April 30, 2012
Registration under way for WED in Springfield
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Summer and fall registration is under way for Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s newest Workforce Education and Development Off-Campus Degree Program site in Springfield.
Workforce Education and Development (WED) already offers an online/weekend degree completion program at the Carbondale campus and through 15 off-campus military base locations. WED partnered with the Center for Workforce Development at Lincoln Land College to offer the program in Springfield this year for the first time. Students in the first cohort have work experience in a variety of disciplines including automotive, dental hygiene, business, information technology, accounting, finance and heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration.
The program’s flexible format allows students to take classes on alternating weekends, online and through independent study formats. That flexibility is a significant factor in enabling people to successfully complete their bachelor’s degrees in a program that values and credits their work and life experiences and prepares them to teach, train and help others develop, according to V. Marie Vicher, visiting instructor and faculty representative for the WED Springfield off-campus degree program.
Vicher notes that the central Illinois students include a young wife and mother working two jobs and driving an hour for classes, a mother of three working nights, a single man with two jobs, a woman employed full-time while caring for an aging parent, a retired man pursuing his dream of a college degree, and others with stories as different as they are.
“Our students come from a variety of backgrounds with many different experiences, but all are focused on finally getting their degrees in a program that works with and encourages them. We learn from each other and about each other and develop a new appreciation for diversity in the work place. Teamwork and leadership are encouraged, as are creativity and community service. Education, training and human resource development classes are affordable, practical and doable for virtually anyone,” Vicher said.
The program anticipates its first Springfield graduates in December 2012.
To learn more about the SIU Carbondale Workforce Education and Development department or obtaining your degree through the Springfield location, look online at http://wed.siu.edu/ or contact Vicher at 217/303-5855 or by emailingmvicher@siu.edu.