Open House For DePaul Continuing and Professional Education Programs To Be Held Aug. 29

Working professionals who enroll in a new continuing education program at DePaul University this fall will learn business leadership from an unusual perspective – the business architect’s point of view.

Taught by Paul A. Bodine, a licensed architect, e-commerce strategist and management consultant, the Business Architecting Certificate Program draws on Bodine’s 18-years of experience as president of his own architectural, general contracting and real estate firm, as well as his work on the team that designed W.W. Grainger’s award-winning e-commerce Web site.

The program will be one of many educational opportunities that prospective students can learn about during DePaul’s Continuing and Professional Education Program (CPE) Open House Aug. 29 at the DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson Blvd., 8th Floor, Chicago from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. To register for the free open house or learn more about CPE offerings, call 312/362-6300 or visit the Web site: http://www.learning.depaul.edu.

“The Business Architecting program acknowledges that managers are becoming architects,” Bodine said. “In addition to their line responsibilities, they are in charge of designing and implementing an increasing stream of solutions to help their organizations keep pace and improve their near and long-term positions in the marketplace. This work may include everything from obtaining approvals and budgets from senior management, to designing user interface screens, forms, workflow processes, business rules, performance goals and job descriptions, to supporting organizational structures, to selecting information technology applications and developing the comprehensive training.”

New roles require managers to develop an overarching, coordinating architecture, Bodine said. “Business architecting is a relatively new concept and represents an emerging role, reporting to the chief operating officer and chief executive officer. It provides a comprehensive methodology and set of tools for approaching the manager’s work.”

“Business architects view an organization as a set of interdependent systems,” he explained. “They explore the organization’s position and strategy for competing successfully in its marketplace, the processes that form its basic corporate building blocks, its supporting business structures and interpersonal relationships. This is done to ensure that problems are solved holistically, cost-effectively and in a way that accommodates growth, organizational change and automation using information technologies.” Bodine, a Northwestern Kellogg School of Management MBA graduate, also teaches business architecting in DePaul’s highly ranked MBA program. He recently helped form the Business Architects Association (www.businessarchitects.org).

Offered by DePaul’s CPE beginning Sept. 27, the 10-week program is designed for senior managers and emerging leaders in any field or discipline. For more information visit the Web site: http://www.learning.depaul.edu/.

Part of the DePaul’s Lifelong Learning division, CPE is a leading provider of classroom, customized and on-site education programs – including executive leadership training – for individuals in need of focused learning and organizations wishing to increase the knowledge and skills of their employees. It offers formal and informal learning programs aimed at working adults seeking to enhance their professional skills, their careers and their understanding in a rapidly changing world. Offering more than 45 certificate programs (and many more courses), at six university locations, CPE offers new and relevant learning opportunities.

CPE is especially adept at developing tailored and on-site learning solutions for employers through its Custom Programs and Onsite Services program. For more information, call 312/362-6300 or visit the Web site: http://www.learning.depaul.edu/.