Community Education at PNCA - an update
Dear PNCA Community Education Community,
PNCA has made the decision to place a moratorium on the Adult Community Education Program. This moratorium will begin at the end of this current term (Fall 2023) and continue for the foreseeable future. We know this will come as a disappointment, and want you to know that the decision comes after a great deal of thought and consideration, and due to a severe downturn in the enrollment in Adult classes over the last several years. There are a variety of factors at play causing this decline including the rise in online course offerings, post-covid dynamics in downtown and broader availability of adult education in the region. We have conducted exhaustive analyses and worked hard to boost enrollment, but it is simply not viable for us to financially operate the Adult Community Education at this time.
CE’s Pre-College program will continue to operate, serving students ages 15 - 18. We plan to grow this program in a variety of different ways.
Some of you may have just started taking courses with CE recently, and others have been with us for a great number of years. We appreciate all your time, energy, and enthusiasm in making CE such a meaningful and vibrant place of creativity for all involved. Your eagerness to learn alongside everyone who took part in our program was a joy to witness, and assisted in making PNCA Community Education a vibrant and inspiring community program. We hope there are other ways we can engage adult learners in our work at PNCA, including our Visiting Artist Lecture Series and our Graduate Symposium. In addition, save the date for our next First Thursday Art Walk on November 2, 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm!
Thank you for being such a vital part of the PNCA CE community. If you have questions or concerns please contact Megan Boe, Community Programs Manager, at mboe@willamette.edu.
Sincerely,
PNCA Deans’ Office
