College is always on the path to somewhere,” wrote Tom Robbins in Bookviews, February 1978. This statement rings true today, as the value of an advanced degree has increasing importance in both the business world and for the general well-being of the individual. From creative knowledge to technological skills, North Texas has no shortage of adult education programs.
Whether it be for career advancement, increased mobility in an existing career or for the simple joy of learning, thousands of adults arc returning to school. Baylor University’s executive MBA (EMBA) program director, Linda Frink, says that MBAs everywhere are being more aggressively sought. She says. “It is not only a means to go from one career to the next, but also a way to better manage current careers,” This view is echoed by Donna Pool, MBA recruiter for Our Lady of the Lakes University in living, “Most of our students are established in their careers; they arc looking to move up and make more money and realize they need a degree to do it.”
Some universities and continuing education programs have turned to evening and weekend formats to accommodate busy individuals who do not have time to pursue advanced degrees, Through these programs, students earn bachelors and master’s degrees or take non-degree courses at their own pace and on their own time schedule, in an environment tailored toward the active adult.
The Baylor EMBA program is a highly sélective degree program with required all-clay Friday and Saturday classes every other week, 15 to 20 hours of recommended study during the week and an international educational trip in the second year of study. The unique format consists of a two-year program, with the weekend classes based at the Cooper Aerobics Center.
Shared experience and group study are major goals of the EMBA program. Every other Friday night, the Cooper Aerobics Guest Lodge becomes a campus dormitory for F1MBA students, While staying at the clinic, students are given a weekend membership to the Cooper Fitness Center along with a stress test and use of a personal trainer. This holistic approach to education targets the mind and body. The weekend getaways also create a class consciousness among the students. Instead of strangers taking courses for individual reasons, they become a united group. The process, according to Frink, “promotes camaraderie between and among the students so that when they get into the classroom they know each other better than if walking in cold.”
Each class is limited to 35 students who work together through the two-year, “locked step” program. “This is an active educational experience in which students and faculty interact to question traditional doctrine and explore emerging theories. It is truly a living laboratory of shared experiences,” says Don Cunningham, associate dean of Graduate Programs. Hankbamer School of Business at Baylor University.
Amber University’s professional atmosphere also targets the business-oriented student. It was created solely for the purpose of adult education and opened its doors in 1971 as an institution devoted to the adult student. The Garland school features 10-week sessions and night courses that allow working individuals to fit school into their daily lives.
In addition to traditional classroom learning, the university also holds conference courses through Amber-Net (an online system) and 24-hour access to the school through phone and fax lines. In the conference courses, the student learns in an independent study situation. Amber University caters to the professional student, offering business-based degrees like Professional Development, Accounting, General Business and Information Systems and Technology, to name a few. Both bachelors and master’s degrees are available.
Amber University’s admittance process, which usually takes only 45 minutes, is based on successfully completed past college work not on college entrance exams. Dr. Douglas R. Warner, the university’s president says that “Amber University will continue to provide for the educational needs of the community and strive to enable each student to better appreciate his/her own worth.”
The University of Dallas serves the over-extended individual in many ways by bringing the classroom right into the living room. For increased convenience, the graduate programs at the University of Dallas have jetted into the 21st Century, with TAGER, a microwave broadcast system. Students can now attend class without ever leaving the office or home. UD also offers business courses in the traditional sense, with a five-classroom facility in Richardson and an Irving-based campus. Courses are offered on evenings and weekends. UD offers MBAs in various management programs including Health Services and Telecommunications Management.
Other continuing education programs focus on expanding general knowledge and creativity, as opposed to more business-directed programs. The adult education program at Southern Methodist University focuses on a liberal arts core. The curriculum offers more conceptual courses such as history, fine arts and philosophy versus technological, job-specific or recreational classes. SMU appeals to individuals who already hold one degree and want to return to school to continue the learning process in a multi-disciplinary environment, advance their creativity or just learn for the sake of learning.
An emphasis on technology has narrowed skills and knowledge. SMU programs work to expand the mind with programs such as the bachelor’s degree in Humanities or Social Science, Master of Liberal Arts, Professional Development Seminars, Foreign Language classes and non-degree study through the North Dallas Center for Continuing Studies at SMU. To keep in touch with changing technology, students 55 and older can attend the university’s SeniorNet classes and learn a variety of computer skills. SMU attempts to prepare for the future, by broadening the mind.
The “Weekend College Format” at Our Lady of the Lakes University is formatted so classes are only in session on Saturdays. This is a feature that Pool, the MBA recruiter, says is unique to her institution. “Everyone loves that they don’t have to interrupt work, family life or travel and can start fresh on Saturday. “
Our Lady of the Lakes’ goal is to get away from exclusively “chalkboard” learn-ing and create situations for practical application of what the students learn in the classroom. The school helps students complete their degrees in a non-intimidating environment with a program specifically tailored to the adult student seeking a bachelor’s or master’s degree, Each student determines his or her own pace and decides I for themselves how long it will take to graduate. Our Lady of the Lakes University is very intimate with class sizes of 10 to 15 students and lots of persona] attention. “The students won’t be just a number to us; they will have a name and a face,” says Pool.
The University of North Texas is the state’s fourth largest university and offers a plethora of graduate and undergraduate degrees. UNT is one of the nation’s largest centers of computer instruction and operates the only Hospitality Management degree program of its kind in North Texas. UNT offers many professional programs including Business, Chemistry, Interior Design and Public Administration. “Our size allows us to offer a wealth of resources and program choices,” says Deborah Leli-aert, associate vice president for marketing and communication at UNT. She says typical UNT students are a mix of people that span the generations. Graduate classes are offered mostly on weekends and evenings, and courses are offered on the Denton campus and off-campus sites throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Leliaert says, “Although there are many reasons people return for graduate degrees, our research shows that a primary reason is to take control of the future.”
Adults are returning to school, not only to increase income and job status but also for personal knowledge. In 1903, W.E.B. Dubois wrote, “The function of the university is not simply to teach breadwinning, or to furnish teachers for the public schools or to be a center of polite society, it is above all, to be the organ of that fine adjustment between real life and the growing knowledge of life, which forms the secret of civilization.” This statement reflects today’s attitude on the value of education as well as the inevitable benefits gained through continued learning.
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