Looking for Career Growth or Just a Good Time, Southlanders Are Investing Their Weekends in Learning

As a Los Angeles County probation officer, Grayson Cook deals with the seamier side of life. On weekends, he reaffirms his faith in “the magic of mankind.”

For 10 years, Cook, who is 50 and single, has dedicated his weekends and vacations to the footloose and fanciful pursuit of knowledge. And he has done so--spending up to $4,000 each year--with nary a care for a scholarly diploma, professional certificate or the prospect of career advancement.

Cook, with hundreds of other Southlanders, is a die-hard Saturday scholar.

Whether through the auspices of UCLA’s mammoth Extension program, the region’s inexpensive community colleges, through private, commercial institutions such as the Learning Tree or the Learning Annex, or under the aegis of nonprofit institutions such as Everywoman’s Village, there is something to suit almost every educational whim.

“Just look through the catalogues,” Cook says. “If you can’t find something that interests you, you gotta be dead.”

Finds an Eclectic Array

Although he has a graduate degree in public administration, Cook’s extracurricular interests lie in writing, film, archeology and travel. He satisfies all of them through UCLA Extension which, he says, offers the most eclectic array of courses in town.

Michael Bley, director of marketing for UCLA Extension, says that his program--launched more than 70 years ago to teach new agricultural techniques to farmers in outlying areas--now offers about 4,500 courses each quarter, ranging from architecture and art history to writing and women’s studies. Typically, each course runs for 12 weeks.

UCLA Extension experienced its first boom in adult education not for degree purposes during the ‘60s and ‘70s, when Southern California took the fore in the nationwide quest for personal fulfillment.

Weekend programming was expanded significantly in 1983 as it became increasingly apparent that such scheduling was especially convenient for a huge untapped market of working people.

Indulging in Other Pleasures

“Saturdays are a wonderful time for otherwise busy people to indulge themselves in the life of the ancient Greeks, an afternoon hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains, or an evening gazing at the stars in one of our astronomy courses,” says Bley.

And rather than squander one’s yearly vacation lounging at a resort, Cook has embarked--through UCLA Extension--on archeological excursions to Yucatan and Guatemala, and will soon leave for Thailand with an art historian eager to convey some of the secrets of Siam.

Of course, not all prospective Saturday students view weekend education as a leisure pursuit.

Indeed, for some, a Saturday hitting the books can provide a ticket out of a dead-end job. For underemployed or underqualified overachievers, the best bet in town appears to be the Project for Adult College Education, or PACE.

PACE, which operates out a number of community colleges in Los Angeles, offers an accelerated route into the third year of such four-year institutions as Pepperdine University, the University of Redlands or Cal Lutheran.

In most instances, PACE can also serve as a launching vehicle into the Cal State University system.

The PACE program was initiated at Wayne State University in Detroit. Thomas O’Dea, who brought it to Los Angeles Harbor College in San Pedro two years ago, says that intensive Saturday class scheduling enables PACE students to complete two years of liberal arts course work in five 20-week semesters.

PACE programs operate out of Los Angeles Mission College in San Fernando, East Los Angeles College in Monterey Park, West Los Angeles College in Culver City and Southwest College in Los Angeles, near LAX.

Personal Enrichment Courses

Those less bent on a degree or certificate are encouraged to enroll in any of Los Angeles’ nine community colleges. All offer certificate programs and, through their respective community services programs, a full range of non-credit, personal enrichment courses.

At Los Angeles City College, for instance, students can work at a more leisurely pace toward an associate degree, or perhaps eventually transfer into a four-year program. There are courses in accounting, art, broadcasting, business, child development, business, math and even real estate.

In addition to the usual gamut of educational services, Santa Monica Community College boasts a Professional Institute, which, spokesman Bruce Smith says, is designed for business people and professionals who wish to upgrade their skills or who plan to take a professional exam.

Also at Santa Monica Community College is a Children’s College, which employs teachers accredited by the Santa Monica or Los Angeles Unified school districts. Children ages 5 through 12 can enroll throughout the year (summers included) for language, music or art instruction.

Los Angeles Mission Community College in San Fernando offers an extensive two-year program for prospective paralegal counselors. But according to division chairman Fred Obrecht, it could take up to five years to complete the program by attending Saturday classes only.

Those in a hurry are urged to study some weeknights as well. Other courses offered on Saturdays include American sign language and instruction for immigration amnesty candidates.

Though inexpensive and accessible, however, community colleges are not always designed to satisfy exotic academic cravings.

Two years ago, Bob Lichtman, the 63-year-old chairman of the board of an auto accessories company in Northridge, got a hankering to learn about French wines.

Learned to Compare Wines

He and his wife, Charlotte, aficionados of California wines, had never been overly impressed by the produce of French vineyards. But when they received a catalogue from the Learning Tree University in Chatsworth offering, among other things, a course comparing California and French wines, they took the plunge.

The course was taught by a wine buyer for Trader Joe’s. Each week, a small group of wine fans would gather for lectures from guest speakers, many of whom were wine merchants or buyers. During the course of a single evening, up to eight bottles of wine might be sampled and discussed.

“One evening,” Lichtman recalls, “we were addressed by someone affiliated with Remy-Martin, the producers of French cognac. He brought a bottle of cognac for us to sample that sells for $270 a bottle--$60 a shot at a restaurant. Not something I was used to ordering on my own.”

After French wines, the Lichtmans enrolled in nightclub dancing and now plan to take a course on how to better use personal computers.

B. Michael Gould, founder and president of the Learning Tree University, says he set up his operation in 1974 because of his frustration in college over having to study under academicians rather than practicing professionals.

Gould, then 18, ran an ad in the local papers calling on instructors to “Teach the things you like to do at Open U.”

Made $300 Investment

After receiving hundreds of phone calls in response, he rented a warehouse in Chatsworth, printed catalogues, and went into business. His initial investment amounted to $300.

Today, the Learning Tree, which is accredited by the U.S. and California departments of education, offers about 600 courses, ranging from the frivolous or enchanting (“How to Buy Antiques in Los Angeles”--”Becoming a Game-Show Contestant”) to certificate programs in business, travel and computers. Last year, he says, more than 40,000 students attended.

Another learning complex was started 25 years ago, when three San Fernando Valley housewives found themselves with a void in their lives, having left school and settled down.

So they bought a number of adjacent bungalows in Van Nuys that had served as one-room motels and converted them into dance and photography studios. Thus began Everywoman’s Village, a not-for-profit, non-credit school with a pronounced penchant for the psychic.

Metaphysical Component

Apart from the usual courses in arts, crafts, languages and personal development, Everywoman’s Village offers men and women a strong metaphysical component that includes instruction in astral projection, channeling, Psi development and reincarnation.

In addition, says Cindy Hochberg, program director at Everywoman’s Village, psychic fairs are held on the premises monthly. Admission is $1 and psychic readings can be had for another $10. The proceeds from the fairs and the classes, she says, are funneled back into the school.

In October, Hochberg says, the Village, as it is called, will celebrate its 25th anniversary.

The Learning Annex is yet another place for weekend scholars, especially those who want to enhance their social lives. Operating out of a suite of offices on Wilshire Boulevard, the school was founded two years ago by a young graduate student, Bill Zanker, who invested his bar mitzvah money in the business, assuring himself a seat in school for life.

Have Fun, Meet People

While adult education programs are offered to update business skills and self-development, the Learning Annex also offers classes for those who just want to have fun and meet people.

For singles, the classes and activities provide a “healthier and less intimidating alternative to hanging out at bars,” according to Donna Sher, director.

And for serious students or those tending toward the lighter side, it doesn’t take a lot of stick-to-itiveness, because usually only one or two class sessions are offered on any subject.

On the more offbeat side are such classes as “introduction to dirty dancing,” past-life regression and a course on how to find a “loving partner.”

There’s a lot of learning going on in Southern California.

UCLA Extension, 10995 Le Conte Ave., Westwood. Fall quarter begins Sept. 19. Various courses are offered throughout Greater Los Angeles. Information: (213) 825-9977.

Pierce College, 6203 Winnetka Ave., Woodland Hills. The PACE program begins Monday. Prospective students must file applications in the Admissions Office, Monday through Thursday 8:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m.; Friday till 2 p.m. Tuition is $5 per unit for California residents. Information: (818) 347-0551.

Los Angeles City College, 855 N. Vermont Ave. Classes begin Monday. Tuition is $5 per unit for California residents. For information about the regular program, call (213) 669-4291. For information about the Community Services Program, call (213) 669-1031.

Santa Monica Community College, 1900 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica. Classes begin Tuesday. Classes are $5 per unit for California residents. The Children’s College begins classes next Saturday. Tuition for the latter is $30 to $60 per course. For more information, call (213) 450-5150 or (for the Children’s College) (213) 452-9214.

Los Angeles Mission College, 1212 San Fernando Road, San Fernando. Fall semester begins Monday, with tuition $5 per unit for California residents. Information: (818) 365-8271.

The Learning Tree University, 20916 Knapp St., Chatsworth. The fall semester begins Monday. Tuition varies, depending on the course. Information: (818) 882-5599.

The Learning Annex, 11675 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 203. Saturday and evening classes range in price from $22 to $40, except computer classes on Saturday at $95. New classes are announced each month. Information: (213) 478-6677.

Everywoman’s Village, 5650 Sepulveda Blvd., Van Nuys. The fall session kicks off Monday. Classes cost between $5 and $90. Information: (818) 787-5100 or (213) 873-4406.