Center for Innovative Learning launches at Centenary College to support workforce readiness and professional development
SHREVEPORT, LA — Centenary College officially announced its new initiative, the Center for Innovative Learning, at an event on Thursday, October 17, at 8:00 a.m. in the Hardy Hall of Fame Room on the Centenary campus. The Center for Innovative Learning will be fully accessible to a global audience online at centenary.edu/cil.
Individuals seeking continuing education and professional development will have immediate access to a catalog of over 800 online continuing education courses, certificate programs, and professional development opportunities through the Center for Innovative Learning (CIL) in areas such as medical health professions, business, cybersecurity and information technology, teacher preparation and continuing education, wellness and fitness, and legal studies.
Centenary president Dr. Christopher L. Holoman was joined by Dr. Karen Soul, vice president for academic affairs and provost; Dr. Scott Chirhart, dean of the school of health sciences; Dr. Barbara Davis, dean of the Frost School of Business, in outlining how the CIL offerings will build on Centenary’s strengths as an undergraduate liberal arts college to better meet the needs of area employers for a skilled, creative, and adaptable workforce.
Soul has led the initiative to establish the CIL at Centenary.
“Through the Center for Innovative Learning, Centenary College demonstrates our ongoing commitment to the education and future of the Shreveport-Bossier community, as well as learners around the globe,” said Soul. “Starting today, individuals can register for and complete online courses and earn credentials at competitive tuition through one of the nation’s Top Liberal Arts Colleges. I am so proud to be leading an initiative that can serve our community and broaden the reach of this great institution.”
At the announcement event, Centenary president Holoman placed the opening of the CIL in historical context as the College prepares to celebrate its bicentennial in 2025.
“One hundred and ninety-nine years ago, the College that would become Centenary was founded to serve the educational needs of the then still-new state of Louisiana,” said Holoman. “Today, we expand that mission and scope to a global scale as we begin our third century. We feel so strongly about addressing the workforce needs of the Ark-La-Tex. We hear all the time about the difficulty our employers have in finding qualified individuals.”
Jaf Fielder, president and CEO of Willis Knighton Health; Dr. Joseph Bocchini, chief academic officer for Willis Knighton; and Dave Smith, director of the Entrepreneurial Accelerator Program at BRF in Shreveport, also spoke at the announcement event to offer perspectives on the immediate and future impacts that the CIL will have on the local economy.
“Workforce development is probably going to be one of the biggest obstacles for businesses nationwide over the next several years,” said Fielder. “Centenary is very forward-looking, I think, to develop a program like this to enhance the workforce for employers in the area. We see the CIL as an opportunity for our employees to have the ability to increase their professional opportunities by getting online certifications that make them more valuable to us, but also give them opportunities to move through our organization and promote themselves from within.”
With the launch of the CIL, Willis Knighton has committed to providing encouragement and financial assistance for its current and prospective employees to pursue their own professional development and career advancement goals by completing CIL courses and certificates.
“This partnership is a win-win for both of our organizations,” continued Fielder. “We would encourage other employers to support this program as well.”
Shreveport’s Entrepreneurial Accelerator Program (EAP) recently celebrated a decade of providing startup support, mentoring, and networking opportunities for local entrepreneurs. In his remarks at the launch, EAP executive director Smith shared that the flexibility and variety of the CIL’s online courses and certificate programs is perfectly suited to the entrepreneurs they serve, many of whom are already employed but eager to gain new skills or learn new technologies.
“Having this online program will allow them to stay in the workforce and develop the skills they need to be successful,” said Smith.
Centenary’s CIL will continue to evolve to include credit-bearing courses, graduate programs, trainings, and workshops tailored to the needs of the community.
“This is step one of a multi-year process of many different kinds of initiatives,” said Holoman in his closing remarks. “We look forward to new master’s programs. We look forward to things that specifically address the needs of this area, such as supporting the film industry. We’re going to be working with individuals in the community to create their own courses that we can then offer to the world at large. We’re very excited about this new chapter in the 200-year history of Centenary College.”
A video of the announcement event is available on Centenary’s Facebook page at facebook.com/CentenaryCollegeLa.
For more information about the Center for Innovative Learning, contact Dr. Karen Soul, vice president for academic affairs and provost, at ksoul@centenary.edu.