Since the 1970s, Binghamton University has offered an unconventional academic program to adults and part-time and non-credit students.
BU’s Continuing Education and Outreach (CEO) program attracts an average of 6,000 to 8,000 students per year. Applicants enroll in five-week summer and winter session courses or non-credit programs taught by BU professors, adjuncts and industry experts at the University Downtown Center, online and at company sites.
According to Thomas F. Kowalik, the director of CEO, the program provides alumni, current students and adults with the opportunity to enhance their education and increase their attractiveness in today’s job market.
The summer session has grown from the initial four distance-learning courses in summer 2003 to a current 82 courses as of last summer.
“This astronomical level of growth in distance learning was and continues to be facilitated by the highly sophisticated demand of our student body and the ability of our faculty and graduate student instructors to swiftly embrace and master a new and exciting way of providing educational opportunities at Binghamton University,” said Murnal Abate, the assistant director for CEO summer and winter sessions.
The summer and winter sessions are not degree-granting. According to Abate, the sessions collaborate with BU academic departments to offer courses that advance students toward their chosen degree.
“We are offering over 90 BU courses during the 2010 winter session and typically run about 300 courses during the average summer session,” he said. “Courses that run during winter session are generally three weeks in length while summer session courses have a wider variety of durations, from one to 10 weeks in length, although the bulk of summer session courses are five weeks long.”
The 2010 winter session runs from Jan. 4 through Jan. 22. The 2010 summer session has three terms that run from May 25 to Aug. 6.
The CEO non-credit program offers four professional certificates, beginning in March: Medical Billing and Coding Professional, Medical Assistant Administration, Pharmacy Technician Certification Program and Professional Paralegal Certificate Program.
According to Kowalik, non-credit classes are frequently offered under contract with employers. CEO helps increase the competitiveness of the corporations, groups and agencies it collaborates with by giving students the knowledge and skills these companies desire in their employees.
The program’s flexibility and fast-paced format has attracted a large applicant pool, Kowalik added.
“In 1991, CEO added summer session to its offerings and in 2005 developed and offered the first winter session,” he said. “[We have] 2,400 to 2,500 students enrolled in summer session, 1,000 during winter session and 3,000 to 5,000 in non-credit programs.”
Many of the programs’ classes are offered in the evening and on weekends to fit the schedules of individuals employed full time.
Due to recent budget cuts, CEO summer and winter sessions have moved all of their marketing activity to on-campus vendors, such as Pipe Dream and BTV, Abate said.
“We’ve managed to reduce the size of our marketing budget while simultaneously increasing the visibility of summer and winter sessions and forging closer ties with these outstanding, student-run organizations,” he said.
Winter and summer sessions have become popular with students who are unable to get a job during these months, said Kowalik.
“They want to use the time productively, so they enroll in summer and winter classes,” he said. “They want to keep making progress toward their degree completion.”
According to Kowalik, the current economic conditions and the changing knowledge and skill needs of today and tomorrow’s jobs require everyone to keep up to date with the latest information and skills.
“Learning throughout a lifetime is no longer a luxury, but essential,” he said. “[The] CEO programs allow us a means to creatively and flexibly meet a wide variety of learning needs.”
For more information on CEO programs, visit ceo.binghamton.edu.