HINT: Target specific domains eg. "site:eden.rutgers.edu"

EXAMPLES: "John Smith" OR "Smith" OR "Smith, John" OR ",John" OR "Van Horn,"

EXAMPLES: "ASB" OR "Core" OR "Hill" OR "Werblin"

EXAMPLES: "Admissions" OR "Registrar" OR "Computer Science" OR "UHR"

Office of the Vice President

Interim Vice President of Continuing Studies

Dr. Richard Novak has been with the Division of Continuing Studies (formerly the Division of Continuous Education and Outreach) since its inception in July 1996. He has been engaged with online learning at Rutgers since 1998. He most recently served as Associate Vice President for Continuing Studies and Distance Learning and also Director of Special Projects for Academic Affairs at Rutgers.

He is also an associate member of the graduate faculty in the Rutgers Graduate School of Education, teaching face-to-face, hybrid and fully online courses beginning in 1993. Dr. Novak is Past-President of the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA), the principal US organization for professional and continuing higher education. At Rutgers, Dr. Novak directs RutgersOnline, the centralized home for Rutgers University online degree programs using the Pearson eCollege course management system.

Dr. Novak provides executive leadership for a large and diverse University-wide division at Rutgers University that includes over 125 employees in 14 distinct units at over a dozen locations, that coordinate hundreds of credit and non-credit programs, enrolling thousands of participants, reaching audiences from youth to retirees and providing various support services across the University.

In 2004, Dr. Novak was presented the Walton S. Bittner Service Citation for Imaginative Leadership in the Advancement of Continuing Education and Distinguished Service to the Association by UPCEA. In April 2011 he was awarded the national Excellence in Online Administration award.

 

 

 

Office of the Vice President

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Welcome to Continuing Studies!

Welcome to the Division of Continuing Studies (DoCS). DoCS began in 1996 as the Division of Continuous Education and Outreach as part of an effort to coordinate and support continuing education, distance education and outreach at Rutgers University, across all of the campuses. Since then, DoCS has grown to include over 125 employees in 14 distinct units at over a dozen locations, that coordinate hundreds of credit and non-credit programs, enrolling thousands of participants, reaching audiences from youth to retirees and providing various support services across the University. Our educational services include a range of services that rely on state-of-the art technologies.

DoCS is engaged in all three components of the Rutgers University mission of research, teaching and service. This site provides an overview of the services provided through DoCS, with easy-to-use links to the various DoCS units and staff. Please contact us if we can be of service. 

-- Dr. Richard Novak

Why lifelong learning?

Lifelong learning is one of the most effective ways to deal with change, and change is constant - change in our personal lives, change in our work lives, change in our local communities, governance, associations and organizations. The change in the iPhone alone has required constant learning and re-learning by customers. How much more important is learning that is geared towards serious enrichment or career-advancing pursuits?

One of the most influential management writers, Peter Drucker, wrote: “We now accept the fact that learning is a lifelong process of keeping abreast of change. And the most pressing task is to teach people how to learn.” At DoCS, we are all about teaching people how to learn, as we provide and support the delivery of educational programs for all ages from childhood through senior adult. We offer or facilitate the offering of lifelong learning in a wide variety of formats – online, hybrid, face to face – in asynchronous and synchronous delivery modes, for credit leading to a degree or non-credit leading to a certificate, on one of the main campuses or at one of our regionally distributed higher education centers. We develop educational media to make learning more engaging. We assist in course development and we coach instructors in the most effective pedagogy to keep learning interactive and interesting.

We are committed to the support of lifelong learning in all its formats for audiences of all ages because of the many benefits that accrue to the individual and our communities. Lifelong learners are happier, healthier and live longer. Those who continue with formal education have a significant financial advantage over the course of a lifetime. And a well-educated citizenry makes for a better society for all of us. Why lifelong learning? Simply stated, because it is good for your health and good for everyone around you.

-- Dr. Richard Novak