CAMPUS

Enriching the Columbus community
Angelica shields
News Editor

MUW’s Continuing Education Program is seeing an increase in community enrollment in enrichment courses.  

The Continuing Education Program, suitably titled the Life Enrichment Program, or LEP, offers invigorating non-credit classes for adult members of the community. Those who seek an alternative to undergraduate programs can engage in a variety of courses that cater to physical, intellectual and social needs.

LEP is a community outreach program for members of the community who wish to have fun learning and practicing developmental skills. The program eliminates the need for full-time enrollment in a university and applications for government aid. Community members can enroll in as many offered classes as they wish for a fee of $35.00. There are no criteria or prerequisites for enrollment. Anyone can register.

More members of the greater Columbus area are taking part in the program for its stimulating courses.

MUW’s Director of Continuing Education, Dr. Barbara J. Moore, is very excited about the program’s progress. She is particularly delighted about the number of enrolled community members, which has grown since its start in fall 2009.

Fall 2009 saw six courses with an enrollment of 24. Spring 2010 saw 12 courses with 89 enrolled. Dr. Moore hopes to have at least 150 enrolled this season and 200 by the end of next spring.

The program has also seen a growth in interest of the W campus.

“Sometimes, we will have a class on campus and some enrolled are members of the community who have lived in Columbus all their lives, but have never seen the campus. They’ll ask ‘Well, where is Reneau?’”

Most of the classes are taught on the MUW campus in fall and spring in different departments and buildings, including Pohl, McDevitt, and the Education & Human Science building. Classes meet once a week for six weeks in a particular season for 1-2 hours. The $35.00 fee pays for materials and advertising for the courses. Courses are held during the day, the early evening and on Saturday mornings.

LEP courses offer those enrolled the knowledge and resources to begin particular endeavors. They teach arts and crafts and even tools for starting a business or acquiring a career. Community members may learn an untrained or forgotten skill. The courses simply educate individuals on how to improve their lives.

The program’s Board of Directors is composed of 12 community volunteers who teach courses related to their individual areas of expertise. Some are retired instructors formally employed at the W.

Included in the 29 courses offered this fall are fitness courses, planning for the future, Beginning and Intermediate Conversational Spanish, financial wellbeing courses, science, technology and computer applications courses, and French for Travelers. Individuals may also sign up for a business planning course or Police Work: Fact or Fiction, in which popular myths about police work are exposed. Local History: Legends and Stories also exposes facts and myths of famous stories from local history.

An additional fee is also charged for a wine tasting class hosted at the Columbus Country Club. For an extra $25.00, fine wine imported from different states as California and other countries as France and Australia can be sampled and studied.

Dr. Moore encourages community members to take part in the courses. The program is also open to college students if they wish to register.

Those interested may visit www.muw.edu/lep to view a description of classes offered this fall and register or call (662) 329-7150 for a brochure.