Get to Know: McKimmon Center

NC State’s McKimmon Center for Extension and Continuing Education serves as a hub of activity encompassing a wide array of learning opportunities, professional meeting facilities, and university services. Founded in 1924 as the College Extension Division, the McKimmon Center has grown to include the Center for Urban Affairs and Community Services, Contractual Education and Partnership Development, the McKimmon Conference and Training Center, the Office of Professional Development, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Technology Training Solutions, The Collaborative and the Upper Coastal Plains Learning Council.

We spoke with Alice Warren, vice provost for continuing education and interim vice provost for outreach and engagement, about the McKimmon Center’s tradition of excellence in continuing and extension education, and how the center serves as a gateway to the vast intellectual and technical resources that NC State offers to faculty, staff, students and the community at large.

What is the role of the McKimmon Center at NC State?

The McKimmon Center serves as a hub of activity encompassing a wide array of learning opportunities, professional meeting facilities and university services. Our staff remains dedicated to sharing NC State’s knowledge and resources, and providing excellent customer service. Through our partnerships, creative programming, dynamic member opportunities, and a comprehensive range of applied research and technical assistance, the campus community will find the solutions to continuing education, professional development, meeting facility and public policy needs.

The McKimmon Center excels in supporting the threefold university mission of today: teaching, research and extension/community outreach. The center has spent decades building an environment of learning from childhood to retirement, and everything in between.

How does the McKimmon Center work with and support faculty and staff at the university?

The McKimmon Center offers a wide variety of continuing education and professional development opportunities to university faculty and staff. This includes services through the Office of Professional Development, as well as learning opportunities through campus collaborators such as the Confucius Institute, DELTA, the Economic Development Partnership, Lifelong Education, the General H. Hugh Shelton Leadership Center and the NC Clean Energy Technology Center.

Through the McKimmon Conference and Training Center (MCTC), NC State faculty and staff have access to up to 20 multipurpose educational meeting spaces with complimentary AV equipment, access to a full-service printing department, shipping/receiving center, three up-to-date computer training labs and complimentary board room space. Discounted meeting room rates are available for campus organizations that host events exclusive to NC State students, faculty and staff. In 2016-2017, MCTC supported more than 1,000 university-sponsored events, reflecting the dedication of high-quality customer service and support to faculty, staff, students and the NC State mission.

How does the McKimmon Center’s services, activities and initiatives work toward NC State’s overall organizational excellence?

The McKimmon Center has continually evolved to meet the educational needs of individuals, organizations, governmental agencies, and corporations. For more than 90 years, the center has proudly carried on the tradition of public service first established by Jane S. McKimmon, a pioneer in the field of continuing education.

The center continues to evolve through the changing landscape of education. More than 200,000 individuals across the state and country have attended events at MCTC. Attending these events has enabled the participants to attain professional credentials, maintain licensures, seek employment, advance careers and improve their quality of life. Units of the McKimmon Center have provided the continuing education needs of over 33,129 learners.

MCTC is also the premier venue for many state and industry-recognized events, such as the State Construction Conference, the State Energy Conference and the Hugh Shelton Leadership Forum. MCTC has also become an employment center, hosting events such as the Engineering Career Fair, Poole College of Management Career Fair and WRAL Capital Area Career Expo.

By constantly examining its service practices to develop new ways to reach campus and the public, MCTC stands in the forefront of the events management and continuing education community.

In what ways does the McKimmon Center work to strengthen NC State’s academic reputation?

The McKimmon Center is involved in more than 1,700 non-degree activities (including those that provide Continuing Education Units, CEUs, and those that do not provide CEUs) for more than 198,000 registrants. This educational outreach is accomplished through the efforts of the eight units that comprise McKimmon Center. For example, Customized Contractual Education utilizes the intellectual capital of NC State faculty and staff to develop and deliver contractual/customized education and noncredit online and distance education opportunities tailored to an organization’s unique training needs.

MCTC proudly supports several academically-based events hosted by a variety of campus organizations and departments. These events include the Graduate Research Symposium, the Engineering Design Day, the Jenkins MAC Program – Meet the Firms, the Molecular Biotechnology Symposium, the Nuclear Engineering Design Day and the Schoenborn Research Symposium, as well as several mid-year and spring departmental graduations.

What is something people may not know about the McKimmon Center?

The McKimmon Center offers educational and training opportunities to NC State faculty, staff and students, and to the community. These efforts generate more than $5 million in receipts-based revenue on an annual basis, providing needed personal growth, IT training, and professional development opportunities to the citizens of North Carolina and beyond, utilizing minimal state appropriations. Collectively, MCTC participants add an estimated $9,000,000 to the local economy annually, based on the formula utilized by the Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Learn more about how the McKimmon Center responds to the ever-growing demand for continuing education and the needs of the people it serves throughout the NC State campus, state of North Carolina and beyond.