East Tennessee Residential Communities : Holrob Communities : Private Communities near Knoxville, Knox County, Blount County, Anderson County, Sevier County

Whether thirsty for knowledge, eager for a second career, or anxious about their employability, many aging Americans are heading back to college.  "The number of college students ages 40 to 64 has jumped by almost 20 percent to nearly 2 million in the past decade." Some Americans are finding that their 50s and 60s are focused on "giving to others, building community; becoming a Keeper of the Meaning, a steward of the culture; and Integrity," while others are finding the "courage to break out of the box of the past. (Either way,) going back to school is well-suited to this work of reinvention and integration."


Photo by David Boyle.

With the number of retirees expected to increase from 35 million to 70 million by 2030, it's reasonable to assume that the college classroom will change dramatically, as well. Responding to the rising interest, "a growing number of colleges, charities, companies, and governments are starting to accommodate—and even encourage—adults who return to the classroom." Some companies offer continuing education support in the form of educational expense reimbursement and/or bonuses upon degree completion; states are changing financial aid stipulations to allow eligibility for those desiring to return to college and are offering free or reduced tuition for senior students (The State of Tennessee offers tuition waivers to senior citizens for credit courses and audited courses at any of the state schools); and colleges are offering a number of creative opportunities, from lifestyle and certification courses to residential retirement "villages" which require a specified number of study hours in order to live there.

If you're interested, but concerned about being a returning student in a younger classroom, you should be aware that other nontraditional students are likely to be there, and even if not, college professors tend to welcome older students as they have better attendance rates, make better grades, and offer experienced insight in discussions. Excited? Some tips on managing college expenses can be found here. Also, the University of Tennessee's Outreach & Continuing Education program is a great resource, as is Pellissippi State Technical Community College. For more information on educational opportunities in East Tennessee, submit your inquiry here.

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It's graduation time and the University of Tennessee's Knoxville campus is awash with black robes and caps. With finals passed and futures ahead, the air is full of the usual graduation excitement, but something is different about this graduation: This is the first graduating class who were able to receive the Tennessee HOPE Scholarship. The HOPE Scholarship, part of the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship program, is funded by proceeds generated by the state lottery. Academically qualified students, regardless of family income, are given $4,000 (if enrolled at a four-year college, $2,000 if attending a two-year college) to offset the cost of their tuition. As long as students maintain academic standing, the funding is guaranteed for the first 120 hours of their undergraduate education.
 

Many students would not be able to attend college without the help of the Hope Scholarship. Although the funds do not cover all college expenses (tuition, room, board, and books is estimated to cost undergraduates over $18,500 per year), it does help. "Since 2003, applications to UT have risen 45 percent. This year, the university got about 14,000 applications for the 4,200 places in the freshmen class for the fall." Students, of course, may attend any state school with their scholarship funds.

While neighboring states have had a lottery for many years, the Tennessee Lottery's first tickets were sold on January 20, 2004. The people of the state had been reluctant to pass the constitutional amendment necessary to offer games of chance, but with the cost of higher education placing an increasing burden on student and their families, the amendment passed and was signed into law in June 2003. The first day of the lottery, $10.8 million in tickets were purchased. Three months later, in April 2004, the first lottery transfer was made to the scholarship fund - $63.7 million! Since then, the lottery has continued to add new games and generate revenue for the students of Tennessee. To date, over $1 billion has been raised for education.

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East Tennessee, with the state’s flagship campus of the University of Tennessee (UT) located in Knoxville, as well as a number of private and state-funded community and four-year colleges spread throughout the region, offers outstanding opportunities in higher and continuing education. While UT offers the most comprehensive liberal arts curriculum in the region, other schools provide a specialized and foundational body of coursework geared to meet the needs of nontraditional, technical, and other specialized students.

The main campus of the University of Tennessee is located in Knoxville and offers degree programs in more than 300 concentrations to its 26,400 students. UT’s Knoxville campus is beautifully landscaped, well-designed 550 acres and 220 buildings. The University is a top 40 public university overall, and its business program is in the top 25, according to the U.S. News and World Report’s 2007 rankings.

UT also offers a number of continuing education, or noncredit, professional and personal development opportunities. This popular community service reaches out to children through the University’s KidsU program (kids can explore bugs; design web pages; learn about forensics; learn to be a chef; study philosophy; study herpetology, among many other activities), while offering adults courses ranging from animal care and art to yoga, bird watching, and wine tasting.

Working closely with UT, East Tennessee State University (ETSU), and Tennessee Tech University (TTU), Pellissippi State Technical Community College (PSTCC) offers a variety of technical and two-year degrees, as well as four-year degrees in certain fields and a wide range of complementary programs, classes, and campus locations (including distance learning). Transfer students that first attend PSTCC realize substantial savings; many students fulfill their general education requirements at this two-year school, confident that their credit will transfer to an area university thanks to articulation agreements. PSTCC also offers continuing education in many personal enrichment and professional certificate programs such as real estate and tax preparation licensure. For the kids, summer camps in tennis, golf, archery, photography, and the arts are a few of the many available opportunities.

In 2002, Tennessee’s citizens voted to establish the Tennessee Lottery for the purpose of providing scholarships Tennessee citizens. The first scholarships were made available in the fall of 2004. For more information about the history of Tennessee Lottery or the eligibility requirements for lottery scholarships click here. For more information about East Tennessee’s many schools in higher education click here.

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