Several years ago, Karren O'Connell was helping her youngest child prepare to leave for college, and she experienced an unexpected twinge of jealously. O'Connell had often dreamed about returning to school when her kids were younger, but the timing never seemed quite right.

At the University of Richmond’s School of Continuing Studies (SCS), our advice to adults looking to return to school is very student focused.

Professionals from a variety of local and regional nonprofits met at the University of Richmond for the Institute on Philanthropy’s 2010 Summer Institute.

The University's adult and continuing education programs are growing, fueled in part by the recent economic downturn and the increasing number of new jobs that require a bachelor's degree.

Through the SCS/Undergrad Connections program, continuing studies and undergraduate students have a new opportunity to share their expertise — whether it's about life on or beyond campus.

Richmond’s department of Education chair Patricia Stohr-Hunt created a blog written for teachers that focuses on how to combine reading with other subjects in the classroom.

Martha Slone and her daughter, Amanda, enrolled in UR's interior decorating program for fun. Three years later, they run their own decorating company serving the greater Richmond area.

Patricia Gallagher believes that learning does not end with a class or degree. "A good education inspires students and stimulates their appetite for continued intellectual growth," says the SCS alumna and current senior vice president and director of strategic planning for EVB, a local bank.

As undergraduates in the 1960s, the Venturas started their lifelong relationship with the University of Richmond.