The Adult College Experience:
   At first it seems that Hank Wurth of Houston in Shelby County has nothing in common with other Edison students who have been away from school for a while.
 
   A former teacher who retired 13 months ago after 30 years in the Graham School District, Hank is on now “on the other side of the desk,” he noted, “doing the learning and not the instructing.”
 
   For sure, an Edison student rarely sees on campus other much younger students who remark, “I enjoyed your eighth grade classes.” Hank, in fact, receives this greeting quite often from the Champaign County contingent attending Edison.

   However, after a closer look, Hank is much like the many other “non-traditional” Edison students. He took his first classes at Edison at night while he was on the job during the day completing his final months of teaching.
 
A perfect fit
   “The student who blends work, family, and college into his or her daily schedule needs classes that are presented at convenient times,” said Hank, who is pursuing a second career in nursing. “Edison was available when I was available. It was a perfect fit.”

  
  Kim Reiher, a detective with the St. Mary’s Police Department, is a likely candidate for the ACE program this fall. He is taking Monday and Wednesday evening general education classes this summer as he launches study in the new Computer Forensics option to the Criminal Justice program.
 
   Kim drives to campus 80 miles round trip with Tim Eberle, a St. Mary’s police sergeant who is enrolled in the standard Criminal Justice curriculum.

   “ACE is the right road for us,” said Kim, who has been on the St. Mary’s police force for 17 years. “The flex courses will help conserve travel time.”
 
   No stranger to education, Kim has completed the 250 hour Master Evidence Technician program. He is currently one of only 50 certified master evidence technicians in Ohio. He also finished the Master Criminal Investigator program. Recently, he attended an academy sponsored by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
  
Convert experience to credit
   Through development and faculty evaluation of a student–prepared portfolio, Kim will likely be able to convert his knowledge and expertise into college credits.

   “The ACE program, combined with credits via portfolio development, will get me on track and up to speed very quickly,” Kim pointed out.

 

   “Today, fewer and fewer men and women in the field of law enforcement lack the associate degree,” he added. “A computer forensics background at Edison will provide me with new and unique skills to perform criminal identification and investigation work.”

  

Edison opened the door!

   The new skills Janelle James of Greenville acquired through an Edison associate degree whetted her appetite to learn even more. This spring she completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Management that was presented on the Edison campus by Bluffton University.
 
   “I was employed at a few different jobs while first attending Edison in the evening,” Janelle explained. “The ACE program should help students put some order into the hectic job and class routines they must maintain.”
  
   She added, “Flex classes packaged on a Monday night make up a dream course schedule for those trying to squeeze college into their busy week.”
 
The Edison education was the “door opener” for Janelle at Buckeye Insurance in Piqua. Promotions then followed leading her from work in claims support, to underwriting support, and to information systems support.
 
   “The college study at Bluffton has enhanced my knowledge and abilities even further,” she said.
 
   The supervision skills that Jamaar Johnson of Huber Heights gained in Edison’s associate degree Business Management program helped him secure a back-up lead position at Freight Handlers, Inc.(FHI). FHI has served as an independent contractor for Meijer in Tipp City for several years.
 
Focus the commitment
   “Working heavy overtime hours while attending Edison after dark was pretty normal,” said Jamaar, who graduated in May. “A program like ACE would focus the class commitment on Monday nights and keep course and career under control.”
 
   Jamaar isn’t finished hitting the books. He is transferring all Edison credits to the University of Cincinnati to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Information Systems.
 
   Instilled with the desire to become an entrepreneur, Jamaar and a partner once operated a successful recycling business over a dozen years ago. In what little free time he has, Jamaar enjoys rebuilding four-cylinder automobiles that have blown-out engines.
 
   “Continued education will give me the thorough and well-balanced business skills I need to build my own company someday,” he said. “I’m learning one course at a time.”
 
   The new ACE program at Edison is a good way for a hard working man or woman with a family to get started.

For information about ACE, contact Velina Bogart, Coordinator of Admissions, 937-778-7854.
 

 

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