Project helps IU workers 'Advance'

IU is constantly trying to find new ways to attract students from outside the University. Now a new program through the IU-Bloomington continuing studies office is aimed at potential students already involved in the IU community.\nProject Advance is designed to serve IU staff, where they will earn an Associate of Arts in General Studies in seven semesters. Participants take two back-to-back evening classes a semester for a total of six credit hours. \nAccording to the IUB Continuing Studies Web site, a General Studies degree helps to advance students in their job or train for a new career, builds confidence and provides a sense of accomplishment and prepares for continuing studies in graduate or professional schools\n"IU has thousands of employees, many of whom don't have a degree," said Ron White, director of IUB Continuing Studies. "As a university we need to be in the position of encouraging our own people to advance their education. That's what we do for a living."\nThe program is specifically tailored for employees who will also be working full-time positions with IU. Classes start at 5:45 p.m. for the convenience of those whose workdays end at 5 p.m. The professors of the two classes offered this fall, Elementary Composition and American History I, will work together when feasible to link assignments. \nProfessors are also hand selected for the program.\n"We try to identify faculty who work well with older students," White said. "These students have more experience than 18-year-olds right out of high school, and we try to encourage incorporating that experience and building assignments around it."\nWhite said if enough IU staff enroll in the program, the classes will consist only of adult students. \nBernadette Robinson-Kinzer, staff representative for local 4730 of Communications Workers of America, said that the thought of classes with younger students can be daunting for some adults wanting to continue their education, and classes consisting of only adult students might be attractive.\n"There is a great deal of self-consciousness," she said. "They are very leery of going back to class. They feel they will look stupid, are afraid to ask questions and afraid they won't fit in."\nRobinson-Kinzer said that funding can also be an issue. Though staff members receive half off their tuition, the money they are discounted comes out of their department's budget. She said some department supervisors may be hesitant to part with precious funding if they feel they are simply paying for an employee to receive a promotion in another department.\n"We have to remember IU is a single employer," she said. "It's not an employee's fault they may not want to pay for fee courtesy."\nSome scholarships will be available to help get employees started in the program, White said.\nThough White said the program does not guarantee any sort of promotion or raise within the University for graduates of the program, he believes any sort of continuing education can only be beneficial.\n"In the most general way, any time someone increases their education, they also increase their potential for advancement," he said.