Certifying success

AS PRESIDENT of CSU Global, Becky Takeda-Tinker is laser focused on career-relevant curricula for working professionals who seek to reskill and upskill for an employment landscape that is evolving at the speed of technology.

In 2007, CSU Global launched as the nation’s first fully online nonprofit university with accredited degree programs. It was designed to help working adults obtain credentials to advance in their careers. The university has graduated more than 20,000 students in academic programs largely centered in business fields; students live around the world and have round-the-clock access to courses and a variety of learning tools and support.

Starting in 2010, Takeda-Tinker was CSU Global president for a decade. Then, she served as an academic leader for the CSU System and returned early this year to the role of president and chief executive officer at CSU Global, succeeding Pamela Toney.

Takeda-Tinker and her team recently began a periodic review of CSU Global curricula to ensure that classes and degree programs are updated to meet the needs of students and industry through a focus on “resume-ready assignments.” The review also will make certain that course work prepares students for licensure and certification when it is available in their fields. For instance, depending on the profession, courses directly track to certification in public accounting, fraud examination, financial management and planning, human resources, and production and inventory management.

“Our students expect us to help them prepare for job readiness,” Takeda-Tinker said. “We need to make sure they are seeing a return on investment as they take courses and earn certificates and degrees, meaning they are landing the jobs and promotions they seek. At the same time, we want to help ensure employers have a skilled workforce and can grow and be globally competitive.”

Technological integration in business and everyday life – and the speed of its evolution – requires constant assessment and revision of the online university’s programs and their delivery, Takeda-Tinker said.

Kim Jordan, immediate past chair of the CSU System Board of Governors, emphasized that point as Takeda-Tinker returned to the CSU Global presidency. “CSU Global was created to be a leader in providing innovative learning solutions and access for people around the world who don’t have the option of earning a degree in a traditional college classroom,” Jordan said. “The online market has evolved, and innovation needs to be the primary focus to retain a leadership position in such a market.”

Photo at top: Becky Takeda-Tinker, president of CSU Global, leads efforts to ensure university curricula are aligned with industry certification tests. Photo: John Eisele / CSU Photography.