New challenges and opportunities of Continuing Education Programs in Lebanon

Abstract

By establishing regional continuing education centers across Lebanon, a country characterized as a fragile state with an unstable political environment, a private university’s continuing education (CE) unit faces new challenges and opportunities. Following a methodology aimed at minimizing known uncertainties, three central themes had been acknowledged to underscore the resolution of a higher education private institution in strategically expanding its outreach programs. The first relates to the university’s adaptation, as an organization, of an effective administrative arrangement in response to the nature of the new external environment it is now engaged in. The second concerns the uncertainties associated with choosing strategic regional allies as partners in the expansive CE strategy to best serve the communities. The third involves strategic knowledge management challenges and related strategic solutions to attend to client’s demands. By tackling the known uncertainties associated with the new external environment, it is argued that the university’s ability to bring in social returns could well be enhanced. We conclude with shared lessons that would guide decision makers, strategic planners and university administrators with respect to steps and approaches as they may face in similar situations.