Edmonds college cancels its free courses

Published 9:00 pm Sunday, January 4, 2004

Edmonds Community College will have to wait until this fall to offer free college-level courses to low-income adults interested in the humanities.

The reason: It couldn’t find enough students to sign up.

The college had hoped to begin the classes this month with lessons covering art history, moral philosophy, U.S. history, literature, critical thinking and field trips to galleries, museums and public lectures.

The program, called New Horizons through the Humanities, is inspired by the Clemente Courses, a series of humanities classes first offered in New York city in 1995 that were aimed at helping low-income residents participate more in their communities from a social and political perspective.

Organizers say they are confident the class will succeed once it gets going. Finding students, many of whom were unsuccessful when they were in school, can be challenging.

"It’s a harder market," said Lela Hilton, coordinator of EdCC’s New Horizons program and the academic director for a Clemente Course in Jefferson County. "These students typically aren’t looking for educational opportunities."

Hilton said the college will have more time to find students now and the wait will be worth it. Nineteen people expressed an interest, but the college didn’t know how many actually would commit to the course through the end of the school year. The class needed 25 students.

"Humanities education helps individuals who have been trapped by poverty to develop their inherent capacity to become successful providers for their families, and it supports and engages participants to become empowered, active members of their communities and thus better citizens," Hilton said.

There are no tests and no grades but there are class assignments.

In other communities where similar courses were offered, students who completed the classes often decided to continue their education, said Michelle Graves, an EdCC spokeswoman.

Students who successfully complete the course receive 12 college credits and may be eligible for scholarships if they continue their education. The program is paid for by grants from Verizon, U.S. Bank and the Edmonds Community College Foundation.

To find out more, call Hilton at 206-799-2833 ore e-mail lhitlon@edcc.edu.

Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or stevick@heraldnet.com.