UCSB Extension Students Assist Habitat For Humanity
Raising Walls To Raise Awareness

Media Contact: Christina O’Toole, (805) 893-8401 or cotoole@els.ucsb.edu

 

 

SANTA BARBARA, CA. JUNE 21, 2006 – students in UCSB Extension's Project Management Practicum course collaborated with Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County to carry out a special full-day construction event, "Women at Work for Habitat for Humanity." This project brought together a group of prominent community members in an all-women construction crew, to help three families realize their dream of owning a home at Habitat's Via Lucero build site.

Working closely with Habitat Executive Director, Joyce McCullough, students applied project management tools and techniques such as, determining the project scope; developing a work breakdown structure, schedule, and budget; creating a project plan; providing site setup and support functions; and preparing a project final report. Students organized themselves into a realistic project organization with student leaders and team members.

Project Management Practicum is the capstone course of the six-course Professional Certificate Program in Project Management at UCSB Extension. The course is unique in that students apply what they have learned in the classroom to planning and executing a "real" project for a community service organization.

"UCSB Extension is fortunate in having the opportunity to work with Habitat for Humanity, both in Santa Barbara and Ventura," said course developer and instructor, John Cushman, PMP. "In addition to learning about project management in a hands-on team experience, students have the satisfaction of helping Habitat for Humanity in its mission of building affordable housing with volunteers and responsible families in need."

Other courses in UCSB Extension's Project Management Certificate Program include Introduction to Project Management; Project Initiation, Planning, and Integration; Project Scope, Cost, and Time Management: Earned Value; Leadership, Human Resource and Communication Management; and Quality and Risk Management. UCSB Extension is a Registered Education Provider with the Project Management Institute.

More information about the project management program at UCSB Extension may be found at www.extension.ucsb.edu/certificates or by calling (805) 893-3591. More information about Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County is available at www.sbhabitat.org.

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