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September 2, 2008
Learn with the best at QUEST

By Kim Urquhart

A new program at Emory will offer the Atlanta community a unique opportunity to learn from the best of Emory’s faculty.

Emory QUEST, a new partnership between Emory College and the Emory Center for Lifelong Learning, is a program of academically focused, intellectually stimulating courses designed to enrich the lives of curious and motivated adults.

Taught by Emory faculty, QUEST courses highlight current events and hot topics from the liberal arts and sciences.

This fall, learn more about election politics, evolution, Islam, dinosaurs, U.S. history, Japanese samurai, race and Hollywood, human nature or the ancient Egyptians from an Emory expert.

“It’s like taking a short course from your favorite college professor,” says Lynn Zimmerman, professor of biology and senior vice provost for academic programs, “but the good news is that there will be no tests and no stress associated with this incredibly rich learning experience.”

QUEST courses are open to all members of the Emory community and will be of particular interest to Atlanta professionals and Emory alumni. “This is a way for the Atlanta community to come together with other like-minded adults and be part of what’s going on at Emory,” says Philip Wainwright, associate dean for international and continuing education.

“Our goal was to line up top teachers and scholars,” explains Wainwright, “to showcase Emory’s strengths while connecting with the community.”

The fall course roster offers “a terrific blend that should interest a lot of different kinds of people,” says Zimmerman. Many of the courses were designed around significant events happening at Emory or in the nation this fall — from the 2008 presidential elections to the Carlos Museum’s King Tut exhibition to Emory’s “Evolution Revolution” conference.

“The QUEST courses provide an intellectual framework for understanding these events,” says Wainwright.
“When you combine the caliber of the Emory faculty with the timeliness of many of the courses being linked to major events in the world or in Atlanta, there’s really nothing else like it in the region,” says Zimmerman of the program’s uniqueness.
The idea for Emory QUEST grew out of the College dean’s office, she explains. “The Center for Lifelong Learning had tremendous expertise in administering programs such as this through their Evening at Emory courses and professional learning programs. Recognizing that if we were to put the strength of the faculty from the College together with the implementation expertise of the Center for Lifelong Learning, and pooled our resources, we could create something that would fill a new niche for Emory.” She adds: “It was a great meeting of attitudes and approaches that made this really get on the fast track.”

Emory QUEST is already garnering interest from alumni, and feedback from the faculty has been enthusiastic. “We are already receiving proposals for the spring,” notes Zimmerman, who expects the number of course offerings to expand as the new program grows.

“I think it is great for the Center for Lifelong Learning and the College to be partnering in this way,” she adds, “because it is really the tip of the iceberg of what can be accomplished when you work together.”