This content was published: March 6, 2007. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
Busy life? Choose Cascade Campus' Weekend College
Photos and story by James Hill
NORTH PORTLAND, Ore. (March 6, 2007) – The demands of modern life can make it difficult to find the time for many things that people may want to do, from recreational activities to going back to school. A new Portland Community College Cascade Campus initiative will make it much easier to fit classes into a busy life.
Starting in April for spring term, the campus (705 N. Killingsworth Street) will offer Weekend College, an assortment of classes scheduled exclusively on weekends, from Friday evening through Sunday afternoon. Weekend College will offer courses from a variety of academic departments, including art, biology, business administration, computer applications, chemistry, criminal justice, economics, education, history, math and multimedia.
“The Weekend College is a great opportunity for people who desire to improve their job skills, earn a degree and further their education, but who may have family obligations, jobs and other factors that prevent them from going to college during the week,” said Algie Gatewood, Cascade Campus president.
Gatewood said the classes will be identical to those offered in the regular college schedule, including laboratory time, materials and quality of instruction. The only difference will be longer class periods made necessary by the weekend schedule. Just like regularly scheduled classes, Weekend College classes can be used to earn credit toward an eventual degree or certificate.
“In a nutshell, it’s a package of courses aimed at working people, parents and others who have a difficult time attending college during regular hours,” said Gatewood.
Beth Fitzgerald, head of Cascade’s Multimedia program, said that people looking to get started in a multimedia career can use Weekend College to begin that journey. She said that her introductory multimedia course offers a thorough look at the demands and possibilities of the discipline, and leaves students in a good position to decide on their next educational step.
“It enables students to make a good decision about where their education is going as well as good consumer decisions in terms of the kinds of hardware and software they want to purchase,” Fitzgerald said.
A full list of Weekend College classes will be included in the spring term course schedule available at all campuses and training centers as well as local libraries. Spring term classes begin April 2.
For more information, call the Admissions Office at 503-977-8888, or visit the PCC Web site at: www.pcc.edu.
Portland Community College is the largest post-secondary institution in Oregon, serving approximately 88,200 full- and part-time students. For more PCC news, please visit us on the Web at www.pcc.edu/news. PCC has three comprehensive campuses, five workforce training and education centers, and 200 community locations in the Portland metropolitan area. The PCC district encompasses a 1,500-square-mile area in northwest Oregon and offers two-year degrees, one-year certificate programs, short-term training, alternative education, pre-college courses and life-long learning.
About James Hill
James G. Hill, an award-winning journalist and public relations writer, is the Director of Public Relations at Portland Community College. A graduate of Portland State University, James has worked as a section editor for the Newberg Graphic... more »