March 28, 2011
SIUC gauging interest in Springfield WED program
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Southern Illinois University Carbondale and its Workforce Education and Development program will hold several new public presentations to determine interest in the Springfield area in a program that would allow people to complete an SIUC degree through weekend and online courses.
This program would allow those who are currently working on or have obtained an associate degree, or those who are returning to college, to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree in Workforce Education and Development (WED) by attending local classes on weekends and participating in online classes. This enables people to maintain their current employment and other responsibilities while completing their education.
The WED program at SIUC already offers an online/weekend degree completion program at the Carbondale campus and through offsite military base locations. Officials are considering expanding to offer the program in the Springfield area in partnership with the Center for Workforce Development at Lincoln Land Community College.
The April public presentations will offer details about the program and the benefits to participants. WED faculty and advisers will discuss the program and answer questions during these informational presentations. There will also be prize drawings.
Each of the presentations will be at the Center for Workforce Development at Lincoln Land Community College, 2450 Foundation Drive, Suite 100, in Springfield.
The presentations schedule includes:
• Thursday, April 7: 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 6 p.m.
• Friday, April 8: 8 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m.
Information from these sessions along with data gathered at similar sessions in March will help determine if the WED online/weekend degree completion program will be available in the future for residents of Springfield and the surrounding area. People who are unable to attend the informational presentations can still offer their input via an online survey at http://wed.siu.edu/.
For more information about the Workforce Education and Development program, look online at http://www.wed.siu.edu/ or contact Marie Vicher at 618/201-4851 or by email at mvicher@siu.edu.