By Frank Manley
McGill will soon have a new School: on May 1, the Centre for Continuing Education will become the School of Continuing Studies.
The name change reflects a number of substantial changes in continuing education at McGill, according to Dean Judith Potter.
“We are stepping up our collaborations with McGill’s faculties and schools to help them provide enhanced professional development opportunities for their
clienteles, which is consistent with McGill’s desire for excellence in all academic and research areas. As well, the new name more clearly reflects who we are today and where we are headed as we reach out to diverse communities of learners in local, national and international contexts.
“Today, we are actually more akin to a ‘school’ – in the McGill academic-unit sense – than a centre. As well, ‘Continuing Studies’ is more inclusive and reflects the breadth of our current and projected programming,” Potter said. “It also aligns us with the predominant nomenclature used at other prominent North American universities.”
One recent pan-university initiative is the development of the new McGill Writing Centre. The Writing Centre will consolidate numerous writing courses, workshops and related services for students across the University.
The major program units within Continuing Education will also be renamed, and one new unit will be added, as follows:
• Career and Professional Development (formerly Career and Management Studies) will continue to offer a wide variety of credit programs and courses, while adding a range of short courses, workshops and webinars for working professionals.
• Faculty Partnerships and Summer Studies (formerly General Studies) works closely with the faculties to help them reach new audiences and communities of learners. It also co-ordinates summer programs and courses.
• Language and Intercultural Communication (formerly English and French Language Programs) over the past two years has revamped its intensive language programs by integrating many cultural elements. As well, it has expanded its offerings to include non-credit and customized language courses and will extend its reach to include other languages this fall.
• Translation and Written Communication (formerly Translation Studies) offers accredited translation programs. Its portfolio now encompasses the McGill Writing Centre, as well. It will also deliver many workshops, one-on-one tutoring and provide fee-for-service offerings for the business
community.
• Personal and Cultural Enrichment (PACE) (new unit). After piloting a successful series of events in 2010, PACE will officially be launched as a unit focused on learning for individual and societal enrichment. The flagship sub-unit of PACE is the McGill Community for Lifelong Learning (the renamed McGill Institute for Learning in Retirement, MILR).