We're excited to announce that the College of Continuing and Professional Studies is expanding its popular free webinar program, bringing you even more opportunities for career-boosting insights. Each webinar offers a fresh, engaging look at topics vital for today's professionals—from effective communication and leadership strategies to promoting workplace wellbeing—and wraps up with a Q&A. Our presentations are crafted and led by University of Minnesota instructors, all of whom bring decades of on-the-ground experience and expertise directly to you.
This expanded series reflects the University of Minnesota's deep-rooted commitment to excellence and our "Maroon and Gold" standard of quality in education. We believe that continuous learning shouldn't be a luxury, but an accessible pathway to advancing your career and personal growth. By offering these free, expert-led sessions monthly, we aim to provide timely and relevant guidance that helps you stay ahead in a constantly evolving professional landscape. Join us each month to connect with leading minds and gain practical knowledge you can apply right away.
University of Minnesota employees can receive 200 wellness points by viewing a CCAPS professional development webinar. The form to collect wellness points will be included in an email to webinar registrants after the webinar.
Build Emotionally Intelligent Teams
Presented by Karin Goettsch
Tuesday, Sept. 15 | noon–1 p.m.
Emotionally intelligent teams don't happen by chance. Supervisors create the conditions that allow emotionally intelligent behaviors to become the norm. Through their self-awareness and everyday interactions, supervisors influence how team members communicate, navigate challenges and support one another's success. Creating a positive team culture means balancing empathy with accountability while helping employees remain engaged, adaptable and productive.
In this webinar, we'll:
- recognize how a supervisor's self-awareness and actions influence team culture and performance.
- describe the key habits and norms that characterize emotionally intelligent teams.
- explore practical strategies supervisors can use to strengthen trust, communication and resilience within their teams.
Karin Goettsch, PhD, PCC, CPTD designs strategic talent and organizational development solutions for leaders, teams and individuals. She consults and coaches on leadership development, high-performing global virtual teams, cultural and emotional intelligence and communication capabilities.
From Individual Contributor to Impactful Leader
Presented by Carolien Moors
Wednesday, Oct. 14 | noon–1 p.m.
Being great at your job is often what earns you a leadership opportunity. However, the skills that make you a strong individual contributor are rarely the same skills that make you an effective leader.
In this practical webinar, you'll learn how to navigate one of the most critical career transitions: moving from doing the work yourself to achieving results through others. We’ll explore the mindset shifts, communication habits and leadership behaviors that help emerging leaders build credibility, delegate effectively and increase their influence. Whether you are preparing for a promotion or newly stepped into a leadership role, you'll leave with actionable strategies to lead with greater confidence and clarity.
In this session, we’ll discuss::
- shifting from task ownership to people leadership.
- transitioning from reactive doing to strategic thinking.
- building trust and credibility with your team.
- delegating effectively without micromanaging.
- navigating the dynamics of leading former peers.
Carolien Moors, M.Psych., M.Ed., is an international organizational consultant, coach and speaker with over 30 years of experience helping leaders, teams and individuals across Europe and the US navigate change with candor and accountability. By blending psychology and business insights, she supports diverse industries and nonprofits to drive meaningful growth and collaboration.
Beyond the Chatbot: Build Your First AI Automation (No Coding Required)
Presented by Bryce P. Kayanuma
Thursday, Nov. 12 | noon–1 p.m.
Most professionals use AI the same way every day: ask a question, get an answer, copy, paste, repeat. But today's AI tools can do something far more valuable. They can build small, working automations that take repetitive tasks off your plate entirely, and you don't need any technical background to make it happen.
In this live, interactive session, you'll watch a real automation come to life from start to finish: identifying a tedious task, describing it to AI in plain language and running the finished automation live. Along the way, you'll learn a handful of simple prompting techniques that dramatically improve what AI produces. These are techniques you can start using in your own work the same day, whether you manage projects, analyze data, coordinate operations or run reports. You'll also learn how to decide which tasks are safe and smart to hand to AI, and which ones should stay in human hands.
In this webinar, we’ll:
- identify the repetitive tasks in your own work that are strong candidates for AI automation.
- apply simple, structured prompting techniques that get noticeably better results from any AI tool.
- flip the script and have AI interview you, so the task is fully understood before anything gets built.
- turn a plain-language task description into a working automation, even if you've never touched code.
- decide which tasks are appropriate to delegate to AI, based on data sensitivity and accountability.
Bryce P. Kayanuma, PhD, draws on extensive background in cloud architecture, AI system design and adult learning. He works as an independent AI architect, designing enterprise AI systems for clients in pharmaceutical training and higher education. His coauthored research on AI as a thinking partner for adult learners earned the 2026 DLA Best Paper Award.
Explore the U's Portfolio of Professional Development Programs
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Webinars Library
Watch our most recent webinars or browse our vast selection of previous webinars.
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We can help you choose which professional development programs are the best fit to meet your career goals. We are here to answer your questions regarding specific programs, courses, or other career topics you have on your mind.
Don’t hesitate to send us an email. We're here for YOU!
University Employee Wellbeing Points
CCAPS's Free Webinar Series is partnering with the University's Employee Wellbeing Program. For each free webinar attended, you may earn 200 points towards your goal.
How many points will I receive after attending a webinar?
1 hour webinar = 200 points
Are there limits on the number of CCAPS professional development webinars I can listen to in order to receive Wellbeing points?
No. You can now receive points for attending unlimited webinars per program year.
How do I request my Wellbeing points?
CCAPS will also provide a link to the request form at the end of each webinar. A link to the request form should also appear in the YouTube description of past webinars.
When will OHR process my Wellbeing points request?
Point requests will be submitted on the 1st Tuesday of the month following the webinars. If you have any questions or are not seeing your Wellbeing points reflected, please contact [email protected].
How do I check my current points rewards status?
You can check your current status by visiting the Wellbeing Program page, or you can email [email protected].
Can I obtain Wellbeing points for listening to past webinars?
Yes. You can obtain points for listening to past webinars. You can access our past webinars by visiting CCAPS's Professional Development Webinar Archive. You will need to submit a separate request for each webinar you listen to, the wellbeing form can be found in the webinar description on our YouTube channel.
Who do I contact if I have questions about the Wellbeing Program?
Visit the Wellbeing Program website or email your questions to [email protected].