William Woods University, which has been offering degree programs for working adults in mid-Missouri since 2002, has relocated its Columbia site to 218 Parkade Center, 601 Business Loop 70 W. Classes began at the new location Monday.
WWU had been in a site on Falling Leaf Court, near AC and Highway 63, for nearly 14 years.
The suite at Parkade, which is easily accessible from the east doors, contains classrooms, conference areas and offices, as well as a welcoming lobby. The move places William Woods directly across from Moberly Area Community College and close to other colleges.
"It is truly a campus-like setting in the Parkade Center, with a great number of students visiting each day," said Kathy Groves, vice president of enrollment and marketing. "This proximity to MACC will allow us to better serve transfer students, and it will provide our students with a variety of new and exciting accommodations, as well as the same great customer service they have come to enjoy from William Woods University."
Accommodations Groves mentioned include an enhanced common area with vending machines, local restaurants, study spaces and increased parking.
Degree programs to be offered onsite include Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Education (M.Ed.), Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) and Doctorate in Educational Leadership (Ed.D.). In addition, an admissions counselor will be on hand full time to assist students with information about undergraduate online programs and degree-completion programs.
Debbie Carroll and Hillarie Matthiesen will serve as the Columbia site coordinators. Dr. Leslie Trogdon, associate professor of educational leadership, also will be based at the Parkade Center. Hours for the new site will be 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Friday.
Established in 1870, William Woods University added evening adult programs in 1992, with approximately 70 students. Despite being near to the main campus in Fulton, sites established in Jefferson City and Columbia thrived.
Because of the success in mid-Missouri, the program was expanded to include locations across the state in subsequent years. In the past 24 years, more than 22,000 students have participated in WWU's graduate and online studies programs statewide.
Today WWU serves approximately 2,500 students annually in a variety of degree programs at locations in more than 125 Missouri communities, as well as online.
Undergraduate and graduate programs are offered in the evening and online, making it possible to pursue a degree while remaining employed full time.
Non-traditional students reflect a growing national trend as more full-time working adults realize the value of maintaining a sustained involvement in higher education. Many adult students recognize they need additional education either to advance in their current positions or to change careers.
However, many professionals find traditional classroom education a poor fit for their unpredictable schedules that can already include long hours, work-related travel and personal responsibilities.
William Woods University's programs aim to help adult learners overcome these challenges.
"William Woods University is a leader when it comes to designing quality programs for nontraditional adult students," said Betsy Tutt, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the Graduate College.
"Everything we do here at WWU in our graduate and online programs is specifically designed to help adults succeed in reaching their goals as efficiently as possible,"
Utilizing a model of accelerated learning, programs are structured so that a degree can be completed in 18-22 months. A signature characteristic of the WWU experience is the interactive learning process of the study group through which students share their varied experiences.
Classes are in convenient eight-week sessions and are offered six times per year. Because of the nature of programming-focusing effort on one course at a time-90 percent of all students finish their program successfully.
Mary Ann Beahon is Director of University Relations at William Woods University in Fulton. Her email address is [email protected]