Continuing Education in the Asheville Area Monday, 14th July 2008, 6:11am

The Asheville area is an excellent place for continuing education on a wide variety of subjects. Asheville and its surrounding communities has been headquarters for some of the finest educational institutions in the United States. The University of North Carolina Asheville is nationally acclaimed for its liberal arts focus and has programs for adult learners. Warren Wilson College is widely renowned for its Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, which caters to adult learners by offering classes during summer and winter break for professors who are employed during fall and spring term.

These two institutions of higher education are leading the way in continuing education in the area, but they are by no means the only schools actively serving the continuing education population. Mars Hill College, AB Tech, and Penland School of Crafts also offer continuing education. Working professionals are in need of continuing education and many retired professionals need continued training to take part fully in the workplace and community service, or simply enhance their knowledge or skill in an area of interest. There are plenty of options for adult learners in the Asheville area to do just that.

University of North Carolina Asheville (UNCA)

UNC-Asheville (http://www.unca.edu) is one of the sixteen schools in University of North Carolina system and it is the only one dedicated solely to the liberal arts. UNCA began as an institution that prioritized the humanities and has flourished into one of the top liberal arts schools in the country. UNCA has also established a North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement (NCCCR) where adult learners can pay an annual membership fee of $40 http://www.unca.edu/ncccr/Membership/ and receive access to university resources such as the library, and classes. NCCCR members take classes in a variety of useful subjects that can enhance professional skills, nurture creative talents, and allow study in areas where more knowledge is desired such as: computer software, finance, art, and photography.

Mars Hill College

Mars Hill College is a Baptist institution of higher education located in the town of Mars Hill. Adult Access at Mars Hill College http://access.mhc.edu/is a program that caters specifically to the needs of professional adults. Mars Hill College offers classes in the evening in the areas of business management, teacher and special education, social work and teaching English as a second language. Academically and intellectually gifted and reading classes area also available. Some classes are also available online, on the Moodle platform, and at satellite classrooms in Asheville, Burnsville, Hendersonville, Marion, and Waynesville.

Warren Wilson

Warren Wilson College inherited a distinguished program called the MFA for Writers from Goddard College, http://www.warren-wilson.edu/~mfa/newwebsite/homepage.php that is designed for the professional adult learner. This low residency program is taught during summer and winter academic breaks so that active professionals can take part. The highly distinguished faculty and students have made the program what it is today – one of the top MFA programs in the nation.

Asheville Buncombe Technical Community College (AB Tech)

AB Tech is located in Asheville and surrounding locations and works especially hard to meet the needs of working professionals seeking continuing education opportunities. Through it’s close association with the Small Business Incubator and Small Business Center, http://www.abtech.edu/sbc/class_schedule.asp AB Tech offers a variety of choices of continuing education classes for the business professional. Many classes are taught at night or on Saturdays. Class topics range from “Marketing Your Business for Success” to “Accounting for Non-Accountants” and “How to Value a Business.” Most classes cost $75-175. The Small Business Incubator is one of the few programs like it in the country, and is housed at the AB Tech Enka/Candler campus, just west of Asheville.

Penland School of Crafts

One of the world’s most highly acclaimed school of crafts is located just outside Burnsville, North Carolina in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Penland School of Craft’s http://www.penland.org/ mission is “individual and artistic growth through craft.” It supports this with one to eight-week workshops in a variety of craft mediums, artist residencies, and a top-notch gallery that exhibits the best in student and faculty work, and other craft artists. A complete updated list of classes is available at http://www.penland.org/classes/classes.html.