Associated Colleges of the South Awards Holt School $10,000 ACS Grant for National Forum at Alfond Inn

The Hamilton Holt School, Rollins' evening school for working adults and other part-time students, has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Associated Colleges of the South (ACS) to conduct a faculty forum for exploring nontraditional adult educational opportunities The forum will be held October 10-11 at the new Alfond Inn on the Rollins College campus. Faculty from Rollins College and the University of Richmondwill lead discussions for representatives from member colleges of the ACS. The grant proposal was co-written by Professor of Psychology John Houston and Hamilton Holt School Dean David Richard in conjunction with faculty at the University of Richmond.

According to Richard, "Adult learners over age 24 comprise 44 percent of the country's postsecondary students. For ACS schools contemplating the development of adult educational programming, the forum will be useful in their long-range planning. By learning from Rollins and Richmond, and exploring unique opportunities that technology can afford, they can start to think about adult learning as being an integral part of the mission of their colleges."

The adult education programs at Rollins College and the University of Richmond each have more than a 50-year tradition of reaching out to meet the educational needs and interests of adult learners using nontraditional schedules and teaching formats.

"Understanding the unique needs of nontraditional adult learners, and their role in the liberal arts, is critical to planning and implementing education systems and policies that support their needs and promote their success, "Richard said.  The forum will include discussion topics and issues that are especially relevant to the sustainability of liberal arts institutions. Liberal arts schools will continue to survive, and in fact thrive, provided they innovate to meet both the challenges and needs in the adult education market."