The on-line Schedule of Fall Classes 2005 for Continuing Education (2) catalogs these programs and class locations. For the academic year 2004-2005, Continuing Education classes drew nearly 19,000 registrants, with unduplicated head counts of 2,764 for the fall ’04 semester (3), 3,145 for the spring ’05 semester (4), and 1,847 for the summer ’05 semester (5).

As stated in the 2005-2006 Catalog, “Continuing Education is committed to the concept of life-long learning. It is the purpose of (SCC) to provide an opportunity for citizens to develop their fullest potential in whatever vocational, intellectual or cultural areas they desire (6).”

Classes are available in Business and Industry (7), Computer Education (8), Fire and Rescue Training (9), Healthcare (10), Law Enforcement (11), Personal Development (12), Personal Enrichment (13), and Professional Licensure and Certification Programs (14). In this last program, SCC backs its commitment to quality education with a Licensure and Certification Guarantee. In this case, guarantee means if students take a Continuing Education class in a field that requires state certification or licensure (by an agency outside of the college) and pass that class, then they will pass the certification or licensure. If they do not pass the certification exam, then their registration fees will be reimbursed or they can take the class again at no cost (15).

More than 70 percent of the membership hours in Continuing Education in 2004-2005 related to economics in some way (3, 4, 5) -- through Occupational Extension, Focused Industry training, New and Expanding Industries training and the Small Business Center. Thus Continuing Education helps the College to achieve its mission goal “to be a leader in economic development.”

In fact, the leader of Continuing Education is the Vice President for Extension Education and Economic Development, and several of the components of the job description relate to economic development (16). In addition to occupational courses, much of the economic development thrust of Continuing Education is found in its Center for Business and Industry (17), located at the Swain Center.

About a fourth of the Continuing Education program hours in 2004-2005 were clocked in Basic Skills classes. Basic Skills consists of Adult Basic Education classes: GED, Adult High School, English as a Second Language and Compensatory Education for the mentally handicapped, and Human Resources Development. The variety of locations and times that these courses are offered (18) and the new on-line GED program help the College achieve it’s mission goal of “removing barriers” to education.

Continuing Education is also active in “creating linkages, building relationships and integrating resources” with other agencies in the community. The Basic Skills course schedule, for example, shows HRD classes with ESC/Job Link, GED classes at Jackson and Swain Family Resource Centers, Dora Reed Tribal Child Care in Cherokee, Macon Program for Progress in Franklin, Peggy Crosby Center in Highlands, and Mountain Projects in Sylva (18).

Continuing Education also has relationships with the Job Corps centers in Franklin and Cherokee, providing GED and HRD instruction, as well as occupational courses – Health Occupations (19) and Business Clerical (20), for example. The department also has Agreements of Affiliation with area school systems in order that dropouts and other adults who wish to do so can earn an Adult High School diploma (21). The department also has a cooperative agreement with Swain County Schools for the Even Start Family Literacy Program (22).