Continuing Education Program Bulletins are published five (5) times during the academic year. Proposals for new courses must be submitted and approved prior to the printing deadline for each quarter. All instructor positions are part-time without benefits. Instructors are paid on an individual course contract. If the course does not reach sufficient enrollment to hold the class, it may be cancelled.

Thing to Consider Before Proposing a New Class:

1. Is the class already being offered? Please check our current class bulletin before writing a proposal to avoid proposing classes that we already offer. You may want to contact us about course viability prior to submitting a proposal as we know our market and can help you focus your proposal.
2. Is your class idea being offered by other retail, commercial or college? Community Education avoids offering classes that may compete with offerings from other schools, businesses, or government agencies.
3. Are you currently teaching or considering teaching this course elsewhere in Pierce County? Competing against yourself at a school or organization in the same service area can lead to low enrollments resulting in cancelled classes and disappointed students.
4. Is your class wide enough in scope or topic unique enough to appeal to the general population who enroll in Continuing Education courses? Some courses have limited audience appeal and do not work well in community education.
5. What would a community member expect to pay for your type of class? Pricing a class is a complex process. Instructors need to be paid and College overhead expenses need to be covered. The price we charge for the class covers both your salary as well as an overhead charge for staf salaries, rent, equipment, etc.
6. Are you proposing a class to promote your own business or consulting services? We do not sponsor workshops that are designed to sell or recommend products from your own business or promote your consulting services.

Submission Process:

1. Download the electronic proposal form below which can be completed using Microsoft Word versions 97-2003. Download course proposal form (MS Word 97-2003 doc).
2. Check proposal deadlines for each quarter. We accept proposals throughout the year, however we do have scheduling and printing deadlines. If we do not use your proposal in any given quarter, we may keep it on file for possible possible inclusion in future quarters.
3. Submit your proposal to: dherndon@pierce.ctc.edu or Denise Herndon, Continuing Education at Pierce College, 9401 Farwest Drive SW, Lakewood, WA 98498-1999. Please do not contact our offices regarding the status of your proposal. Staff will contact you if your proposal is something they will consider for inclusion in the program.

What are the proposal deadlines?

Fall Quarter - (Sept. through Dec. classes) – May 1st
Winter Quarter - (Jan. through early Mar.classes) – September 1st
Late Winter Quarter - (late Mar. through Apr.) - November 1st
Spring Quarter - (Apr. through early Jun.) – November 1st
Summer Quarter - (late Jun. through Aug.)– February 1st

Download course proposal form (MS Word 97-2003 doc)

Pierce College is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and is strongly committed to enhancing the diversity of its workforce.  All qualified applicants, including women, persons of color, Vietnam-era/disabled veterans, persons age 40 and over, and individuals with disability are encouraged to apply. Applicants with disabilities who require assistance with the recruitment process should call (253) 964-6579. A telecommunication device for the hearing impaired is available at (253) 964-6228.

© 2007 Pierce College Continuing Education.
This site last updated 02/11/08
Contact the CE webmaster at cecompute@pierce.ctc.edu.