Have you ever been curious about making your own jewelry? Classes at Santa Barbara City College's Continuing Education Jewelry Arts studio offers an affordable way to learn jewelry arts such as jewelry fabrication, casting and enameling!
Classes are available for adults of all ages and abilities. Learn to make rings, bracelets, pendants, earrings, and brooches out of sterling silver, precious and semi-precious stones, and other precious metals. You will receive expert instruction from friendly, easy-to-follow teachers. All tools and materials are provided for the projects and no experience is necessary. Santa Barbara residency is not required, and many students commute to the jewelry arts studio from all over the south and central coast. Visitors on vacation or holiday are welcome. Scholarships are available if the course fees are prohibitive.
Many historically popular classes are under enrolled this term, largely because the classes had been offered for free, but are now fee based. Because the state no longer funds classes that are not directly related to vocational skills (and sadly arts and crafts qualify as "hobbies" in their eyes), the classes are now offered at a nominal, affordable fee. Compared with other jewelry schools, the fees are quite a bargain!
Support Continuing Education and learn more about jewelry arts by joining us this term. Register now for classes!
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Fall Term Has Begun!
Hello and welcome!
Fall term at the Wake Center in Santa Barbara has started! If you haven't had a chance to look over the schedule, it's not too late! There are several classes that have not started and most classes are currently under enrolled. I started this blog and created the Yahoo discussion group that you see linked in the side bar as a means for those of us in the jewelry arts community to communicate about the needs of the studio.
I'm reposting an email I received from SBCC ACES, Santa Barbara City College's Association of Continuing Education Students below, that best explains the current situation with our courses:
Fall term at the Wake Center in Santa Barbara has started! If you haven't had a chance to look over the schedule, it's not too late! There are several classes that have not started and most classes are currently under enrolled. I started this blog and created the Yahoo discussion group that you see linked in the side bar as a means for those of us in the jewelry arts community to communicate about the needs of the studio.
I'm reposting an email I received from SBCC ACES, Santa Barbara City College's Association of Continuing Education Students below, that best explains the current situation with our courses:
Why Most Continuing Education Classes are now Fee-Based and Why You Should Not Expect Free Classes in the Future
The State of California has budget problems. The State Education Code specifies that the state can either pay the full cost of a class or none of the cost of a class. The state has reduced the amount of money it is providing to the community colleges and has structured the payments to provide an incentive to the colleges to use state money for credit and certificate programs rather than avocational classes and programs for older adults and the disabled.
Why the Fee-Based Classes are Still a Bargain
It is painful to have to start paying for a service that was formerly free. However, when you compare the cost of a class to the cost of other forms of education or entertainment, the cost of CE classes is moderate. Most of the CE classes cost $120 for 30 hours of instruction or $4 per hour. Compare this to the tuition charged by the UCLA Extension Service where a course similar to the same jewelry classes taught in CE cost $545 for 36 hours of instruction or over $15 an hour. The UCSB Department of Recreation charges $4 an hour for its much more limited catalog of class offerings. One opera ticket in LA or even one in Santa Barbara can cost more than a whole quarter-long class. One movie ticket costs about $10 and most movies are shorter than two and one-half hours.
The $4 per hour fee charged by CE pays the instructor’s salary and the direct costs for holding the class. Direct costs include the cost of an assistant (if there is one), a portion of the hourly wage of the coordinator, and any costs peculiar to the class such as the cost of firing kilns in ceramics and glass classes. Santa Barbara City College continues to pay for all the facility costs and administrative costs.
When the CE program becomes the Center for Lifelong Learning the fees and donations will have to cover the costs of instructors, coordinators, direct costs and the salary of the Executive Director. The program has to be self-supporting. The CLL has been designed to keep administrative costs to a minimum and the college will continue to provide the Wake and Schott Centers, maintenance on the centers, the registration system, insurance, marketing and the clerical workers in the offices.
What You Can Do:
- Sign up for classes even though tuition is now being charged. The program still offers an extraordinary range of courses; if we do not register for them they will disappear and the program will disintegrate for lack of participants.
- Vote for Proposition 30 on November 6. It is the only proposition on the ballot which will give money to the California Community Colleges.
- Contact your representatives in the California Legislature. Explain to them how important Continuing Education is to the older citizens of the state. Education is not just for the young.
Our Representatives in Sacramento:State Assembly:Das Williams
Phone (805) 564-1651
101 W. Anapamu, suite A
Santa Barbara, CA 93101Email: Hillary.blackerby@asm.ca.govState Senate:Tony Strickland225 E. Carrillo Street, Ste. 302
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Phone: (805) 965-0862
Fax: (805) 965-0701
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