General Extension Division papers

The General Extension Division was established at the University on August 1, 1913 to offer courses and instruction to people across the state of Minnesota. The division was responsible for planning and staffing evening courses held on and off campus, correspondence courses, short-courses, and lectures to local communities for all collegiate units except the College of Agriculture. The goal of the division was to increase the scope and effectiveness of the University by extending services and activities to people who are not a part of the traditional student body. College credit for some courses could be awarded to extension students, if they met the admissions requirements of the University.

By the late 1950s, the Extension Division consisted of eight major departments: the audio-visual extension service, the center for continuation study, the correspondence study department, the evening and special class department, the municipal reference bureau, the radio and television broadcasting department, the state organization service and the University program service. In 1960, the first graduate program, leading to an MBA, was established in the extension division. By 1962, 19,000 students were enrolled for 1,000 courses offered in the evening around the state. Many students were completing courses in the liberal arts and earning college credit. In 1964, a program that offered courses for credit via television was unveiled. Three to four courses would be offered each quarter, resulting in the earning of 10-14 resident credits, or a total of 33 credits if the student completed the yearly sequence.

The division was renamed Continuing Education and Extension (CEE) in 1972. On July 1, 1996, CEE was renamed University College (UC). While still offering non-credit, distance education and community outreach programs, UC also offered undergraduate and graduate degrees in a number of fields, certificates and post-baccalaureate licensures at the Twin Cities, Morris, Duluth and Crookston campuses, and the Rochester Center. In 1999, the college was renamed the College of Continuing Education.