Adult Studies Program makes its mark at VWC
by Chona Santander

Its newsletter is called “The Nightlight.” Its offices are tucked in a back corner of the Humanities building. And according to Jessica Bartee Thompson (‘94), media coordinator and evening manager, it is the best kept secret on campus. The Adult Studies Program (ASP) quietly makes its mark at Virginia Wesleyan College by providing the student body with one-third of its composition.

However, it should be no secret to the college just what an extraordinary, remarkable and unique group of students comprise the Adult Studies Program.

These are people who consider being a student as one of the many roles they play,” said Dr. Kate Loring, director of the Adult Studies Program. “Not that school isn’t important to them, but our students are holding down other responsibilities outside school, like families and full-time jobs. They are under certain stresses that make them approach classes differently.”

Adult Studies Program students at VWC are a special crop of individuals that are among a popular growing trend in colleges across the nation. They are non-traditional-aged college students (usually 23 years or older) attending classes during the evenings, once or twice a week; on Friday nights or Saturday mornings; or, during the early morning hours, twice a week.

“Some of our students only take two classes a semester, so it takes longer to finish their degree,” Thompson said. “But some transfer students already have credits from many other schools, including TCC (Tidewater Community College), Old Dominion University, and Virginia Tech or even the military, which helps a great deal.”

Thompson also said that as an extension of the VWC academic community operating under the same guidelines and requirements of the day program, the Adult Studies Program strives to acquire more students with more options, such as the new Criminal Justice minor. Right now, there are three Bachelor of Arts degrees offered in Business Management (which is called “LAMP” for Liberal Arts Management Program), Liberal Studies (a broad major which focuses on humanities or social sciences), and a Social Science Divisional with a concentration in Health and Human Services, History, or Sociology.

Currently, there are 337 students enrolled in the Adult Studies Program, an increase from last year’s enrollment of 313. The all-time high of the ASP was 387.

“We want to continue improving our services to the students,” Loring said, “and want to be creative about finding ways of meeting the needs of the students in a technological

Technology is something Elaine Dessouki, assistant professor of the Management/Business/Economics (MBE) department, hopes to integrate into the ASP courses that she teaches.

Maybe some classes could be conducted on-line,” she said. “But I think we do have something special in class. That motivation factor helps everyone...the program is people-based and student-oriented.”

The idea of support and encouragement is often implemented through the services available to students making that difficult transition back to school while still balancing the demands of employment, family and community commitments. A freshman seminar course was established to ease the shift into academic stresses. Thompson said that additional student services, such as an orientation program, review workshops in math, paper writing, library research, computer skills, and study skills are also available.

“Students in the Adult Studies Program are in classes composed of others like themselves,” Loring said. “There are advantages and disadvantages, but in general our students appreciate that.”

The Adult Studies Program continues to be a strong and stable force in the Hampton Roads community as the oldest adult-concentrated academic program in the area. This year marks the program’s fifteenth year at Virginia Wesleyan College, and many years are anticipated to lie ahead.

“We really have a personal touch with our students,” Thompson said. “And I think that is what separates us from the rest...the small family atmosphere allows us to know everyone’s name and to interact with them on a more personal level.”

Virginia Wesleyan College and the Adult Studies Program advocate the belief that learning is a lifelong process. Students in the program bring more of their own life experiences into the classroom with them, therefore, enhancing what they learn. They are a group with tremendous motivation and dedication, who thrive in the constructive, resourceful, and positive atmosphere provided by the Adult Studies Program.

“Their experience adds a lot to the class,” Dessouki said. “It’s wonderful to see their eyes light up when they make connections to their own life experiences. It’s a different style of teaching, too. Sometimes I feel like a facilitator instead of an instructor.”