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From a modest beginning in 1988, when six courses attracted 200 students per quarter, to an interdisciplinary program that posts more than 70 courses in 40 academic disciplines expected to draw 1,800 students for the fall term, the Continuing Studies Program prepares to celebrate its 10th anniversary. Liberal arts, the foundation of the program, attract students to classes that often are considered too intellectual by other continuing education programs. Last year, for example, 55 students enrolled in a 10-week class on James Joyce's Ulysses, almost 90 students signed up for a course on Renaissance Florence and more than 120 enrolled for three courses in quantum mechanics and relativity. "These are students all teachers dream of," says Eavan Boland, professor of English and distinguished Irish poet. "They manage to turn every topic into a wonderful, enriching conversation." The feeling apparently is mutual. Twenty percent of the students are Stanford alumni and 60 percent of them already have graduate or professional degrees. Faculty are drawn from the Stanford faculty and academic staff. On Oct. 16 the 10-year keynote address will be given by William Chace, former vice provost at Stanford, former president of Wesleyan University and currently president of Emory University. He will speak about "Why Education Is Sometimes Wasted on the Young: Meditations on the Future of Colleges and Universities." For more information visit http://www.stanford.edu/dept/csss/contstudies/.
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