Veronica Garabelli// June 24, 2014//
Richmond-based Virginia Commonwealth University plans to launch an office of continuing and professional education on July 1.
The office will offer non-credit courses and programs to non-traditional adult learners and provide mediation services and skills training to the public, nonprofit and private sectors. It also will provide credit and non-credit support to the schools and colleges of VCU.
The Office of Continuing and Professional Education will centralize the functions of the Center for Professional Growth in the School of Education and the Office of Continuing Studies in the Division of Community Engagement. The upcoming Virginia Center for Consensus Building will also be part of the office. The building will provide mediation services and negotiation skills training to state, local and regional organizations as well as private stakeholders.
Michael Huffman will be the office’s interim director. He said the infrastructure is in place to begin offering a paralegal certificate program and new courses for teacher recertification.