ECU names administrator to improve military partnership

East Carolina University has created a new administrative post to focus on the development of stronger ties with military bases and community colleges in eastern North Carolina.

Dr. Diana M. Henshaw, director of the ECU Division of Continuing Studies, will become the new special assistant to the vice chancellor for academic affairs for community college and military relations, effective Jan. 1.

Clayton Sessoms, associate director of the Division of Continuing Studies, will serve as the interim director of the division.

In her new position, Henshaw will coordinate efforts to provide ECU courses and degree programs to military personnel at bases in North Carolina. She will also work closely with community colleges to promote ECU’s extension education programs and to encourage the graduates of the two-year programs to enroll in degree programs at ECU.

In announcing Henshaw’s selection for the post, Dr. Richard Ringeisen, vice chancellor for academic affairs, said, “We are just beginning to realize the full potential for extending educational opportunities in cooperation with our military and community college neighbors.”

“I believe that this area needs full-time attention from someone who understands the dynamics of these groups,” he said. “Diana Henshaw’s considerable experience and expertise make her ideally suited to fill this role.”

Before joining the ECU staff in 1992, Henshaw was dean of continuing education and summer school at Western Carolina University. She has also worked in adult education positions at the University of Arizona and at Richmond Community College. She holds degrees from ECU and N.C. State University. Henshaw is president-elect of the North Carolina Distance Learning Association, is past-president of the North Carolina Adult Education Association and North Carolina Summer Sessions Association, and has held a variety of board positions in the University Continuing Education Association.

Her military and international experience includes the teaching of graduate courses on military installations and serving as a consultant to universities in the Middle East, Central America and Asia. Currently, she is a member of the Quality Education System (QES) team for Air Combat Command, United States Air Force.

“I think it is vital to our future that we seek strong supportive partnerships with the community colleges and military bases in the area we serve,” Henshaw said. “I’m delighted to have the opportunity to work with these important constituents and support their efforts to provide educational opportunity.”

ECU has long provided educational programs for military personnel and many of ECU’s off-campus students are members of the military and reside in locations around the world. Their professors have developed distance learning programs that incorporate a variety of innovative teaching strategies and Internet-supported technologies. “This is an important step in our commitment to extending educational opportunities to those who cannot come to the campus as well as facilitating overall enrollment growth,” said Ringeisen in announcing the new position.