Our name has changed, our mission has not
KU Professional & Continuing Education (PCE) has changed its name to KU Lifelong & Professional Education (LPE) in an effort to best represent its long-standing mission to offer non-credit education, lifelong learning, and employee training and development across the Kansas City region, the state and the world.
Sharon Graham will continue to direct the overall scope of all LPE programs in a new, expanded role as vice provost of LPE, reporting directly to KU Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Barbara Bichelmeyer. All other LPE directors remain in place, leading their respective units.
“I’m excited to have the opportunity to work directly with Provost Bichelmeyer and firmly believe in her vision for what we can do,” Graham said. “The connection that a university has with students should be much more than a two-year, a four-year or even an eight-year connection. It should be a lifelong relationship and thus the name change.”
LPE will continue the organization’s rich history of providing relevant, trusted programming. From its beginning in 1891 as the KU School of University Extension, PCE has always addressed the needs of working professionals without direct access to a college or university. Today’s LPE continues this mission of offering professional education in addition to workforce training and lifelong enrichment. LPE will remain the umbrella organization for the following major programs:
— Aerospace Engineering
KU has become a global leader in aerospace training by solving the industry’s aerospace training challenges with high-quality, custom-built, specialized short courses conducted in-house and at locations across the world.
— Technology
To keep pace in today’s ever-changing world of technology innovations, LPE offers four comprehensive training programs in the most sought-after fields — coding, data analytics, cybersecurity and digital marketing. The hands-on courses are built to allow individuals to expand their existing job duties or add a new career.
— Leadership & Management
Hundreds of Kansas City area business-people rely on LPE for current, relevant business courses and webinars that tackle the toughest challenges in today’s business world — from change management and emotional intelligence to enhancing workplace communication and personal branding. It's training for working professionals with no applications, prerequisites, homework or tests. Training is available in several formats, including webinars, live workshops and in-office. Participants can select from a wide range of relevant topics and earn a KU certificate upon completion.
— Social and Behavioral Sciences
KU Lifelong & Professional Education has been providing training for working professionals in the social and behavioral sciences since 1891. Today it partners with renowned faculty, field researchers and organizations to offer continuing education programs that help thousands of social and behavioral science professionals advance their careers through new research applications, networking with colleagues, earning credits for licensure and more. Courses include an online, self-paced Applied Behavior Analysis for Practitioners training program designed and conducted by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst from the KU Department of Applied Behavioral Science.
— Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
KU’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute offers noncredit enrichment courses and events at accessible and innovative learning environments throughout northeastern Kansas and Greater Kansas City with a special focus for folks 50 and "better," although learners of all ages and backgrounds are welcome. It is one of 124 lifelong learning institutes across the nation partially funded by The Bernard Osher Foundation in San Francisco, and more than 2,000 individuals every year.
— Conference & Event Management
KU Lifelong & Professional Education provides comprehensive conference & event management, planning, logistics and implementation support for events from large, national conferences with a national scope to instructional webinars for your employees or seminars for an executive group.
— Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC)
Established by the Kansas Legislature in 1968, KLETC serves as the central law enforcement training facility for the state and as headquarters for all law enforcement training in Kansas. Located at the former naval air station, which is situated south of the City of Hutchinson and west of the City of Yoder in Reno County, Kansas, the training campus includes 15 buildings on 173 acres, including two residential dormitories.
— Kansas Fire & Rescue Training Institute
The Kansas Fire & Rescue Training Institute was created in 1949 by Kansas law to provide training for the Kansas Fire Service. The Institute is a dynamic organization providing training services through a "Mobile Fire Academy" concept. This concept is designed to accommodate local needs through training delivered anytime, anyplace, or anywhere in Kansas at no cost to Kansas firefighters. Institute staff members log over 185,000 miles within the state per year traveling to serve Kansas fire departments.
Graham said these programs give students the opportunity to learn, facilitating meaningful and productive lives, which is important especially in today’s world.
“Some have called this the “60-year curriculum” to reflect the new reality,” she said. “Our jobs will continue to engage university partners and create pathways for students throughout their lives.”
From a bold educational pioneer to a leading provider of professional education programming, LPE appreciates your trust and the opportunity to meet your workforce training and lifelong enrichment needs. For more information on LPE programs, call 785-864-5823, email lpe@ku.edu, or complete the online request form.
