Innovation on tap for School of Continuing Studies
Major changes are in store for the School of Continuing Studies at Tulane University.
Suri Duitch, new dean of the school and Tulane vice president for academic innovation, said a new name is on the horizon: “A name that is for 2017 and beyond.”
The rebranding of the school will likely be rolled out by next summer. The new name will reflect Duitch’s and her colleagues’ ambitious plans for the school to become “the preeminent place in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region for applied learning and career advancement for adults.”
“I am excited to shape an institution with a great history and to think in new ways about how to serve the community.”
Suri Duitch, dean of the School of Continuing Studies and Tulane vice president for academic innovation
Duitch, who has been on the job for about a month, said she is excited “to shape an institution with a great history and to think in new ways about how to serve the community, how to serve working adults, how to partner with employers, and how to do creative and innovative pedagogical work both in the classroom and online.”
The move to offering online coursework is essential, said Duitch. And that’s not only in the School of Continuing Studies but also in other parts of the university. “It’s an important thing to do,” she said. “It’s fundamental for any strong university’s long-term health, education-wise, financially and all kinds of ways.”
The School of Continuing Studies initiated an online master’s degree in homeland security with 55 new students enrolled this fall. The school also offers coursework in cybersecurity. “We want to build on it and expand it,” said Duitch. Cybersecurity is a career field with a demand for people with skills and knowledge.
The school also will soon put information services and technology courses online as part of the applied computing degree program.
“That’s an important move to make,” she said. “We’ll still have classroom-based programs. That’s equally important. We need to have both.”
