When you think about the typical student at UC Davis, you might envision a 20-year-old kid heading off to class with a backpack slung over one shoulder. But just around the corner from campus at University Extension, students sport a different look: business suit, well-worn Daytimer in one hand, perhaps some graying hair.

It's a different educational world at University Extension, where CEOs, professionals and career-changers of every stripe attend classes, seminars and workshops that focus on building career-related knowledge and skills.

From professional brewing and winemaking to business, land use and information technology, Unex -- as it's commonly known on campus -- had more than 80,000 enrollments in 1999 through both open-enrollment courses (those available to the general public) and customized contract training brought on-site to schools, businesses and organizations.

Now celebrating its 40th anniversary, the campus unit has grown and changed tremendously since its humble beginnings in 1960. Today, Unex employs approximately 160 permanent employees, 45 temporary employees and 90 students. Enrollments have climbed from 16,047 in 1975-76 to 84,665, or a 428 percent increase, in 1998-99. And revenues have shown the same strong growth. In 1972 gross revenues stood at about $1.5 million. Gross revenues last year reached $22 million, or a 1,366 percent increase.

Unex offers 20 certificate programs and five professional sequence awards that deliver expertise in fields ranging from personal financial planning to professional brewing to Web site design.

One of eight professional and continuing education extensions throughout the UC system, it is not to be confused with UC Cooperative Extension, a statewide public service of the university that links campus professors and specialists with county-based academic advisors who deliver practical information about agriculture, nutrition, natural resources, youth development, consumer sciences and related areas.

Community engagement

Dean Charles Lacy, who has seen the organization through vast changes over the last three decades, sums up the organization's role: "University Extension is a vital part of the university's effort to engage the community." He notes that many UC Davis faculty teach Unex courses in agriculture, food science, viticulture and enology, law and more.

Associate Dean Dennis Pendleton agrees about the important role in outreach. "We're the face of the university for a lot of people," he says. "We're really a liaison between the university and the educational needs of businesses, public agencies and nonprofits."

A number of behind-the-scenes projects have brought together campus faculty and Unex staff in recent years for successful collaborations. For example, The Center for Human Services at Unex worked with the UC Davis School of Medicine and Medical Center to provide training to healthcare professionals in dealing with suspected child abuse. The UC Davis School of Law has worked with Unex to jointly develop 14 international law school programs.

And in 1998 Unex's then-new multimedia studio worked with the campus to develop a CD-ROM and supporting Web site to orient new undergraduate students to life at UC Davis. The CD is now sent out to all incoming students.

"One of the things about this project that we enjoyed was learning a tremendous amount about the campus," remembers Linda Behrens, director of Extension's distance education initiatives. "It was a joint effort that really helps new students feel like they know our campus."

"Plus, we've been hearing that a lot of parents really like it, too," Behrens adds.

University Extension also administers UC Davis Open Campus, through which the general public can take undergraduate and graduate UC Davis courses on a space-available basis.

"Open Campus is a great connection to campus for the community and offers a real benefit to both students and faculty," says Kathy Gleed, registrar at University Extension. She adds that last year Unex enrolled more than 1,200 students in UC Davis courses through Open Campus.

University Extension also serves as a link to the community through contract training that is often tailored to meet the specific needs of a school, business or organization.

In 1998, for example, Unex launched a training partnership called the Technology Education Consor-tium. Composed of more than a dozen top businesses and state agencies, the group decides what kind of training its staff needs most, and University Extension provides the classes and instructors, customizing the training for the group's needs.

"The genius of the consortium is that it absolutely fulfills our mission of taking the university's resources to the businesses and people of California," says Gene Crumley, continuing education specialist for Business and Management and Corporate Education. "And if it helps the members achieve superlative levels of performance, everyone benefits." Crumley adds that the training has increased company loyalty and employee retention in all their member companies.

From fun to funding

In the beginning, University Extension was a very different place catering to a very different customer. Catalogs from the '60s and early '70s reflect a focus on fun, with courses in beachcombing, flamenco dancing and photography, as well as more serious continuing education courses for professionals.

In 1968 University Extension -- with 10 fulltime staff people -- was dealt a major blow. The California Legislature removed all state funding, forcing it to become completely self-supporting.

"Once that funding was removed," says Lacy, "our price structure had to change to cover our full costs. It was a major change in direction for the organization and its programs."

Where University Extension once offered low-cost courses so that many members of the community could participate, the organization began to focus on offering more professional, career-related programs.

Although there are still personal enrichment offerings, the majority of the courses are now in information technology, business and management, human services, agriculture and food sciences, land use and environmental management, K-12 teacher education and English language programs for international students.

The other significant change has been a dramatic increase in competition. "We are seeing more competition in continuing education than at any time in the university's history," says Assistant Dean Rita Bunch. She points out that the competition includes both public institutions like California State University, Sacramento's Regional and Continuing Education, and for-profit private providers such as National University and University of Phoenix.

In a different world

University Extension, in fact, lives in a different world from the rest of campus because of private competition and other unique factors. Unlike other departments on campus, it has had to become more market-oriented, closely watching business trends and industry developments for opportunities to develop new programs and remain competitive.

Yet Unex is still part of the university community and, as such, is obliged to follow the academic policies and procedures that are not necessarily geared to the fast-paced business world. It's a unique situation that has given rise to a distinct academic mission.

"We really, by necessity, focus on the needs of our customers/students, while the university has a focus on the supply of knowledge that exists within the faculty," explains Lacy. "The big challenge for us is generating enough capital to invest in technology and infrastructure for the future, plus (maintaining) human capital and competitive salaries in this low unemployment work environment."

Lacy says this competition is good for University Extension, which has continued to review and implement new ways to remain the marketplace leader.

According to Bunch, University Extension is embarking on a new era of competitive innovation. "We are focusing more on becoming a customer-driven organization by constantly re-examining what our students want and moving quickly to provide it," she says. "We're also seeing the competition increase in the battle for distance education students," Bunch says, "so it's critical that we establish ourselves as a leader in this emerging area."

Karen Booth is a senior editor with University Extension.