The new century brought many challenges for the division. Reorganizations meant the loss of units and personnel, but there were also gains. Similar to the division’s first 25 years, world events demanded nimble responses. This 20-year period included 9/11 and the economic recession of 2008-2010. Resulting budget strains and reversions trickled down to the division’s programs. 

Between 2000 and 2008, there were three division leadership transitions and university reporting changes. There were six provosts between 2000 and 2009, when Warwick Arden became provost, and four chancellors between 2000 and 2010, when Randy Woodson became chancellor. 

The North Carolina General Assembly’s decision to fund distance education (DE) in the same manner as traditional in-person classes quickly impacted the division. The existing video/internet courses that were being offered by Continuing Studies, College of Engineering, and College of Textiles were merged — resulting in the founding of Digital (then called Distance) Education and Learning Technology Applications (DELTA) in July 2000. Staff from the division’s Office of Instructional Telecommunications were folded into Adult Credit Programs, which continued to provide registration, advising, and exam-proctoring services for distance education students.  

In March 2002, John Cudd retired, and Denis Jackson, director of the Encore Center (now the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute), was promoted to assistant vice chancellor for Extension and Engagement. The division reported to a newly formed position at the university, the vice chancellor for extension, engagement, and economic development. In 2003, the division was renamed the McKimmon Center for Extension and Continuing Education, combining the building and program/service units into one brand.

With the new on-campus/distance education tuition equivalency, DE enrollments grew, as did the need for the services provided by Adult Credit Programs and Summer Sessions. Many of the students enrolled in the DE credit courses were non-degree students. Between 2001-2007, the proportion of non-degree students enrolled in DE ranged between 30-50%. On-campus non-degree enrollment, however, had begun to decline. 

In 2007, university leadership made the decision to dissolve the Adult Credit Programs and Summer Sessions unit. Summer school was redirected to the individual colleges, non-degree students to Registration and Records, and distance education to DELTA. A transition period allowed staff to find positions elsewhere on campus, including with Registration and Records and DELTA. There were several reasons for this change: it was a time of budget challenges; it coincided with other reorganizations and UNC strategic priorities; and the chancellor and provost at the time, as well as many college deans, advocated for a decentralized summer school system. Another factor was the decline in non-degree student course enrollment as a result of the North Carolina Community College transfer programs, particularly at Wake Tech. 

In October 2007, Denis Jackson retired, and Alice S. Warren was appointed interim assistant vice chancellor for the division. After a national search, Warren was appointed assistant vice chancellor and director of the McKimmon Center for Extension and Continuing Education in May 2008. Several months after her appointment, the world faced the worst economic recession since the Great Depression. In continuing and higher education, the impact was not immediate, but the division was particularly hard-hit by university budget reductions that occurred in both 2009-2010 and 2010-2011. 

Because continuing education works with many educational, public sector, and nonprofit groups, economic downturns impact those clients. For example, state agencies and public universities put restrictions on conference travel during the Great Recession. Most division units had been primarily supported by fees charged for programs and services, with only limited university-appropriated support. But that small percentage of appropriated dollars diminished quickly between 2005 and 2012 as the university was forced to make its own hard budget choices. The division had been reporting to the Office for Extension, Engagement and Economic Development, but that unit was dissolved in 2011, and the division became aligned under the provost once again. As a result of the realignment, Warren’s title changed to vice provost for continuing education, and she now reported to the senior vice provost for Academic Outreach and Entrepreneurship, who in turn reported to the provost. 

But new opportunities also arose in this period. During the economic downturn, the Encore Center for Lifelong Enrichment lost its small, but significant, portion of appropriated support and its UNC public service center status. This allowed the program to pursue a relationship with The Bernard Osher Foundation, which had begun funding lifelong learning institutes, such as Encore, in 2001. Through a series of grant proposals demonstrating the strength of Encore, the program began the process of joining the Osher network. In 2014, the Encore Program received a $1 million endowment from the foundation and changed its name to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at NC State University. In 2015, OLLI at NC State received a second $950K in funding for the endowment. The program benefited not just from this consistent source of funding but also from the relationship with the 125 programs in the Osher network. 

Likewise, when academic content providers changed and budget challenges arose, the Office of Professional Development (OPD) focused on its strength in customer service. In this period, continuing education became less centralized at the university, and in the internet era, geographic boundaries no longer applied and competition increased. But that reality also worked to OPD’s advantage and allowed partnerships with other UNC schools and in other regions. OPD began to focus more of its work on conference and event management. In fiscal year 2000, only 15% of OPD’s work involved managing events for clients; by fiscal year 2010 that number had grown to 63%. OPD leaned into its expertise in managing, marketing, pricing, and evaluating, as well as offering programs that qualified for Continuing Education Units (CEUs). In 2006, OPD began coordinating the NC Community College System Conference, which was one of the largest events ever organized by the division. 

Although continuing education offerings became less centralized on campus, the division remained the campus unit that evaluated and determined if a program qualified for CEUs, regardless of which department or school was providing the program. In 2011, the university registrar gave the division the additional responsibility for managing CEU transcript requests. 

Throughout the division’s history, there have been partnerships with industry, nonprofits, and public sector organizations to bring continuing education to worksites. When Warren led the division, there was a renewed effort to sell these customized continuing education experiences both at the McKimmon Conference and Training Center (MCTC) and at workplaces. A staff member was added to manage this work, connecting businesses — large and small — with computer training, OPD programs, and MCTC services. 

The Computer Training Unit (CTU) had been created in the 1990s to meet the training demands brought about by rapid digitization. But by the early aughts, anticipating demand for CTU offerings became tricky as digital learning became more intuitive and technology continued to change quickly. Minimizing cancellations and matching the needs of potential enrollees became the focus. Digital natives had different training needs than earlier generations and the unit rebranded as Technology Training Solutions in 2014. 

The MCTC kept current with the times, updating equipment and technology while also providing competitive rates for services. In 2004, a fundraising effort allowed renovation to the lobby and common areas, and the lobby was named in honor of William L. Turner, who played an important role in securing the initial funds for the building. Although conference facilities both on campus and in downtown Raleigh were expanded in this time period, MCTC did not suffer from these new options. Flexible space, always-available technical staff, a broad array of catering choices and dedicated meeting planners kept repeat clients booked, despite the increased competition. 

Although university decisions caused the dissolving of Adult Credit Programs and Summer Sessions as well as the Office of Instructional Telecommunications, the division gained two new units in this time period. In 2006, The Collaborative at the Gateway Technology Center (GTC) was created by NC Senate Bill 1239, with the mandate “to extend advanced educational opportunities to Eastern North Carolina through the GTC in Rocky Mount.” A collaboration between East Carolina University and NC State and located at the GTC on the campus of NC Wesleyan University, it provides educational programming and services to eastern NC. 

The Collaborative was originally a unit of DELTA, but responsibility was transferred to the division in July 2009. Jim Zuiches, the vice chancellor for Extension, Engagement, and Economic Development, noted The Collaborative’s work extended beyond online and distance education, and he believed Continuing Education was a better fit. The Collaborative’s work includes support of both credit and noncredit programming, both in-person and online; exam proctoring for ECU, NC State, and other schools; youth academic enrichment camps; and NC State and ECU graduate programs. Over the years, this unit has worked collaboratively not only with ECU, but also with local K-12 leaders, NC Wesleyan, local nonprofits, and other community partners. 

When, in 2008, the Upper Coastal Plain Learning Council (UCPLC) was created by NC House Bill 2436, the division was given responsibility for it as well. UCPLC is also located in Rocky Mount and serves Edgecombe, Halifax, Nash, Northampton and Wilson counties. It was created in response to the UNC Tomorrow Commission, which recommended that this five-region area needed greater access to the resources of UNC and the local NC community colleges. This unit also works collaboratively with local leaders, community colleges, UNC universities, and nearby private colleges. Key initiatives have included the Wisdom Tooth Program that provides preschool dental education, Wilson Engineering Camps in collaboration with NC State’s Engineering Place, and mental health first aid training.

The Center for Urban Affairs and Community Services (CUACS) experienced stability despite state budget challenges. Like other division units, CUACS responds to the needs of NC citizens through its work with nonprofits and state and local governments. CUACS has the greatest number of employees in the division, given the scope and volume of services and projects. CUACS’s long-standing relationship with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) remained consistent, providing statewide assessment services and adapting when necessary to match curriculum revisions and changes to testing methods. CUACS’s Applied Research Group conducted a variety of research and consulting projects for nonprofit, government, and campus clients, including two long-term projects with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS). One project dates from 1984 and evaluates mental health and substance abuse treatment outcomes. Another NCDHHS research project began in 2001 and analyzes and tracks the cost of daycare in North Carolina. 

In October 2018, Alice Warren retired. After a national search, Mark Bernhard was named vice provost for continuing education, and he joined the division in August 2019. Just like Warren in 2008, not long after Bernhard became leader, he faced a challenge not in his control, the COVID-19 pandemic. The final story in this series describes how the division weathered that challenge, as it had so many others in its history.