Jason Wingard Appointed Dean of the School of Continuing Education

Dear fellow members of the Columbia community:

I am pleased to announce my appointment of Jason Wingard as our new Dean of the School of Continuing Education.  Jason possesses deep and varied experience in professional education.  He currently serves as the Chief Learning Officer of Goldman Sachs and was formerly Vice Dean of the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, where he led Executive Education.  I have no doubt he will build upon the exemplary record of innovation and growth that has occurred at the School of Continuing Education under Kristine Billmyer, who will be returning to our faculty at the end of this academic year, her sixth as dean.

The School of Continuing Education is at the forefront of teaching life-long learners and providing them with the knowledge and skills to assume leadership roles in the modern economy.  When founded in 2002, it was the first new school to be established at Columbia in 50 years.  In the time since, the School has developed a rich academic program that embraces a global perspective, is committed to curricular innovation, and features partnerships across the University.  The 6,000 students who are enrolled at the School of Continuing Education pursue degrees and courses of study defined by Columbia’s rigorous standards and the spirit of creativity demanded by the field.

As Vice Dean of the Wharton School, Jason oversaw the education of more than 10,000 executives annually in programs located at the University of Pennsylvania and at campuses and with partner institutions around the world.  He also served as Executive Director of the Stanford Educational Leadership Institute at Stanford University and as Senior Fellow of the Aspen Institute’s Education and Society Program.  Jason holds an undergraduate degree from Stanford, completed master’s degrees at both Emory University and Harvard University, and received a PhD in Education, Culture, and Society from the University of Pennsylvania.  He is an author of several books on education and leadership, including Learning to Succeed: Rethinking Corporate Education in a World of Unrelenting Change.  His newest volume, to be published later this year, is Learning for Life: How Continuous Education Will Keep Us Competitive in the Global Knowledge Economy.

As we welcome Jason to the Columbia community, I want to once again thank Dean Kristine Billmyer for her service to the School of Continuing Education.  Please join me in congratulating Jason Wingard on his appointment as the next Dean of the School of Continuing Education.

Sincerely,

Lee C. Bollinger