Robert Lapiner Intends for SCPS To ‘Capture the Global Moment’

By Jason Hollander

Robert S. Lapiner began his tenure this spring as dean of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS), after 15 years as dean of continuing education and UCLA Extension at the University of California, Los Angeles. Under his leadership, UCLA Extension set national standards for post-baccalaureate certificate programs and the integration of multicultural and global perspectives in continuing education curricula, while enrolling approximately 60,000 students annually.

From 1976-1990, Lapiner worked in international education throughout Europe and Africa. As the deputy executive director/director for Europe of the non-profit Council on International Educational Exchange from 1982-1990, he developed and oversaw university-based academic study and practical training programs. From 1976-1982, he was a U.S. career diplomat in cultural and educational affairs, posted in the Netherlands, Zaire (now Republic of Congo), and France.

During this period, he was also a visiting professor at the National University of Zaire at Lubumbashi, and the American University of Paris, and a frequent lecturer at French universities and grandes écoles. In his various capacities, he helped found a university-based Center for the Study of Human Rights in Central Africa and the Dutch American Studies Association.

Lapiner earned his B.A. from UCLA and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University in British and American languages and literatures. His articles about U.S. and international higher education policy and practice have been published in the Netherlands, Germany, France, South Korea, and the United States.

NYU Today recently spoke with him about his new role as SCPS dean:

What enticed you to steer your career toward non-traditional education?

In my childhood, in many part-time jobs as a student, and in volunteer work, I was moved by the transformative examples of family members, parents of friends, and older co-workers who were non-traditional adult students. I believe that learning is a life-long vocation—and that universities must accommodate the evolving needs and expectations of adult students.

Adult learners bring professional experience, personal maturity, and clarity of motivation to their studies. They may focus on obtaining practical tool-sets to advance in their profession (or embark on a new career direction); at other times, they study for the sheer passion of exploration. In shaping the programs and methodologies for reaching such broad needs and aspirations, I like that schools of continuing education must be responsive to—and reflect the characters of—the greater community in which their universities sit.

How does SCPS overcome the perception that higher education is for young men or women aged 18-22? What’s different about educating adult students?

First of all, SCPS serves students of all ages. The outstanding undergraduates in our Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management are the traditional 18-22. But it is true, that the overwhelming majority of our nearly 40,000 full and part-time undergraduate, masters’ degree, and non-degree students, are older. In that regard, we are not unusual—nationally the majority of students in American higher education is made up of “non-traditional,” part-time adults. That is why SCPS is the natural home for NYU’s Paul McGhee division, offering undergraduate liberal arts and professionally oriented degrees for older students.

The SCPS curricula take into account that students’ work and life experiences add value to their professional and academic preparedness. So we build on their maturity and draw upon their knowledge in developing our programs. Our student-centered approach is also why we offer our courses in the evenings, weekends, online, and in summer intensives—because older students have to balance time for career, family, and study.

What do you plan to do here at NYU that you had not been able to do at UCLA?

I loved UCLA and UCLA Extension, but I have come to NYU because of its openness to creative innovation and entrepreneurial spirit, and history of community engagement. In the short time I’ve been here, I have become ever more convinced that if you have a compelling idea and get the right champions, you can achieve almost anything.

What distinguishes SCPS in particular is its comprehensive nature as a school, offering undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education programs, having full-time faculty and distinguished adjuncts and enjoying deep connections within many of the industries and sectors that shape the New York economy and its place in the world.

There is also a tremendous opportunity for collaboration within NYU through strategic partnerships with other schools at the University, where my predecessors began precedents that I hope to expand. And then there are the possible collaborations within the city itself, its industries, cultural institutions, community organizations, and unrivaled international resources.

You mention your desire for SCPS to take a ‘greater role in global business, cultural, social, and political affairs.’ How will that happen?

Students should always possess knowledge of the world around them. Keep in mind that probably most of our students are already working in fields that are being shaped by global factors. It is essential that in whatever we’re teaching, our programs capture the global moment. Across the world there is a hunger for understanding other cultures and other ways of doing business, and SCPS should not be an exception. Part of the dean’s job is to support and shape initiatives—be they in curriculum design, internships here and abroad, increasing international enrollments and overseas study options, or faculty exchange—toward that end. And we are committed to offering the general public access to learning opportunities that foster nuanced global understanding.

How have you enjoyed living in New York City so far?

The NYU community has been very welcoming. My wife (a native Parisian) and I have already come to feel entirely at home. Walking in New York—especially in the vicinity of NYU—is to experience the vitality of life itself, its diversity, capacity for joy, and exuberance. As my wife said one day while waiting for me in Washington Square Park, watching the frolicking dogs and children at play, and the students, faculty, and staff in rapt conversation, and smelling the lilacs in bloom, “Can it get any better than t