About UCEA

President's Letters

It's Been a Very Good Year

As final preparations are being made for the upcoming Annual Conference in Vancouver, BC, I am reminded that my year as President is coming to a close—and what a year it has been! The number of professional members has continued to grow, and UCEA's financial health remains very solid. Enrollment in the Marketing, Management, and Workforce Development seminars exceeded projections and the Executive Leadership Academy is gearing up for its third cohort of professionals, which will take place again in New York this summer. These are all positive indicators of a vibrant professional association committed to serving the needs of its members.

What made this year most rewarding, however, was the opportunity to work with an engaged Board of Directors and a thoughtful Executive Committee. Last June, Board members undertook an accelerated strategic visioning process, sought input from many constituencies within UCEA, and, in January, approved a Strategic Visioning statement, which will frame the Association's priorities and set the context for future Board decisions.

The Strategic Visioning statement is available on UCEA's website and provides focus on several areas of significant interest to our members. It formed the context for much of what was accomplished within the Association this past year and here are just some of the highlights:

Advocacy: The Board approved funding for an advocacy campaign that will put UCEA in the lead on selected policy issues that have significant impact on the students we serve. Examples of how university continuing education leaders are addressing these issues will be promoted and materials will be developed for member institutions to promote these issues on their campuses, as well as to state and regional leaders.

Research: UCEA launched a research project on degree completion programs, which was funded by the Lumina Foundation and preliminary results will be presented at the Annual Conference. At another level, Commissioners worked on formalizing an environmental scanning process that will keep members informed of key issues in the field. The Commissions also took on several research projects and will present some of their findings at the Annual Conference.

Technology: Recognizing the need for improvements to UCEA's website and better networking of members between face-to-face meetings, the Board approved the addition of social networking software, which has the potential to replace not just the Member Forum, but greatly enhance member services at various levels throughout the Association. In addition, the management and marketing surveys were successfully conducted online, with the expectation that a portion of the data will be made available on the web site for use by members. For the first time, Annual Conference registration was available online.

Globalization: UCEA established a fourth Commission on International Affairs and held a joint forum between members of UCEA and the Chinese Continuing Education Association at the University of Massachusetts-Boston in November 2006.

Besides gaining a better appreciation of all of the volunteer efforts it takes to sustain this Association, my two years in office have provided a closer view of the myriad tasks, mostly invisible, that Executive Director Kay Kohl and the hardworking staff of UCEA's office undertake on our behalf in Washington D.C. The Annual Conference and seminars could not happen without them and their willingness to take on whatever is needed makes a huge difference in their success. I am very appreciative to everyone in UCEA's office, the Board of Directors, Commissioners, committee chairs, regional officers, and the many members who volunteered their time to help me advance the Association's work this past year.

It has been an honor and privilege to serve as President of this outstanding Association, which I am leaving in the very capable hands of Richard Novak, incoming President, and Robert Wiltenburg, incoming President-elect. Deep gratitude goes to Rich, Kay, and Roger Whitaker, Past President, for always being there when I needed their help or advice. I now look forward to helping Rich advance his initiatives and continue the good work that is already underway. See you in Vancouver!