Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges: How Continuing Education Divisions Are Powering Institutional Innovation

In today’s rapidly evolving higher education landscape, universities are rethinking traditional models and embracing new approaches to meet the needs of modern learners—those who seek education not just in their late teens and early twenties, but throughout their lives.
 
At the forefront of this transformation are Continuing Education (CE) divisions, which are uniquely positioned to operationalize growth and innovation across universities.
 
This was the focus of a recent episode of the Illumination podcast featuring Sheila LeBlanc, Associate Vice-President of Continuing Education at the University of Calgary.
 
The interview expanded on comments LeBlanc shared in CAUCE’s recent Executive Guide, 12 Key Pillars for Success: A Canadian Continuing Education Perspective on Postsecondary Transformation.
 
In the podcast, LeBlanc highlighted how CE units are helping lead the charge toward a more dynamic, inclusive, and responsive learning ecosystem.
 

CE Units: A Legacy of Innovation

According to LeBlanc, CE divisions have long served as innovation hubs within their institutions. While traditional academic faculties primarily focus on full-time undergraduate and graduate students, CE units specialize in part-time, online, and professional learners—often mid-career adults balancing education with work and family commitments. This audience demands flexibility, speed, and relevance, driving CE teams to pioneer new teaching modalities and program formats.
 
“CE teams have been extending the reach of the university beyond the 18 to 22-year-old for decades,” LeBlanc said. “They’ve built systems, services, and pedagogies designed specifically for the lifelong learner.”
 
Because of this experience, CE divisions possess deep operational knowledge in areas like microcredentials, online delivery, and stackable learning pathways—expertise that’s becoming increasingly valuable to the broader institution.
 

Overcoming Institutional Silos

However, this expertise doesn’t always translate into influence. One of the biggest challenges, LeBlanc notes, is the siloed nature of academic institutions. CE divisions often operate separately from faculties and central administrative units, making collaboration and integration difficult.
 
“We have these deeply embedded cultures and loosely coupled structures,” LeBlanc explained. “Aligning processes between CE units and central offices—like registrars, IT, and academic faculties—requires navigating different norms, systems, and even collective agreements.”
 
To drive innovation, LeBlanc emphasizes the importance of cross-institutional collaboration. At the University of Calgary, she co-chairs a pan-institutional initiative focused on microcredentials and modular learning. The effort brings together academic staff, teaching and learning experts, registrars, and operational leaders under a shared vision—moving beyond the credit/non-credit divide to create a cohesive learning experience for all students.
 
“It’s slow and steady work,” she acknowledged. “But engaging the right people across the university and aligning around a strategic goal is the only way we’ll get there.”
 

The Role of Senior Leadership

One critical enabler of success, according to LeBlanc, is leadership buy-in. For CE to help transform the institution, it must be seen—and treated—as an equal partner at the strategic level. At the University of Calgary, this means CE now has a true seat at the table alongside central academic leadership.
 
“Executives set the tone. What they say and do matters,” LeBlanc said. “When they prioritize lifelong learning and innovation not just in words but in action, it opens the door for CE units to contribute meaningfully.”
 
She encourages university leaders to embed lifelong learning into the institution’s strategic goals and to recognize the value CE teams bring to the broader mission of serving learners across their lifespan.
 

Advocating for Impact

LeBlanc also offers a final piece of advice to her colleagues in continuing education: don’t underestimate the power of internal advocacy. CE leaders must go beyond program delivery and actively share their success stories, data, and insights with others across the institution.
 
“If your colleagues don’t know your stories, they won’t bring you to the table,” she said. “Part of our job is to advocate—not just for our students, but for the work we’re doing and the expertise we bring.”
 
By breaking out of their silos and building stronger bridges across the university, CE divisions can help shape a more agile, inclusive, and future-ready institution—one that truly meets the needs of learners at every stage of life.
 
Download 12 Key Pillars for Success: A Canadian Continuing Education Perspective on Postsecondary Transformation to learn more!