It might have been Patrick Essenmacher’s wife that got him into his first class at MSU Evening College two years ago, but now it’s his own interest that has him flipping through the course catalogue every semester.
“The thing about (Evening College courses) that appeals to me is how relaxed it is,” Essenmacher, a Perry, Mich., resident and MSU alumnus, said. “It’s kind of an easy way to learn a new skill or something out of the blue that interests you.”
Essenmacher’s interest in Evening College, which celebrated its 60th anniversary on Tuesday, stems from his first astronomy class, and he continues to look for new classes because of the thrill of learning, he said.
“I just think it’s a fun way to stay connected with the university,” he said. “To feel like you’re sitting in a classroom again — it’s a good feeling for a middle-aged guy.”
In the beginning
MSU began offering noncredit personal enrichment courses in 1946 under the Department of Adult Education in the Cooperative Extension Service office on campus.
In 1951, Evening College was officially born as part of the Continuing Education Service department, offering both credit and noncredit courses.
Evening College’s home was initially at Kellogg Center, but the courses have had many different locations since.
For 60 years now, Evening College has offered courses to community members, alumni, current students and faculty on everything from cheese to yoga to plumbing repair, said Louise Cooley, director of Evening College.
“Our offerings appeal to everyone,” Cooley said. “That’s really the success of lifelong education programs — diversity. If you offer a diverse selection of personal enrichment courses, you will attract a diverse population.”
A big shift came in 1988 when Evening College found a new administrative home under the MSU Alumni Association, where it has remained ever since, Cooley said.
“We started opening up to MSU alumni instead of (just) community members,” she said. “That was the biggest change.”
Alumna Joan Alam, who worked as an instructor for Evening College from 1987-96, said the program has seen many changes throughout the years.
“I can remember when one of our big courses was working with audiovisual (technology) on campus,” Alam said. “We would have a telephone connection in a class at the Kellogg Center … with someone in another building in another town, and that was high-tech at the time.”
Even after retirement, Alam describes herself as a lifelong learner and continues to take at least one class each semester.
“I think personally it’s very valuable,” she said. “Evening College has been able to offer people of the community very high-quality courses in a number of fields.”
Bigger than ever
Today, Evening College is as big as it has ever been, serving more people and offering more course options than ever before, Cooley said. Enrollment has nearly doubled in Cooley’s 15 years with the program, she said.
“Over the last 15 years, we’ve seen positive growth in attendance, and I believe that’s a direct reflection of people understanding and appreciating the value of lifelong education in their lives,” she said.
Cooley said today’s Evening College offers roughly 150 noncredit courses and serves between 2,500 and 3,000 people each year, she said.
“We get everybody attending, from age 18 to 103,” she said.
The appeal of lifelong education reaches all the way to the highest level, MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon said at a Tuesday anniversary event at Cowles House.
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“I’ve had one experience with Evening College a long time ago,” she said in a speech. “I am probably one of the only people to fail the beginning swimming course, so as a result of that experience, I didn’t have the nerve to take on (instructor) June Mills and (ballroom) dancing.”
The courses offered change year to year to keep up with current times, said Scott Westerman, executive director of MSU Alumni Association.
“Some years, when CSI got hot, we did a forensic science class,” he said. “We did a Facebook class last year for the first time.”
Considering the rough condition of the economy during the past couple of years, it is interesting that enrollment in Evening College has increased rather than declined, Westerman said.
“Sometimes over the years when the economy has been down, people come to Evening College because they want to develop a new skill that might be a career skill,” he said.
Expanding the experience
As the interest in Evening College continues to grow, the program itself is looking at options for growth.
In the past five years, Evening College has extended its reach beyond the greater East Lansing area, holding courses in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Battle Creek, Paw Paw, Mich. Howell and Augusta, Mich.
“(Growth out of the Lansing area) is something we would like to continue,” Cooley said. “We’ve been offering Evening College courses away from the Lansing area.”
Evening College’s online presence is an aspect Cooley has been working on to expand the program, she said.
Through a new partnership with MSUglobal Learning Solutions — an entrepreneurial unit in the Office of the Provost — the MSU Alumni Association is working on a website to conglomerate lifelong education information for all colleges within MSU under one roof, Cooley said.
“Through the portal and the website, we’ll be able to showcase (Evening College) to alumni around the world,” she said.
Offering more online classes is another way Evening College is looking to cater to its supporters, Westerman said.
“There’s a great portion of our community that has this thirst for ongoing knowledge,” Westerman said.
“We’re pondering how we can expand our footprint beyond Mid-Michigan to serve the world.”
