AU’s Washington Development Program will be renamed the School of Professional and Extended Studies on March 1, according to the Feb. 17 memo from Provost Scott Bass.
Phyllis Peres, senior vice provost and dean of academic affairs, said the school is also being reorganized to acknowledge the presence of non-matriculation undergraduate programs like Washington Semester.
While the school’s name will change, the individual names of its programs will not.
“These program names are a valuable asset to the University,” Vice Provost for Academic Administration Violeta Ettle said. “The Washington Semester Program is now in its 65th year of existence and is the premier experiential learning program in the country.”
Ettle said the change in name would better reflect the program’s existing and new sub-programs and help recruit new students. Washington Development Programs currently includes:
• Washington Semester Program,
• Washington Semester International Certificate Program,
•Washington Graduate Gateway,
•Washington Internship for Native Students
• And the Washington Mentorship Program.
A new English Language Transition Program will be included in the School of Professional and Extended Studies. Ettle said the program is “an academic bridge curriculum for international students who have been conditionally admitted to AU.” The program is scheduled to launch in spring 2013.
Ettle said she does not expect any problems implementing the new name.
“Implementing such a change is not a ‘turnkey’ operation,” Ettle said. “For example, we need to create a new website for the School, change the links with the old name, design new stationery, change our marketing materials, business cards, program brochures, etc.”
Members of the school’s staff have already begun to develop these new materials, which they expect to be finished in two or three months, Ettle said. The website will require more than a few months to complete.
A search committee has been formed to find the new dean of the School of Professional and Extended Studies. School of Public Affairs Dean William LeoGrande will chair the committee.
