For Immediate Release
June 2, 2005

UCR Extension, La Sierra University make agreement official at signing ceremony

Riverside, Calif. – Because of an agreement signed on June 2, La Sierra University will begin to accept academic credit from UCR Extension certificates toward advanced degrees in education and business.

"I am very excited about this collaboration," said Jack Azzaretto, dean of UCR Extension. "These agreements will provide greater opportunities for our students to advance their studies or pursue specialized areas of academic interest in business or education."

The agreement was finalized at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 2 in Room 223 of the Administration Building at La Sierra University at 4500 River Pkwy., Riverside.

"I'm excited by the prospects for growth and expansion this agreement represents," said Johnny Thomas, dean of the School of Business at La Sierra University. "La Sierra and UCR are working together to enhance educational opportunities for experienced adults in our community. I believe the partnership we're forging can do great things for both institutions and for Riverside."

UCR Extension students seeking master's degrees in business or education and La Sierra University students interested in adding areas of emphasis to their graduate studies are about to benefit from the agreements made by UCR Extension and La Sierra University.

The new agreements will enable UCR Extension students who earn certificates in business or education to transfer their academic credits into the La Sierra University Master in Business Administration and Master in Education programs. In turn, La Sierra students in either of these degree programs can earn business and education certificates at Extension that will apply toward a specialized M.B.A. or M.A. in education.

The areas of specialization in business at UCR Extension are: facilities management, project management, purchasing management, human resources management, personal financial planning, construction management, real estate, Workers' Compensation and geographic information systems.

In education, students earning certificates at UCR Extension in programs like educational facilities planning, chief business officials, gifted and talented education, multiple intelligences, biliteracy, language arts and writing, early childhood studies, educational technology, reading, conflict resolution and teaching English to speakers of other languages can apply those credits toward master's degrees at La Sierra University in Administration and Leadership, Curriculum and Instruction and School Counseling.

Students looking for more information can contact Sue Teele, director of Education, at (951) 827-1032 or Eric Blum, director of Business, Technology and Engineering, at (951) 827-4111.

To receive a free UCR Extension catalog, call (951) 827-3806.