Annual Report 2012

 In Centre News

The UPEACE Centre works with leaders from around the world to offer transformational educational experiences that are dynamic and engaging while inspiring our participants to have a positive impact in our interconnected world.

During the year 2012, the Centre grew in all aspects, by expanding its online course offerings, creating partnerships with new universities and hiring new full and part-time staff.

The Centre continued to offer its ‘Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Social Change’ online course, which was run four times during the year. More than 250 students have completed the course creating a community of social innovators around the world; and it successfully ran the ‘Skill for Effective Negotiations’ course, facilitated by Dr. Alexandru Balas, twice.  In November 2012, the Centre launched a new online course, ‘Designing Your Life: Innovating From the Inside Out’.  This cutting-edge course bridges the gap between the ‘self-help’ genre of books and the theoretical research by PhDs in psychology, and gives students the space, structure, support and motivation to answer some very fundamental questions regarding their passions, strengths, goals, priorities, and key relationships.  The course received rave reviews.

The UPEACE Centre was also an integral part of a new professional exchange program, which was funded by the U.S. Department of State and jointly run by UPEACE and the University of Connecticut. The ‘Empowering Women through Social Entrepreneurship’ grant aspired to promote mutual understanding among Costa Rican and US women focusing on the areas of public health, environmental sustainability and socioeconomic development. The Centre adapted what was previously delivered as purely an online course (Entrepreneruship, Innovation, and Social Change) and offered it as ‘hybrid’, combining face-to-face delivery at the beginning and the end with online learning.

During 2012, the UPEACE Centre also hosted twelve students from around the world for the ‘Educating for the 21st Century’ course, as well as six universities from the United States, focusing on various subject areas:

  • Adelphi University’s Levermore Global Scholars Program for a course in Sustainable Society: Peace, Human Rights & Development in Costa Rica 
  • San Jose State University’s Department of Counselor Education for an Advanced Seminar in Counseling  
  • Saint Leo University’s School of Business
  • Nashua Community College for a course on Peace Education, Leadership and Sustainability  
  • University of San Diego’s School of Leadership and Education Sciences

The Centre has also invested in growing its team and is very pleased to have hired two UPEACE alumni – Karen Visoná as the Centre’s Coordinator and Heidi Resetarits as Marketing Assistant and Course Moderator.  Both Heidi and Karen graduated with their MA in Responsible Manangement and Sustainable Economic Development.  It also hired an external consultant to lead the core team through a strategic planning session for the next 12-24 months.  The Centre’s new vision statement is: We envision a world where all educational experiences are moving towards an approach where learning, playing, and working are parts of the same whole.  The UPEACE Centre for Executive Education has been instrumental in advancing its transformational pedagogical approach with Universities and organizations who view themselves as changemakers.

Overall, 2012 was a year of growth despite a slow worldwide economy.  The Centre ended the year by launching its redesigned logo and website – we hope that the new brand and website reflects the Centre’s core values: “Professional, friendly, entrepreneurial, transformational, and joyful”

So what’s in store for 2013?

The exciting journey continues in 2013.  We are developing new courses in the areas of ‘Emotional Intelligence in a Virtual World’, Leadership, Impact Measurement, and ‘Educating in a Changing World’.  We’ll be announcing a diploma in social innovation shortly, all this while reaching out to new university partners and adding to our face-to-face courses in Costa Rica. We hope that you will engage with us.

If you wish to receive more information about the UPEACE Centre’s activities, please complete the required information in the Contact form, or send us an e-mail to centre@upeace.org.

Recent Posts
Showing 2 comments
  • Zuhra
    Reply

    Great news. Thank you!

  • Peter A. August
    Reply

    I was introduced to the University back in 1989 while I was on a workshop in San Jose dealing with disabilities. Unfortunately, I never got directly involved; but, reading the 2012 report, I am amazed at the Centre’s accomplishments and it’s projections for 2013. Now that I am retired, I may consider some of your courses for my own personal enhancement.

Leave a Comment

Start typing and press Enter to search