After her job moved overseas, Hedy Watkins discovered community college and earned a Microsoft Office Specialist certification. She’s now an honors program services assistant for Dallas College.A visit to Chichen Itza in Mexico ignited Jim Frame’s curiosity about the ancient world. Upon his return, he enrolled in an archaeology class at Dallas College’s Richland campus and was happily surprised that the tuition was free because he was 65.“I got hooked and I couldn’t quit,” he says.
In addition to its expansive regular courses, the college offers shorter Senior Adult Programs/Emeritus classes at its Richland and Brookhaven campuses. “One of the goals with the reorganization was to try to have the same experience at any campus,” Sisk says.Staple senior emeritus offerings include iPhone use, yoga, ceramics, weight training, watercolor, Adobe Photoshop and family genealogy.These classes, which have no tests or grades and range from three to five weeks, are free for people 65 and up and usually cost $79 for those under 65.
Judy Garrett, 73, heard about the program from a friend and took courses about Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Trans-Siberian Railway.