Centenary Launches its Center for Innovative Learning (CIL)
On Thursday, October 17th, 2024, Centenary College launched its new education initiative, the Center for Innovative Learning (CIL). This Center aims to offer “continuing education, professional development, and other innovative programs to the Shreveport-Bossier City community and beyond.” The program is part of a larger goal of Centenary’s to become Shreveport-Bossier’s college, providing the community with all methods for education and career advancement. The program aligns with Centenary’s Bold at the Bicentennial strategic plan, which aims to expand its offerings as a college.
The program is predominately online and accessible to a global audience as well as Centenary students and alum. There are six main program divisions, each holding its own array of courses: Medical Health Professions, Business, Cybersecurity and Information Technology, Teacher Professional Development, Health and Fitness, and Legal Studies. In total, there are three hundred courses for a varying array of tuition costs. Popular courses include “Medical Billing and Coding,” “Pharmacy Technician,” and “Certified Paralegal.” The courses are labled by hours of workload, spanning between as few as thirty hours to close to eight hundred hours. Prices for the courses vary, but several are currently discounted, and many of the courses that require exams to earn the final certificate offer exam vouchers.
According to Dr. Chris Holoman, Centenary’s President, the program should work to address specifically the Shreveport-Bossier workforce. He feels that in the current moment there are too many positions open with too few qualified applicants to fill them. Centenary administration identifies the healthcare sector as the fastest growing sector, and in North-West Louisiana, there is an immediate need for qualified professionals. As Centenary is known for training top-students for the medical field, the administration felt it was a great step to provide courses to the broader community.
Centenary has partnered with ed2go, an online certificate and educational training program to run the courses. Many of the courses are available immediately and taken asynchronously at the pace of the student. While course tuitions can reach well into the thousands of dollars, there are government funding options and funding options for military and military spouses. Information on financial aid is available on the CIL website.
Dr. Karen Soul, Centenary’s vice president for academic affairs and provost, is heading the program. Dr. Soul; Dr. Holoman; Dr. Scott Chirhart, dean of the school of health sciences; and Dr. Barbara Davis, dean of the Frost School of Business were all present at the opening ceremony on Thursday. Members from the board of trustees, community leaders, and media representatives were also in attendance. This program marks a next step for Centenary College in advancing its role as a leader in the local community. To learn more about the offered courses, find the website here.
