ONLINE & PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
OPS Temecula Center marks milestone for area’s adult education learners
Dr. Ronald L. Ellis cuts the ribbon on the Temecula Education Center Nov. 30. From left, front: Ted Meyer, dean of OPS enrollment services; President Ellis; Dr. David Poole, vice president of CBU Online and Professional Studies; Maryann Edwards, City Council member, City of Temecula; John Wells Sr., pastor, Mountain View Community Church; back: Mark Howe, vice president for finance and administration; Dr. Jonathan Parker, CBU provost; Adam Burton, vice president and general counsel; Dr. Mark A. Wyatt, vice president for marketing and communication; Dr. Larry Linamen, vice president for global initiatives.
California Baptist University dedicated its new Temecula Education Center Nov. 30. More than 100 faculty, staff and members of the community attended the ceremony at the Promenade Temecula. “Today marks a milestone for California Baptist University and the adult education learner in the Temecula Valley,” said Dr. David Poole, CBU Online and Professional Studies Division vice president, at the grand opening. “This center was established by CBU to respond to the very different needs of the ‘new normal’ generation of students – the non-traditional student that balances professional and family responsibilities while advancing their education.” Dr. Ronald L. Ellis, CBU president, said the growth is part of the university’s response to changes in the local, regional and global job market. He noted that CBU has grown from six students in 1950 to more than 6,000 this fall, seven times the enrollment when he became president in 1994.
“All indicators point toward continued growth in enrollment in the coming years, in particular the adult student market,” Ellis said. The new education center in Temecula is part of more than $200 million CBU has invested since 2001 to improve its main campus facilities and extend learning off campus in the online and hybrid environment.
John Wells Sr., pastor of Mountain View Community Church, offers a prayer of dedication.
The new location features state-of-the-art classrooms, a WebEx conference room, staff and faculty offices, a student Internet café and lounge area and staff and student break room. Ted Meyer, dean of enrollment services for CBU online, said “the Temecula education center provides access to local students and business leaders as a one stop shop for enrollment services, hybrid courses close to work or home and a welcoming location for online student study groups or meetings with faculty.”
Instrumental in the center’s launch were Steve Smith, director of facilities and planning services; Mark Howe, VP for finance and administration; Calvin Sparkman, director of financial services; Adam Burton, VP and general counsel
19 | THE ROUNDTABLE | SPRING 2013