We're thrilled to announce that Free Minds has been awarded a major grant from the TG Public Benefit Grant Program. The two-year grant, totaling $135,890, will support the program's core classes and allow it to expand to serve more Central Texas adults.

TG first supported Free Minds in 2009 with a grant that enabled the program to pilot an alumni bridge course and recruit a new class. The new grant will support our two-semester humanities class and our free community writing workshops. It also allows us to expand our programming for alumni, including continuing our successful master classes and adding an alumni bridge class each spring. We'll also develop a formal mentorship program for graduates that connects them to professionals in the academic, business, and cultural community to help them meet their educational and professional goals.

We are excited to jump into this next stage of developing Free Minds into a national model of adult education programs, and we're grateful to TG for its continued faith in and generosity toward the program.

 

When Free Minds students get into a classroom together, an amazing sense of intellectual openness and respect emerges, not just during the year-long humanities course, but also in the monthly two-hour master classes offered free to graduates of the program. These classes give alumni an opportunity to get back into the classroom and plug into the intellectual community they created in Free Minds. It's a luxury that adults with families and full schedules don't often get to indulge in.

The master class on June 14th was no exception, as alumni from three graduating years gathered at the Community Engagement Center to learn about public speaking with Amira Pollock, an AmeriCorps volunteer at UT and a practiced performer and teacher. Amira led alumni in a discussion about good and bad public speaking habits, pulling everyone onto their feet to perform a shared monologue in the hallway that got everyone laughing and excited to speak their minds.

More than just an opportunity to build community, master classes provide a way to connect students to resources at UT and ACC. We're excited to continue finding new ways to extend university resources into the community.

Want to Be Part of the Free Minds Class of 2012? 

 

Do you know any adults who are ready to jumpstart their college education but aren't sure if Free Minds is right for them? Click for answers to commonly asked questions: 

 

What are the admission requirements?

What do alumni have to say about Free Minds?

What's the coursework like?

 

More questions about the program? E-mail or call the office at (512) 232-6093. Applications for the 2011-12 course are available through July 5.  Click here to apply now!