Background

Texas Woman’s University’s Office of Lifelong Learning is based on a model that is successful at many universities. Often called Extended Education or Continuing Studies, universities organize this function to accommodate the many unique opportunities that exist, but which fit neither the mission nor the expertise of traditional academic units. Lifelong Learning at Texas Woman’s University is a support unit in the context of the university goals.

Continuing education helps meet educational goals that serve both the community and professionals. Texas Woman’s University is committed to meeting the need for ongoing professional development in fields relating to academic credit programs by expanding our offerings in continuing education in a manner, which will enhance TWU’s general visibility, as well as attract students to our credit programs. Continuing education includes any non-credit or nonfundable credit course, seminar, workshop, training session, or conference/institute, which identifies Texas Woman’s University, or a constituent unit of the University as the sponsor or co-sponsor (TWU University Policy Manual, 2003).

Texas Woman’s University (TWU) and the College of Nursing (CON) emphasize lifelong learning to baccalaureate, masters, and doctorate nursing students.  The 13,000 TWU nursing alumni as well as over 100 nursing faculty and several hundred current graduate nursing students indicated support for lifelong learning was required. In 2007, the College of Nursing, as a university constituent unit, established a support unit for continuing nursing education in collaboration with the Assistant Vice President of Lifelong Learning. The Lifelong Learning-Continuing Nursing Education (LL-CNE) Provider Unit is a self-sustaining, independent division of the Office of Lifelong Learning. A provider application for continuing nursing education (CNE) was submitted in July 2008 to the Texas Nurses Association, and the LL-CNE Provider Unit received approval in October 2008. (Refer to Appendix A for Approved Provider Certificate and Letter.)