PINCKNEYVILLE, Ill. (July 15, 2015) - Classes start in less than a month for the Fall 2015 semester at the Rend Lake College Murphy-Wall Pinckneyville campus (MWPC), giving local residents the chance to take an array of courses in their own backyard.
Most courses start Monday, Aug. 17, with the exception of two major-specific classes starting earlier in the month and four Corporate and Community Education classes throughout the semester.
The general education courses starting Aug. 17 are Art Appreciation (ART 1101) from 6 - 8:50 p.m. Mondays; Intro to Computers (CSCI 1101) from 6 - 8:50 p.m. Thursdays; Rhetoric and Composition (ENGL 1101) from 11 - 11:50 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; Health Education (HEA 1101) from 6 - 7:50 p.m. Tuesdays; Orientation (1101) from 8 - 9:50 a.m. Fridays; Earth Science (PHSC 1102) from 6 - 8:50 p.m. Wednesdays; Intro to Psychology (PSYC 2101) from 10 - 10:50 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; and Intro to Sociology (SOCI 1101) from 8:30 - 9:50 a.m. Mondays and Wednesdays.
All of the courses are open and available for anyone, but add a certain incentive for high school students. Last year, 376 students (duplicated) enrolled in a total of 1,304 credit hours in RLC’s dual credit program. At $95 per credit hour, the students saved approximately $123,880. All classes are offered tuition-free to high school students through RLC’s dual credit program.
“During the 2013-14 academic year, we had 191 students enrolled in the dual credit program, a number that nearly doubled to 376 this year. The savings for families in the community increased from about $63,000 to nearly $124,000. That’s exceptional for the students and families in the area,†said Heather Bauersachs, RLC Murphy-Wall Campus Coordinator. “Both the dual credit and dual enrollment courses are great opportunities for high school students to take advantage of.â€
Earlier in the month, Jeff Fairbanks, RLC Culinary Arts Associate Professor, will lead a Food Sanitation (CULA 1205) course from 8 a.m. - 4:50 p.m. on Saturdays, Aug. 1 and Aug. 8. This course prepares students to take the State of Illinois exam for Management and Sanitation Training.
The seven-credit hour Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA 1201) program will also begin early, meeting from 5 - 9:15 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays starting Monday, Aug. 3. This program can be used as a new career or gateway into the practical nursing or registered nursing fields. Graduates serve as nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants to provide basic care for patients in hospitals and long-term care facilities.
Both the Food Sanitation and CNA program courses require early enrollment. For more information or to register for any of these classes, contact Bauersachs at 618-357-3742, Ext. 3001, or bauersachsh@rlc.edu.
Community members can also take advantage of three Corporate and Community Education courses held at the MWPC, including: both Soccer Basics for Beginners and Soccer Skills for Advanced Players on Saturday, Aug. 22, with Instructor Jay Ray; Self-Defense on Saturday, Oct. 24, with Jiu-Jitsu Professional Jared Jessup; and Lighted Christmas Canvas on Tuesday, Nov. 3, with Instructor Jennifer Wright. More detailed information will be listed in our Fall Community Education catalog.
Bauersachs, added, “The community is very fortunate to have this campus here to offer a range of courses in the dual credit and general education programs, and the Community Education courses too. We’re very excited about all of our Fall classes, and I’d be more than happy to speak with anyone with questions.â€
To learn more about or enroll in the Community and Corporate Education courses, contact Erin Morris at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1380, or morrise@rlc.edu. For more information about the Murphy-Wall Campus, visit www.rlc.edu/mwpc.