College Wins International Award

Best Programming in Lifelong Learning: Courses for Careers

San Francisco State University's College of Professional & Global Engagement has won an International Award in lifelong learning for Best Programming by the Learning Resources Network (LERN), the largest association in lifelong learning in the world.

Angie Lipschuetz accepted the award. The award was only one of twenty given at LERN’s big annual conference in San Diego recently attended by 800 professionals in lifelong learning from five countries.

“The award is for innovation in the field of lifelong learning and serving communities,” noted LERN President William A. Draves. “These awards enhance the quality and involvement in lifelong learning, an absolutely critical component to individual and community quality of life and prosperity in this century”, he noted.

“With more than 100 award nominations every year, gaining an International Award is an outstanding achievement,” Draves said.

In announcing the award, Draves noted:

“During the pandemic, the college created Courses for Causes, which enrolled 250 students. Building on that success, they then designed Courses for Careers, an initiative in response to the mass layoffs occurring in the Bay Area in 2023, mainly impacting tech workers. These free and discounted courses provided immediate upskilling and reskilling to help dislocated workers find gainful employment as well as potentially launch them into a certificate or degree program. Don’t mistake ‘free’ for non-income producing. Today, they are leads and conversions into certificates and degree programs.