Continuing Education Launch: Advancing Baylor’s Commitment to Community, Lifelong Learning

Under Pro Futuris, a robust set of five-year goals were approved in May 2014. Among these was a commitment to creating educational opportunities that benefit the surrounding community and Baylor alumni. Representing an exciting leap forward in this effort is the recent launch of Continuing Education, an effort led by Gabriela Colmán, director of community relations and continuing education in the Division of Constituent Engagement.

“Continuing education is a very exciting field to work in because you’re surrounded by colleagues from such diverse backgrounds,” Colmán said. “When this position opened up with the opportunity to launch Continuing Education at Baylor, I just couldn’t say ‘no’. It’s a real honor to be able to give back to the institution where I studied.”

Colmán earned a BA in both Latin American studies and Spanish and an MSEd in curriculum and instruction from Baylor and brings a varied professional background that includes language instruction, work in refugee resettlement, a focus on domestic violence in Honduras with the Mennonite Central Committee, housing counseling at Waco Community Development and most recently continuing education and administration at McLennan Community College.

Underscoring Continuing Education is the tagline, “Cultivating a habit and a hunger for learning in our communities.” Friends of the University, Baylor alumni and members of the Greater Waco community have the opportunity to pursue personal enrichment and professional development through courses developed and taught by qualified instructors on a wide range of topics.

“Continuing Education is a larger umbrella which offers a breadth of programming within that category,” said Audrey Johnson, continuing education and community relations specialist. “We have one-day seminars, we have the ‘Waco 101’ lecture series, sailing, dining etiquette—and these classes are fee-based and typically take place evenings and weekends. Lifelong Learning is another program that is a part of Continuing Education. It’s a membership-based group. Individuals or couples purchase a membership for the year which gives them the opportunity to participate in classes.”

The Lifelong Learning program tends to attract many retirees as classes take place during daytime hours and, the program benefits from a great deal of volunteer leadership.

“The Lifelong Learning group has an advisory board, a curriculum committee and an events committee, so course and event topics are all member-chosen, which is one reason why we get such variety,” Johnson said.

While this type of membership-based adult education is offered by many universities nationwide, Baylor’s Lifelong Learning program boasts some notable strengths.

“We have so many strong ties to Baylor University. One of our instructors is a lifelong learning member himself—he has a hobby that he wants to share with the group and the group voted for his class to be added to the course offerings,” Johnson said. “Another strength is the connection between our lifelong learners and Baylor professors. About half of the courses each semester are taught by Baylor professors or former professors.”

All Continuing Education courses, including those offered through a Lifelong Learning membership, are open to the public as well as Baylor alumni, faculty and staff, but do require registration before the first class session.

Because the hunger for lifelong learning is piqued at an early age, a comprehensive summer reading program is available through Continuing Education. The program is designed to sharpen reading skills and improve overall literacy for all ages, from pre-K through adulthood.

A special course for college students improves reading speed and comprehension. In just two weekends, this course covers several speed-reading techniques and retention strategies. Instruction takes place at Baylor, provided by the Institute of Reading Development, and enrollment includes a lifetime instruction privilege, allowing students to repeat the program any time at more than 700 locations nationwide.

For more information about Continuing Education courses, Lifelong Learning membership or summer reading, visit baylor.edu/continuingeducation or email continuingeducation@baylor.edu.