Here’s the press release from Mars Hill College:
Mars Hill College has signed a lease on a building on Airport Road in Asheville, N.C., enabling the institution to be more accessible to adult and graduate students in the region. Classes will meet in the new location beginning in January 2013.
According to Dr. Dan Lunsford, president, Mars Hill College has offered classes in rented and borrowed locations in the Asheville area for over 30 years. Leasing a building on Airport Road, however, will allow the college to provide these services in a building it can call its own.
“For over three decades, Mars Hill College has been providing classes in the Asheville area at several locations, including AB Tech, Blue Ridge Community College, and TC Roberson High School,” Lunsford said. “As a regional institution, we decided it was time to stake out a secondary location that belonged to Mars Hill College. Leasing this building will allow us to continue to provide a high-quality educational experience for students in the Asheville-Hendersonville area, while raising the visibility of the college in the Asheville market and increasing the efficiency of our off-campus offerings.”
Efficiency will increase, Lunsford said, because the college will be able to manage both the classroom space and the timing and frequency of classes. Those factors then ultimately should benefit the students. The location also will offer amenities like a break room and study areas.
Programming at the new location will be administered through the MHC Adult and Graduate Studies program and will include general education and major classes toward bachelor’s degrees in education (elementary, middle grades, special education, integrated education and teacher licensure), business management, and social work. Master’s degree in elementary education classes will also be held at this site. Additional major programs may be added later.
Mike Groce, chairman of the Mars Hill College Board of Trustees, said the decision to add a second location was made with an eye toward what adult students need.
“We’re trying to remember that many of the students who will take advantage of this new location are working adults,” Groce said. “After working all day in Asheville, Hendersonville, or even further south, it will be an advantage to those students to be able to come take their classes in an easily accessible location that is close to them.”
The building also is near eating establishments and other retail outlets that will make taking classes easier for adults who have limited time, Groce said.
“Ultimately, the students are our customers,” he said. “And to serve them adequately, we have to meet their needs.”
In addition, A-B Tech will lease space from Mars Hill to hold some of its classes in the location. This partnership will even further broaden the options available for students in the Asheville area.
“We are delighted to work with Mars Hill College to make our offerings more convenient for the residents of southern Buncombe County. This new site is an extension of the long-time partnership that has existed between A-B Tech and Mars Hill to improve educational opportunities for the people of Western North Carolina. We look forward to offering classes in accounting, business administration, English, history and math,” said A-B Tech President Dr. Hank Dunn.
Convenient classes in various locations are one of the pluses of the Mars Hill College Adult and Graduate Studies program, which also offers affordable evening classes on its Mars Hill campus, and in Burnsville and Marion. Financial aid is available. For more information about Mars Hill College Adult and Graduate Studies, call 828/689-1166, or email AGS Director of Marketing and Admissions Samantha Fender at sfender@mhc.edu.
Mars Hill College is a private, liberal arts institution offering over 30 baccalaureate degrees and one graduate degree in elementary education. Founded in 1856 by Baptist families of the region, the campus is located just 20 minutes north of Asheville in the mountains of western North Carolina.www.mhc.edu 1-866-MHC-4-YOU.
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