Get to know Jim Parenti, dean of the School of Continuing & Professional Studies

What attracted you to Loyola and the School of Continuing & Professional Studies? 

The combination of a vibrant city, a highly-respected university, and a top-ranked school that truly lives out its mission attracted me to this opportunity. The faculty and staff in the School of Continuing & Professional Studies (SCPS) are deeply committed to serving students through education and accompaniment, so that they may go on to improve their lives and the world around them.  

This is also a homecoming for me and my family – I attended graduate school in Chicago, met my wife here, and our oldest daughter was born in the city. We even lived right across the street from the Water Tower Campus, making this opportunity particularly meaningful. 

What are some of the highlights from your career in education and government? 

Like many of our students in SCPS, I have changed careers over the years. My career started at a public relations firm in Chicago, before working for an Illinois state senator, and later for the Lieutenant Governor during Governor Jim Edgar’s administration. My service in government continued when I moved back to my hometown in Syracuse, N.Y., to work for the city’s mayor, before continuing to Washington D.C., where I worked at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.  

After two decades in government, I made the transition to higher education. I served in an administrative role at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs before heading to Georgetown, where I was privileged to serve in a variety of roles at the university, including in the School of Continuing Studies, the Global Education Institute, and most recently in the Office of the President.  

While these work experiences varied and required different skill sets and abilities, each role operated in some capacity of informing, educating, and serving others. I am looking forward to continuing that work here at Loyola and in SCPS.  

What are you looking forward to as Dean of SCPS? 

I’m excited to be part of a dedicated team of faculty and staff committed to delivering top-ranked educational programs to non-traditional students, meeting those students where they are, and creatively expanding meaningful learning opportunities for often under-served populations in higher education.  

I also look forward to engaging and collaborating with business, industry, and non-profit leaders in Chicago to address their workplace challenges and how they can best support their employees. 

What excites you about the future of adult learners and continuing education? 

From technology to globalization, the world around us continues to change, impacting our workplaces, our careers, and our lives. We are living and working longer, retiring later, and all of these changes require that we learn new skills and abilities to adapt and grow. We are truly living in the age of lifelong learning. SCPS helps a wide range of students address those societal needs and opportunities with a variety of degree programs, certificates, non-degree, and custom offerings. All of these offerings are available in flexible, online, in-person, or hybrid formats. It’s exciting to be part of a team helping students to not only improve their lives, but to realize their dreams in the process. 

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?  

Whether it is walking on the lakefront or in the parks, visiting the many great restaurants in the city, or taking in a show downtown, there’s so much to love about Chicago. I’m also fortunate to have a lot of family and friends here and it has been wonderful to be able to spend more time with them.