Division of Continual Learning
Dean's Message
It used to be that when people completed their formal education, that was it. A high school diploma and maybe a bachelor's degree were sufficient to see people through a lifetime of experiences and work. But those times are long gone. Now, the emphasis is on lifelong learning, because learning keeps us mentally active and up to date on new information that's being created at an amazing rate.
We're all striving to keep up with the quantum leaps being made in all areas of knowledge. It's estimated that medical knowledge, for example, doubles every seven years, and scientific knowledge doubles every twenty years. The total written knowledge in the world is said to have doubled between 1450 and 1750, and then to have doubled again between 1750 and 1900. Between 1900 and 1950, human knowledge doubled once more, and then again from 1950 to 1975. Now, it is believed to double every 900 days. By the year 2020, global knowledge is predicted to double every 72 days!
Keeping up with this explosion of new information requires that we read voraciously, watch news and educational programs, and become part of a learning community that shares ideas and perspectives. UNCG helps North Carolinians stay abreast of new knowledge through a variety of courses, many of which are offered through the Division of Continual Learning.
I hope you will find in this web site several courses that will awaken your curiosity, inspire you to start a new activity, help you to extract meaning from experience, and make your mind a more interesting place to live.
Sincerely,
Robert M. Brown
Dean of Division of Continual Learning