VSU Continuing Education Counts Down to Spring With More Classes

VALDOSTA -- With the arrival of spring less than three weeks away, Valdosta State University Continuing Education invites area residents to take their creativity to the next level, experience the joy of playing instant piano, plant perennials in their home garden, discover the art of Japanese cooking, and more. Personal enrichment classes offer adult learners the opportunity to expand their mind, regardless of their age or physical abilities.

From 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 14, VSU Continuing Education will offer Instant Piano for Hopelessly Busy People, a one-day class that focuses not on learning notes but on learning chords -- all the chords needed to play any song in any style in any key. The cost is $59. The instructor will collect an additional $25 in class for a book and 68-minute practice CD.

On Tuesday, March 20, VSU Continuing Education will kick off Conversational French II. Students will build fluency in day-to-day French for personal enjoyment or to speak about everyday topics while on vacation or business trips abroad. This class will meet from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on six Tuesdays through April 24. The cost is $89 and no textbook is required. A total of 1.2 continuing education units can be earned.

From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 20, VSU Continuing Education will offer Creating Accessible Websites. In this class, students will learn about the barriers people with disabilities face when they encounter inaccessible websites; they will learn how to make PDF, PowerPoint, and Word files accessible; and they will discover how these enhancements increase their business or organization’s connectivity to popular electronic devices. The cost is $29. A total of 0.2 continuing education units can be earned.

Also on Tuesday, March 20, VSU Continuing Education will host Eating Disorders -- Recognize the Warning Signs. From 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., students will learn what to do if they suspect a friend, loved one, etc. is suffering from an eating disorder. The cost is $25.

On Thursday, March 22, VSU Continuing Education will offer Gardening with Perennials. From 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., students will discover which perennials are best suited to the local climate and how to choose the right plants for their garden or yard and keep them healthy and beautiful. The cost is $15.

On Thursday, March 22, VSU Continuing Education will kick off Arabic for Beginners. This language belongs to the Afro-Asiatic family of languages and has over 200 million speakers worldwide. Students will discover Arabic culture as they learn pronunciation and basic vocabulary. This class will meet from 6:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. on six Thursdays through April 26. The cost is $89 and 1.2 continuing education units can be earned.

From 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 22, VSU Continuing Education will introduce students to The Art of Japanese Cooking. In this class, students will learn how to make healthy, delicious, and beautiful Japanese dishes with ingredients that are readily available at local grocery stores and Asian markets. The cost is $39.

On Thursday, March 29, VSU Continuing Education will kick off What If? … Exploring Mixed Media. In this class, which will meet from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. for five Thursdays through April 26, students will discover how to combine traditionally distinct visual media in a single work and explore strategies that combine drawing, painting, found objects, photography, printmaking, and other media in collages. The cost is $99 and does not include supplies.

From 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 31, at The Beanery Roasting Co., 1009 Williams St., VSU Continuing Education will offer a Beginner’s Guide to Coffee Cupping. Students will explore coffees from three different countries and “cup” each one to discover the unique aroma, flavor, acidity, and aftertaste. The instructor will brew the coffees using the traditional method of each country. This class is limited to 12 students. The cost is $19.

Additional classes will start in April.

All those interested in taking a personal enrichment class at VSU are encouraged to register early to avoid additional fees.

Classes will be canceled three days prior to start dates if, at that time, there is not sufficient enrollment to cover costs, noted Continuing Education staff members.

All classes will meet in the Regional Center for Continuing Education, located at 903 N. Patterson St., unless otherwise noted in the course description.

VSU Continuing Education’s mission is to enhance the quality of life in the region by providing educational, artistic, cultural, technological, and economic development activities and programs. It works to develop and present programs and activities for professional and personal enrichment of community persons.

To view a complete listing of spring personal enrichment classes, as well as online and other classes offered through VSU Continuing Education, please visit www.valdosta.edu/conted/.

For more information or to register, please call (229) 245-6484.