The School of Continuing and Professional Studies is having a moment.
As the University of Virginia’s school year gets underway, the school that caters to adult learners and professionals seeking certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees is moving to a new home. The school will occupy space at Sycamore Hill, the former Federal Executive Institute property UVA acquired last year.
At the same time, the school just received approval to offer a new master’s degree: Master of Change Management. Previously, the school’s sole master’s program was geared to law-enforcement professionals, and since 2020, more than 500 have earned a Master of Public Safety degree.
UVA checked in with Dean Melissa Lubin about the move to a new location, the expansion of educational offerings, and why nontraditional students continue choosing UVA.
Q. You have a few things going on at the beginning of the semester. You’re moving into a new space at Sycamore Hill and offering a new degree: a Master of Change Management. Let’s start there. Who will benefit from this new degree?
A. The amazing thing about this degree is that it transcends industries and roles, so nearly everyone can benefit from this degree. When you pair that with the amount and the pace of change our society is facing with artificial intelligence, a distributed workforce, and so much more, you can see why these skills are highly in demand by employers across sectors.
Lubin says the school’s faculty strive to create community among adult learners and build connections to Grounds, so walking the Lawn at Final Exercises has real meaning for its graduates. (UVA School of Continuing and Professional Studies photo)
The degree is particularly impactful for current and aspiring mid- to senior-level managers, because we know it’s at this level within organizations where decisions are made and where influencing change is possible.
Q. What opportunities will moving to Sycamore Hill present that you might not have had before?
A. Moving to Sycamore Hill is huge for our school. It allows us to blend Thomas Jefferson’s enduring vision of lifelong learning with a contemporary interpretation of creating a residential living-and-learning community accessible for adult learners. The additional classroom and residential space allow us to offer high-quality in-person, hybrid and immersive learning experiences across all of our programs, beginning with our public safety and professional programs. It’s a new home for our entire community to gather and learn, and enables us to engage with the broader UVA community in creative new ways.
Q. The University of Virginia is steeped in tradition, largely based on its residential academic experience. How do you infuse the Wahoo spirit in adult learners, including those whose schooling may be largely online?
A. We know that fostering a sense of community for our online students is critical to their experience and to their success, so it’s something we work on with great intentionality. This starts with our faculty, who understand the needs of adult learners so well and do an incredible job of facilitating connection within their virtual classrooms.
We know our students are juggling busy families and careers, so we find additional opportunities that work for their lifestyles. We host events online and in person in various locations, whether that’s Charlottesville, Richmond, Northern Virginia or even another state. Last year, our (Washington D.C.) Metropolitan Police Department bachelor’s degree cohort, who don’t get to experience life on Grounds frequently, sported their orange and blue at a UVA football game. (They loved it!) In the past few years, we’ve been working on extending this sense of community to our alumni, so they stay engaged with our school and our future learners.
Q. There have been several stories in the news about some adult-learning programs offering undergraduate degrees in months rather than years. How do you convince adult learners of the value of a degree from the University of Virginia, and why it is worth the commitment?
A. Our students come to UVA because they are looking for the incredible academic experience they know UVA offers. They come to UVA because they have seen the UVA family and they want to be a part of it. Many of our bachelor’s completion students started out at UVA years ago and needed to put their journey on pause for a while. For most of our students, completing their degree at UVA is a lifelong dream. Once they’re here, it’s our responsibility to uphold that high bar and support them in their unique needs. At graduation, our students leave with more confidence and skills like critical thinking, communication and problem-solving that advance their success across industries and roles.
Q. Many people might not realize the School of Continuing and Professional Studies has been around, in some form, for more than a century. How do you see adult learning and your school evolving in the next several years?
A. Continuing education is definitely at a pivotal moment, and decisions that are made now will absolutely impact the future. We have to recognize that our students are consumers. They have an expectation of a high-quality program and a return on their investment. It’s incumbent upon higher education to deliver programs that are not only attractive, but that deliver the outcomes students and employers are looking for.
