higher
education. One of the few ways citizens are served by the university or
college is through community and continuing education programs.
Information economy
The economy in the United States, like in other post-industrial societies, is
moving rapidly from a manufacturing or Industrial Age economy to an
Information Age economy based on what Peter F. Drucker calls “knowledge
workers.”
Drucker, the internationally famous business management guru, notes, “The
newly emerging dominant group is ‘knowledge workers.’ The majority of
knowledge workers are paid at least as well as blue-collar workers ever
were, or better. And the new jobs offer much greater opportunities to the
individual. But - and it is a big but - the new jobs require, in the great
majority, qualifications the blue-collar worker does not possess and is poorly
equipped to acquire. The new jobs require a good deal of formal education
and the ability to acquire and to apply theoretical and analytical knowledge.
They require a different approach to work and a different mind-set. Above
all, they require a habit of continual learning” (6).
Simply put, community and continuing education is essential in the 21st
century for the entire economy of the region and province.
Model practices
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
The community and continuing education division is frequently the first
division in the institution to adopt new practices for efficiency and
effectiveness. This function of modeling new practice also happens so often
that at one Canadian institution, Langara College, the community and
continuing education division has been declared the division to model new
practices for the rest of the college (7). Such practices include extended
registration hours, reduction in late fees, online registration, web sites, target
marketing, Information Specialist position, toll free numbers, operations
specialist, and many more.
Summary
Community and continuing education has a promising future serving the
community, economy and higher education institution.
Without a viable community and continuing education division, a university
or college loses many capabilities and opportunities. In the new Information
Age of the 21st century, universities and colleges will be needed by society
even more than in the last century. Yet each and every individual institution
has no guarantee of success.
Like no other division, community and continuing education is the
institution’s R&D unit for the 21st century. Without a viable community and
continuing education division, a university or college risks being at a serious
disadvantage in a growing yet increasingly competitive education
marketplace.
References
1. See for example, The Chronicle of Higher Education, “As enrollment in
continuing education booms, some fear programs will be used as cash
cows,” by J. L. Nicklin, May 1991, pp1, A31.
2. In 1994, after an exhaustive study of university continuing education
financial reporting measures, LERN introduced a market based financial
format which has since become the leading financial format for continuing
education in North America today. See, for example, The Financial
Handbook, by the Learning Resources Network, 1998.
3. The Profitability of Continuing Education in Higher Education, Research
Report #02-829, LERN, 1997.
4. Reference, “Generational Learning Styles,” by Julie Coates, an online
course and report for faculty in higher education.
5. While young men have been underrepresented in full time higher
education recently (see for example, “Improving Boys’ and Girls’ Academic
Achievement”, Counseil Superier de L’Education, Government of Quebec),
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
continuing education provides young men with information technology
courses and skills for the workplace.
6. The Essential Drucker, by Peter F. Drucker, HarperCollins, New York,
NY, 2002, page 303; first published in Emergence of the Knowledge
Society, Management in a Time of Great Change, 1995.
7. Doug Soo, Dean of Continuing Education, Langara College, Vancouver,
BC, May 16, 2003.
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
PART II: Why Community and Continuing Education
Divisions are Successful
Over the last 35 years, LERN staff has had the opportunity to work with
some of the most successful North American community and continuing
education divisions. Many of the best practices and benchmarks LERN
reports on and teaches come from these divisions.
The last few years have been difficult times for many community and
continuing education divisions. The economic downturn, an increase in
competition, the constantly changing demands of students and clients, the
demand for self-sufficiency, and other challenges have impacted their
performance.
The divisions that have succeeded have done so for five primary reasons.
Reason #1. Right Structure. The division’s structure centralizes operations,
allows revenue generators to generate revenue, includes a “think marketing”
position, and contract or corporate education is separated from continuing
education. The structure is based on clear job descriptions defined by
accountability and not tasks.
Reason #2. Data-Driven. Decisions are driven by data and not by guesses.
Student, programming, sales, and other data are collected and analyzed. In
particular, benchmarks are selected and performance is matched up to the
benchmarks.
Reason #3. Best Practices. Proven industry best practices are followed.
Successful divisions do not reinvent the wheel, but instead learn from other
successful divisions.
Reason #4. Planning. The division has a one-year business plan combining
all aspects of the division, as well as a two to five-year long-range plan that
focuses on numbers to be met and new initiatives to implement.
Reason #5. Right Software. The need to operate using a software system
built for continuing and corporate education is more critical than ever. The
right software system increases productivity by up to 25% and provides staff
with easy access to critical decision-making data and information.
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
PART III: PRC Scorecard
It is my pleasure to report that CCE has completed and passed LERN’s PRC.
Congratulations!
CCE has always been an important UVU and community resource, but I
credit CCE’s PRC success to the hard work staff has done the last few years
transitioning CCE into a 21st century organization centered on being marketoriented, customer-focused, and industry best practice-driven.
Although there is still a great deal of work to do, CCE staff members should
be proud of their accomplishments. I am confident CCE can become an
industry best practice program by maintaining the present course of action
and implementing PRC recommendations.
The following is CCE’s PRC Scorecard: Standards were Met (1 point); Not
Met (0 points); or were Partially Met (.5 points) and/or are being worked on.
Included are the reasons standards were Not Met or were Partially Met or
other pertinent notes.
Part A. To be certified by LERN, the division must meet each and every
one of the following performance criteria.
1. Be financially self-sufficient. PARTIALLY MET. CCE generated
$2,993,016 in revenue and spent $2,952,784 for a net of $40,232.
$1,000,000 is allocated by UVU, but CCE covers all direct costs and is
moving in the direction of also covering administration costs.
2. Demonstrate a long-term pattern of increasing services. MET. Up
until FY2008-9, CCE had each year increased enrollment, seat hours, and
programs. Due to the economic climate, enrollments and seat hours
decreased in FY2008-9 which is true for over 70% of North American
community and continuing education divisions.
3. Exhibit quality programming by attaining a median average of 3.5
rating by participants. MET. CCE scored 4.3 out of 5.
4. The institution’s CEO or representative states the division is
important to the institution’s mission. MET. President Matthew S.
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
Holland stated “Community and Continuing Education is a valuable part of
Utah Valley University.”
Part B. To be certified by LERN, the division must meet 60% or better of
the following criteria.
01. The division offers 10%-30% new activities (courses, conferences,
and so on) each year. MET. In FY2008-9, CCE offered 24% new activities.
02. Cancellation rates of all activities are between 5% and 20%.
PARTIALLY MET. CCE’s cancellation rate is 29.5%, but due to the
economic climate, over 60% of community and continuing education
divisions are reporting cancellation rates of 20-30%.
03. Activities show a range in price. No more than 40% of activities are
priced within a 15% range. MET. CCE’s prices range from $0 to over
$2,000 and less than 40% are within a 15% range.
04. The product mix is diversified. MET. CCE offers conferences, open
enrollment community education and continuing professional education,
Exploritas, workforce development contracts, and online.
05. The average participants per activity are provided for each
department. MET. CCE provided average participants for Community
Education (5.15), Conferences (223.9), and Workforce Development (16.4).
06. Two or more demographic characteristics are provided for each of
the division’s primary market segments. PARTIALLY MET. CCE is not
able to determine the division’s primary market segments, but is collecting
geographic location and birth date/year. CCE must be more aggressive about
collecting birth year/date, and also should be collecting gender, and for
Workforce Development, occupational specialty and possibly job title.
07. Annual dollar sales figures are provided for each of the division’s
primary market segments. NOT MET. CCE will not be able to meet this
criterion until CCE can determine the division’s primary market segments.
08. The division’s Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is provided. NOT
MET. The USP provided by CCE was staff-driven and not customer-driven.
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
09. Estimated numbers are provided for the division’s major audiences
or target markets for market share and the total universe for each
audience. PARTIALLY MET. CCE was able to provide estimated numbers
for location and age range, but the numbers were not by primary market
segments and did not encompass all CCE programming.
10. The division offers at least three ways to register. MET. CCE offers
five ways to register.
11. The division’s registration experience receives a 3.0 average or
better rating from participants. MET. CCE scored a 3.9 out of 5.
12. The division’s refund policy is stated in writing and uses positive
language. MET. Although CCE should work with LERN on a rewriting of
the refund policy, it is stated in writing and is crafted to support CCE’s
diverse programming.
13. The division’s most current fiscal year finances are provided using
the proper financial format. MET. CCE was able to assign costs to
promotion, production, and administration, thus identifying direct costs,
operating margin, and net.
14. Department finances for the most current fiscal year are provided
using the proper financial format. MET. CCE provided finances for
Community Education, Conferences, Driver Education, Exploritas,
Workforce Development, and Elder Quest.
15. The average fee per activity is provided for each department. MET.
CCE provided average fee for Community Education ($60.77), Conferences
($51.83), and Workforce Development ($241.97).
16. The lifetime value of the division’s participants is provided. MET.
The lifetime value is $93.91.
17. The division’s most current fiscal year’s finances are provided with
a variance comparison to budget and the previous year’s figures, as
dollars and percentage numbers. MET. CCE was able to provide the
numbers by department.
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Program Review 2006-2010
18. An annual budget for the current or next fiscal year is provided.
MET. CCE provided the FY2009-10 Annual Budget.
19. Representative brochures from the division pass a review from
LERN. MET. The promotion critique in Part VIII demonstrates CCE’s
accomplishment of the criteria.
20. The division has a web site and it is critiqued. MET. The web site
critique in Part VIII demonstrates CCE’s accomplishment of the criteria.
21. Promotion costs are 10%-20% of income. MET. CCE spends 10%20% for programming requiring printed promotions.
22. An in-house mailing list of current and recent participants is
maintained by primary market segment. PARTIALLY MET. CCE’s in-house
mailing list includes current and recent participants, but cannot be
sorted by primary market segment.
23. The program knows response rates for its departments.
PARTIALLY MET. CCE knows the response rate for Community
Education (55:1).
24. Evidence of staff training and/or staff training plans is provided.
PARTIALLY MET. CCE provides staff training, but staff does not have
staff training plans.
25. The division has an adequate software system. MET. CCE uses Ace
Ware’s Student Manager with the AceWeb online module. CCE is
transitioning to SunGard Higher Education’s Flexible Registration.
26. The division has job descriptions for staff. MET. CCE has an
organizational chart with a job description for each position.
27. Staff productivity is at $125,000 per employee or better. NOT MET.
Staff productivity for revenue generated by CCE is less than $100,000 per
employee.
28. Job descriptions are stated in terms of responsibility and
accountability, not in terms of duties and tasks. NOT MET. Job
descriptions do not include accountability goals.
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
29. Staff evaluates the work environment as 3.0 or better. MET. Staff
scored the work environment at 3.6 out of 5.
30. There is a written procedures manual. PARTIALLY MET. CCE has
a procedures manual, but it needs to be updated.
31. There is evidence of staff reward. PARTIALLY MET. CCE
recognizes accomplishments, but the recognition is not tied into division,
department, and/or staff goals.
32. There is evidence of communication with staff. PARTIALLY MET.
CCE communicates by email and staff meetings, but a more efficient
method, such as a CCE virtual office, could be utilized.
33. Teachers rate their experience with the division as 3.5 or better.
MET. CCE scored a 4.2 out of 5.
34. There is evidence of a teacher orientation, manual or other training.
NOT MET. CCE does not currently have a formal teacher orientation or
manual.
35. Evaluations of teachers are conducted. MET. Evaluations are
conducted, tabulated, and reviewed.
36. Teacher resumes or biographies are on file. MET. Human Resources
keeps resumes and biographies on file.
37. Teachers do not sell in class. MET. Teacher communication includes a
statement regarding not selling in class.
38. Division administration understands the division’s strengths. MET.
A list of strengths was provided.
39. Division administration understands the division’s weaknesses.
MET. A list of weaknesses was provided.
40. The repeat participation rate is 30-50% or better. NOT MET. CCE’s
repeat rate is 12.7%.
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
41. There is a one-year strategic plan. NOT MET. CCE does not have a
plan encompassing a one-year period of time.
42. Communication with others in the institution is demonstrated. MET.
CCE presents/reports at various UVU meetings.
43. Staff knows the division’s mission statement. MET. CCE has a
mission statement driving CCE activities and decisions.
44. There is a statement as to how the division is central to the mission
of the institution. PARTIALLY MET. CCE provided a letter from the
President, but did not demonstrate the statement in UVU publications.
45. The mission central statement has been submitted to the
institution’s central administration. MET. CCE shares with the rest of
UVU why CCE is critical to the University.
46. A written analysis of three of the division’s closest competitors is
provided. MET. CCE provided the analysis.
47. A written environmental statement is submitted. PARTIALLY MET.
CCE provided a minimal environmental statement which did not speak to
the trends within the local community.
SCORE
MET = Part A 3 out of 4. Part B 29 out of 47.
PARTIALLY MET = Part A 1 out of 4. Part B 11 out of 47.
NOT MET = Part A 0 out of 4. Part B 7 out of 47.
Part A = 3.5 points out of 4. Pass.
Part B = 34.5 points out of 47 (73%). Pass.
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
PART IV: Positive Accomplishments
The following are positive accomplishments identified during LERN’s
review of CCE’s programming, marketing, sales, and operations efforts,
processes, and procedures.
01. Finances. CCE’s budget is approximately $3,000,000. Of the
$3,000,000, approximately $1,000,000 is allocated by UVU. CCE covers the
remaining $2,000,000 with fee-based revenue. CCE is not financially selfsufficient, but CCE covers direct costs and soft-funded allocations with fees.
02. Student Surveys. Students rated their registration experience at 3.9 out
of 5 and their programming experience at 4.3 out of 5.
03. Programming Diversity. CCE’s six departments provide an assortment
of diverse programming reaching a diverse mix of customer segments.
Offerings include community education, workforce development, online
learning, conferencing, and Exploritas.
04. Instructor Survey. Instructors rated their experience working with CCE
staff at 4.2 out of 5.
05. Procedures Manuals. Although CCE’s procedures manuals are out of
date due to CCE’s reorganization, procedures manuals exist and are being
updated.
06. Staffing Structure. CCE is transitioning to a staffing structure where
operations tasks are centralized so revenue generators can focus on revenue
generation and are supported by CCE marketing staff. The transition
progress made by CCE in a short period is very impressive.
07. Data Collection and Analysis. Making data-driven decisions is a CCE
priority. Appropriate data is being collected, analyzed, and matched up with
industry benchmarks.
08. Catalog Printing Reduction. CCE was able to reduce its catalog print
run number, thus the cost of printing and mailing by 80%, but did not
experience a drop in registrations and revenue (any drop in registrations and
revenue is due to the economic downturn). Staff is doing a better job of
target mailing promotions.
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Program Review 2006-2010
09. Banner Flex Reg. Having a software system supportive of CCE’s
operating model and student needs is critical, and UVU has supported
CCE’s efforts by supporting their purchase of Banner’s Flex Reg software
module.
10. Central Administration Support. UVU’s President, Matthew S.
Holland, believes CCE is “a valuable part of Utah Valley University” and
CCE’s programs and courses are vital to helping UVU meet the University’s
mission.
11. New Programming. Over 20% of CCE’s courses are new - brand new
or redesigned - thus giving CCE students new opportunities.
12. Exploritas. CCE’s Exploritas program, formerly Elderhostel, is a
premiere Exploritas program offering high-quality experiences. Exploritas’
Director, Gary Nielsen, is nationally recognized for his programming and
customer service.
13. Go/No-Go Number. CCE staff makes every effort to ensure classes run.
A go number is determined by dividing the production costs of the class by
the class fee, thus most of CCE’s offerings can run for five or less people.
14. Conferencing. Most community and continuing education divisions do
not have the expertise to fully support institution and community
conferencing needs the way CCE can, especially without a separate
conference center dedicated to community and continuing education
conferencing efforts.
15. Finance Reporting. Staff did an excellent job of transcribing CCE’s
present financial reporting to LERN’s Financial Format so finances could be
matched up with industry benchmarks.
16. Staff Survey. During a time of transition, staff would not be expected to
positively score the work environment, but CCE staff rated CCE’s work
environment at 3.6 out of 5.
17. Hard Funding to Soft Funding. Being dependent on hard funding puts
a community and continuing education division at risk, thus CCE has
developed a plan to move from hard funding to soft funding.
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Program Review 2006-2010
18. Strategic Plan. CCE has a strategic plan guiding CCE’s transition.
19. University Communication. CCE dedicates time and resources to
keeping UVU central administration and staff updated on CCE’s activities,
successes, and challenges. Staff understands the importance of building good
relationships and partnerships with UVU departments and staff.
20. Competition. There will always be competition, and CCE has spent
time identifying and analyzing the competition. Staff makes an effort to
identify competition gaps that CCE and fulfill and dominate.
21. Marketing Promotion Schedule. CCE Marketing has a promotion
timeline calendar CCE uses to guide the scheduling, production, and
distribution of CCE promotions.
22. Multiple Locations. CCE classes, conferences, and other offerings do
not only take place on the UVU campus, but are scheduled at locations
throughout the community, thus making it easier for people to participate.
23. Advisory Council. CCE has an Advisory Council providing CCE’s
Senior Director with guidance regarding CCE’s direction.
24. IT Support. Very few community and continuing education divisions
have the IT support CCE has, and none to my knowledge provide IT support
outside the division.
I was pleasantly surprised by all the CCE positive accomplishments. Some
of these accomplishments were due to historical decisions and successes of
CCE, but much of what impressed me was the hard work staff has done
during the reorganization transition period. Transition is difficult, and
everyone will never be 100% content. Mostly I was impressed by CCE’s
staff understanding that the reorganization and the best practice changes at
the base of the transition are the right actions to take to be a successful 21 st
century community and continuing education division.
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
PART V: Challenges
The following are some important challenges identified during LERN’s
review of CCE.
1. Giving Reorganization and Financial Transition Time. This past year
CCE began the process of reorganizing how the division operates.
Reorganization includes realigning the organizational structure, but at the
same time incorporating industry best practices and transitioning to data-driven
decision making founded on good data collection and analysis, as
well as short-term and long-range planning.
CCE has made tremendous progress. The reorganization is not easy on the
division or the staff, and takes time. Consistently evaluating progress and
making the necessary adjustments is important. You do not always get it
right the first time. Also staff requires the tools necessary to reach goals, and
the expected goals must be clear and realistic.
Becoming fully financially self-sufficient is critical and will also take time.
If CCE can become fully financially self-sufficient in three years, staff will
have made significant progress. I am confident financial self-sufficiency can
be accomplished, and UVU must be understanding and supportive.
2. The Future of Exploritas. CCE’s Exploritas program is a nationwide
leader, but the future of Exploritas locally must continually be evaluated.
The shift in economics and the difference between Veterans (born prior to
1944) and Baby Boomers (born between 1944-1964) is significant. Making
Exploritas fully financially self-sufficient is a must. This report provides
recommendations for enhancing Exploritas, and the recommendations
should be considered as CCE sets a future Exploritas plan and direction.
3. Staff Commitment to New Structure. The new structure being
implemented is very different for staff, but the direction is the right
direction. Other successful community and continuing education divisions
have centralized operations, allowed revenue generators to generate revenue,
and focused staff resources on marketing. CCE has taken all the right steps,
and staff members must be open to these changes as they are not made on a
whim, but instead due to the success of similar North American programs.
Each North American community and continuing education division is of
course “unique,” but LERN’s research clearly identifies the most successful
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Program Review 2006-2010
divisions as the ones which have made organizational structure changes.
Communication is important, as well as understanding that changes are a
transition. Staff training is critical, and each staff person should have a staff
training plan supporting the new structure. As stated earlier, staff must have
the right tools as well as clear and realistic goals.
CCE should be congratulated for taking on the organizational structure
change, and staff will find the benefits clearly outweigh the challenges the
transition will uncover.
4. Taking on New Initiatives. A major downfall for many community and
continuing education divisions is they take on too many new initiatives each
year, thus stretching staff resources too thin and having limited success with
each new initiative.
A new initiative is a new product area, new market segment, and/or a new
delivery method with the potential of generating $100,000 by year three, as
well as an operating margin of at least 40%. From brainstorming to
implementation, it normally takes two to three years to completely
implement a new initiative, and the community and continuing education
divisions with a clear understanding of new initiatives normally only
implement one new initiative every year.
CCE should consider LERN’s 8-Step Needs Assessment Model as a tool for
guiding new initiative decision-making. Also UVU must be sensitive to not
“dumping” new initiatives on CCE which have not followed a decision-making
process like LERN’s 8-Step Needs Assessment Model.
New initiatives are important and one per year is a must - but being able to
say no to initiatives which will drain resources and head CCE in a direction
with no real long-term benefits is also a must.
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
PART VI: Recommendations
The following are recommendations LERN is suggesting after reviewing
CCE’s programming, marketing, sales, and operations efforts, processes, and
procedures.
01. Transition Timeline. Most community and continuing education
reorganizations take time, but CCE’s reorganization transition has been
implemented much more quickly than any other community and continuing
education division I have reviewed. The next six months will be critical to
the success of the transition and CCE should focus staff resources on
completing the transition. It is easy to try and take on other initiatives during
the transition, but staff needs to be focused on finalizing policies and
procedures, implementing Banner Flex Reg (this transition in itself is
enormous but actually is an important component of the reorganization), and
finalizing staffing positions and responsibilities. So far excellent work has
been done, and I am confident CCE’s staff can be fully transitioned by June
30, 2010.
02. Financial Self-Sufficiency. CCE’s goal should be to become 100%
financially self-sufficient within three to five years. Financial self-sufficiency
means CCE would not require any hard funding for any
promotion, production, or administration costs. All costs would be supported
by program and service fees. If UVU wants to allocate monies, those monies
would be used to invest in new start-up initiatives with the potential of
supporting future CCE growth.
03. Financial Analysis. Becoming financially self-sufficient will require
CCE to monitor and analyze finances more closely. Although CCE will need
to continue to report finances following UVU’s finance accounting methods,
CCE should be using the LERN Financial Format to analyze overall,
department, department divisions, programs, course, services, and classes.
Most importantly, CCE should understand the importance of reviewing and,
where necessary, improving operating margins. CCE’s overall operating
margin should at the minimum be 40% with the goal of increasing the
operating margin to 50%, while no department, department division,
program, course, service, or class should have an operating margin less than
30%.
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Program Review 2006-2010
04. Data Collection and Benchmarks. Data analysis and measuring up to
benchmarks will become more and more important. Programming,
marketing, operations, and similar decisions will need to be made based on
data and not assumptions, dictates from above, or wishes.
The most critical data to be collecting includes –
A. Student demographics: address, gender, birth date/year, and in the case of
continuing professional education, work specialty and job title. With this
data, CCE can determine best customers, primary market segments, best
carrier routes, repeat rate and lifetime value, the next class a student is most
likely to register for, and much more.
NOTE: It will be important to make sure student address records are
accurate. In the data I reviewed, approximately 10% of addresses were not
accurate.
B. Promotion method: the promotion method generating the student’s
registration or the business/organization decision to purchase a service. This
way the Marketing Department can determine the promotion methods to
reduce, eliminate, or increase.
C. Email addresses: eMarketing will continue to grow as a percentage of
CCE’s marketing budget, so the collection of email addresses will provide
the Marketing Department the ability to do targeted eMarketing. Presently
10-15% of the marketing budget should be spent on eMarketing, while 75%
should be spent on direct mail (do not even consider eliminating printed
materials).
Although more benchmarks can be used in the future, the benchmarks CCE
should be monitoring today are –
Instruction
1. New Courses. Total Courses Offered/New Courses Offered = New
Course %. The benchmark is 20%.
2. Cancellation Rate. Classes Cancelled/Total Classes Offered =
Cancellation Rate. The benchmark is 15%, but during tougher economic
times like we are experiencing, the cancellation rate can increase to 20-30%.
NOTE: CCE is taking all the right actions (deciding two days prior, not
offering too many sections, pricing so classes can run for five or less, and so
on) to keep the cancellation rate down.
NOTE: CCE should compare the cancellation rate of new courses to repeat
courses. The new courses benchmark is 30-50%, while the repeat course
benchmark is 13% or less.
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
3. Average Registrations per Class. Total Registrations/Total Active Classes
= Average Registrations per Class. There is not benchmark, but for classes,
CCE should strive to fall between 8 and 12.
4. Repeat Rate. Students Repeating from Period 1 to Period 2/Students
Registering in Period 1 = Repeat Rate. The benchmark is 30-50%.
5. Operating Margin. Income – Direct Costs = Operating Margin. The
benchmark is 40-50% with a minimum benchmark of 30%.
6. Quality Rating. Once or twice a year, survey 500 students and ask them
to rate the quality of your programming 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent). The
benchmark of the average score is 4 or higher.
NOTE: Louis Allen should work with me on data collection so he can use
LERN’s Program Planner Tool to generate most of the above benchmarks.
Marketing
1. Promotion:Registration Ratio. Total Promotions Distributed/Total
Registrations Generated = Promotion:Registration Ratio. The benchmark is
50:1 or less. To garner the best advantage of this benchmark, the promotion
method tracking will help you decide the number of registrations per
promotion. So if you generate 1,000 registrations and 500 are due to the
schedule, 300 due to eMarketing, and 200 due to advertising, then you use
the actual registrations for each promotion method and not an overall
number.
2. Promotion Cost:Registration Ratio. Total Promotion Costs/Registrations
Generated = Promotion Cost:Registration Ratio. There is no benchmark, but
the goal is to reduce the ratio.
Operations
A. Service Rating. Once or twice a year, survey 500 students and ask them
to rate the level of your customer service 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent). The
benchmark of the average score is 4 or higher.
B. Cancelled Registrations per Class. Total Registrations Refunded/Total
Classes Cancelled = Cancelled Registrations per Class. The benchmark is 3
or less.
05. Sales. Most community and continuing education divisions are proactive
about selling contracts to businesses, organizations, and government
agencies. Although CCE has a person on staff whose job description
includes sales, CCE will never grow contract sales unless a person dedicates
100% of his/her time to selling.
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Program Review 2006-2010
Instruction will need to support the salesperson with product development
support, and Operations will need to coordinate implementation. You want
the salesperson selling 75% of his/her time and not minimally involved in
product development and implementation.
The salesperson could also be selling Driver’s Education to schools and
conference services.
06. Staff Productivity. CCE would determine staff productivity by taking
the revenue generated and dividing by CCE staff. Staff productivity does not
tell you if people are working hard, but instead if staff time is focused on
revenue-generating activities.
CCE generates $3,000,000, but $1,000,000 of the $3,000,000 is allocated
and another $1,000,000 is generated by Exploritas. The remaining
$1,000,000 is generated by CCE staff.
Three people are responsible for Exploritas, so $1,000,000/3 = $333,333 per
staff person.
Approximately twenty people are responsible for CCE’s $1,000,000, so
$1,000,000/20 = $50,000.
NOTE: This number is not 100% accurate because part-time positions
cannot be treated as one position, so CCE should figure out the total hours
per week of staffing and divide by 40 hours to figure out the staff number to
be used. I believe 20 will become 18, thus the staff productivity number will
increase to $55,000.
The industry staff productivity benchmark is $125,000 with best practice
divisions reporting staff productivity numbers of $150,000-$250,000.
Exploritas’ staff productivity number should be higher than CCE, and the
$350,000 should be set as the benchmark. CCE is low and needs to be
increased. This will be done by –
A. Completing reorganization and, where possible, not adding staff.
B. Improving promotion efforts by increased data analysis.
C. Doing a better job of finding out what programming people want.
D. Ensuring pricing is supporting at 40%+ operating margin.
E. Dedicating a person to selling contracts.
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Program Review 2006-2010
Some other suggestions to consider –
A. Only have one person write course descriptions. Possibly this task could
be contracted out. Proofreading may also be an option.
B. Contact Mary Lynch at DatatoDesign about help with data extracts and
software to support the faster building of printed promotions.
C. Staff members should be in meetings no more than 10% of their work
time. Only meet to solve problems or plan. BUT during reorganization
transition, more meetings will be necessary. More communication is better
than less communication.
D. To cut down on meetings where people report to each other, use a virtual
office or Intranet where staff report, promotion timelines are available,
financial and benchmark information is stored, and so on.
E. Staff grouping and individual staff meeting goals should be recognized.
07. Structure Suggestions. Great work has been done transitioning CCE
into a new staffing structure. The following are specific suggestions to
consider moving forward –
A. Instruction Specialist. Leslie Crane should be freed up to spend the
majority of her time on new programming. She should select repeat courses,
but Sally Menefee should be lining up instructors and dates/times and
working with Operations on scheduling and logistics. Ideally this position
should be full-time.
B. Coordinator Workforce Development. Becky Sanderson should become
CCE’s salesperson and be relieved of any open enrollment programming. To
start, Leslie Crane should absorb Workforce Development programming,
and since most of the programming is repeat, Sally Menefee should line up
instructors and dates/times and work with Operations on scheduling and
logistics. Ideally this position should be full-time.
C. Coordinator Driver Education. Melissa Burton should be moved to
Operations and should continue to manage Driver’s Education, and also
coordinate registration and the registration staff.
D. Coordinator Exploritas. Jillana Ahloe should work 50% of her time
supporting Exploritas and 50% of her time working with instruction on
conference programming/coordination. Since the Exploritas work is more
routine, she should report to the Director of Instruction.
E. Coordinator Non-Credit Registration Center. Olena Hunt should continue
to manage CCE CEU record-keeping and other Operations special projects.
F. Registration Specialist. With Melissa Burton moving to Operations, one
Registration Specialist should be trained as an Operations Specialist so the
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Program Review 2006-2010
position can support conference operations.
G. The Marketing Coordinator position should ideally be full-time.
H. Financial Coordinator. In most community and continuing education
structures, Karen Watson’s position would report to Operations.
Without following above part-time to full-time recommendations, total staff
would then be –
A. Senior Director – 1 FT
B. Financial Coordinator – 1 FT
C. Senior Director Administrative Assistant – 1 FT
D. Operations – 4 FT and 7 PT
E. Marketing – 1 FT and 1 PT
F. Exploritas – 1 FT
G. Instruction – 2 FT and 5 PT
Total: 11 FT and 13 PT
08. 30% Rule. No product area, market segment, or delivery method should
generate more than 30% of product area, market segment, or delivery
method revenue. Presently CCE is dependent on Exploritas for 50% of the
$2,000,000 revenue, and the majority of CCE’s classes are face-to-face
offerings.
A. CCE must grow Workforce Development and Continuing Professional
Education. CCE is too dependent on Community Education. Workforce
Development and Continuing Professional Education focuses on career
education and training. Most importantly CCE should explore state and
industry-mandated programming where CEUs are required.
B. CCE must be offering more certificate programs. Certificate programs
are the hottest programming area and will attract Generation Y and
Generation X who are most interested in Workforce Development and
Continuing Professional Education. The certificate programs should be a
mixture of face-to-face and online.
C. CCE should build summer camp programming, but the focus should be
on “career-type” programming, thus distancing CCE from recreation
departments, public schools, and other camp providers.
D. CCE must grow online offerings. 50% of learning in the 21st century will
be online. The online offerings should be online courses/certificate programs
as well as hybrid courses, thus causing CCE to start training instructors to be
facilitators.
E. CCE must be out selling contracts. To be most successful in contract
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
training, CCE should be out selling solutions, not just training. Clients can
be helped with consulting, mentoring, services, and training. CCE will need
a flexible sales kit that can be used for multiple market segments, and should
not spend money on mailings to generate sales.
F. Take advantage of UVU’s academic programming strengths. What
continuing education programming can be built to support education, health,
trades, and so on? Don’t forget that UVU has alumni who are local, but
those who are not local can be encouraged to take online courses.
09. Growing Exploritas. It is unclear the future of Exploritas. Elderhostel’s
name change was because of shrinking participation and competition.
Elderhostel (now Exploritas) may never recapture its market due to its
existing brand, increased competition, and the world’s economic shift.
But CCE’s Exploritas program is one of the leading Exploritas programs and
will certainly survive longer than most. The following actions can support
Exploritas growth –
A. Reduce the number of offerings by cutting the dogs and focusing on the
stars.
B. Use a lower minimum, for example 10, and increase prices so each
person registered over 10 adds to Exploritas’ operating margin.
C. Wherever possible cut costs. These economic times are the best time to
renegotiate deals.
D. Be more aggressive in recruitment. Market directly to past participants
(but have them register through Exploritas). Offer package deals to groups to
make participation more enticing. Travel around primary registration areas,
for example the northeast, and hold “Tupperware-type” gatherings where
past participants introduce CCE’s Exploritas to friends.
Because Exploritas’ revenue may decrease, CCE should also be exploring
ways to utilize Gary Nielsen’s knowledge, skills, and connections. For
example –
A. Design and sell Utah conferences/institutes targeted to specific market
segments - a Geode Conference, a Ski Lift Operator Conference, and so on.
Conferences/institutes including certification would probably be the most
popular.
B. Work with hotels and other groups to provide “travel/tour” opportunities.
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
C. Help with the selling of contracts to businesses, organizations, and
government agencies.
10. Increasing Operating Margin. CCE’s overall operating margin should
be at a minimum 40%. The following are ways of increasing the operating
margin –
A. Accept that pricing cheaply is not a good strategy. People will pay for
what they need, especially when it is offered when, how, and where they
want it.
B. Use price breaks and 5s and 9s when pricing. $100 is a price break which
you should be over or under. If you decide you need to be under, you should
price the class at $95 or $99, but if you decide you can charge more than
$100, the minimum you should price the class at is $125.
C. When pricing, take the production cost of the class and divide it by 40%
to get revenue required, and then divide that number by a conservative
projection of average participants. Compare to the competition and what
people have paid in the past, and adjust down only by reducing costs. Then
use price breaks and 5s and 9s. Thus a class costing $400 should generate
$1,000, and if the number of average participants is 10, the formula price is
$100. If the price is competitive, you price using suggestions in B.
D. Offer higher-dollar programming. Presently your offering average is
below $100 and it should be over $100. Certificate programs and more
workforce development/continuing professional education will help increase
the average.
E. A complete analysis of conference pricing must take place. At a
minimum, you should be doubling your expected costs. That is why it is
always better to charge a flat fee for services and not to charge per
registration. Certainly you can do better if you generate more registrations
than expected, but you are safer with a flat fee.
F. Do not add staff unless you can justify a staffing position that is going to
support the generation of more revenue. A business focused on the bottom
line would not add another employee until the present employees are
generating revenue to support the new position.
G. Collect the data recommended in 4, and analyze the data so you cut the
dogs and focus on the stars.
H. Make staff more accountable by redesigning job descriptions (or
developing secondary job descriptions) focusing not on tasks, but on
outcomes. Outcomes are numbers, and those numbers are tied to the
benchmarks in 4.
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
NOTE: This is NOT a recommendation, but it is clear certain programming
areas require a great deal of staff time (conferencing and community
education). Are they dogs? I believe both can be stars, but actions need to
be taken to make sure both bring better value to CCE.
11. Staff Training. The better staff is trained, the better CCE will perform.
All staff members need to better understand the business of community and
continuing education, the best practices that work, and strategies, techniques,
and tips that support the best practices.
CCE should –
A. Require all staff to read LERN’s Essentials publication.
B. Develop staff training plans that identify areas where CCE needs better
knowledge and skills, and assign staff to learn the knowledge and skills.
Have each staff person learn one new area of knowledge or skill twice a
year.
C. Find mentors in the industry for directors, coordinators, and managers.
D. Visit one best-practice community and continuing education division a
year.
E. LERN’s Institutes should be considered. They are the only Institutes
focusing on the practical how-to part of our business. All directors,
coordinators, and managers should be LERN Certified Program Planners.
12. Department/Division Programming Structure. Time should be spent
reviewing the existing departments and divisions, and determining CCE’s
departments and divisions going forward. This could be a project for Louis
Allen and me to work on during the next three months.
13. Low Repeat Rate. To the best of our knowledge, CCE’s repeat rate is
less than 25%. Community and continuing education divisions with higher
repeat rates are the most successful and profitable. A community and
continuing education division grows on repeat customers and not new
customers.
The following are some actions to help CCE increase the division’s repeat
rate –
A. Analyze repeat rate by department. There is not a lot of crossover
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
between departments, so each department is actually a separate business
unit.
B. Be proactive about talking to your existing customers (not people who
are not attending) about what topics, delivery methods, locations, and so on
they want.
C. Promote more aggressively to past participants. Between direct mail and
eMarketing, a past participant should hear from you a minimum of four
times.
D. Follow up with inquiries. An inquiry is more valuable than a registration,
and an inquiry can become a repeat customer. Keep track of inquiries,
especially high-dollar inquiries, and have Operations staff follow up.
E. Make working with CCE as easy as possible. Be flexible. Continue to
provide students the option to get vouchers instead of refunds. Even let
people transfer into another class and not pay more if their class is cancelled.
14. Policies and Procedures. Continue your work on updating policies and
procedures but: a) keep them as simple as possible; b) eliminate as much
paperwork as possible and; c) let software do it.
This includes reviewing forms being used - the fewer the better. One form
needing review is your evaluation form. Evaluation form best practices are:
a) use one page, one side; b) print on colored paper; c) ask the most
important question first - “Overall how satisfied were you?” - using the
Likert Scale; d) do not ask survey questions or for demographic information
on the evaluation (do that during registration or at the start of the class); e)
ask Likert questions about the instructor; f) ask for other courses the person
would like to see offered; and g) ask for testimonials.
An instructor guideline booklet should be produced, and instructor training
should be provided using an instructor newsletter and annually, an instructor
gathering and training/recognition gathering.
15. Promotion Timeline. Already great work has been done developing a
promotion calendar. The next step is to turn the promotion calendar into a
promotion timeline. I suggest CCE use LERN’s Promotion Timeline web based
software tool available to LERN members for FREE.
Most important is making sure that: a) printed promotions are in people’s
hands on time (for class offerings that is five weeks before the start of
classes); b) there is a mix of printed promotions and eMarketing; c)
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
promotions are designed with generational marketing in mind; d) targeted
promotions are used for star programs and market segments with good clean
lists; and e) Operations must be tracking promotions.
NOTE: The percentage of money spent on promotion should be 10-15%.
This would not be of the total budget but for the revenue areas requiring
promotion expenditures.
16. Unique Selling Proposition. CCE does not know why the division is
unique to CCE’s customers. Even more important, the CCE departments do
not know why they are unique to their market segments.
Staff does not determine why CCE or a department is unique. This is done
by talking to your customers. I can teach Susan Palmer the process since
determining unique selling propositions is the Marketing Department’s
responsibility.
Once you know why you are unique, then you use that information to build a
slogan, design components of your promotions and web site, and educate
staff and instructors on how to communicate with students.
17. Terms. For FY2011, CCE should consider transitioning from three
terms to four terms (September to December, Mid-January to Mid-March,
Mid-March to May, and June to August). More terms mean more mailings,
more touches, and more opportunities to generate registrations.
18. One-Year Plan. The Directors, with one person responsible for the final
product, should develop a One-Year Plan (LERN calls the plan a One-Year
Market Plan because everything we do is marketing, but you may call it a
One-Year Business Plan).
The plan includes seven components –
A. CCE Goals. 3-5 primary goals CCE wants to accomplish to improve the
performance of the division
34
B. CCE Overall Budget and Benchmarks. A budget for the total division
including administration costs. Any benchmarks looked at only at the overall
level such as staff productivity.
C. Department Budgets, Benchmarks, Offerings/Services, and Target
Markets. Each department should have an operating margin budget, a listing
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
of benchmarks, the number of classes, conferences, and so on that will be
produced to reach the revenue goal, and a listing of the primary market
segments the department will focus on.
D. Terms/Quarters. C offerings/services broken by term and/or quarter
E. Promotions. A listing of the promotions, promotion methods, and
retention techniques CCE will use to reach revenue goals.
F. Promotion Timeline. The promotions and the dates of each activity
impacting the promotion
G. Staff Responsibility. Who on staff (by groupings and/or by individuals)
will be responsible for which tasks
The plan should be started six months prior to the upcoming fiscal year and
completed three months prior. The person coordinating would direct others
with tasks to accomplish, but the process would begin with a staff gathering
to do a SWOT analysis and review performance from the previous last fiscal
year and the first six months of the current fiscal year.
Over the first few years, building the plan will take more time, but within
three years the process will be streamlined and will not change dramatically.
19. New Initiatives. Each year CCE should introduce one new initiative (a
new product area, a new market segment, a new delivery method) which by
year three will generate a $100,000 a year and an acceptable operating
margin.
Normally a new initiative takes two to three years to introduce, and I suggest
CCE use LERN’s 8-Step Needs Assessment Model and new initiative
guidelines to support CCE’s efforts.
20. Celebrate. All of the above will take a great deal of work, dedication,
and cooperation. There will be bumps in the road, but in the end the hard
work will be repaid with a more efficient and productive division, clearer
roles and expectations, increased revenue and operating margin, and a
division that can be recognized as a best-practice division. Along the way
you need to celebrate your successes and try to have fun!
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
PART VII: Conclusion
CCE is a community and continuing education division in transition. Over
the last year, CCE has reorganized, downsized, and has become more
focused on the importance of being market-oriented and customer-focused.
Staff members carry multiple responsibilities, and CCE has made good
efforts clarifying duties and responsibilities. Staff members are still trying to
figure this all out, but they are positive about moving forward.
CCE has passed LERN’s PRC certification, but CCE must continue to be
focused on the tasks they have identified and have been working on, as well
as the recommendations in this Final Report if CCE is going to evolve into a
more efficient and effective community and continuing education division.
The recommendations in this Final Report are focused on helping CE
through this transition. The following are the Top 10 Recommendations –
#01. Focus over the next six months on the transition.
#02. Prepare for Banner, and spend time getting ready and trained.
#03. Start looking at your finances following the LERN Financial Format,
and think operating margin.
#04. Set the benchmarks you want to use, and start collecting the data.
#05. Consider some of the additional staffing structure suggestions made in
this report.
#06. Plan to sell contracts using a salesperson.
#07. Be proactive about making Exploratis a continued success.
#08. Think repeat rate. Focus on growing your repeat rate.
#09. Start diversifying your programming. Think 30% rule.
#10. Start off FY2011 with a One-Year Market/Business Plan.
Thank you to everyone for all of your hard work collecting and providing
data, information, and materials. I really feel that, after reviewing what you
provided and my visit, I understand how you program, market, sell, and
operate. You are doing great work and I am confident the people who utilize
your programming and services appreciate CCE.
I look forward to recognizing your completion and passing of the PRC at the
LERN Annual Conference this November in Chicago!
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
PART VIII: Attachments
]A. Promotion Critique
Utah Valley University
Community & Continuing Education
Fold-Open Brochures – Promotion #19
Driver Education
Online Medical Training
Discover Community Education
Celebrating 20 Years…
Facility & Grounds Management Expo
Critique by Nancy Hulverson
There are some basic principles related to the layout and context of a fold open
brochure promotion as opposed to a full brochure. The “pages” of the
brochure are numbered in the illustration at the end of this review, according
to the order in which the reader sees them. The placement of information
should be determined by what the readers see first, and then what they see
subsequently as they open the flyer. This principle applies to any type of
“fold out” brochure format.
As with any promotional piece you send out, you need a cover graphic that
makes a positive visual statement and delivers an immediate visual message
about what you have to offer. Graphics increase comprehension, and
marketing research shows that copy accompanied by graphics is 50 percent
more likely to be read than copy that stands alone. Graphics can immediately
communicate key information to prospective participants. This is important
for attracting attention and getting the reader to pick up the brochure.
Research indicates that you have a maximum of three seconds to capture
reader attention and interest. One of the most important functions of your
cover (page 1) is to create the image you want people to have of your
program. If you create a positive reaction with your cover, that positive
feeling will contribute to an overall attitude of approval for your program.
The fact that you are developing separate brochures for specific topics and
target audiences is excellent, and allows you to deliver the right message to the
right readers. Targeted messages are becoming critical as the most effective
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
marketing tools in today’s diverse continuing education environment. In order to
keep your brochure from being lost in a sea of other mail, using
strong colors and enticing text to capture reader interest is important. All of
the covers offer good color and clean lines, which help to attract attention
and facilitate easy reading. Here are some comments about each individual
cover:
• The 20 Years cover is the only one that does not offer a graphic image
– and would benefit from one. Photographs increase interest and
impact, and you have some good ones on inside pages of this
brochure. I would recommend using the one of the group so that it can
be enlarged to clearly show the faces of the individuals, and can send
a more powerful message to readers about the success of this topic by
showing the students it impacts.
• The image on the Online Medical Training brochure is positive and
offers good eye contact with the reader, but it is very generic. It does
not convey any visual information of value about the topic – either
medical or online. Medical and healthcare related careers are hot, and
the convenience of an online option is likely to be appealing to many
readers. Consider a cover image that will emphasize one or both of
these features of the program.
• The Discover Community Education images are also positive but
generic. Neither conveys any visual information about what your
program has to offer – what people can experience or achieve as a
result of participation. Seasonal images are pleasant, but can be used
for any program and will not set your program apart from others. It is
always best to use a cover image that shows people involved in one of
your popular classes so that readers can “picture” themselves as part
of your program. This type of image will more easily accommodate
supportive text that delivers the reasons why readers should consider
you over other options.
• The Driver Education cover image could use stronger contrast. Since
most of your customers for this program will be members of Gen Y,
we strongly recommend that you seek their input on a cover image
that will resonate with them effectively, and capture their attention
and interest quickly.
• The Facility & Grounds Management Expo cover is “cute” and
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
positive, and effectively delivers a visual message that relates to the
tag line. My only question would be – Do you have data regarding this
target audience that indicates the appropriateness or effectiveness of
using cartoon images?
Overall, you need to keep your target audience for each area of
programming or specific topic in mind when you develop the corresponding
cover design.
Another important aspect of your brochure cover is the copy you use on it.
The copy should work in conjunction with the graphic to create an overall
impression. Keeping that three-second window for capturing attention in
mind, your text must always be brief, visually prominent and easy to read.
The impact of your cover is strongest when you can create an immediate
connection between your readers and your program’s results. Telling readers
what they can expect to achieve through your training – what the results will
be – is always an effective approach. When readers know quickly what the
brochure can mean to their futures, they will be more motivated to open it
for more details. It is important to include the “buzzwords” or phrases that
will resonate with your target audience. For example:
• On the Online Medical Training cover, consider something like
“Nationwide Shortage = Increased Demand = Higher Salaries!”
• On the Driver Education cover, move the line about “Quality
Instruction … Convenient – Get Started Today!” to the cover, or
check with a focus group of Gen Y past participants to ask what the
best buzzwords would be for this cover.
• On the 20 years cover, consider something like “Share Ideas,
Experiences and Best Practices” to address the primary benefit of
participation.
• On the Discover Community Education cover, move the line
“Discover Yourself” to establish the connection between your
program and this powerful reason to participate.
• The Facility & Grounds cover offers an effective tag line that speaks
to the benefit of participation and ties well to the cover images.
Your program name should be placed consistently on each cover to help
build recognition. Only the Online Medical Training and Driver Education
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
pieces even include your university name – and you cannot brand your
promotions without creating and maintaining a connection between your
courses and your program.
We realize that it may be part of university graphic standards, but want to
point out that research indicates the use of reverse text and all capital
lettering reduces both readability and comprehension. Your university and
program names are presented in small reverse text with all capital letters.
This makes the text much harder to process visually and read. Graphic
designers tend to choose reverse text because it appears aesthetically
pleasing, but the fact that research shows it reduces the impact you want for
these elements makes it worth considering a different presentation.
Including the web address on the front cover for where readers will find
more details is always a good idea. It is unobtrusive, and is becoming an
expectation of adult students – especially of Gens X and Y. Gen Y has now
entered the professional development arena, as the top end of Gen Y is 2728 years old, and research indicates that Gen Y workers want training
opportunities. If you do not feature and use your website to provide
information on your program, you will probably lose them as a target
audience. They fully expect your website to be a comprehensive resource on
all aspects of your program, and will review your brochure and move to your
website for details and to register online. LERN also highly recommends
that all information in your brochure be reflected on your web site. Today’s
students expect this, and it is another important customer service tool. The
only cover that offers your web address is the Discover Community
Education cover, but the graphic image interferes with the URL, and it is
presented in reverse text making it harder to read than it should be.
As readers open the brochure, you want the first thing they see to focus on
benefit and motivational information to create interest about the opportunity
your program offers. In most cases, you are providing specific reasons why
readers should be willing to devote more time to your information. This type
of information is very effective in speaking to the reasons why readers
should spend more time with your information. This approach will resonate
with your target audiences. Presenting a feature on your Keynote Speaker
for the Facility & Grounds Expo is a very effective approach as the expertise
and experience of speakers can be a powerful reason to attend this type of
event. However, the content information for the Expo should be moved to
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
the left page so readers see that along with the Keynote Speaker feature. The
agenda and lodging information should go on the right, under the insert. If
the insert was not included, the current presentation would be appropriate, as
readers would see the right-hand page first as they open the brochure.
We have two recommendations here – first, move the Registration Form on
the Online Medical Training brochure to page 5. Use page 2 for motivational
text like that currently shown on page 4. Second, in the 20 Years brochure,
avoid using so much reverse text. It is too hard to read in large blocks of
text, which may result in portions getting skipped over. Use reverse text
sparingly for a header or title here and there, but not for longer blocks and
multiple lines of text.
Using second-person language throughout the brochure helps make a
stronger connection with the reader. Second-person language draws readers
in and makes the message more personal – and you are using it effectively.
Using bullet points for key points is another good idea – it assures readers
that they can easily access the information in a concise presentation. This is
important for busy professionals who need you to get to the point quickly,
and for Gen Y readers (Driver Education) who want the facts fast.
A fold-open brochure works most effectively when the inside panels offer
visual elements that will draw the reader’s eye across all three panels. All of
your brochures except the Discover Community Education one do this
effectively. The graphic elements and color schemes across the inside panels
continue the theme of the cover.
The Community Education brochure becomes quickly awkward and less
than user-friendly as readers open it. Once they have reviewed the first
inside pages (Discover Yourself and Featured Classes), the only way to
continue unfolding the piece is down, which results in all the subsequent
information being upside-down. This is an immediate inconvenience, since
they will have to shift the piece around to access additional details. If they
open the brochure looking for a particular topic, they will have to do a lot of
hunting as there does not appear to be any logic to the order of information.
Also, the color coding is not very helpful – you have repeated colors with
very little difference in the shading of the two options for each color (blue,
green, orange, and brown). There is also no indication of where each section
is located on the pages that follow. Most readers will have a goal in mind
when they open your brochure, and your presentation should make it easy
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
and convenient for them to find the information they want. You are making
readers work much too hard to get the details on your individual courses.
This information would really be much easier and convenient for readers to
use in a standard brochure format using multiple pages with a consistent
orientation – like a magazine layout. You could take advantage of reduced
USPS mailings costs by creating a brochure that maintains the same original
size this one starts with (qualifying for letter-size mail rates), but with a
standard page-turn presentation. If your brochure is not user-friendly, it will
not generate the levels of enrollments you want and need. With a page-turn
layout, you could offer a table of contents up front that would be very
helpful for readers.
The descriptions of content are important to readers, and should be focused
on results. Here again, the Community Education brochure could use some
adjustments. Revise descriptions that begin with phrases like “This class
concentrates on …” or “Students will begin to…” or “Children can learn…”
or any variation of these – they are not really interesting and certainly not
motivational. Gens X and Y want to know what they will experience and
achieve through your courses. Parents want to know the educational and
social benefits their kids will gain from your classes. The opening sentences
and additional content information need to deliver this message clearly and
concisely in a positive and powerful way, using action words and focusing
on results up front.
Testimonials are powerful motivators – they can add credibility to your
marketing message by showing readers that people who have been part of
your program are willing to “go public” about their positive experience with
you. Peer confirmation is particularly important for members of Gen Y, who
will believe the statements of their peers and colleagues much more than
your marketing messages. The images on the inside panels of the Driver
Education brochure appear to be members of Gen Y, so testimonials would
be very effective in this brochure.
Another approach would be to focus on the expertise and experience that
instructors bring to your classes and training. Good instructors are often the
reason someone selects one program over another, so including this
information can increase response. Provide more than just names and email
addresses. The reputation and background of instructors can help people
make the decision about enrolling, and this can be especially important for
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
career training programs. It would be worth devoting a little more space to
this critical selling point about your program.
Offering multiple options for contact is also important – phone, online, email
and more. In today’s busy world, it is best to make it as easy as possible for
readers to obtain information quickly and easily. Taking advantage of their
interest and the window of opportunity for action on that interest is critical.
Your presentation of registration options in the Community Education
brochure is good – it clearly highlights multiple options. Consider using a
small illustrative graphic for each option rather than numbering them. You
have already told readers that there are five ways to register. Graphics will
draw attention and increase comprehension. We also recommend using the
same page orientation for the registration form that you use for all other
pages of the brochure. The different orientation of the Medical Online
Training form is inconvenient for readers, as they will have to shift the page
to fill it out. It may seem like a small thing, but every element of your
brochures should be all about customer convenience and service.
Repeating your web address is a good idea, and adding a customer service
phone number on the inside pages is a good idea, as you have for several of
these brochures. Suggest that readers contact you using a call to action, with
a line like “Get Started Today!” in the Driver Education brochure.
Add a line to page/panel 6 that captures the essence of your program. This is
often what readers see first since it contains the mailing label, so it should
offer some incentive to open the brochure for more information.
Testimonials are effective here, but you need to restate the name of the
program. You need to do this for all back covers so that the connection
between your program options and the testimonial or call to action (Save the
Date or Register Online Today) is clear. Focus on the strengths of your
program – the reasons why people should be willing to devote time to your
information, and why they should choose your program over other options.
Restate these on the back cover.
1
3
2
5
4
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
When designing your fold-out promotion,
remember the order in which readers will see
each page or panel. First, tell your readers
“what’s in it” for them (pages 1, 2, and 3), and
provide some details of program or course
content (pages 3 and 4). Then give them the
information about how to sign up (pages 5 and
6).
B. Web Site Critique
Utah Valley University
Community & Continuing Education
Web Site Critique – www.uvu.edu/ce
Critique by Nancy Hulverson
NOTE: I took your previous LERN Web Site Critique (from May 2009) and
made changes and additions which are in red.
You have some good features on your site. I will offer a few suggestions on
areas that you may want to review for improvements.
We call the first page for your Community & Continuing Education (CCE)
program (above) your “main page.” It is similar to a Home Page, but since
so many programs like yours exist within a larger institution (your
university), we want to distinguish this page from your institution’s home
page. Your CCE Department does not have a strong presence on your
university home page (www.uvu.edu). It does not appear anywhere on the
home page that we could find – not even within a dropdown. Find out if it
would be possible to have a feature periodically (perhaps when your new
session of courses is about to begin – highlighting a popular or new program
option) on the home page that will lead visitors to your CCE program
information – even a photograph on the home page with a tag line and link
that takes visitors directly to your program information.
The main page to your program’s web site loads quickly – within the target
load time between 6-10 seconds for a dial-up 56K connection. Normally, T1
(1.44 Mbps) load times are at or below 2.0 seconds, which yours is. This
provides fast easy access for visitors, which is important.
This new CCE main page loads very slowly, taking significantly longer than
the recommendations. Your main page T1 load time is three times the
recommended rate. It may not seem like a big thing, but one of your visitors’
biggest expectations is fast, easy access to your site. A summary of load
times for your site for the Corporate College as reported by
Netmechanic.com is shown below.
Gen Y has entered the professional development realm and is very interested
in career training. If your web site is not what they expect, you will not gain
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
this critical market for future programming – whatever type of programming
that is. Gen Y is a bigger generation than Boomers, so the potential for
continuing education programs that successfully gain them as students is
enormous.
Connect Rate
56K
ISDN
T1 1.44Mbps
Connect Time
56.21 seconds
27.09 seconds
6.05 seconds
Most of the text in the banner across the top of the main page is presented in
all capital letters – your full university name, program name and the tabs
above and below the photographs. Research shows that using all capital
letters creates a block effect that is more difficult to process. We realize that
this presentation may be part of university graphic standards, but want you
to be aware of the research that indicates using all capital letters reduces
both readability and comprehension. The presentation of your CCE program
name at the top – in all capital letters in reverse text (light over a darker
background) further reduces readability as reverse tends to recede visually.
Your CE program name is adjacent to the university name. Adjacency helps
to strengthen the connection between your university and CE program,
which is important for maintaining your image with visitors. For your
banner/logo, be sure that you do not diminish the integrity of the lettering
too much. This element is important, as your program name must be sharp
and clean, easy to read, and strong on your home page. In fact, your
organization's logo could definitely be larger here – it is too small to read –
and the text should be larger as well. Research indicates that reverse text is
harder on viewers’ eyes than dark text over a light background – and reverse
text reduces comprehension and retention. It should be used sparingly and
cautiously, and should be avoided in smaller font sizes.
Your program slogan – Catch Success – is great and is featured prominently
on the main page. You want visitors to immediately understand your USP –
what it is about your program that should make them consider spending
more time on your site. This simple, active phrase will have strong appeal to
Gens X and Y, as it focuses on results. This main page does not feature a
slogan. The repeat of your program name is not necessary, and the addition
of a program slogan would help create a more effective message here about
your USP and the uniqueness of your program.
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
Your main page is like your brochure cover and follows the 3-30-3 and
AIDA principle. You have just 3 seconds to gain someone’s attention. You
want your main page to create immediate interest in your program to
convince visitors to spend more time on your site, and your image must
capture visitor attention and interest easily and quickly. It is important to
create visual impact and interest on your web site just as it is for your
brochure cover. Like the large graphic on a good brochure cover, a single
large image attracts your viewers’ attention and starts to engage them in
your site. The use of multiple small images is not as effective to capture
attention and interest as using one large powerful image and tag line would
be. The banner of small images is visually confusing without a clear focus.
In some cases, the photos are so small that it’s hard to tell what they are
supposed to be showing, and there certainly is little chance to create a strong
connection with your program within that three-second window of
opportunity as visitors land on your main page.
Although your graphic is visually effective and can be included, consider
moving it so that it is not the main feature of the page. Photos of people are
compelling and draw viewers in effectively. When people see the smiling
faces of people enjoying your program options, this sends an immediate
positive message to your site visitors. When people can see what they may
experience as part of your program, it will draw them in and provide a
connection to what you are offering. This is why you need to select an
image, enlarge it, and add a tag line – so that visitors clearly see the smiling
face of the participant(s) and understand what they are smiling about. A
marketing tag line that supports the main graphic on the page is important to
create a single marketing message that gives visitors a reason to spend more
time on your site – why they should choose your program over other
options.
You want visitors to quickly understand why they should be interested in
your program. The focus should be on your visitors and their potential
needs. Add some “buzzwords” here and help them stand out effectively to
capture attention as visitors land on your main page. This will make these
important features of what you offer “pop” and allow you to highlight these
reasons why visitors should choose your services over other options. This is
the information that is most important to convince visitors to devote more
time to your site – it should be visible immediately when visitors land on
your program’s main page. Research indicates that people scan pages on the
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
Internet in an “F” pattern, so the first lines and first words of those lines are
critical for capturing interest.
You offer highlights of new classes but need to include some brief text
introducing your program focusing on the benefits of participation. Use the
same marketing techniques that you should use for your brochure – friendly,
second-person language to create a connection with the reader and make the
message personal. The text should provide an invitation to learn more about
your program, in a reader-friendly style focusing on benefits of participation
in your program, giving visitors a specific message about “what’s in it” for
them and why they should consider spending more time on your site.
I found it confusing that you provide a feature in the right column with a link
for information on your Community Education classes, but nothing similar
for Continuing Education. Visitors will find options within the dropdown
from the tabs, but there should ideally be information that distinguishes the
Community from the Continuing Education options if there are differences.
This is not clear here.
The links on your main page feature your offerings which is important.
Using dropdowns and mouse-overs from the tabs across the top as well as
the links in the left column would work well to provide specific topics of
interest for visitor convenience. For example, offer a dropdown from the
Arts & Crafts link that shows Art Classes, Sewing, Crafts etc so that visitors
can select and go directly to the topics that are of greatest interest to them
without having to scroll or use extra clicks to find those options. We would
recommend offering your options by topics rather than location, as people
may be willing to come to any location for a topic they want. People are
most likely to search your options by content first, and then determine if the
logistics fit their personal schedules and needs. The dropdowns from the tabs
under the photos will be helpful to visitors in finding the topics they want.
Most visitors come to your web site with a goal in mind, so providing them
with sub-categories and titles of program options helps them move to their
topics of interest quickly and easily. Convenience and easy navigation are
critical elements for the effectiveness of your web site.
You are offering contact information on your main page, so that people with
a question or desire to get in touch with you can access that information
immediately. If visitors have questions, they want it to be easy and
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
convenient to find where they can get answers. Your “Contact Us” link is a
good option for the details, with clear information about different ways to
reach you. The best “Contact Us” pages offer the name – and even a
photograph – of one customer service representative, with a phone number
and email address or link on the Contact page and even a Live Person option
if possible. Providing one name, phone number and email address for
visitors with questions would be ideal because they want it to be easy and
convenient to get answers, and will be reluctant to choose from a long list of
departments or names. The feedback form is a good way to gather
information on the needs and interest of your visitors.
LERN highly recommends a search link to help visitors find what they want
quickly on your site. Offering a keyword search feature is increasingly more
important to visitors who expect convenient, timely features on your web
site. Yours is featured prominently on the main page, in addition to
subsequent pages, to provide easy access for visitors. Keeping the search
capability only on your site – not on the Internet – is important. You want to
keep people on your site – not send them to others. In today’s busy world, it
is best to exceed expectations for customer service. Offering it on
subsequent pages as well is important.
It’s a good idea to conduct link and coding checks regularly, and update or
repair them as quickly as possible so that visitors do not view messages
about information they cannot access. We found no coding errors or bad
links – well done!
There were no bad links - keep up the good work there! We did find some
coding errors this time – Errors are places where your page does not follow
the rules for proper HTML coding. Compatibility Problems are places
where you use an HTML tag or attribute that is not part of the HTML 4.0
Standard and may not be supported by all browsers. Warnings are things
that are not good coding practices. These problems may cause your page to
display incorrectly under different browsers. Here are some examples:
0004:[1]^<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en" xml:lang="en">
----:[1]^Warning: <html> has XML attribute "xml:lang".
0274: <!-- com.omniupdate.div label="Text Main" group="sitemanager" button="731"
bgcolor="#FFFFFF" border="#FFFFFF" --><!-- com.omniupdate.editor csspath="/lib/css/dept.css"
cssmenu="/lib/css/dept.txt" width="1000" parag="no" -->[3]^[4]^<style type="text/css">
----:[3]^Error: missing </div> end tag before <style> tag.
----:[3]^Hint: <style> element NOT allowed in <div>...</div> element.
----:[4]^Error: <style> tag NOT allowed in <div>...</div> element.
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
0578: COMMUNITY AND CONTINUING EDUCATION : <a id="L3contactbottomdept_link"
href="mailto:Diana.Hunter@uvu.edu">DIANA.HUNTER@UVU.EDU</a> | 801.863.8894 | ROOM
CE-205 | <script type="text/javascript">document.write("<a href='/ce/cederrors.php?url="+
escape(location) +"'>REPORT PROBLEMS TO WEBMAST[5]^ER</a[6]^>");</script>
----:[5]^Warning: '<' + '/' + letter NOT allowed in script.
----:[5]^Hint: use '\' to escape the '/' character for end tag embedded in script.
Placing all information about your class options on your site in html format
is ideal. You can offer more information about each individual activity on
your web site than what would normally appear in your brochure by placing
all information on your web site in html format. On your web site, you can
also provide the option of including more information by allowing viewers
to “dig deeper” since you are not limited by space or expense related to
space. Take advantage of this!
Most of the main pages for each topic in the Classes dropdowns (Command
Spanish, Contractor CE, Driver Ed, etc) benefit from strong graphics that
support and enhance each specific topic. These would be worth adding for
the Elderhostel pages and some others that do not feature images. Graphics
increase interest. When the images change to reflect the topic, this keeps
visitors engaged. You can use this approach for all of the main pages
(Personal Trainer, Human Resources, etc) as well. Graphics increase
comprehension, too – you can show people engaged in your training,
interacting with other students and instructors in your courses, etc. Here
again, brief text that focuses on benefits of participation in your program for
each main topic page is important. This is where you build desire to become
involved in your program. Overview text that introduces each category and
focuses on reasons to choose your program over other options for each main
topic page is important. Using the same marketing techniques that you do for
your brochure – second-person language and motivational text – will help
make the text personal and compelling and should be used for all descriptive
text.
We recommend providing a brief description of content – people first decide
which titles or topics fit their interests and needs – followed by logistics.
Once they decide on a topic, they then determine if the logistics fit their
personal schedules. Each class title should be featured with the option to
“dig deeper” for more details and logistics. The logistics should not be the
dominant element, visually or in placement. Your course titles are hard to
read in all caps, and appear “squashed” into the boxes. A cleaner, more
visually accessible look would help. Some of the best presentations of
course information include a main page for each topic (Arts & Crafts,
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
Aviation, Cooking etc). Graphics keep visitors engaged, interested, and
motivated. These are definitely things that need to be considered going
forward. Again, the presentations for some of the potentially “hot” topics
like Personal Training are not motivational or user-friendly.
There are additional advantages to having all your course listings right on
your web site. It provides visitors the option of taking immediate action on
their interests. Offering a click to registration at each individual activity
description is a great marketing tool. Adding a click to an online registration
form at each individual activity description in the activity browser tool will
point people to register for the activity, and encourages them to take
advantage of the convenience of this option. When the information
downloads automatically in an “add to cart” type format, it saves steps, and
valuable time, for customers. Using an “Enroll Now!” call to action for each
link works well to motivate visitors.
Offering information about instructors at a link from the course description
for their areas of expertise would be a great marketing tool. Very few
programs are using the option of providing instructor profiles at a link from
the course description, and it can be a very important asset for your
programs. Featuring information on your instructors’ expertise and practical
experience is important. Since good instructors are often the reason people
select a particular class or program, including this information is always a
good idea. Provide more than a name. When visitors click on the name and
get only a repeat of the name, that wastes their time and will frustrate them.
It adds no value. You continue to waste visitor time with this option. If you
are not going to add information of value to visitors, remove the link from
the instructor name. When visitors to your site click on the name expecting
additional information and only get a repeat of the name, they are going to
be annoyed. Include some information that will tell visitors why the
instructor brings the best experience and expertise to your program. It is a
great way to convince visitors that your program is the best choice. You
really do need to be taking advantage of the added marketing value that
would be afforded by providing instructor profiles from these links. This can
be particularly important for career training options where the reputations
and expertise of instructors can be powerful reasons to choose your program
over another.
It would be great to provide additional information from the Location link
that will offer visitors access to maps and directions. This would represent a
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
strong focus on customer service, and show that your program is on the
cutting edge for web site features.
The Enrollment Progress feature is a good idea, but if there are only 5 steps,
the bars should not make it look like there are many more. That will be
disconcerting to visitors who make think the process is lengthy and
complicated. In fact, you can include a statement like “5 Easy Steps!” to
encourage visitors to proceed. This is definitely something worth
considering, as it will emphasize the convenience of your online registration
process.
For closed/filled classes, it is always a good idea to offer a link that tells
visitors to “click here to be notified when the next class is available” or to be
added to a waiting list. An email link or web form will allow you to capture
important information on visitors and their interests. It can help you
determine if a class that closes due to low enrollments should be given a
second chance. It can also help you determine how much interest there is in
an additional section of the same class. Avoid using the word “cancellation”
for classes that must be dropped for low enrollments – used “closed classes”
instead. This way, if visitors are interested in the topic, they will not be
given the immediate impression that the class did not have sufficient
enrollment. And you may get some inquiries about the next offering for
closed classes – if visitors think they have closed because they are filled.
This is all important information for future planning, and for taking
advantage of the interests of your customers.
Highlighting registration information on your web site on your main page as
well as subsequent link pages is important, and represents another good
customer service tool. Your online registration is featured prominently on
the main page. Offering multiple options for registration is important, too –
phone, mail, fax, as well as online. A registration link should provide clear
information that visitors are likely to want, and do so in a positive, visitor friendly
way. In today’s busy world, it is best to make it as easy as possible
for readers to sign up for your classes. Today’s learners expect conveniences
like online registration – so offering it for all classes is a great marketing
tool for your program to increase enrollments. Making it clear to visitors
about all options to register for classes that interest them is important. Once
you have their interest in what your web site can show them, you don’t want
to take the chance on losing them by not providing complete information
here. Add a link for Registration Information so that visitors have all the
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
details they want, including information on credit card payment as indicated
in the next paragraph.
A growing number of programs now accept payment with credit cards.
Featuring this option prominently – using the credit card logos at the top of
the registration information page and anywhere that you mention payment –
is an important approach. Visitors should know right away if this option is
available to them. Credit card payment is an important asset to your
program, and it should not be taken for granted that visitors will know that
you offer this option, or which cards you will accept. Use credit card logos
for those cards you will accept.
Send an email confirmation as soon as possible after people have contacted
you or registered from your site. The best confirmation is an automatic and
instant email. Immediate confirmation is one of your customers’ biggest
desires.
Overall you have a good site – and you should be proud of it. We have tried
to point to a few things as “next steps” in the ongoing development of your
web site.
This has been an overall review of your web site looking at it from an
educational and marketing standpoint, with a few technical pointers. If you
would like to learn about web site accessibility and how accessible your site
is (both web content accessibility and U.S. section 508), you can use a
validation tool called WebXACT available at http://webxact.watchfire.com/ .
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
Appendix 9
February 15, 2011
Mr. Steven Lund, Chair
Board of Trustees
Utah Valley University
800 West University Parkway
Orem, UT 84058
To the Board:
This letter summarizes the results of an internal review of the Community and Continuing Education (CCE)
program at Utah Valley University by Dr. Anton Tolman and Dr. Bonnie Henrie. These conclusions were
based on a review of CCE’s Five-Year Strategic Plan, Self-Study for the recent Accreditation visit, and the
CCE Program Review written for the Board of Regents. In addition, Dr. Tolman and Dr. Henrie met with
Ms. Hunter, Senior Director of the CCE on two occasions to discuss the review.
Overview
Utah Valley University has recently gone through a major transition from a state college to a regional
university in July, 2008. Shortly afterwards, UVU received the Carnegie Foundation’s designation as a
“Community Engaged University”, an emphasis that places increased value on the role of the CCE. In
2009, Dr. Matthew Holland was named as the new President for the university; Dr. Holland solidified the
institution’s mission as a community engaged university with core themes focused on academic rigor,
inclusion of a diversity of students, emphasis on student success, and community engagement. As part of
this ongoing transition and unfolding of the University’s mission, the CCE was reorganized and Ms. Hunter
named as Senior Director. Prior to the reorganization, the emphasis of Continuing Education at UVU was
rapid program growth and increased institutional financial support. With the reorganization in 2008, Interim
UVU President Elizabeth Hitch charged the newly formed Community and Continuing Education to provide
the courses and programs that individuals and businesses in the UVU service region needed and desired
to increase engagement with a broad spectrum of the community, to strengthen the regional community
and economy, and to move toward being a self-supporting unit.
The new organization of the CCE emphasized the ability of staff to specialize in order to maximize
efficiencies and promote improved performance while still maintaining CCE’s diversity of program offerings.
They were able to eliminate two full-time positions and shifted some staff to soft funding, reducing the need
for state support. Of special note, as part of the reorganization CCE added both a Campus Advisory Board
and a Community Advisory Board in 2010; these boards exist to provide useful feedback and
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
recommendations to the CCE as it moves forward. In 2010, the CCE was certified by the Learning
Resource Network, an event that signals a benchmark in quality.
Overall Conclusions
Although it is still working through the complex process of defining and adapting to changes at the
University, CCE fulfills its mission at a highly professional level with both efficiency and flexibility. Under
current leadership, existing organizational structures, processes and procedures have been reviewed and
changes continue to be implemented. CCE has dramatically increased its responsivity to input from
stakeholders and has already demonstrated significant benefit to the community in terms of economic
development. CCE exhibits the hallmarks of a learning organization that assesses, seeks feedback, and
applies the learning to the future for the benefit of the University and the local community. The organization
plays a critical role in fulfilling the Carnegie definitions for outreach and community partnerships.
Specific Commendations



The direction of the CCE, in terms of reducing the need for institutional and state funding, is
commendable in a time of scarce resources. The emerging model of hard allocated funds for
leadership ensures continuity and stability while the use of soft funds generates incentives and
motivation for the organization to continue to be innovative and to reach out to organizations in the
community.
The CCE was able to assist Klune Industries, a local employer, in obtaining a multi-million dollar
contract as a partial result of a training program developed to help make the company more
competitive. This model of contract training should be emulated and encouraged with other
community partners in the future.
The 51% increase in Community Education enrollments in 2010 compared with 2009, despite
increases in program fees, suggests that the new organizational model is working well and should
be continued.
Specific Recommendations

The mission of CCE should be explicitly tied to the mission of the University. Though this
connection is expressed implicitly, it should be clearly stated or defined, as appropriate, in
communications, brochures, etc. In addition, the UVU Core Themes (Serious, Inclusive, Student
Success, and Engagement) should be visible in strategic planning documents and decisionmaking. For example, careful assessment of those who enroll in courses and their demographics
should be used to evaluate how well CCE is meeting an inclusive goal as well as in defining
segments of the population that are being missed or for whom programs could be improved or
modified. Customer satisfaction surveys can be used to evaluate the degree to which CCE
programs are rigorous and practically useful as part of the Serious theme.
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010



CCE is now two years into a five-year strategic plan. Progress or changes in fulfillment of the
vision and goals should be noted annually and should be reported back to the campus and regional
community. The SWOT analysis done by CCE is useful and identifies some key areas for
improvement, but the continuity between the analysis and specific improvement targets could be
improved. For example, in the SWOT analysis, it notes that one area of weakness is “low
awareness of most programs in the community”. Instead of trying to track the Major Goals the way
they are written, this area of concern could be defined, an outcome measure developed (such as
feedback surveys inquiring how people learned about the training and where) which should then be
tied back into an annual review loop to determine if marketing is reaching its audiences. Periodic
focus groups could also be carried out to determine the degree of community awareness of CCE
programs and to generate ideas for improvement. The Strategic Plan also contains a section on
Major Goals which has an almost bewildering array of targets, mostly divided up by specific
program. This makes it hard to determine CCE priorities or where the major emphases are being
placed since they all appear to have equal weight. It might be more effective to develop both
annual priority targets for the coming year and then longer-term strategic goals that are being
worked on with their own outcome and process indicators. This may be useful both for external
accountability and internal planning.
The focus on assessment should continue, especially in regards to collecting data on
student/participant/client outcomes and satisfaction. Such data is crucial to being responsive to
community needs and to being prepared to address new trends and challenges. Satisfaction with
CCE programs should be a driving force especially with a shift towards support via program fees
and the move away from institutional funding. Regular feedback surveys should be supplemented
with periodic or annual focus groups and other methods to evaluate client satisfaction.
Similarly, a good practice for reporting back information might be to summarize the input received
by both advisory boards along with a description of how these recommendations were acted upon
or the reasons why the recommendations were not followed. This would demonstrate the ongoing
involvement of the community with CCE and the responsiveness of the organization to input.
Since the advisory boards are relatively new, this is not necessarily expected in the current
reports, but it could be a useful part of future reporting.
It was our pleasure to review the CCE.
Sincerely,
Anton Tolman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Director, Faculty Center for Teaching Excellence
Community and Continuing Education
Program Review 2006-2010
Bonnie Henrie, Ph.D.
Special Assistant to the Vice President,
Student Affairs