When Southwest Tennessee Community College started looking for weekend college programs to model its new program around, Collin Weekend College caught Associate Dean Ashley Geisewite’s eye.
“We were looking for something innovative and a three-week model piqued my interest,” Geisewite said, adding that her discussions with Weekend College Director Brian Lenhart were very illuminating. “I called several colleges and Brian was the most forthcoming, the most helpful and the most energetic person I talked to.”
The interaction between the administrators from both schools was so productive that, a few calls and a plane ride later, a delegation from STCC was at Collin College for a visit June 8-9. The site visit to Collin Weekend College at the Plano Campus gave the Southwest Tennessee delegation a chance to see the program firsthand and discuss the opportunities and obstacles STCC might encounter while setting up its program. An opening meeting drew in Lenhart, Dean of Evening and Weekend College Gaye Cooksey, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Dr. Kelly Andrews, Dr. Rosemary Karr, Dr. Kristin Riley and Dr. Elaine Zweig to discuss their experiences with Collin Weekend College.
Topics ranged from ways to maintain academic rigor and compression of class time to faculty training and student support services. Collin offers a regular 16-weekend term and 10-week, eight-week and seven-week express block classes in addition to its three-week express courses. Collin College’s faculty and staff provided an overview of its weekend college program and its three-weekend express courses specifically.
Much of the conversation, at least early on in the meeting, revolved around the students who choose weekend college options.
“We have a number of students who have no other time in their lives to take classes and pursue a degree,” Dr. Zweig said, noting that the average weekend college student is 27 and has children. “They need something short, sweet and to the point.”
That sentiment was echoed by Dr. Riley, who said weekend college students seem very focused on a goal.
“I feel like weekend students are more motivated than regular students and even evening class students,” Dr. Riley said.
Students in three-week express classes, for instance, meet Friday evening, Saturday for eight hours and Sunday afternoon to achieve the required classroom hours and ensure they have enough time to absorb the material. Motivation is key for the students and drives the professors to deliver a compelling class.
Sindy Abadie, director of STCC’s “Achieving the Dream” program, noted that Southwest Tennessee’s interest is an outgrowth of the Drive to 55 initiative started by the state’s governor to ensure 55 percent of Tennessee’s population has a post-secondary degree or credential by 2025. State funding is opening up opportunities for recent high school graduates and working adults to earn a degree or technical certification. Three-week express courses like Collin’s are one option STCC is pursuing to make sure the state programs serve as many people as possible.
“It’s just so innovative. It is really impressive that you have been able to build so much into a three-week program,” Abadie said. “We know that with an adult population, we need something like weekend college to meet their needs.”
Learn more about Collin Weekend College online at www.collin.edu/academics/weekendcollege.