A Piece of SCS History

Each month we will add a "Piece of History" about the School of Continuing Studies to expand your knowledge and appreciation of your Journeys in Lifelong Learning as a member of the School of Continuing Studies family, whether as a student, alumni, faculty or staff member. Understanding where we have come from will help us take pride in recognizing the opportunities presented by our Journeys in Lifelong Learning at SCS.

Introduction
Visit the School of Continuing Studies at the University of Richmond and you will discover a vibrant, varied and modern educational experience that hints of great changes underway. Here you can find a homemaker returning to a career in elementary education through the teacher recertification program. You can find a county firefighter, enhancing career prospects by pursing a graduate certificate in Disaster Science. A 28-year old retail clerk is completing work for a Bachelor of Liberal Arts through the Accelerated Weekend College. Elsewhere on campus, a retired couple is learning about modern art in a non-credit enrichment course. Last semester, they studied conversational Spanish to prepare for a trip to Mexico.

You can also find students attending the School of Continuing Studies far from the University of Richmond campus. Some study in work-related courses at their job sites. Others will learn technical computing skills at the Tidewater campus about 100 miles from Richmond. Still others cyber-commute from abroad and across the United States. All are part of the School of Continuing Studies community.

The School’s broad scope and considerable flexibility represent the most significant shift in higher education since European universities first were established. For centuries, a university’s physical location in a town or city -- like London or Paris -- defined its identity. Education remained available mainly to men, while the early curriculum rigidly adhered to classical models. Changes happened over time: women joined men in classrooms and labs, and curricula broadened to include a wide range of liberal arts, sciences, social sciences and engineering programs. However, certain aspects remained unchanged. By necessity, a school remained a physical entity, rooted in a single place that often carried significant emotional ties for teachers and alumni. Classroom lectures, ink, books and paper transmitted knowledge from teachers and libraries to students.

As the School of Continuing Studies demonstrates, today’s college is not limited to buildings in a single city. A school can be anywhere students connect to the Internet. Books still store information, but CDs, massive computer databases, and the World Wide Web also contain vast repositories of information.

For much of the twentieth century, the largest group of students on American campuses was young people between the ages of 18 and 24. They left home, went to college, studied four straight years, earned a baccalaureate degree and never returned to the school except for occasional homecomings and reunions. In 1970, with Baby Boomers pouring into classrooms, traditional students (those between 18 and 24) accounted for 72 percent of the United States higher education population. This percentage dropped significantly during the past 30 years. During the same period, the population of "non-traditional" students in higher education climbed, growing from 28 percent in 1970 to 38 percent in 1980, 44 percent in 1990 and nearly 55 percent in 2002... (more next issue)