Potential participants in the College's new executive education programs are many and varied, organizers of the professional development courses say.

Some are executives with undergraduate business degrees who, as they ascend the corporate ladder, find themselves needing to broaden and upgrade their skills in light of new developments in technology and management techniques. Others, who lack formal business training, are seeking to learn the fundamentals necessary for career success. Still others want to develop their expertise in one particular area of business--finance or marketing, for example--or just want to learn how to lead better meetings or deliver more effective presentations.

One thing they have in common, Scott Jones says, is that they all want flexible educational programs without the commitment of a full-fledged degree. And, all can find what they want in B&E's new programs, says Jones, professor and associate dean of the College.

"It's clear from what business professionals say they want that there is a need for executive education," he says. "We've worked with the best professors in the College, as well as outside experts, to develop a slate of flexible, short-term programs that meet those needs."

The new programs consist of 22 open-enrollment courses, most of which meet for three hours on one weekday evening or in a single, daylong session--all at the Goodstay Center on the University's Wilmington campus. The inaugural offerings began in March, with another slate scheduled to meet in the fall. Participants can pick and choose, attending one course or many to fit their needs, interests and schedules. With the exception of a few specialty courses, such as one on presentation skills led by a former television journalist, the classes are taught by full-time B&E faculty.

The newly revamped executive education programs revise and expand on the College's management development certificate program, which was offered for many years. That "mini-MBA" certificate continues to be available to those who complete 10 of the new executive education classes.

"The difference with the new program is that the participants can custom-design it by choosing the 10 courses that meet their needs, rather than enrolling for a prearranged curriculum of 10 courses we selected," Jones says. "Some of these offerings are basic courses, while others are cutting-edge topics that business professionals have told us they want."

The 22 executive education offerings include Effective Leadership, Essentials of eBusiness Strategy, Using Financial Concepts to Make Business Decisions, Marketing Fundamentals and Effective Negotiations. To guide prospective participants, the program suggests tracks of courses in such areas as financial literacy, information technology, marketing and managing and working with others.

"For me, the College's expanded executive education program is one of the most exciting things to happen since my arrival here two years ago," Dean Michael Ginzberg says. "There is tremendous demand in the business community for management training and development, and the programs we are offering help to meet that demand."?

In addition to continuing to offer the 22 classes, plans call for developing programs specifically to meet the needs of particular companies, industries or groups. Such programs could be offered on campus or at a corporate training site.

"We have the ability to tailor and modify the courses we already offer, or to develop entirely new courses, to meet additional needs of the business community," Jones says. "We think this ability will allow us to develop strong, long-term partnerships with business."

Designing a course or a program for a company enables the content to be targeted to the firm's training needs and to its corporate culture, Jones says. He notes that such classes could be offered on campus or at the worksite, saving employees and employers both time and money.

"Feedback has been very positive," Jones says. "The business community is excited to see what we're doing."

--Ann Manser, AS '73, CHEP '73