Pine Manor College Launches New Center For Innovative Professional Development

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass., June 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Pine Manor College has established the Center for Innovative Professional Development, which will be welcoming its first cohort of adult students in the fall 2013. Initial offerings include a degree completion program in Management and Consulting targeted for working professionals with at least two years of college credits or an associate's degree. The program will also be offering certificates in Global Human Resource Management and Action Learning.

"Our goal from the beginning was to create a program that would address the time and cost of completing your bachelor's degree," said Dr. Charles A. Tweedly, Dean of the Center and Pine Manor faculty member. "Our first program, the Management and Consulting Bachelor's degree, does just that. Students can complete the degree in less time, at a significantly lower cost than comparable programs. The Center was established to create innovative leadership programs previously not available at the undergraduate level."

The Center is unique because of its project-based approach to learning which emphasizes the development of real world skills that students can put to use right away.

"The programs have been designed as affordable and flexible options for people who wish to move ahead in their careers and increase their value to their employer," Dr. Tweedly added.

The Center represents a strategic alliance between the College and Higher Education Partners, a leading provider of financing assistance and innovative solutions to colleges seeking to expand online curricula and physical facilities. With the development of cutting-edge technology, programs and courses can be provided in a hybrid or blended fashion.

"Higher Education Partners is pleased to be partnering with Pine Manor College to bring expanded programming and enhanced facilities to the Boston area," said HEP president Gerard Kavanaugh. "By building out the space and technology, HEP is investing in people's lives and providing them with a viable opportunity for personal and professional growth. The Center will enable the College to reach adult learners more effectively."

HEP is renovating a classroom building and upgrading it with state-of-the-art technology to accommodate today's learners. The space will be flexible and conducive to the Action Learning model that replaces traditional instruction with actual actions and practice.

The classes will be held twice a week on the Pine Manor campus in Chestnut Hill. Cutting-edge technology will be used to enhance learning in and out of class. There will be no summer session.

For the past three years, Dr. Tweedly was an Assistant Professor in the Management and Organizational Change Department at Pine Manor College and a part-time faculty member at Northeastern University in the Education Doctoral program. In addition to his work in higher education, Dr. Tweedly has been an independent consultant in the area of training, organizational development and change facilitation.

The Center for Innovative Professional Development at Pine Manor College is focused on meeting the needs of working adults and organizations. New fall offerings include:  Bachelor's Degree Completion programs, Certificate Programs and Leadership Development Programs. The Center for Innovative Professional Development is also the home of the New England Chapter of the World Institute for Action Learning. To learn more, visit www.pmc.edu/CIPD

SOURCE Center for Innovative Professional Development