KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee Evening School, where for 50 years working adults have earned college credit, has expanded services for “day school” students, its director said Thursday.
Dr. John Muldowny said the changing needs of students are making the Evening School more popular with traditional students. Muldowny, who is associate dean of undergraduate academic affairs and director of evening and summer schools, said the line between evening and day students is less defined than in the past.
“Many traditional day-school students are working part- or full-time while they are in school,” Muldowny said. “They are finding that taking a course or two in the evening, along with those during the day, works best for them.”
Last year a reorganization moved the Evening School from the Division of Continuing Education to Muldowny, who since 1990 has headed summer school and special programs. The result is an expansion of services to all students, said Muldowny, who joined the UT-Knoxville history faculty in 1960.
Through the program and services fee, Evening School students can now enjoy cultural and sporting events at a significant discount, and they have access to the student health clinic, he said.
“All students can now use our office to make all payments, from tuition to library fines. That has proven to be very popular with both evening and day students.”
The merger with summer school and the expansion of Evening School services is paying dividends for other UT-Knoxville offices. Academic departments are offering more courses in the evening to relieve pressure on classroom space during the day, he said.
But Muldowny emphasizes Evening School students will continue to find the same friendly, helpful attitude for which the school has long been known.
“I wholeheartedly embrace the consumer-friendly philosophy that I found when I joined the Evening School team. We are all pledged to build on it.”
As testimony to the school’s reputation, the staff this summer won the inaugural Employee Team Award from UT-Knoxville Chancellor Bill Snyder. Muldowny said to win the award after a major reorganization is a compliment to the school’s staff.
“The merger could have resulted in fragmentation and insecurity, but the staff responded splendidly. They collectively planned for the merger and carried out the changes in a thoughtful and decisive manner.”
The school provides programs for more than 3,000 evening students on campus and in 25 Tennessee counties. It also provides classes and handles transactions for about 3,000 day students.
Preliminary figures indicate the Evening School’s enrollment will be up slightly this fall, Muldowny said.
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Contact: Dr. John Muldowny (423-974-6740)