NIU’s College of Continuing Education received program awards for the first time from the National University Continuing Education Association this year.

The 1988 NUCEA Business, Industry and Labor program development award was given to NIU’s Corporate Adventure program. The program offers leadership workshops to corporation employees including vice presidents and managers.

The NUCEA bronze award went to the College of Continuing Education’s “Challenges Catalog” produced by NIU for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

Deborah Brue, associate professor in the College of Continuing Education, said the Corporate Adventures program was started in the spring of 1977 and is specifically designed for corporations’ needs. Many corporations such as Apple Computer, AT&T and Motorola have been served by the Corporate Adventure program.

She said the program consists of a seminar and indoor or outdoor activities such as rock climbing, camping and canoeing. The purpose of the events is to promote teamwork, trust in fellow employees, cooperation, decision making and problem solving. The program takes a minimum of a day and a half to complete the activities.

Group size has ranged from eight to 24 people, and the program serves one corporation at a time, Brue said. Program employees worked with 11 corporations in 1988 and expect about the same amount in 1989.

She said all of the corporations have a home office in Illinois, but there have been employees sent from 17 other states to participate in the program’s activities. The events are held at the Lorado Taft campus in Oregon, Ill., Woodstock Conference Center in Woodstock, Ill. and George Williams College in Lake Geneva, Wis.

Brue said she was proud that NIU won the award because of the program’s quality. The program won the award for its creativity, service to corporations, participation and the benefits to NIU, such as its funding to the conference centers.

Linda Johnson, writer of the “Challenges Catalog” and director in the College of Continuing Education, said the “Challenges Catalog” received the NUCEA bronze award for its design, layout, photos and overall concept.

The catalog was written for the 2,000 child welfare practitioners in Illinois that are required to complete 20 credit hours of continuing education workshops every two years. The catalog outlines types of workshops, where they are held and when.

Johnson said the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services contracted with NIU to write the catalog. It was written in about four months, she said.

Bill Young, College of Continuing Education dean, said the award process took about six months. The college was informed of the winning awards about one month ago.

Brue accepted the NIU awards at the annual NUCEA meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah between April 15 and April 19.