St. Tammay Center offers fall non-credit classes
Contact: Christina Chapple
9/19/08
HAMMOND – Southeastern Louisiana University’s St. Tammany Center is offering north shore residents a variety of non-credit courses this fall on topics ranging from computers and technology to the arts and test preparation.
Participants can register for the courses online via the “Non-Credit Courses” link at www.selu.edu/sttammanycenter or by phone at 985-893-6251, said Laura Zammit, assistant director of the center, located on the third floor of the St. Tammany Parish government complex on Koop Drive near Mandeville.
Zammit said non-credit computer course offerings include various levels of training for applications such as Microsoft Excel (Level One) in September, Microsoft Word, Excel (Level Two) and PowerPoint in October and Publisher on Nov. 6. The courses are offered in one-session or two-session formats for a $95 fee. For a $47.50 fee, residents can also enroll in introductory courses on personal computing (Sept. 29) and the Internet (Nov. 3). The introductory courses will be offered from 6-9 p.m.
In the area of consumer technology, participants can learn how to protect their computer from technology pests such as adware, badware, malware, spyware, phising and security threats (Nov. 10, 5-9 p.m., $100) or enroll in “Technology 101 for Your Home Office (Nov. 13, 5-9 p.m., $100). Other planned courses will show “how to make your computer work for you” and the pros and cons of communication tools such as cellphones, PDAs or Blackberrys.
Award-winning novelist Robin Wells, author of “Between the Sheets,” will teach “How to Write a Novel” Thursday evenings from 7-8:15 p.m., Oct 2-30. The $150 course will cover the basics of writing novel-length fiction, including story structure, plotting, character development, dialogue, description and point of view. Wells will also critique up to 25 pages of a class member’s novel and offer tips on getting published.
For photography buffs, professional photographer Chuck Billiot will offer “How to Take Professional Looking Images With Your Digital Camera” on Nov. 6, 9 a.m.-noon, and Nov. 13, 6-9 p.m. Billiot’s "dare to be unique" approach to photography and videography has won him critical acclaim from his peers as well as several awards from the Greater New Orleans Professional Photographer’s Guild. He has been shooting professionally since 1978 and is the owner of Billiot Photography and Video. The fee for the course is $75.
Zammit said the St. Tammany Center is a Microsoft authorized testing center for the Microsoft office specialist certification.
“Currently we can test candidates on the Microsoft Office Specialist or MOS certification. This certification is a globally recognized standard that validates computer desktop skills and includes tests on Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Access,” said Zammit.
“This certification tells potential employers you are an expert on Microsoft desktop skills,” Zammit continued. “It can boost your resume, prepare you for a computer help desk job or help qualify you for a Microsoft instructor position.”
In the planning stages are a special “Green Series,” featuring sessions on “Living Green” and “Building Green”; an American College Test (ACT) prep session in conjunction with the Dec. 13 test date; and a three-session course on “Interpreting Contemporary Art,” including a historical lecture with examples of artwork, discussion of controversial issues in contemporary art and an art gallery field trip.
All classes will be held at the St. Tammany Center. To register or for additional information, visit www.selu.edu/sttammanycenter or call 985-893-6251.
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