UCR Extension, serving the Inland Empire Community for over 50 years, is the continuing education branch of the University of California, Riverside. Extension operates independently and without state funds as a nonprofit division of UC Riverside.

Extension focuses on meeting educational needs for career advancement, career changes, teacher training and the cultural interests of the adult population. UCR Extension is open to all people — with or without a baccalaureate degree — who are interested in lifelong learning.

Our Vision

Putting Knowledge to Work

The importance of lifelong learning will increase for virtually all careers in the coming decades — by 2015, 31% of all new postsecondary students will be 35 years of age or older, according to Crossing the Great Divide, a report by the Educational Testing Service. Adults are already engaging in lifelong learning in record numbers taking advantage of a growing supply of shorter, customized and focused professional certificate and part-time degree programs.

The University of California Extension, in keeping with the long-established tradition of the public land grant institutions of higher learning, is charged with the responsibility to provide instruction and public service programs to the adult population of the state.

Our vision is to promote, through diverse programs, the lifelong process of education for learners of all ages. Meeting the academic standards of the UC Riverside Extension's programs serve the broadest possible constituencies, from youth and college students to professionals and others in Inland Southern California and from around the world, through educational programs of the highest quality.

This vision is guided by several fundamental values:

• Lifelong Access — UCR Extension seeks to be available to people of all ages, at any time and at their convenience, with educational programs that meet their diverse needs.
• Commitment to Excellence — We are driven to provide the best instruction and the best possible educational experience.
• Learner Centered — UCR Extension measures itself by what students have learned, by the knowledge and skills that can improve students' quality of life and competitive position in the workplace.
• Public Engagement— UCR Extension considers itself a critical partner in the social, cultural and economic development of the Inland Empire community.
• International Education — UCR Extension is a recognized leader in providing educational programs to a worldwide audience and in fostering campus faculty, student and institutional relationships with the global community.

As the comprehensive outreach element of the university, it is appropriate and in keeping with the spirit of Vision 2020 that UCR Extension be charged with the responsibility for the broadest possible response to the educational needs of the people we serve. This charge should include the full range of program offerings (credit, certificate, noncredit, enrichment) and the full range of delivery methodologies available.

In summary, UCR Extension provides leadership in putting knowledge to work. Our moral imperative is to create a campus culture of engagement by creating opportunities for lifelong learning, public service and outreach and by connecting with the global community.