Colorado State Opens Additional Continuing Education Office in Loveland’s Centerra

In response to the needs of local employers for workforce training, the Division of Continuing Education at Colorado State University will open a new location to offer professional development workshops and seminars at Centerra, a 3,300-acre master-planned community located at Interstate 25 and Highway 34 in Loveland.

The Division of Continuing Education will continue to have a central office on the CSU campus in Fort Collins. Centerra provides a central, accessible location from which to offer Continuing Education services at 2915 Rocky Mountain Ave. The move will open up space on the main CSU campus to better serve the needs of on-campus students.

"We hear consistently through business leaders that education and training is increasingly important to our economy, including the attraction of high-quality industry and jobs," said Lou Swanson, vice provost for Outreach and Strategic Partnerships at Colorado State. "Through this location at Centerra, Colorado State can do more to help drive growth of highly skilled employees for Loveland and northern Colorado employers closer to where they’re doing business."

"The CSU partnership aligns well with Centerra’s goals," said Jay Hardy, Vice President/General Manager – Centerra, McWhinney.

"Lifelong learning is central to the Centerra fabric and its core themes of live, work and play," Hardy said. "Viewed as a win/win for both students and employers, continuing education opportunities at Centerra are an extremely important element for our employers to attract and retain quality employees, while CSU’s students also will benefit from a closer relationship with the growing employment base at Centerra."

Swanson credited McWhinney with having the vision to approach Colorado State about co-locating programs at Centerra. Swanson added that the university has created similar business partnerships in Brighton, and plans to expand such relationships in communities throughout Colorado.

Professional development seminars and workshops will begin in February 2009. They are expected to improve businesses’ leadership or managerial options so they can stay competitive, and increase the pace of employee growth and development. Non-credit courses will be offered days, evenings, and weekends for working professionals in the areas of leadership development, teamwork, job skills, work process improvement, and work-life balance.

Continuing Education’s offerings through the Centerra location will expand in the future to include on-site and custom training for businesses, as well as online learning opportunities.

"Continuing Education is working to meet the growing need in the business community for on-demand programs and services," said Swanson.

Eventually, Colorado State plans to create Lifelong Learning Communities throughout the state at locations such as Centerra and with other corporate and government partners as well as the university’s 59 Extension offices. Through CSU Global Campus, the university is also collaborating with the Colorado Community College System to more readily offer opportunities for advanced degrees to students with associate’s degrees.

The Division of Continuing Education at Colorado State University develops and delivers quality programs and educational opportunities in support of the university’s land-grant mission with fully online and face-to-face graduate and undergraduate degrees; professional development training; certificate programs; online credit and noncredit courses; and industry specific training throughout Northern Colorado, Denver, and wherever students are located through online and distance delivery modes.

For more information about the Division of Continuing Education, go to http://www.learn.colostate.edu/.

For more information about Centerra, please visit www.centerracolorado.com.

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About Centerra:

Centerra, an award-winning 3,300-acre master-planned community located in Loveland, Colorado, is a McWhinney development. As a community designed to enhance all aspects of life, Centerra integrates neighborhoods with recreation, art, shopping and dining, business opportunities, and medical services. Centerra offers Northern Colorado’s first lifestyle center, The Promenade Shops at Centerra; the Medical Center of The Rockies, a state-of-the-art 136 bed regional hospital that is on track to be one of the only LEED certified hospitals in the nation; and The Marketplace at Centerra, one of Northern Colorado’s largest contiguous power shopping centers. Centerra, which was recognized by the National Association of Industrial & Office Properties (NAIOP) as the Colorado Chapter’s 2003 Development of the Year, embodies the company’s purpose of creating great places for people. For additional information, visit www.centerracolorado.com.