Bloustein Online Continuing Education Program to be replaced by better Master Practitioner Certificate program

From the Director:

In 2005, the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy took on an enormous challenge: Providing high-quality continuing education that would be affordable and accessible to as many planners as possible.  There was, and is, plenty of continuing education that is cheap – in price and quality.  There are also training programs, conferences and workshops that were and are so expensive that only the most privileged members of the planning community could attend.

So in April 2005, we launched Bloustein Online Continuing Education for Planners (later Bloustein Online Continuing Education Program.)  Dedicated to building leaders for planning and public affairs in the 21st century, and following our motto (“Planners Should Know Better”), we offered more than 70 courses between 2005 and 2011.  They ranged from one-hour webinars on business development to five-week Deep Learning courses designed to challenge the assumptions and thinking of learners.  Courses covered such topics as business development, community development, economic development, environmental planning, land use law, leadership, sustainability, technology, and urban design. 

All the courses were designed to give you more, at less cost, than other continuing education programming.

In six years, we served more than 1,500 people from every inhabited continent.  With planners from Poland and Pakistan sharing ideas in their classes with counterparts from Pennsylvania, BOCEP epitomized Rutgers University’s motto: “Jersey Roots, Global Reach.”

High-quality continuing education is expensive to maintain. Like so many other new ventures, we were on our way to financial sustainability when the Great Recession struck.  We did alright for a while and to the end, were attracting more interest from more professionals.  But as government agencies, planning firms, and nonprofit organizations tightened their belts, the number of registrations dropped.  Some learners found themselves too stressed at work to face the challenges of our Deep Learning courses.

In summer 2011, we came to the difficult conclusion that our business model could not survive in a stagnant economy.  We could have reduced our quality or dramatically increased our prices, but neither strategy was in line with our mission and values.

But we are committed to meeting our mission, and have developed what we believe is a stronger set of programs.  The new Master Practitioner Certificate programs will build on the high quality of BOCEP Deep Learning and add client/business development activities that no other program offers.  The new Certificate programs will be delivered through The Leading Institute. 

Anyone who has been pursuing a Certificate program through BOCEP will be able to complete their program by the end of 2012.

The new program is scheduled to launch in spring 2012.  We will provide more information about Master Practitioner certificates in fall 2011, and announce updates through our newsletter: PDI Advisor. To get updates, please sign up for our newsletter.

Thanks to everyone who has supported the mission of BOCEP for 2005.  We hope to bring you even more value in 2012.

Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP
Director, The Leading Institute, Arts Build Communities and Professional Development Institute