National Leadership
Judy Ashcroft begins term as president-elect of UCEA.
CIE Dean Judy Ashcroft has been elected president-elect of the University Continuing Education Association (UCEA), a membership organization for public and private degree-granting colleges and universities and for nonprofits with a significant commitment to professional and continuing education. Ashcroft will serve as president-elect in 2009-2010, with Kent State University’s Patricia Book as president. Ashcroft served as the last chair of UCEA’s Independent Study Division before transitioning under a new UCEA structure to co-chair the first Distance Education Community of Practice for two terms and then to serve as chair of the Futures and Markets Commission. She represented three commissions on the Finance Committee, the Executive Committee, and the UCEA Board of Directors.
In April at UCEA’s 94th annual meeting in Boston, Ashcroft made two invited presentations. For the Deans and Directors Workshop, she presented an outline of new leadership skills required for success in uncertain and financially challenging times. At the Accreditation Workshop, she provided specific best practices for helping faculty move to a culture of outcomes assessment.
As a national officer at UCEA, Ashcroft seeks to continue the “optimism, vision, and entrepreneurial approach” of UCEA presidents she has worked with previously. She sees her greatest challenge as continuing to create community in an international organization when budget cuts are precluding traditional face-to-face meetings.