Middle Tennessee Education Center will host “A Celebration of Education,” including a special preview of its expanding curriculum, from 4-7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 2, at the center, 200 Dover St. in Shelbyville.
Admissions counselors, administrators and educators will be on hand to explain how the center can help students chart a path to improving their educational credentials and obtaining more fulfilling, higher paying jobs.
The center is a partnership between Middle Tennessee State University and Motlow State Community College with the support of Bedford County government. It is designed to make access to higher education classes more convenient to students from Bedford, Coffee, Lincoln, Marshall, Moore, Rutherford and Williamson counties.
“The long-term impact of having a higher education campus in a community is clear,” says Dr. Mike Boyle, dean of the University College. “However, there also is an immediate economic impact to the host city because most of the students live in neighboring communities. As a result, students often buy gas, shop in the stores and frequent the restaurants around campus.
Center spokeswoman Lisa D. Moore says there are 21 new courses being offered at the center this fall, including a new emphasis in agriculture with four courses and several additional courses for the interdisciplinary studies (elementary education) major.
“We are hosting a graduate program in educational leadership,” says Moore. “Two new courses in criminal justice and social work are being test-marketed to determine the local demand for those programs. More than one-third of the courses will be taught by tenured or tenure-track faculty from MTSU.”
Among the center’s other offerings are an adult degree completion program for an accelerated path toward a bachelor’s degree at MTSU; a degree advancement program to help students who have earned an associate’s degree from Motlow pursue a bachelor’s degree at MTSU; prior learning assessment, which will enable students to earn college credit for military training, previous certifications, and professional development; and general education and developmental courses.
With 42,000 square feet of space in Shelbyville’s former Medical Arts Building, the Middle Tennessee Education Center has room to expand its curriculum and its student population even further. Classes are slated with starting times ranging from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. to accommodate adult learners’ work schedules.
Each classroom currently in use is wi-fi-ready for students to use laptop computers and other devices. One classroom has been outfitted to facilitate instruction via videoconference.
Door prizes and refreshments will be available at “A Celebration of Learning.” For more information, contact Moore at 931-685-444 or go to www.mteducationcenter.com.