The Continuing & Professional Education division at Columbus State University recently won an International Award in lifelong learning for Best Brochure from the Learning Resources Network (LERN), the largest association in lifelong learning in the world.

Samantha Gurski accepted the award on behalf of the department for the redesign of their Activ8 summer camp catalog. The award was only one of twenty given at LERN's annual conference in Savannah, Georgia, which was recently attended by more than 650 professionals from three different countries who specialize in lifelong learning.

"The award is for innovation in the field of lifelong learning and serving communities," noted LERN President William A. Draves. With over 1,000 organizations focused on lifelong learning within the LERN community, Draves claimed that "winning an International Award is an outstanding event."

Columbus State University Continuing & Professional Education re-engaged customers in the community by redesigning their Activ8 catalog, in which they added interactive features for children to enjoy as their parents read over prospective camps, reorganized by week to make planning easier. This allowed children to become more engaged in their upcoming learning experience and raised their excitement to participate in the program.

"We are honored to be recognized by LERN," said Samantha Gurski, assistant director for the department. "Activ8 is a special program that brings thousands of kids between the ages of 4-18 years old to the main campus of Columbus State University from May until August. We want all area kids to be able to experience an Activ8 summer, full of robotics, art, cooking, science, athletics, and more. We are beyond excited that the redesign has made it even easier for parents and children to choose among Activ8's 200+ STEAM camps."