In post-apartheid South Africa, many employed adults will have the opportunity to put work experience toward university degrees in a new program modeled after DePaul University’s School for New Learning (SNL). The University of the Orange Free State (UOFS) in South Africa, which is experiencing a growing demand for adult education classes, is working with SNL to create an extensive adult education program. SNL is an innovator in designing curriculums for adults.

Meanwhile, UOFS has signed a separate agreement with DePaul’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business to receive consultative assistance in developing an MBA degree concentration in entrepreneurship. DePaul’s highly regarded entrepreneurship program has been named as one of the best 25 programs for entrepreneurs in the United States by SUCCESS Magazine for five consecutive years.

When apartheid was the law of the land, many black African employees working in positions of authority were denied the opportunity to earn degrees, even though they held important jobs for many years. The UOFS adult education program has the support of two companies—one engaged in electronic communications and the other in telecommunications—along with the local government administration. Using the SNL model, UOFS, which was once exclusively Afrikaner, but is expected to be predominately black African in five years, will offer degree programs specifically geared to the needs of adults.

The collaboration began in 1996 when David Justice, vice president for Lifelong Learning for DePaul, visited UOFS, which was trying to develop ways to attract adult students. "University of Free State is responding to a rapidly changing South Africa," said Justice. "Its recruitment began as a need to serve black South Africans with positions of real responsibility who did not have degrees. The program will help them attain degrees quickly using experience they have acquired on the job."

SNL will provide expertise in faculty development and student support and explore ways the institutions can pool resources through distance learning and experiential curriculums to provide both universities with tools to offer students greater classroom options. The first class in the adult degree program begins this January, and over 100 applicants applied for the 40 available slots.

Representatives from SNL will visit UOFS, and use electronic communication to provide assistance with the program as it continues to unfold. UOFS’s deputy vice chancellor, the dean of its College of Economics and three faculty members have already visited DePaul to get a firsthand look at how SNL operates. It was during this visit that the UOFS representatives signed the agreement to work with Kellstadt to develop a curriculum for an MBA concentration in entrepreneurship.

"Unemployment is a major problem among black South Africans," said Harold Welsch DePaul’s Coleman Foundation Chair in Entrepreneurship, who will work on the project. "Because there aren’t enough jobs, there’s a major public policy initiative to create jobs through self-employment. The UOFS is looking to DePaul for help in developing an entrepreneurship curriculum that will help nurture more entrepreneurs."

The College of Commerce’s role will be consultative, offering advice on curriculum design. College of Commerce Dean Ronald Patten said he hopes the collaboration also will result in joint research by professors at the two academic institutions and short-term professor exchanges. "I think this is a win-win situation," Patten said. "We’ll help them build a program whose graduates will benefit their country’s economy, and in exchange, we’ll gain valuable knowledge about their culture and markets." The University of Free State plans to offer the entreprenuership MBA concentration in the fall of 1999.

SNL was established in 1972 and is internationally recognized as a pioneer in providing higher education for working adults. More than 3,400 students are enrolled in SNL at campuses throughout metropolitan Chicago. The average SNL student is 36 years old.

By working with Free State, DePaul is helping to improve access to education. It has been involved in other collaborations with universities in Poland, Romania and El Salvador. "Part of DePaul’s mission and vision is to provide greater access to education," said Susanne Dumbleton, dean of SNL. "Through the School for New Learning, we will work to be an influence and a resource to people who have a great need for adult education."