Women in a meeting

Women in Leadership Certificate Programs

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Women in Leadership Certificate Program to be Offered Online Through SBCC School of Extended Learning in Partnership with New Second Level Program Launching at Antioch University Online and Extended Education

Certificate Programs To Provide Opportunities To Understand Barriers Women Face and To Share Practical, Actionable Strategies To Overcome Them

The new SBCC Women in Leadership Certificate (Level 1) online program will launch in fall of 2021, providing a unique opportunity for women to develop essential leadership skills for career advancement. The three-month program is being offered through the SBCC School of Extended Learning. It is the new rendition of a similar program that was previously offered through Antioch University Santa Barbara. Beginning in February 2021, AU Online will offer the Women in Leadership Level 2 Certificate to help women further develop and hone their strengths, navigate generative conversations about race in the workplace, and understand how they can lead and develop a transformative “action plan” for the community and/or the workplace that focuses on a framework of equity, inclusion and intersectionality.

“Out of 500 Fortune 500 companies, precisely two are led by women of color. Hardly better, only 33 have women CEOs of any race,” said Dr. Jacqueline Reid, Director of both Women in Leadership programs. “For many, the ‘glass ceiling’ is more like a ‘concrete ceiling.’ These programs were designed to help women face the challenges and obstacles holding them back from leadership roles. The good news is that since this pandemic started, more women at all career levels have been tapped by their companies to participate in leadership development in an effort to grow a diverse talent pool. We hope to support women so that they can take on these new leadership challenges, bringing gender parity within the workplace.”

The SBCC School of Extended Learning will be offering the Level 1 online program in partnership with the SBCC Foundation, which is providing funding for the course.

“We are excited about this new entry-level opportunity for women who are early-to-mid-career professionals interested in accelerating their advancement,” added Reid. “Every participant will learn about their strengths, practice public speaking and negotiation skills, understand how to ‘brand’ their leadership identity, as well as develop an action plan to hone their leadership skills based on other topics that will be covered over the residency period.

“Students will benefit from outstanding instruction, opportunities for collaboration, and one-on-one coaching,” said Geoff Green, CEO of the SBCC Foundation. “The Foundation is committed to supporting pathways for students to change their lives through education, as with this highly relevant and respected program.”

Antioch University’s Level 2 Women in Leadership Certificate program focuses on transformational leadership within the social change movement. The program’s goal is to bring together early- and mid-career women who are clearly aware of the professional challenges that they face and provide these women opportunities to enhance their confidence and leadership skills within a social justice framework. Participants will deepen their skills and self-confidence, build strong networks of support, and plan a career path for the future in the context of social change. Over three months, meeting virtually two weekends a month, participants will engage in hands-on experiences and develop practical skills to navigate the workplace and elicit change in the community.

“Antioch has a long history of social justice and was the first college in the country to have a woman faculty member as equal to her male counterparts,” said Dr. Terry Ratcliff, Antioch University Provost for Distance and Extended Education. “This Certificate is based on pillars within a social justice framework of equity, inclusion, and intersectionality.”

At the end of the program, students will have formed an “action plan” for a specific leadership goal. Creating the action plan will include identifying a need in an organization for positive change, coming up with personal and professional goals for the action plan, identifying skills and strengths that the women already have to achieve their vision, and then making it happen.

Information on the fall 2021 launch ob the SBCC Women in Leadership Certificate program will be released later this spring. For more information on the Level 2 program, go to the Antioch Women in Leadership Certificate website. If you have questions, please contact Dr. Jacqueline Reid at [email protected].

The Antioch Women in Leadership Certificate (Level 2) online program fee is $2,000.  Scholarships are also available through the website.

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About the SBCC FoundationThe SBCC Foundation has provided Santa Barbara City College with private philanthropic support since 1976, serving as the vehicle through which individuals and organizations may invest in the college and its students.

As an independent 501c3 nonprofit organization and partner to SBCC, the SBCC Foundation awards more than $5 million annually for student success programs, scholarships, book grants, emergency funds, and other critical needs of the college. For more than four decades, the resources raised and managed by the SBCC Foundation have supported SBCC students as they prepare for careers, transfer to four-year universities, and pursue lifelong learning goals.

In 2016, the Foundation launched the SBCC Promise, offering all recent, local high school graduates the opportunity to attend SBCC full-time at no cost. The SBCC Promise relies entirely on private support and covers all required fees, books, and supplies for up to two years. To date, more than 5,000 local students have participated in the SBCC Promise. By removing financial barriers, the SBCC Promise ensures that SBCC’s life-changing educational programs are fully accessible to all local students.

About the SBCC School of Extended Learning: The SBCC School of Extended Learning offers tuition-free and fee-based educational and community programs that serve our diverse adult population. Programs advance career and life skills, and offer bridges to credit. These include English as a Second Language (ESL), Career Skills, Adult High School, Parenting, Health and Safety, Fee-Based Life Enhancement, and classes for older adults. Hundreds of courses are offered each semester, spanning a multitude of subject areas. Visit the website to learn more:

About Antioch University Online: Antioch University Online is the nationwide and online division of Antioch University. The core values of social justice, service to the community, and lifelong learning lie at the heart of our Bachelor’s degree completion programs, Master’s degrees in Business Administration (MBA), Nonprofit Management, Human Services Administration, Individualized Studies, and EdD in Educational & Professional Practice.

About Antioch University
Antioch University provides learner-centered education to empower students with the knowledge and skills to lead meaningful lives and to advance social, economic, and environmental justice. Inspired by the work of pioneering educator Horace Mann, Antioch University includes a Graduate School of Leadership and Change; Antioch Online; and campuses in Keene, NH; Los Angeles; Santa Barbara; and Seattle. A bold and enduring source of innovation in higher education, Antioch University is a private, nonprofit, 501(c)3 institution and accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.