Professional and Continuing Education

Pawley Hall, Room 440G
456 Pioneer Drive
Rochester, MI 48309-4482
(location map)
(248) 370-3177
[email protected]

sun setting over Oakland University campus

About

The  60 year curriculum . . . .

Researchers estimate that by 2050 women could live to an average of 89 to 94 years of age and men to an average of 83 to 86.  That means that we will work longer and change jobs more often.  We will need to keep abreast of rapid changes in the workplace and in society.  Maintaining a healthy mind and body will be of utmost importance to help us remain vibrant and independent longer.

That is why PACE, OU’s community outreach unit, works collaboratively across the University with our expert faculty to provide flexible, innovative and relevant programming for all ages across the life-span. 

Whether you are improving your career, improving your health or enriching your mind we want to be there to help you enjoy the journey.

Work hard, play hard and keep PACE with OU!

Mission, Vision, and Values

Mission:

Oakland University Professional and Continuing Education (PACE) provides community, national and global learners access to innovative, relevant educational opportunities through high quality, engaging instruction for lifetime personal and professional growth.

Vision:

Oakland University Professional and Continuing Education (PACE) will become a leader in serving the educational needs and aspirations of our community and region through expanded relationships and institutional reputation, visibility, and engagement.

Values:

  • We are entrepreneurial in our ventures
  • We are responsive to the needs of the community
  • We ensure academic quality in our faculty, instructors and curriculum
  • We offer relevant academic, professional and personal enrichment experiences including short programs, courses, workshops, camps, and conferences
  • We offer flexibility in programs and modes of delivery
  • We strive to bring convenience to the lives of our students
  • We strategically partner with businesses and organizations to improve our community

PACE Staff Directory

professional headshot of Lori Crose

Lori Crose
Director of Professional and Continuing Education
[email protected]

Lori Crose has been with Oakland University (OU) in Rochester, Michigan since 2000 and is the Director of Strategic Programs. In this position she has administrative responsibility for educational programs across the University including credit and non-credit certificates, re-licensure training, certification training and retooling programs at and above the post-bachelor level. In addition, she is responsible for developing high quality, new and innovative programming that will align with county, state, and federal employment trends and is charged with connecting them with the government and business communities. Lori has served as Director of OU’s Personal Financial Planning Certificate Program for the last ten years.

Prior to higher education, she worked in the healthcare industry serving as laboratory research assistant at both Illinois State University in Bloomington, Illinois and Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield, Illinois. Later, she served as Senior Microbiologist at Pharmacia-Upjohn in Kalamazoo, Michigan. While there, her research on Streptomyces transposons resulted in several white paper publications and she received numerous awards for her contribution to antibiotic production process improvements.

Lori earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration in 2002 from Oakland University and a Bachelor’s Degree from Illinois College in 1981. She has served two terms as the Central Region Secretary for the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) organization and served on the Central Region Planning Committee in 2015. She recently served as a member of the Oakland County’s Workforce Development Business Roundtable and represented Oakland University Representative on the Oakland County Emerging Sectors Educational Consortium.
photo of Carrie Sliwinski

Carrie Sliwinski
Assistant Director
[email protected]
(248) 370-3177

Carrie  Sliwinski, the Assistant Director for Professional and Continuing Education (PACE) has been with Oakland University ( OU) since 2000. Carrie began at  OU as a student assistant while she completed her Bachelor of Arts Degree. In 2006, she became a full-time staff member and has been working at Oakland University since then in various roles including the Continuing Education Office Assistant, School of Business Administration Events Coordinator, and the Assistant to the Associate Dean. Carrie has continued her studies while working at Oakland University receiving a Masters of Training and Development from  OU in December 2015.

In her current role as the Assistant Director for PACE, she is responsible for leading the registration and enrollment team, acts as technical manager for Banner Flexible Registration system, is customer service liaison and implements business and compliance operations for PACE.


A headshot of Stephen Anderson.

Stephen Anderson
Director, Advanced Placement
[email protected]
Stephen Anderson is the Director of Advance Placement Summer Institute.  He is responsible for planning, staffing and facilitating all APSI sessions.  In addition, he works with other members of PACE to market APSI sessions, registration and budgeting.
Stephen completed his Educational Specialist in Educational Leadership from the University of Michigan, Flint in 2015.  In addition, he completed his Master’s in Education from Wayne State University in 2011, completed a Bachelor of Arts degree from OU and a Bachelor of Business Administration and Associates of Business Marketing from Baker College.  Before pursuing administration work, Stephen studied abroad at Oxford University through Oakland University and taught English in Niger, Romania and Jordan.


Headshot of Shar Banks

Shar Banks
Certified Financial Planning Program Director
Shar Banks is a Senior Financial Consultant at TIAA (tiaa.org), a Fortune 100 financial services organization and leading provider of asset management and retirement services for the academic, research, medical and cultural fields. In her role as a Senior Financial Consultant at TIAA, Shar is focused on helping participants plan for their financial well-being and retirement readiness. She meets with employees one-on-one and provides personalized counseling, education and advice, including specific asset allocation and fund selection recommendations based on the plan’s investment options. Shar began her financial services career in 2001 and has been with TIAA since 2016. She serves institutional clients in the State of Michigan from the local Ann Arbor TIAA office. Shar holds a Bachelor of Arts in Finance from Grand Valley State University as well as a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Northwood University. She holds FINRASeries 7 and 63 registrations while maintaining Life, Health and Variable Annuity licenses from the State of Michigan. Additionally, Shar has obtained the Certified Financial Planner (CFP ®) and Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®) designations.