Continuing ed plays vital role

     It seems a shame that all colleges give priority to credit courses over continuing education, but administrators always look at the bottom line, and the bottom line is money.
     Lack of classroom space on SE Campus caused the cancellation of a continuing education class in September although the class had plenty of students registered.
     “We do not have any classrooms designated for continuing education,” Carrie Tunson, dean of continuing education and economic development, said. “We have had to be creative with planning when and where courses will take place.”
     Conference rooms are the only classroom space available to continuing education although these classes appeal to a broad spectrum of the community and provide prospective students for future credit courses.
     On SE these rooms have been designated to English as a second language (ESL) students since, according to Tunson, they are the main focus of the CE department.
     Many evening courses advertised in the fall 2000 catalog were rescheduled because of overcrowding.
     Most continuing education students prefer classes to begin around 5:30 or 6 p.m.
     “However, this is the time we have the least amount of classroom space available. Students always have the option to take the course during a down time or on the weekend or to have their money refunded if we are at fault,” Tunson said.
     Senior education also has been affected by the overcrowding. Many senior education students want computer courses, but continuing education does not have a designated computer lab. Thus, potential students are turned away because of lack of space at an appropriate time.
     So far this semester, only one course has been cancelled although many were rescheduled at times other than those listed in the course catalog.
     One Spanish course was moved to three different rooms before the class was canceled. One of the three moves was to an inadequately spaced office.
     All of the students were given a complete refund when the course was canceled, but one student reported he and others felt like second-class citizens. They were not given a classroom to enrich their education, which is the purpose of continuing education.
     We applaud steps being taken to remedy the problems with continuing education classes.
     While overcrowding is currently a problem on SE Campus, plans for improvement are already under way.
     Temporary building construction south of the main building will be completed by fall 200l; however, six of the rooms will be designated for ESL classes.
     Non-credit courses will also be offered at Mansfield and Arlington high schools to ease scheduling problems.
     Continuing education courses are a major part of TCC’s commitment to its community. Through these courses, most families have had a positive experience with the college. We should continue to provide good service that bears the college name.