Students who attended afternoon and evening classes at the
University of Utah in the 1980s partly have Rick Simpson to
thank.
Simpson, CSU’s new director of Continuing Education, worked with
the vice president for academic affairs at Utah to convert the
university from a mostly morning-class-based university to one that
had more flexibility for working and/or married students.
“We were thinking that through continuing education we might
have some great success by opening up afternoon and evening
classes,” Simpson said. “When we initially opened up the afternoon
and evening courses, the students were thrilled.”
Simpson begins his position at CSU on Aug. 1. He has been the
associate dean for academic outreach and continuing education at
Utah since 1991.
The Continuing Education director position has been open for the
past several years, and two interim directors filled the position
during that time.
“It can be a little unsettling without permanent leadership and
now we have permanent leadership with Rick Simpson, and I think
that’s a positive,” said Provost/Academic Vice President Peter
Nicholls.
Nicholls said he believed CSU wanted to establish the direction
it wanted Continuing Education to go before it hired a permanent
director.
“(Simpson) definitely has strong leadership skills and he has
the personality that you want to get behind him and do stuff for
him,” said Michael Schoenly, network administrator for Continuing
Education.
Simpson visited campus Thursday and Friday to meet with the
Continuing Education staff and CSU administration members. He said
the challenge of the position, the university’s reputation and the
fact that he is from Colorado all played into his decision to
apply.
He also said he considers continuing education to be an
essential part of people’s lives long after they receive their
degrees.
“Continuing education is a process that engages people in
lifelong learning and continuous learning primarily for the reality
of adapting to change,” he said. “You don’t just come to Colorado
State University and spend four years and then stop learning or go
to graduate school and then stop learning. You essentially will be
involved in an educational process the rest of your life.”
Some of Simpson’s plans for the division include further
embedding CSU in its surrounding community and increasing programs
at the individual, organizational and community levels. He also
wants to look at expanding CSU’s presence in Colorado, possibly by
working with CSU Cooperative Extension, which already operates in
much of the state.
Continuing Education does have a campus in Denver, but Simpson
said he believes there are other parts of the state that could
benefit from Continuing Education locations, including Colorado
Springs.
“It seems like he wants to take us in a more diverse direction
than we have in the past, so it’s exciting,” said Bonnie Grantham,
marketing manager for Continuing Education.
Nicholls said Simpson’s experience, Utah track record,
management skills and personal skills all played a part in his
being offered the position.
“I think Rick is going to be very helpful to the deans and the
faculty in enabling them to mount successful programs at a
distance,” Nicholls said. “I think he has the management skill and
the personal skills to run this unit.”
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