SANTA BARBARA, CA - UCSB has long had a ‘campus’ in the heart of Ventura. The Ventura Center has for decades been a vibrant outpost of UCSB’s globally recognized academic excellence.

On March 13, 2014, from 5:30-7:00pm, UCSB Extension will open the Ventura Center doors for a community information session where attendees are encouraged to ask questions, mingle with their academically-inclined neighbors, and learn what it means to have a world-class university at their disposal, and in the heart of Ventura. From 5:30 to 6pm there will be general information and light refreshments. From 6 -6:45pm there will be five separate breakout sessions to drop in on for subject area- specific information, each representing a UCSB Extension Program; Human Resource Management, Financial Planning, Paralegal Studies/Mediation, Accounting, and Project Management.

“UCSB is within your reach at the Ventura Center, “ says Dr. Michael Brown, Dean of Extension. “The Ventura Center has the resources of a world-class university – accessible, affordable, and convenient – to serve your professional and academic goals. Come and see what we have to offer you.”

UCSB has had a presence at 3585 Maple Street in Ventura since at least 1975, when that space was called the Ventura Learning Center and, along with a handful of other classroom facilities around the Ventura area, provided evening and weekend courses for working adults, and across an array of subjects. Today the Ventura Center’s offerings are specifically aligned with the needs of the region’s workforce, and provide relevant professional development to those who want to burnish their know how, add to their portfolio of professional skills, or move into a new line of work entirely. The March 13 event is an opportunity for UCSB Extension and Info Session attendees to get to know each other. More info can be found here: http://extension.ucsb.edu/pr
UCSB Extension Program Manager Anissa Stewart oversees the Paralegal, Human Resource Management and Mediation programs for UCSB Extension, each of which offers course work at the Ventura Center. “Professional development is more important than ever—to jumpstart your career, to stay competitive, to continually expand your knowledge and skills, and to perform more effectively and efficiently. What UCSB Extension offers is meaningful, relevant, timely, and stimulating professional development courses and workshops.”

As the continuing education division of UCSB, Extension offers certificate programs, courses, and seminars for personal and professional development on a year-round basis. Courses are open to the general public, including UCSB students. UCSB Extension is supported by student fees and receives no state funds.