CANYONS PROGRAM TO CUT TIME NEEDED FOR DEGREE.

Byline: Stacy Brown Daily News Staff Writer

Two years of college can be condensed into less than a year under an accelerated program that will begin next spring at College of the Canyons.

Working adults are the target of the Project for Adult College Education, which will allow students to earn associate of arts degrees in just five nine-week semesters, college spokeswoman Sue Bozman said Monday.

PACE semesters will run half as long as standard 18-week college semesters. Classes will meet one evening a week and some Saturdays while lectures will be supplemented with six to nine hours per week of instructional videos.

Antelope Valley Community College has offered a similar program called the Sunset Schedule for nearly a decade, campus spokesman Steve Standerfer said.

``It's not quite PACE, but we have a program where students can go to school two nights a week and acquire an associate's degree in two years,'' Standerfer said. He said the school is looking into offering a more accelerated program feasible for students of all ages.

Jeanne Bailey, a spokeswoman for Moorpark College in the Ventura County Community College District, said her campus does not have an accelerated program but is looking at a short summer schedule.

``We are experimenting with a shorter, more intense program where students participate in four-week courses over the summer,'' Bailey said.

PACE was developed to fill community need, Bozman said.

``People in our neighborhoods had to travel (elsewhere) to find programs that fit their schedules. So we wanted to do this so they could have one right here,'' she said.

The COC program will feature two major fields of study, one in general education and the other in business. Classes will be held on and off campus.

Carole Long, COC's assistant dean of instruction, said PACE will offer working adults an educational experience that promotes participation and retention.

``It has proven to be a successful and popular educational option in many community colleges,'' Long said. Bozman said COC has taken advantage of more funding by the state for the 1998 fiscal year by adding PACE and expanding its College by Television classes, another program targeted to assist adult education. In CTV, students earn transferable college credits by taking courses offered on public television and on the local public access cable channel.

A series of orientation meetings have been set up for anyone interested in learning about the PACE program. Meetings will be held at 7 p.m. on July 21, 22 and 24 at COC. To reserve a seat at an orientation meeting, contact the PACE office at [phone] Ext. 3525.