Education for a Lifetime
How one university turned a struggling enterprise into a $6 million lifelong learning powerhouse
A decade ago, the University of South Florida’s Continuing Education program was by all accounts a financial burden.
Then part of USF’s Innovative Education division, the unit was losing $60,000 a year. It seemed impossible to justify its existence at a time when higher education was focusing on workforce alignment and the employability of graduates.
Mark Koulianos, Innovative Education’s finance director at the time, was tasked with conducting an assessment with the expectation that he’d recommend shuttering the struggling program.
“Leadership essentially said, ‘We want you to go in there and evaluate the continual loss of revenue and document the need to close the unit,’” Koulianos said. “I evaluated it and recommended doing the opposite.”
Rather than a post-mortem, Koulianos’ assessment called for a bold transformation. He saw potential where others saw red ink, identifying 15 strategic changes to make the program profitable and mission driven (see case study).
“I think this is the future of higher ed – expanding into non-credit programming,” he told his bosses. “If we make these changes, this could be a profitable business and an important cog in the university’s economic engine.”
The gamble paid off. USF Continuing Education re-branded as the Office of Corporate Training and Professional Education and is now a $6 million enterprise that spans multiple units and is focused on building a lifelong affinity learning model.
The new unit’s success wasn’t just about profitability — it was about positioning USF as a key partner in the Tampa Bay region’s workforce development and community engagement landscapes. It now counts among its clients Amazon, Publix and the U.S. Department of Defense through Tampa-based U.S. Special Operations Command.
Download the free case study to learn how USF:
- Built a sustainable source of auxiliary revenue through innovative programming and strategic partnerships.
- Developed a Lifelong Affinity Learning model that engages individuals at every stage of life, from youth through retirement.
- Partnered with industry leaders to deliver workforce-relevant courses that address the evolving needs of today’s job market.
- Aligned with USF’s Office of University Community Partnerships to enhance corporate and community engagement at an institutional level.
