DCE commemorates 50 years of creativity and influence

The Division of Continuing Education initiated its yearlong festivities for its 50th anniversary last week with a virtual launch event, showcasing the division’s leadership in shaping the future of continuing education.

Including Harvard Extension School, Harvard Summer School, Harvard DCE Professional & Executive Development, and the Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement, DCE is recognized as one of the most varied academic factions at Harvard University. 

The online gathering united alumni, faculty, staff, and students for a retrospective on the past, a dialogue about the present, and an exhilarating preview of the future.

In his introductory remarks, President Alan Garber underscored DCE’s significant role within the University, emphasizing its function in granting a wider range of learners access to the institution.

Since its inception in 1975, DCE “has broadly opened the gates of the University,” stated Garber, noting that the thousands who have engaged with Harvard through DCE are pursuing “their academic passions within a learning environment that embraces transformation and fosters innovation.”

His comments set a positive atmosphere for the event, reinforcing DCE’s commitment to inclusivity and academic excellence.

DCE Dean Nancy Coleman and Hopi Hoekstra, the Edgerley Family Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, deliberated on the development of DCE and its many accomplishments. The longest-standing entities, Harvard Extension School and Harvard Summer School, have successfully integrated its two “younger” departments — the Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement and its Professional & Executive Development programs, remarked the deans.

“The outcome is four academic units under one roof that genuinely connect learners throughout their lifetime,” Coleman stated. “In theory, a student could start at DCE Harvard Summer School at 16 years old and return numerous times over their lifetime to continue their education.”

Hoekstra noted that DCE is a “unique place that offers significant value not just to the FAS, but to the entire University and beyond.” She stressed how DCE is embedded in the Harvard community, promoting innovation and access while extending opportunities globally for all learners.

Reflecting on the path taken was Michael Shinagel, who was appointed DCE’s inaugural dean in 1975 by then-FAS Dean Henry Rosovsky. Shinagel holds the record as the longest-serving dean in Harvard history, guiding DCE for nearly 40 years before retiring in 2013. He expressed his deep dedication to the mission of continuing education and the opportunities it affords.

When Coleman inquired about his vision for the next 50 years, Shinagel chuckled and replied, “Nothing is unchanging except transformation. And nothing shifts more than, I believe, continuing education. But where do we find ourselves at the forefront? Where are we consistently experimenting, and so forth? It’s continuing education.”

DCE will honor its anniversary throughout the year with a series of monthly occasions.