Continuing Education Staff Celebrates Learning Victories at Conference

The stream of traffic to Ocean City must have been noticeable on Maryland roadways as 269 deans, directors, coordinators and support personnel from community colleges throughout the state converged on the coastal town for the start of the annual Maryland Community College Association for Continuing Education and Training Conference of Champions. CCBC's Continuing Education and Economic Development Division (CEED) was no exception, sending a delegation of attendees as well as workshop presenters to the annual spring convention.

Planning for this year's event, "Celebrating Learning Victories," fell to CEED Executive Dean, P. Michael Carey, who chaired the committee that provided workshops, keynote speakers, resources and a wonderful opportunity for sharing, growth and development to community college leaders from around the state. The conference was a time for reinforcing the Continuing Education goal of serving communities by providing quality training for the workforce as well as offering opportunities for everyone, youth through senior citizens, to learn.

Luke Barber, professor of Philosophy and Humanities at Richland College in Dallas, Texas was the keynote speaker at the first session. Other speakers included Willard R. Daggett, Ed.D., president of the International Center for Leadership in Education, and Cindy Miles, vice-president and senior program officer of the League for Innovation in the Community College.

The conference sessions addressed all aspects of Continuing Education including community education, distance learning, leadership, marketing, operations, partnerships, technology and workforce development. Eleven CEED staff members were presenters at the convention and they covered topics from marketing to credit/non-credit course experiences. Leaders of the workshop sessions were Howard Caplan, director of General Education; Brenda Marshall, acting director of Marketing; Don Elliott, coordinator of the Creative Arts Center; Joan Edwards, director of Special Projects; Dera Fuller, career team leader; Melody Scott, Cheryl Lyons and Brandie Greensfelder, career search facilitators; Judy Walsh, coordinator for the Multi-Service Center in Rosedale; Kathy Lilley, career counselor/academic advisor; and Vicki Whitmore, coordinator of Enrollment Development at CCBC Dundalk.