FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 24, 2001 CONTACT: Lisa Lacher, (515) 271-3119 DRAKE CREATES NEW CENTER TO MEET THE EDUCATIONAL NEEDS OF BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT, NONPROFIT GROUPS Drake University President David Maxwell today announced the University has established a Center for Special and Professional Studies to be directed by Connie Sanderson, former learning and development manager at Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. "Creation of the center is a tangible manifestation of Drake's renewed commitment to meeting the broad range of educational needs of the Greater Des Moines community," President Maxwell said. "The center is designed to assess the learning needs of businesses, nonprofit organizations and governmental agencies in order to build bridges to the considerable expertise and resources of Drake University, so that we may provide customized workshops, classes, seminars and coaching that address those needs." As director of the center, Sanderson said her goal is to connect learning opportunities with business or organizational goals. "I'm eager to meet with businesses and other organizations to determine what educational programs they need to develop their work force and reach their goals," Sanderson said. "Then I'll work with Drake faculty and staff to design results-oriented programs that address the needs of each organization. Once the programs are under way, we will evaluate them to make sure that they are well-focused and producing the desired results." "This is the perfect opportunity for Greater Des Moines businesses to communicate their developmental needs and have those needs translated into practical classes and training," said Mary Bontrager, executive vice president of the Greater Des Moines Partnership. "This outreach to local businesses also assures future attendees that the instruction they receive is applicable to the local market's needs." Sanderson, who started her new job at Drake on Monday, has extensive experience in professional development, distance learning and higher education. She taught business and management courses at Des Moines Area Community College for six years before joining Pioneer Hi-Bred in 1989. At Pioneer, she provided consulting services to business units, developed learning opportunities for individuals and teams and coordinated the use of state funds as part of the 260E program that supports training for employees in newly created positions. She also initiated The Learning Consortium, a network that brought together Pioneer and nine other companies to share the costs and benefits of professional development programs administered by DMACC. The Learning Consortium won the Iowa Adult Learning Award for Creativity in 1999. In addition, The Learning Consortium played a key role in Pioneer's receiving the Governor's A+ Award in 2000. "We are very fortunate to have Connie Sanderson join Drake as director of the new Center for Special and Professional Studies," said Drake Provost Ronald Troyer. "She has vast experience and an impressive track record in professional and executive development." Sanderson holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Upper Iowa University and a master's degree in counseling psychology from Norwich University/Vermont College. She is also a graduate of the California-based Coaches Training Institute and has provided business coaching and instruction to Pioneer employees in a variety of domestic and international locations including Indonesia, India, Pakistan and Turkey. "Business coaching offers a stronger, sustainable approach to training," Sanderson said. "It goes beyond classes and teambuilding exercises to provide the support and encouragement that individuals often need to meet their personal and organizational goals." In addition to a broad spectrum of new initiatives, the Center for Special and Professional Studies will take over some of the programs previously offered at the Drake Business Center at 4949 Westown Parkway in West Des Moines. The Drake Business Center will close on Jan. 31 as a result of the University's Program Review process. The new Center for Special and Professional Studies is headquartered on the Drake campus. In fact, it's just across the hall from President Maxwell's office in Old Main. "I see the Center for Special and Professional Studies as transcending the original mission of the Drake Business Center," Sanderson said. "We're going to take professional development to the next level while maintaining some of the highly successful programs offered by the Drake Business Center." For example, the new center will continue the popular "Lessons in Leadership" Series this spring. As part of the series, Bob Nelson, author of "1001 Ways to Reward Employees," will come to the Des Moines area on Thursday, April 26, to present "The Rewards of Recognition: How to Generate the Energy Your Organization Needs." There will be a morning session and an afternoon session at the Adventureland Palace Theater in Altoona. For more information and registration, call 1-800-873-3451 or visit www.lessonsinleadership.com. Sanderson said she hopes large and small businesses as well as nonprofit organizations and government agencies will contact her to find out more about how the Center for Special and Professional Studies can help them meet their goals. She can be reached at (515) 271-3751 or connie.sanderson@drake.edu.