THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 11, 1996 TAG: 9608110071
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MATTHEW BOWERS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 96 lines
Dream, or nightmare? You decide.
Chemistry. Algebra. Psychology. Economics. Applied Perturbation Methods in Mechanics and Aerospace Engineering.
On Friday nights. And Saturdays.
Don't decide too quickly. If you work full time, or care for children or parents at home, or you're a high-schooler looking for a head start, being able to take regular college classes on weekends - classes leading to bachelor's and master's degrees - could be a dream come true.
That's the genesis of the ``Weekend College,'' the latest effort of Old Dominion University to reach out to nontraditional students. It starts this fall.
It's another in a line of options - such as satellite campuses in Virginia Beach and on the Peninsula, and interactive televised classes across the state - ODU is offering to a changing student population for which regular day and night courses simply don't work.
Each year, Old Dominion professors are more likely to face classrooms of older students who already have jobs, are changing careers, are in transition from military careers - in other words, not 18- to 22-year-old full-time students straight out of high school. About 45 percent of ODU's 17,000 students are 25 years old or older.
While the research university on Hampton Boulevard is maintaining its enrollment, its leaders can't help but notice falling enrollments at sister institutions across Virginia and the country. One solution is to go where the students are - through satellites and video - or to open the doors when the students are available, such as weekends.
``I think there's a revolution going on in higher education,'' said ODU's president, James V. Koch. ``What we're saying is, let's mold our services around the student, instead of the other way around.''
Classes for the Weekend College begin Aug. 24, and registration is underway. More than 70 courses and as many as a dozen degree programs will be offered to start. Classes will be held on the main and satellite campuses.
``Really, it's opening the door,'' said Beth C. Lewis, a university spokeswoman. ``We're really trying to make education as accessible as possible. People's lives are very busy.''
Camille Grant-Legrier would agree. The 30-year-old Hampton mother of two works nights in the laboratory at Sentara Hampton General Hospital. She saw a notice about the Weekend College on a hospital bulletin board, and silently cheered. She wants to add a second undergraduate degree in medical technology to help her advance at work.
``I was like, `Hey! They needed that three years ago!' '' she said.
``You've got to sleep sometime, . . . and most classes are scheduled in the morning, right when you're getting off work.''
Also happy to see weekend classes are small-business operators, who often don't have the flexibility to allow employees to take courses during the work week.
``We can't afford to have someone gone,'' said Elizabeth T. Patterson of Signature Financial Management in Norfolk, which has seven employees. ``I think it's a great way for employees to keep up with their education.''
ODU officials long had fielded requests for a full range of weekend classes from students and would-be students. The university did some research. Friday and Saturday courses are not uncommon around the country, but most schools offer only a few or target them strictly to, say, those seeking a master's in business administration, said Anne Raymond-Savage, associate vice president for academic affairs.
She saw that ODU's own off-campus courses often had heavy enrollments on Fridays and Saturdays around the state.
``What we haven't been doing is offering the people of Hampton Roads the same access,'' she said. She's gotten more than 300 calls about the Weekend College since newspaper advertisements recently began appearing.
In figuring out which classes to offer, officials agreed to provide the basics - introductory biology and chemistry, math, speech - needed for many degree programs, or courses that high-school juniors or seniors might like to try for early college credit.
William A. Drewry, chairman of the engineering department and head of the Faculty Senate, said he assumed some professors would balk at the prospect of weekend work, but the idea of such classes had been debated for years as faculty members heard from students who wanted them. Most professors already teach split day-and-night classloads, Drewry said.
``We have people who'll step up to the bat and hit some home runs, and hopefully we'll be able to reward them appropriately,'' he said.
During the school year, registration, finance and other college offices also will be open Fridays from 5 to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
ODU President Koch said traditional residential college programs always will have their place, but the reality is that more and more students have different needs. He pointed to summer enrollment at ODU, which is growing faster than regular enrollment.
``When 10,000 people exercise an option during the summer,'' Koch said, ``that's a sign that we've tapped a vein.'' MEMO: MORE INFORMATION
For details about ODU's Weekend College, call 683-4252. Informational
meetings for the public also are scheduled from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday
and from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday in Rollins Hall, 5115 Hampton Blvd.
Full page advertisement of courses available is on page B8. by CNB