When architectural historian Mark Edwards looks around his classroom at Goucher College, he sees not just students of historic preservation, but also future advocates.
"I hope they . . . choose to get involved in local preservation," said Mr. Edwards, who not only teaches an introductory historic preservation course but also serves as chief programs administrator for the Maryland Historical Trust.
"One of the real messages in my class is that preservation is most effective when it's the result of local people who have taken the initiative to retain and enhance what is important in their community," he said.
Mr. Edwards is one of nine part-time faculty members in a new adult education program in historic preservation offered through the college's Center for Continuing Studies. The program, started in the fall, is the first continuing education program in the nation to focus on historic preservation, according to organizers.
It includes 10 courses that offer skills training for volunteers as well as paid preservationists. Students might be do-it-yourselfers, hobbyists, members of historic district commissions or workers at historic sites. They might also be Realtors, remodelers, archaeologists or interior designers.
The curriculum emphasizes practical information rather than theory:
What is the cost of preservation? How do you pay for it? What techniques are used to determine the importance of a building? How do you restore, maintain and manage a historic site? What are the laws of preservation? How can they effectively be used?
"Often when folks get involved in preservation issues they aren't armed with the background and training to really be effective," said Mr. Edwards, who served on the advisory committee that developed the program. "We can provide people with the kinds of tools they need to become better citizens by being better spokespeople for preservation."
Each course meets one evening a week for seven weeks. There are three seven-week sessions in the spring and two in the fall. Students may take any number of the noncredit courses; those who complete all 10 will earn a certificate in historic preservation. The program may be completed in one academic year and is intended primarily for adults who have an undergraduate degree. The series will be repeated next fall.
Tom Greene, one of about 20 students in the program, is a structural engineer who lives in a 65-year-old house in North Baltimore. He describes himself as "an old-house buff" who would someday like to restore buildings in Baltimore.
