Extended education program growing
The Office of Extended Education has developed a fall line-up of 46 new classes with hopes of attracting more students.
By Sarah McNamara
Staff Reporter

Since most students are rarely aware of the opportunities and resources available to them, the Office of Extended Education has created a marketing campaign and revamped a majority of its courses with hopes of drawing in students, said Julie Lovett, coordinator of corporate and community education.

“We are trying to get new blood and reach new markets,” she said. “We’re really trying to broaden what it is that we do.”

With a mission of educating people for a lifetime, the Office of Extended Education has been providing creative learning outlets to students, faculty, staff and the Fort Worth community for close to 30 years, Lovett said.

This semester there are 223 different classes offered and 85 percent take place on campus. These short-term, non-credit classes cover a wide range of topics to meet the interests of the people who enroll each term. Students, faculty and staff also receive a 50 percent discount on selected courses.

This year the office has made an effort to offer a more creative and unique selection of courses, Lovett said. Classes offered this semester include swing dancing, the ancient art of stargazing, meditation and uncovering the mysteries of the wedding industry.

One facet the marketing plan looks at is creating partnerships within the community, most significantly the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, Lovett said. Of the 17 different courses being taught in the gardens this semester, T’ai Chi, in the Japanese Garden, is by far the most popular, Lovett said.

Dennis Beck, the T’ai Chi instructor has been involved with the extended education program since 1988 and has been teaching at TCU since 1994. When Beck found out about teaching his classes in the Japanese Garden, he said he has never been more excited.

“It’s magical because the two things match up perfectly,” he said. “I’m never going to teach in a better place.”

Another popular class this semester is The World of Wine taught by Ray Raney, wine consultant and vice president of Kings Liquor.

Raney said the course is more about exploring different countries’ wines, where they come from and distinct varieties of grapes, than actually tasting the end product .

“We’ve gotten great evaluations, so I think it’s going to be a pretty successful class,” he said.

Anne Mitchell, a 1997 graduate currently enrolled in Raney’s course, said she thought it would be something new to do with a group of friends and is anticipating what it will be like. But The World of Wine will not be Mitchell’s first extended education class. She has also taken beginning Italian classes.

Lovett said the total enrollment for last fall peaked at 858. As of last week, she said more than 960 people are enrolled in classes. However, this number may rise as registration continues, she said. Lovett said the new and inventive courses offered this semester are intended to challenge people’s thoughts and spark dialogue. They are also geared toward attracting a wider spectrum of interest, like students, she said.

“The numbers are very low (for students) and I don’t know why. The market has always in the past has been to the adult, non-campus community,” Lovett said. “And I think that can be pretty short-sighted.

“We have not sought after the TCU students,” Lovett said. “And if you don’t know these classes exist, what good is it?”