Professional Development

Professional Growth

The University has offered professional development programming for more than two decades. Now associated with the Center for Graduate and Advanced Studies, the Office of Professional Development offers conferences and related training and development programs. All programs are open to the public, and we encourage partnerships that will enhance our present programs or create new initiatives to serve our University community as well as our region.

Continuing Education Units are available for most programs. For further information, please contact Cathy Rivet, Professional Development Coordinator.

The most successful program is the annual Social Work Conference, held in Rivers Memorial Hall in late May and draws over 350 social work professionals and sponsors from throughout the Pioneer Valley for a day of presentations, workshops, and networking. A planning committee composed of social work professionals and the University’s department of Social Work develops the agenda and recruits speakers and workshop facilitators. A sponsorship initiative has allowed the committee to expand outreach and grow participation.

The Management Institute offers consulting and leadership development mentoring to organizations in the region, staffed by senior faculty in the College of Business.

The Mini-Law School is a recent addition to the University’s professional development programs. Offered in consecutive weeks in April and May, the program is designed based on a common theme, such as Gender and Sexuality, the 2016 topic.

The University’s Fundamentals of Engineering/Engineering in Training Program for Mechanical and Electrical Engineers (FE/EIT) is a twelve session program offered in the late winter each year over a six week period as preparation for the Engineering Professional Examination. College of Engineering faculty introduce students to concepts and solve problems similar in type and complexity to those encountered on the exam. Oriented to University engineering seniors, the program has attracted a growing number of engineering professionals from organizations throughout western Massachusetts and Hartford County, CT in recent years.

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