Midland Impact program offers second chance for student

Brenda Weinandt sees herself as more than the assistant director of Midland Lutheran College’s Impact Adult Degree Program.

She’s a student.

“I’m a student in the program myself,” Weinandt said. “When I’m recruiting (for the program) I look for people like me.”

She got married right out of high school and took night classes toward a business degree at Central Community College in Columbus, where they lived.

“That was off and on for a few years,” she continued. “Life sets in.”

That happens to a lot of people, she said. That’s one of the groups of adults that fit well into the Impact program.

Many of the 57 students in the program started with enough hours to have earned an associate’s degree.

“It takes them six or seven sessions to finish,” she said.

That isn’t as long as it sounds.

Weinandt said there are four sessions each year, one 10-week session during each of the weather seasons.

Students also can earn 32 hours for life experiences.

“That’s a year of college,” she said.

Weinandt doesn’t have enough hours to have earned an associate’s degree. So she has to go longer to finish the program.

“I have a lot further to go than I wish,” she said.

The program also provides a tool for area residents to get an edge at work.

“The way society is today a degree is required for advancement in many fields,” she said.

The program offers bachelor’s degrees in business and criminal justice. Also, registered nurses can earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Weinandt said two new degrees are being added: Human services and psychology.

“They were added because of a need in the community,” she said. “When the first session was done, we did a survey of the community. We got feedback about adding these programs.”

Students in the program can take one to three courses during each 10-week session, she said.

The Impact program at Midland still is new, still in its third session, she said. Classes are held only on campus every other weekend during the sessions. Classes meet Friday nights, Saturday mornings, Saturday afternoons or Sunday afternoons for about 3 1/2 hours each.

“When students are in an accelerated program they have a lot of work to do,” she said.

The summer session runs the week of June 13 through the week of Aug. 17. The fall session begins the week of Sept. 5.

As the two additional degree programs indicate, the Impact program continues to develop.

“We need input from local employers. I would love to be able to partner with businesses to help their employees continue their career paths within the organizations,” she said.

Before working with the Impact program, Weinandt, who is originally from Fremont, worked in the college’s admissions department. Between the two, she has worked at the college for about four years.

“I think Midland is one of Fremont’s best kept secrets,” she said. “I know when I was growing up I never thought about Midland.”