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CEANY’S 2009 CONFERENCE HONORS HOSTOS COMMUNITY COLLEGE’S CONTINUING EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT AND ITS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR LORRAINE ALTMAN

Eugenio María de Hostos Community College’s Continuing Education and Professional Studies Department received both “Best Catalog” and “Best Marketing” honors for 2009 from the Continuing Education Association of New York (CEANY), and Executive Director Lorraine Altman was named Continuing Educator of the Year.  These recognitions were conferred at CEANY’s 46th Annual Conference, held at the Gideon Putnam Resort in Saratoga Spring on October 7-9. 2009.

In keeping with this year’s theme of “Sowing Ideas and Harvesting Success in Difficult Times,” CEANY is dedicated to the promotion and support of quality programs of public continuing higher education in New York State, while serving as an advocate for postsecondary adult learners and encouraging the professional development of its members (www.ceany.org).

“I am truly honored,” said Ms. Altman at the CEANY awards ceremony. "What a wonderful and exciting night this is for Hostos."

Ms. Altman grew up in the Bronx. A graduate of Baruch College of the City University of New York, she was the first member of her family to attend college.  As a working single mother of two sons, she was able to earn her Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE).  Active in the Alumni Association, she received a scholarship to participate in the HGSE Institute for Management and Leadership in Education.

With over 25 years of experience in Adult Education and Workforce Development, Ms. Altman currently serves as the Executive Director of Continuing Education and Professional Studies at Hostos Community College. Starting with only a handful of courses, she has built this department into an incomparable asset for the South Bronx and surrounding communities.  Within her first five years at the college, Continuing Education and Professional Studies realized a 600% growth rate, serving over 5,000 students through twenty professional certificate programs, College for Kids, and personal enrichment courses. In seven years, its offerings have increased to almost 300 courses per semester, reaching nearly 10,000 students. Also of note, one of the department’s teachers was a finalist for The New York Times’ 2009 ESL Teacher of the Year.

External funding has contributed significantly to the growth of continuing education at Hostos. Jobs Plus, supported by funding provided to CUNY Central through the Mayor’s Office’s Center for Economic Opportunities (CEO) with Human Resources Administration (HRA) and NYCHA as partners, made it possible to pilot a job center at NYCHA’s Jefferson Houses in East Harlem. Directed by Zenobia Johnson, the Literacy Center was recently awarded the Bronx One-Stop Grant to offer GED and ESL courses focusing on the development of work readiness skills that lead to successful employment. 

“Ms. Altman’s leadership skills, which she has demonstrated as an active board member of CEANY and chairperson of the association’s highly successful 2005 conference, have brought Hostos Community College statewide recognition,” said her Hostos colleague Dr. Carlos Molina. As Dean for Special Programs, Dr. Molina oversees workforce development and training projects as well as continuing education initiatives.

In addition to Ms. Altman and Dr. Molina, other representatives of Hostos at the conference were Mr. Aldrin Bonilla, Site Administrator of CUNY in the Heights, and President Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. 

Mr. Bonilla participated in two panels: One entitled "No Budget? No Problem!" focused on developing special programming from inception to execution under unique circumstances; the other, entitled "Pricing Strategies to Increase Profit Margins and Retention," dealt with how to establish effective pricing and break-even points; ways to increase profit margins, enrollment, and retention; use of the data-driven approach; and skills, strategies, and techniques necessary for drawing conclusions from real-time information.

On the second day of the conference, President Matos Rodríguez joined administrators from other institutions for a Presidents’ Luncheon Plenary Panel entitled “How to Get Continuing Education a Seat at the Leadership Table.”  The discussion focused on strategies, techniques, philosophies, and best practices for the advancement of continuing education departments.  Among the issues they addressed were “how to spread the word about your department’s strengths and showcase its successes at the leadership table” and “how has continuing education been defined in most institutional visions.”

“Continuing education and workforce development are priorities at Hostos,” said President Matos Rodríguez. “It was very beneficial for both continuing education personnel and college presidents to participate in this conference, which focused on the vital role of lifelong learning in developing marketable skills that will enable an individual to find and keep a job.”

In addition to Dr. Matos Rodríguez, others who took part in the discussion were David Kohn and Dorene Lacovino of SUNY Orange, Shermira Busby of the New York City College of Technology, and Nina Leonhardt of Suffolk County Community College.

About CEANY
CEANY is a community of dedicated continuing education professionals focused on the needs of New York State public higher continuing education as well as advocates for the role of continuing education and informs and influences state policy affecting continuing education (http://www.ceany.org/).

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