I have worked in the continuing education field for over 20 years, mostly in New York City, and was an assistant provost at the City University of New York and dean of continuing education at Long Island University prior to my current position.

Prior to these positions I was a high school social sciences teacher in Louisville, KY. When I decided to return to graduate school to pursue a doctorate, I chose adult education because I realized it would be a stimulating and growing field, and this has turned out to be the case. I earned my doctorate at Columbia University in New York and wrote my dissertation on the counseling and support service needs of adult undergraduate students. While I was in graduate school. I worked as a “subway professor,” which means that I was an adjunct instructor at several City University of New York campuses and often had to catch a subway train after class to travel to another campus (and I planned more than a few class sessions underground!)

In 2000, I returned to Bloomington, which I believe is one of the truly great college towns in the United States. At IU, I oversee the General Studies degree program (IU’s adult degree program), as well as numerous noncredit programs including Mini University, Lifelong Learning, Professional Development, and Leadership Bloomington- Monroe County. Our courses and faculty have won numerous state and national awards.

I enjoy working in creative, entrepreneurial environments, which accurately describes most university continuing education

divisions. I especially enjoy my work because the field of adult education is so large and diverse, and there are an endless variety of new program ideas to develop. We have the ability to experiment and launch new initiatives with fewer restrictions and levels of approval than do typical academic departments. I also enjoy teaching because the interaction with graduate students is stimulating and fun, and I always learn something new from my students, even if I’ve taught a course multiple times. Given the demographic and societal trends, as well as the ever-growing need to continue learning, I think the field of continuing education will be very promising for new practitioners and those considering entering the field.

I have made numerous presentations at state and national conferences, including the University Continuing Education Association and the Association for Continuing Higher Education, and served as the New York/New Jersey co-chair for this organization for two years. In addition, my staff and I were awarded the Bloomington Chamber of Commerce 2003 Community Leadership Award for our efforts to make IU more responsive to the learning needs of the Bloomington community.

Ron teaches ACE-D 506 and 625 (Adult and Continuing Education in Collegiate Settings)

See what Ron is doing at: