William (Bill) McClure was the 2002 CEANY President and served for 11 years as Director of Non-Credit Continuing Education at Binghamton University, SUNY.
Bill has provided a generous gift to CEANY for us to select and recognize an individual or department who has demonstrated outstanding professional development leadership service to CEANY, their college/university and/or their community.
Good leadership in continuing education is complex, with layers of diverse competencies required for practitioners to be successful. These include innovation, building and managing effective teams, negotiation, business generation, strategic thinking, entrepreneurship and political savvy, to name just a few. They are indispensable to successful job performance in this field.
Leadership can look different at each institution and within each unit. For continuing education, it often includes pivoting, strategizing and forming new policies and procedures in order to reach the goal of a desired outcome. Leaders in our field must have multi-dimensional perspectives, to meet the constantly changing environment and the ability to think strategically and work collaboratively, both with internal and external constituents.
In our complex setting of higher education, continuing education units often need to develop effective methods to engage in constant renewal. This award was created to recognize those divisions/departments at CEANY Member Schools.
Nomination Submission- you are to provide us with a 1000 word max essay on "How your Adult/Continuing Education division/department has demonstrated outstanding leadership service to their college/university and/or the community within the adult, continuing, and workforce development field."
Your description should include specific examples of:
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Innovative Initiatives and Programs: Detail any new programs, courses, or initiatives developed and implemented that has significantly advanced adult, continuing, and workforce education. Highlight any creative approaches or unique solutions that address the needs of adult learners.
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Impact and Outcomes: Provide evidence of the positive outcomes and impact of the nominee's leadership and initiatives. This could include data on program success rates, student testimonials, job placements, partnerships formed, or any other metrics demonstrating significant improvement or benefit to students and the community.
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Collaboration and Partnerships: Describe how the division/department has built and fostered collaborations or partnerships with other educational institutions, community organizations, businesses, or government entities. Explain how these partnerships have contributed to the advancement of adult and continuing education.
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Advocacy and Support for Adult Learners: Explain how the division/department has advocated for the needs and interests of adult learners, whether through policy work, mentorship, support services, or other means. Include any efforts made to increase access to education for underserved populations.
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Professional Development and Mentorship: Discuss the nominee's contributions to the professional development of colleagues within the field. This may include organizing or leading workshops, seminars, or conferences and mentoring other educators or administrators.
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Sustainability and Long-term Vision: Highlight any strategies the nominee has employed to ensure their programs and initiatives' sustainability and long-term success. Discuss their vision for the future of adult, continuing, and/or workforce development and how they plan to achieve it.
Your submission should be comprehensive and clearly show how your division/departments leadership has made a substantial and lasting impact in the field of continuing education/workforce development within NYS.
Please include any supporting documentation or references that can help illustrate and verify the accomplishments described.
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