Our staff and faculty provide leadership, administrative oversight, program development and marketing support for UW–Madison’s Continuing Studies programs. In addition, we teach and direct hundreds of programs and courses that address the professional development and personal enrichment needs of in-person and online learners. Our division also advises and admits people enrolled in certain credit or capstone programs, as well as adults pursuing undergraduate degrees.
Our mission and values
The mission of Continuing Studies is to advocate for and to engage lifelong learners through high-quality and innovative programs and services.
Our Focus
Lifelong learning is more important than ever and Continuing Studies is here to help. Our commitment to the thousands of learners we serve — from precollege to post-career — is to create educational value that successfully equips you for aspects of your life journey. While individual and collective motivations and aspirations are wide-ranging — for example, upskilling for work, preparing for an academic endeavor, pursuing a personal interest, leading an organization, functioning better as a team or enhancing an entire community — we can provide the specific tools and opportunities for transformative growth. In sum, our focus is on your lifelong learning needs.
Our Dean
Jeffrey Russell
Position title: Vice Provost for Lifelong Learning & Dean of Continuing Studies
Dr. Jeffrey S. Russell, PhD, PE, F NSPE, Dist. M.ASCE, NAC, dean of the Division Continuing Studies and vice provost for lifelong learning, strives to uphold the University of Wisconsin–Madison as a global leader in service to lifelong learners, focusing on high academic standards, emerging technologies, organizational effectiveness, diversity and inclusion, and mentorship of future leaders.
A registered professional engineer in Wisconsin, Jeff is a professor of civil and environmental engineering for the College of Engineering. He earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Cincinnati and master’s and doctoral degrees from Purdue University.
Among his awards and achievements, Jeff is especially proud of receiving the National Science Foundation’s Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring, awarded by the President of the United States for his work mentoring women pursuing careers in the construction industry.
Jeff learned the value of hard work growing up in a construction family where his father ran field operations for a small regional contractor in Ohio. He spent his youth working in construction, where he also learned the value of integrity and organization. Deeply influenced by a sister with Down syndrome, Jeff values family, the simple joys of life and the importance of respecting and supporting differences and diversity.