Evening at Emory, one of the oldest adult education programs in the nation, recently welcomed its 300,000th student. Nancy Fox Ciliax, an Emory employee in the department of anatomy and cell biology, is taking a course titled "Writing Children's Fiction and Picture Books," taught by Newberry Award-winner Carol Lee Lorenzo.
Evening at Emory has been in existence since 1951, according to Director Steven Stoffle, and offers around 200 classes per quarter. Those classes include such unique offerings as "Before a Year is Over, I will be Married," "How to Fix Darn Near Anything Around the House" and "Discovering and Recovering Your Creative Self." More academically-oriented classes are offered on topics such as early 20th century art, lost cities of the Maya and beginning Chinese. The average fee is $65, with Emory employees receiving a 20 percent discount. Stoffle said the most popular classes are usually foreign languages and ballroom dancing.
"The 300,000th student is a remarkable landmark to hit," Stoffle said. "It shows there is a hunger for adult education in metro Atlanta ... we're known for having a cutting edge. I attribute our longevity to that and being responsive to our audience."
-- Danielle Service