A New Name for a Broader University Commitment

Cleveland State University’s Division of Continuing and Extended Education is now the Division of Lifelong Learning and Workforce Development. More than a change in terminology, the new name signals a renewed commitment to serving learners, employers, and the region across the full course of working life.

The name reflects the Division’s evolving role within CSU’s Talent Hub, a collaborative university effort designed to connect education, workforce development, and regional economic opportunity. It also recognizes the changing reality that learning no longer occurs only before a career begins. People must continually develop new knowledge, earn relevant credentials, and navigate transitions as industries and occupations evolve.

For employers, Lifelong Learning and Workforce Development signals a university partner prepared to listen closely to workforce needs and translate them into high-quality educational responses. Our work will increasingly emphasize industry-recognized certifications, faculty-designed microcredentials, customized professional education, and programs developed with employers to address current and emerging talent pipeline needs.

This work also reflects CSU’s commitment to expanding work-based learning opportunities for all students. Through internships, co-ops, apprenticeships, employer-informed projects, clinical experiences, and other forms of learning connected directly to professional practice, students can apply what they are learning while developing the experience and relationships that support career mobility. Work-based learning also gives employers meaningful opportunities to engage emerging talent, shape preparation, and build stronger pathways into hard-to-fill roles.

For the broader community, the new name affirms that CSU is a university for learners at every stage of life. A person pursuing a workforce credential, completing a degree, preparing for advancement, or responding to technological change is not peripheral to the University’s mission. Each is a CSU learner.

Through the Talent Hub, the Division will work alongside CSU’s colleges, faculty, enrollment teams, and external partners to connect learning with work, recognize knowledge gained through experience, and create meaningful opportunities for continued advancement.

The Division of Lifelong Learning and Workforce Development names the work more clearly. It also expresses CSU’s promise to remain a partner in learning throughout a lifetime.