New Edgewood campus offers bachelor’s for busy professionals
Accelerated business classes start July, computer degree starts August

MADISON, Wis. (June 30, 2005) – Beginning July 5 Edgewood College will step up its activities on the new campus at 1255 Deming Way, on Madison’s west side near Greenway Station, by offering accelerated bachelor’s degrees to busy professionals in two high-demand areas.

The first adult accelerated degree at the new campus will be the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), which will move from the main Monroe Street campus where it started in 2002. The second degree, the Bachelor of Computer Information Systems (CIS), will be launched at the new campus in August. Both degrees are designed for adults who want to continue working full time.

Edgewood College received the Deming Way campus in 2004 as a gift in kind from trustee Diane Ballweg, class of ’74, her husband Ken Ballweg, and Eric and Sara Schwartz.

Edgewood College President Daniel J. Carey said, “This new campus marks a new chapter in Edgewood College’s history. As Diane Ballweg wrote, ‘The new building is as much an expansion of vision as it is an expansion of space.’ We are taking a fresh look at how we can reach out to adult students. These accelerated degrees are two early examples of how we can meet the evolving educational needs of Madison and the region.”

Adult students need convenience and flexibility

Julie McDonald, Edgewood College director of student services for returning adult accelerated degrees, said the accelerated degrees are “all about convenience and flexibility.” To accommodate the hectic work and personal schedules of adult students, classes are four-hour blocks, one evening a week, for seven weeks. Students can attend year-round if they want, but are also free to start and stop to fit their needs. “If students have a work assignment in Cleveland for a few weeks, no problem. They can take off for a term and then easily come right back in. That type of flexibility is extremely critical to our students,” McDonald said.

Kathleen Kelm, Edgewood College professor of computer science, said, “More and more returning adults currently working in business or IS/IT professions find that completing a bachelor’s degree is a requirement for career advancement.”

Returning adults also want to finish their degree in an accelerated format that takes advantage of their experience, McDonald said. Edgewood’s programs are a direct response to this need. Students who take two classes a term can attain a bachelor’s degree in three years -- or faster if they have prior college credits.

New campus designed specifically for adult students

The new campus has been designed and equipped expressly to meet the needs and expectations of adult professionals, McDonald said. It resembles a high-level corporate environment, with comfortable chairs and tables and easily reconfigurable classrooms. Rooms are furnished with state-of-the-art technology and students can go wireless with their own laptops. Students can reserve conference rooms for group projects or work in an open, loft-style study space. Services such as advising, bookstore, registrar, financial aid and business office will be available on-site or online. Students can also attend professional seminars at the Corporate Learning Center, located at the new campus.

Although the new Deming Way campus ushers in exciting changes for Edgewood’s adult students, McDonald said, many things remain unchanged. Students can still use the Monroe St. campus and attend college events. Most importantly, students will be taught by the same high-quality faculty.

For more information on Edgewood College’s adult accelerated degrees, please visit www.edgewood.edu/students/accelerated.

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About Edgewood College

Edgewood College is Madison’s only independent liberal arts college, a Catholic school with 2,400 undergraduate and graduate students. It offers more than 40 academic and professional programs, including master’s degrees in business, education, nursing, and other fields, and a doctoral program in education leadership. For more information about Edgewood College, visit www.edgewood.edu or call 800-444-4861.

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