UC San Diego Extended Studies Showcase 2025: A Day of Innovation, Impact and Collaboration

On Monday, October 6, the annual UC San Diego Extended Studies Showcase took place at 8980 Villa La Jolla Drive headquarters building across from the main UC San Diego campus. Welcoming university leaders, faculty, staff, industry partners, and community organizations, the afternoon’s activities highlighted how the division serves as the bridge between UC San Diego and the broader world. 

The day unfolded in four key segments: a welcome with Dean Hugo Villar, a panel of Extended Studies leaders, a campus partnership discussion, and an exploration of workforce trends and industry needs.

Together, the event speakers demonstrated how, by connecting learners of all ages to educational opportunities, the division supports industry growth and partners worldwide to build programs that matter.

Setting the Vision: Extended Studies as a Catalyst for Access and Impact

Dean Villar began by grounding the audience in the mission of Extended Studies–to advance access, equity, economic mobility, and lifelong learning across the lifespan–and the vision for growth: “to serve as a global leader and partner to empower individuals and communities through equitable access to knowledge and experiences that lead to opportunities.”

With over 45,000 learners served annually, many of whom are working adults, career changers, military personnel in transition to civilian professions, or lifelong learners, Extended Studies offers flexibility, affordability, and industry-aligned programs that meet learners where they are in their professional and educational journeys.

He emphasized three major pillars of impact:

• Empowering individuals through skills-based education and flexible formats.
   
• Empowering communities through partnerships, outreach, and social mobility.
   
• Enabling innovation by supporting campus initiatives, workforce research, and program development.

Dean Villar also spoke to the division's vital role as UC San Diego's front door to the community, offering everything from lactation education and pre-college programming for the youngest constituents to post-retirement learning for senior adults through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. He emphasized how the division serves the region broadly to empower communities through cross-border partnerships in the U.S. and Mexico, vibrant arts and culture offerings, global broadcasts by UCTV, and research and grant development from the Center for Research and Evaluation.

His call to action was clear: Extended Studies welcomes partnership and collaboration. He invited participants to join the division to teach, advise, connect, or support a thriving institution through philanthropic donations, scholarship opportunities, or program underwriting. Together, he noted, we can expand opportunity and create lasting impact for the region and beyond.

Extended Studies Leadership Panel: Showcasing Innovation in Action

The first session featured a dynamic panel of Extended Studies leadership, each representing a different arm of the division. Speakers included Georgia Kovacs, Executive Director of the Center for Research and Evaluation; Natalie Walsh, Executive Director of UCTV; Patty Juza, Associate Dean and Executive Director for International Programs; Shannon McDonald, Director of Custom & Corporate Programs and Campus Relations; and Ed Abeyta, Associate Dean for Education.

As a group, they provided insights about the scope of the Extended Studies departments and services, illuminating how the various teams drive innovation and meet emerging needs through:

• Research and evaluation to shape data-informed programming.
   
• Global reach and media production through UCTV, with 1.3M+ subscribers.
   
• International education and cultural exchange programs that serve students from around the world.
   
• Custom corporate training and campus collaborations designed to solve workforce challenges.
   
• K–12, pre-college, and community education pathways that support lifelong learning.

Each leader highlighted real examples of rapid program development, strategic partnerships, and measurable community and workforce impact. Collectively, they made one thing clear: Extended Studies is not just offering courses—it is shaping the future of accessible, applied, and globally relevant education.

Partnership Panel: Bridging Campus and Community

This dynamic panel of UC San Diego campus leaders explored how Extended Studies partners with academic departments to expand reach, launch new programs, and eliminate duplication of efforts.

Participants included Shara Freeman Hoefel, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Alumni Engagement; Ashley Gambhir, Executive Director of Transformation at UC San Diego Health; Kyle Hofer-Mora, Director of External Relations & Educational Innovation, School of Computing, Information and Data Sciences; and Lisa Ordóñez, Dean of the Rady School of Management.

Dean Lisa Ordóñez from UC San Diego's Rady School of Management, addresses the Showcase audience. From far left is Dean Hugo Villar and Kyle Hofer-Mora, Director of External Relations & Educational Innovation, School of Computing, Information and Data Sciences, and on the right is Ashley Gambhir, Executive Director of Transformation at UC San Diego Health. (Shara Freeman Hoefel, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Alumni Engagement, is not pictured.)

Panelists emphasized that Extended Studies provides key support to campus partners, including operational infrastructure—such as enrollment, marketing, and certificate management—along with industry and corporate partnerships and flexibility in both credit and noncredit formats. They also noted the division's agility in rapidly developing new or custom programs and its role as a neutral “third space" that brings interdisciplinary teams together.

Key examples:

• Rady School of Management has partnered with Extended Studies to co-develop executive education and international immersion programs.
   
• The School of Computing, Information, and Data Sciences has worked with Extended Studies to offer transferable certificate-to-degree pathways and develop a Data Science Channel on UCTV, where researchers can be featured to reach the broader community.
   
• UC San Diego Health teamed with Extended Studies to provide Lean Six Sigma training to upskill more than 30% of Health employees during a multi-year partnership.
   
• UC San Diego Alumni is collaborating with Extended Studies to re-engage alumni as lifelong learners and will soon recognize Extended Studies certificate holders as affiliate alumni.

The shared message was that partnerships with Extended Studies accelerate innovation, provide rich engagement for multiple audiences, and create sustainable, scalable impact.

Workforce Outlook & Industry Panel: Preparing Talent for the Future

The final session shifted toward the external landscape of employment and talent development.

Kelly Nielsen, Assistant Director, UC San Diego Extended Studies Center for Research and Evaluation, provided a data-driven economic and labor market overview, identifying the fastest-growing industries, skill gaps, and regional workforce needs. The presentation demonstrated that the future of work is changing rapidly and emphasized that educational solutions that keep pace can help communities thrive. 

The industry panel that followed the data overview brought a real-world perspective from employers and community partners. Participants included Mark Cafferty, President & CEO, San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation; Kaylah Mackroy, Senior Director of Sector Initiatives, San Diego Workforce Partnership; and Tina Ngo Bartel, Executive Director, Center of Excellence for Labor Market Research, San Diego and Imperial Counties Community Colleges.

From left to right: Kelly Nielsen, Assistant Director, UC San Diego Extended Studies Center for Research and Evaluation, Mark Cafferty, President & CEO, San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation; Kaylah Mackroy, Senior Director of Sector Initiatives, San Diego Workforce Partnership; and Tina Ngo Bartel, Executive Director, Center of Excellence for Labor Market Research, San Diego and Imperial Counties Community Colleges.

Key themes included:

• Employers need skills and adaptability, not just degrees.
   
• Talent pipelines must start earlier and reach more diverse learners.
   
• Upskilling and reskilling are now continuous career requirements.
   
• Education must be flexible, fast, and co-created with industry.

Extended Studies is uniquely positioned to partner with industry and community organizations to achieve these goals and produce valuable outcomes.

As Cafferty put it, "We are at our very best in this region when we collaborate…And so I think if we can be the most collaborative region, bridging gaps between higher education and industry, constantly, really keeping industry at the table, it will benefit our community in great ways, across our entire community."

Looking Forward: An Open Invitation to Build the Future Together

Throughout the day, one message echoed throughout every session: UC San Diego Extended Studies is not just part of the university—it is the engine that connects the university to the world.

The division enables innovation for UC San Diego, influencing how it teaches, how it provides access for those it serves, agility in what it builds, partnership in how it grows, and impact in the local community and beyond.

Ultimately, the Extended Studies Showcase ended where it began—with an invitation to partnership.

“We have partnerships that are domestic and international. We bring research of a top research university into the community,” said Dean Villar, “and that is part of who we are: that connector to the community.”