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Get to Know--Heather Chakiris
 To kick off a new LifeLearner News series introducing you to the staff of Penn State World Campus and Continuing Education, we want you to meet Heather Chakiris, associate director of Outreach Student Services. Heather's passion for working with adult learners has helped her become one of the leaders in integrating World Campus and Continuing Education student services functions. Here is an excerpt from a recent conversation LifeLearner News had with Heather.
Tell us about yourself and what led you to work in Outreach (World Campus and Continuing Education)?
To quote the famous song lyric, "What a long, strange trip it's been!" After changing my undergraduate major three times (and my university once), I wound up in film school at Penn State. Two years later, I moved to the College of the Liberal Arts, from which I finally graduated with a B.A. in writing for the arts. I'm a walking advertisement for why you should not declare a major until you're sure it's what you want to do. (Considering that I put myself through school as an undergraduate and frequently had no money to buy textbooks, it was an expensive lesson to learn!)
My first "real" job out of college was on the editorial staff of Highlights for Children magazine--but I missed Penn State. I returned to University Park, working first as a writer/editor in the University's publications department. That position led to my first job in Outreach, as a marketing account specialist. And that's where my love affair with distance education and adult learners began!
The Department of Distance Education (now the World Campus) was my first marketing account; I managed numerous student-recruitment strategies as the department expanded to eventually include the World Campus in 1998. During those years, I saw how distance learning changed people's lives. Disenfranchised people worldwide who would not otherwise have been able to get a college education were doing so through Penn State distance learning. The experience changed my life--and my career aspirations. I jumped at the opportunity to join World Campus Student Services as assistant director and work more closely with adult distance learners. Now I consider myself even more fortunate as associate director for Outreach Student Services, because I get to work with adult learners studying both at a distance through World Campus and on campus through Continuing Education. So many are overcoming unbelievable obstacles to get their education. It's a privilege to help them succeed. (And you know I can't resist also mentioning being the proud parent of a golden retriever named Luca Brazzi and two mouthy cats named Atticus Finch and John R. Cash.)
How does the integration of World Campus and Continuing Education student services into Outreach Student Services benefit adult learners?
When integration discussions started in 2004, it was sort of an "aha" moment for me. We have adult learners studying through both Continuing Education and distance education--both offices have academic advisers, both have course registration capabilities, and both offer exam-proctoring services. From an operational perspective, why duplicate efforts, especially when we knew we'd all be moving into the same building?
From a customer service perspective, a key difference between the two offices was that the World Campus student services office had expanded hours of operation. How can it not benefit Continuing Education adult learners to be able to get help until 11:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and from 3:00 to 11:30 p.m. on Sunday? That flexibility makes a huge difference to adult learners with hectic schedules.
How do you see the adult learning environment changing at Penn State?
I see a concerted effort being made by the administration to make Penn State more adult friendly. That's definitely the case in Outreach, with the integration of World Campus and Continuing Education student services, the branching out of Continuing Education classes into the communities bordering University Park, and Craig Weidemann (Outreach vice president) being considered the chief advocate for Penn State adult learners. The World Campus and Continuing Education can do a lot to help make Penn State the warm, inclusive, and accommodating place we know it can be for adult learners.
What one or two things are most important to you in planning and implementing
services for adult students?
The most important thing to me is developing resources that our students tell us they need, versus what we think they need. It sounds like a no-brainer, I know, but sometimes universities come across as thinking they have all the answers--the "we know what's best for you" syndrome. In many respects, they're right when they're talking about traditional-aged students. But you can't treat adult learners like teenagers. Adult learners know what they want and what help they need. It's our job to listen to them and do what we can to guide and support them in reaching their goals so that they can get where they want to go.
If there are support resources you need to succeed as a World Campus or Continuing Education adult learner, contact Heather at hlc2@psu.edu.
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