Five finalists named for continuing studies director

Five candidates have been named as finalists for the University of Wisconsin–Madison vice provost for lifelong education and director of the Division of Continuing Studies (DCS), Provost Patrick Farrell announced today.

The finalists are:

• Robert J. Hansen, associate provost in the Division of University Outreach, University of Southern Maine (USM) in Portland;
• Richard J. Huber, manager of global training for GE Healthcare’s Global Monitoring Solutions (GMS) in Milwaukee;
• Jeet Joshee, dean of the College of Extended Learning at California State University at San Bernardino;
• Richard C. Lee, vice provost for educational outreach and extension and professor of education, University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV); and
• George Charles Mejicano, UW–Madison associate dean for continuing professional development and director of the Office of Continuing Professional Development in Medicine and Public Health.

"This position will be responsible for advancing UW–Madison’s mission to provide lifelong learning and professional education opportunities for the citizens of Wisconsin, an area that has seen a dramatic growth in demand," says Farrell. "We are looking for a creative and innovative leader who can take the reins of one the country’s largest continuing education programs, provide leadership to division staff, and help position DCS for continued success."

The Division of Continuing Studies coordinates more than 2,000 courses and programs annually that reach more than 140,000 people seeking career advancement and academic enrichment. The division also provides academic support to more than 10,000 "non-traditional" students – those who are outside the traditional 18-22 year-old college age range.

The new director will replace Howard Martin, the current DCS dean, who is retiring after two decades of leading DCS and a 42-year career with the university.

More on the candidates:

• Hansen has been associate provost at USM since July 2005, and prior to that was executive director of USM’s Division of Community and Professional Education since August 2004. Hansen also worked as executive director of off-campus programs for Saint Xavier University in Chicago from 2001-2004. In his present job, Hansen is responsible for extending USM’s undergraduate and graduate learning opportunities to non-traditional times, locations and formats. His division serves more than 80,000 people annually, and steers non-credit community outreach and public service for southern Maine. Hansen has a Ph.D. in English from the University of Notre Dame; master’s degrees in English from both the University of Michigan and Illinois State University; and a bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Illinois.

• Huber has been manager of global training at GE Healthcare since May 2006, and has been with GE Healthcare since 1990. His other positions include manager of clinical education and e-media services (2000-2006); manager of learning technologies (1995-2000); and manager of technical service training (1990-1995). Huber also worked in business outreach education programs with Waukesha County Community College (1974-1981) and Milwaukee Area Technical College (1981-1990). In his current job, Huber leads the development and implementation of a global training procedure for more than 3,500 GMS employees in five different countries. Huber has a Ph.D. in continuing adult and vocational education from UW–Madison; a master’s in business teacher education from UW–Madison; and a bachelor’s in marketing education from Western Michigan University.

• Joshee has been dean of the College of Extended Learning at CSU-San Bernardino since 2005, and also served as assistant dean of the College of Continuing Studies and associate professor of international culture studies at the University of Connecticut (UConn) from 2000-2005. Prior to that, he was UConn’s executive director of the Center for Professional Development and University Conference Services from 1996-2000.In his current job, Joshee plays a leadership role in extending the university’s educational resources to the public and private sectors of California’s Inland Empire region, the 14th largest metropolitan area in the U.S. Joshee received his master’s and Ph.D. in international education from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst; a master’s from the School for International Training in Vermont; and a bachelor’s from Tribhuvan University in Nepal.

• Lee has been vice provost with UNLV since June 2004, and also in 2004 served a year in residence as a distinguished university professor with Emporia State University in Kansas. Lee was provost and professor of education at Cameron University in Oklahoma; and dean of graduate studies and continuing education at UW-Whitewater from 1994-2003. In his current job, Lee works closely with UNLV’s 17 colleges and schools to integrate teaching and research programs with the university’s outreach and public engagement initiatives. His division serves as the main point of contact for non-traditional learners. Lee received a Ph.D. in special education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; and a master’s in educational psychology and a bachelor’s in educational psychology and early childhood education, all from UW-Milwaukee.

• Mejicano has been associate dean at the UW–Madison School of Medicine and Public Health since 2006, and served as assistant dean and director of the school’s Office of Continuing Medical Education from 1999-2006. Mejicano has been with UW–Madison since 1996. From 1997-2000, Mejicano was the medical school’s associate director of the Wisconsin Internal Medicine Residency Program. In his current job, Mejicano’s office works to foster and maintain a competent medical and public health workforce in Wisconsin; produce changes in behavior that lead to practice improvements; and improve the health of both patients and the state population as a whole. Mejicano received his M.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago; a master’s and bachelor’s in ceramic engineering from the U of I at Urbana-Champaign; and a master’s in vocational and continuing education from UW–Madison.

The new director of DCS will oversee a staff of 120 full-time people and a budget of approximately $70 million. Plans for on-campus visits and public opportunities to meet the finalists will be announced as soon as they are finalized.