Patricia Arredondo has recently been named the Interim Dean at the School of Continuing Education. She also serves as an Associate Vice Chancellor in Academic Affairs.

Dr. Arredondo will lead the School's approximately 80 faculty and staff to fulfill its mission of outreach, continuing education, research, and public service. She is responsible for fiscal and human resource management, as well as strategic planning that guides the development, implementation and ongoing sustainability of more than 1,200 diverse professional development and personal enrichment programs.

Rita Cheng, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, said "Dr. Arredondo has demonstrated strong leadership ability in her former positions and has a deep appreciation for entrepreneurship, business collaborations, and innovation. I am confident that she will serve with distinction."

Looking Forward
Dr. Arredondo plans to implement a Dean's Advisory Council comprised of government, nonprofit and corporate leaders. The group will meet periodically to keep a pulse on how SCE can meet the needs of the community. She also plans to establish a Dean's Distinguished Lecture Series.

She is seeking ways to increase intercampus relationships to improve student experiences. "Meeting the needs of our participants is at the core of what we do not only at SCE, but at the University as a whole. I'm interested in looking at the adult returning student, particularly the nontraditional one, and evaluating how we can meet their unique needs. I look forward to examining new ways in which we can collaborate and help SCE participants reach their goals, be it starting a new business, changing careers, taking steps to attaining a degree or completing a certificate program", said Arredondo.

Dr. Arredondo's entrepreneurial background will facilitate another of her goals: building relationships in the local business community. She served as President of her own company, Empowerment Workshops, Inc., in Boston, an organizational consulting firm primarily focused on multicultural organizational development from 1985-1999.

She will continue to take a leading role in the University's master plan discussions and engage in specific follow-up projects which will unfold from the master plan.

Dr. Arredondo has a long history of education-based experience. Prior to joining UWM, she was Deputy Vice President and University Dean of Student Affairs and Associate Vice President/Senior Advisor for Academic Initiatives at Arizona State University. She holds an Ed.D. in Counseling Psychology from Boston University and is a nationally recognized scholar on multicultural counseling.