Higher education veteran heads educational programming for central Pennsylvania residents
University Park, Pa. — Jeff Hand, vice president of Academic Affairs at Post University in Waterbury, Conn., has been appointed director of Penn State Continuing Education at University Park, a unit of Penn State Outreach.
In his new role, Hand oversees Continuing Education programming for learners of all ages in 10 counties in central Pennsylvania. Continuing Education has offices in State College, Lewistown and Williamsport and also offers courses and programs in other locations, including Philipsburg, where courses will be offered for the first time this fall. He also will focus on developing new ways to engage and connect Penn State's academic programs and resources with the needs of individuals and organizations, as well as creating an adult-friendly environment at all Penn State locations. In addition, Hand leads the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Penn State, funded by the Bernard Osher Foundation, which provides mature adults with educational and social enrichment activities.
"Jeff Hand brings a wealth of experience working with traditional and e-learning programming in a multi-campus environment to his new role with Penn State Continuing Education. His knowledge and skills will be invaluable as we expand Penn State's educational programs to more individuals and organizations interested in lifelong learning and professional development," said Wayne D. Smutz, associate vice president for Academic Outreach and executive director, Penn State Continuing and Distance Education.
While at Post University, Hand managed four campuses with 10 academic and administrative departments, a staff of 65 employees and more than 400 adjunct faculty. He led the creation of a human services master's degree program and a master of business administration program focused on innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship. In addition, he guided the conversion of many courses to online delivery in response to public demand.
From 1996 to 2006, Hand served as associate dean and associate professor at Goodwin College, a Drexel University college focused on nontraditional students. In addition to overseeing the college's administration, he taught undergraduate and graduate courses in information technology and marketing, earning a number of awards for teaching excellence.
Previously, Hand was president of Clean Net Inc. in Pittsburgh and held product management roles with Biddle Instruments/AVO in Blue Bell.; AT&T IS in Morristown, N.J.; and Commodore Business Machines in West Chester.
Hand earned his bachelor of science in electrical engineering from Temple University, his master of arts in clinical psychology from West Chester University and his doctoral degree in information systems from Drexel University.
Penn State Continuing Education offers a venue for adults to return to the classroom. Continuing Education reaches more than 30,000 adult learners annually at Penn State campuses statewide. The unit also serves more than 220,000 Pennsylvania youth each year through summer academic and sport camps and other programs at Penn State campuses. Continuing Education is comprised of Conferences, Continuing Education at all Penn State campuses, Management Development Programs and Services, and Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center. For more information, visit http://www.outreach.psu.edu/ce/ online. Continuing Education is part of Penn State Outreach, the largest unified outreach organization in American higher education. Penn State Outreach serves more than 5 million people each year, delivering more than 2,000 programs to people in all 67 Pennsylvania counties, all 50 states and 80 countries worldwide.