Livingstone College News Service

SALISBURY — The new director of Livingstone College’s evening and weekend college is a walking advertisement for the program.

Just ask James “Bernard” Washington his story and he will tell you how a few years ago, he was in the military with a wife and two children — and back in school.

He was enrolled in an evening college environment, which he said was the perfect model for him to further his education and take care of his family at the same time.

“It was an opportunity for me to better my own standard of living for my family,” he said.

He intends to improve that opportunity for others in his new role at Livingstone College.

Education is the pathway to success, and many working adults dream of it but are afraid to take that chance.

“Now is the time to make that dream a reality,” Washington said.

Livingstone’s evening and weekend college offers a flexible class schedule, smaller class sizes for individual attention, and free tutoring and career services — including resume and interviewing skills.

It is also an accelerated program, meaning courses last eight weeks versus 16 weeks.

“Those with previous college experience may complete the program within four to five semesters,” he said.

The evening and weekend college offers degrees in eight majors: business administration, criminal justice, religious studies, birth-kindergarten education, elementary education, social work, liberal studies and psychology.

“Working adult students are more in tune with the types of careers or advanced positions they want. They take education more seriously,” Washington said.

One of his goals is to increase community and civic interaction to aid in student recruitment.

“I want to connect with local businesses and agencies and to present in forums to promote the evening and weekend college,” he said. “My goal is to apprise potential students of all the resources Livingstone College has to offer for their academic and career success so they can command their rightful place in a global society.”

That “command” comes by being competent in their field; being a critical and analytical thinker; and being a team player, he said.

“We all experience some anxieties, but this type of challenge encourages us to be more prepared and conscientious of the advice presented by instructors,” he said. “It’s all about persistence and grit — and that’s what helped me.”

Washington started as evening and weekend college director in mid-July, but he is no stranger to the campus. For nine months before that, Washington was a residence hall director. Before that, he was director of admissions at Halifax Community College for six years, where he was part of a team responsible for the school’s highest enrollment numbers in its history.

He has also worked in admissions at other community colleges including Coastal Carolina in Jacksonville and Guilford Community College in Jamestown, as well as in human resources at Kimberly-Clark Corp. in Chester, Pennsylvania

He retired from the military as a commissioned officer, having spent 10 years in active duty and 10 years in the National Guard.

Washington graduated summa cum laude from South Carolina State University with a bachelor’s degree in counseling education. He earned his master’s in human resources management and development from Chapman University in Orange County, California, and is currently a doctoral candidate for adult and community college education at N.C. State University.