Community Service Education

Academic Plan 2004-2009

1 December 2003

Executive Summary:

Learning for Wyoming citizens encompasses credit as well as other less formal types of learning, which are designed to identify and address all learning needs. These forms of learning include noncredit classes, forums, conferences, institutes, and workshops. We achieve this goal through several different departments at Community Service Education: Conferences and Institutes, Events Planning, Enrichment Classes, Online Noncredit Opportunities, and Special Programs. We devote our time to surveying needs of our customers; marketing our services (as part of an integrated Outreach School marketing plan) on campus, throughout the state and throughout the country; creating and/or coordinating programs that meet current needs; and fostering learning environments. Partnerships are paramount to our operation so that we can fulfill our mission. Our partners include service providers, other UW colleges and departments, organized learning centers throughout the state, and well-established companies that we can use to outsource some course development and production. Our division’s goal is to not duplicate what is already being done by other UW entities, as we expect them not to duplicate our efforts, but to create initiatives in new directions.

Environment for Community Service Education Curriculum and Programming:

The world of noncredit learning is a constantly changing field with as many new directions as there are trends caused by changing demographics, the economy, world unrest, technological inventions and updates, and job upheavals. Recent changes we are seeing, experiencing, or are expecting because of forecasting trends are:

1. Groups are working together, pooling resources to present better quality conferences and workshops. Partnerships are a necessity.

2. Accountability is paramount for all organizations.

3. Employees are frequently expected to acquire new skills and to adapt quickly to changes in business.

4. There is a large demand for job retraining because of the downsizing of companies.

5. Changing demographics are creating new market segments, based on special interests, a change in median age in a locale, or an economic change.

6. People are concerned with safety, which may result in their moving to a different location, changing jobs, cutting miscellaneous spending, changing the amount of time and activities spent with family, or becoming more interested in alternate lifestyles.

Institutional and Outreach School Issues

As a division of the Outreach School, a unit within Academic Affairs, Community Service Education’s plan for the next five years will address this changing environment in ways that are both collaborative with and supportive of UW colleges and departments. Therefore we will look forward to current support and new institutional plans from Support Services and Student Services that support the Division of Community Service Education programs and initiatives. The four areas of focus for the Outreach School (learning, access, partnerships and synergisms, and accommodation of growth) are embraced by Community Service Education and will result in the following actions:

Learning Environment. We will participate in Outreach School needs assessments to determine future programming needs. As part of the university’s recruiting efforts, we will also continue marketing to attract groups of potential students to the campus, in the form of conferences, fairs and workshops.

Scholarship and Graduate Education. We will continue to provide test preparation classes for the LSAT, GRE, and GMAT. We will expand these services to serve state-wide needs.

Diversity and Access. We will maintain connections with diverse communities and support integration of diverse perspectives across the curriculum. This will be accomplished in part through our coordination of various conferences, such as the Social Justice Symposium and the Multicultural Symposium.

Internationalization. We will continue to create programming that will bring international groups to campus and send Wyoming citizens to other countries. New areas of programming may include Germany, England, and Kenya.

Division of Community Service Education

Action Items for Academic Plan 2004-2009

[These action items are not in priority order]

Short-Term Action Items: One to one and a half years

CSE 1.1 In cooperation with the Dean of the Outreach School and other appropriate university administrative units, CSE will identify summer groups that have UW student recruitment potential. These groups will specifically include pre-college age participants in conferences, fairs, and competitions attracted to the UW campus in Laramie. In cooperation with university enrollment management groups, CES will develop a funding plan to increase summer residencies among these groups.

CSE 1.2 In cooperation with other divisions of the Outreach School, CSE will develop and complete frequent state-wide needs assessment surveys to give direction in program planning.

CSE 1.3 CSE will address the need for online secure registrations and marketing by purchasing and implementing a registration system that offers this service.

CSE 1.4 CSE will develop a strategic marketing plan, integrated with Outreach School marketing, for online noncredit classes based on customer needs and past participant evaluations.

CSE 1.5 CSE will present LSAT, GRE, and GMAT preparation courses statewide.

CSE 1.6 CSE will continue to explore new programming that will offer diverse and international learning experiences to Wyoming citizens, such as language and culture classes, trips abroad, and coordination of international visitor programs in Wyoming.

CSE 1.7 CSE will work cooperatively with appropriate university units in the planning of and marketing for the new UW Education and Conference Center.

Mid-Term Action Items: Two to three years

CSE 2.1 In cooperation with the Outreach School and university enrollment management groups, CSE will present a student recruiting plan for bringing new summer groups to campus. CSE will work with university enrollment management groups to search for funding to implement the plan.

CSE 2.2 CSE will develop and offer training for nonprofit organizations and businesses based on needs assessment results.

CSE 2.3 CSE will increase online class enrollments and offerings, and will create an appropriate management structure to effectively handle this online initiative.

CSE 2.4 With the Department of Adult Education and Technology, CSE will explore opportunities to create and coordinate educational programming for the Randy Watkins Recreation Camp.

CSE 2.5 CSE will work cooperatively with appropriate university units in the planning of and marketing for the new UW Education and Conference Center.

Long-Term Action Items: Three to four years

CSE 3.1 CSE will continue to explore new programming needs.

CSE 3.2 CSE will continue to market our campus and services on a national level.

CSE 3.3 CSE will work cooperatively with appropriate university units in the marketing for the new UW Education and Conference Center.