Two years ago Cat Chapman was a stay-at-home mother who had almost given up on her dream to become a children's book illustrator. With her confidence at an all-time low, she decided to attend an art class at Auckland University's Centre for Continuing Education.
Sandra Morris, who tutors children's book illustration at the centre, immediately saw Ms Chapman's potential and introduced her to the managing director of Walker Books Australia. Ms Chapman is now illustrating her third book for them.
But talent like Ms Chapman's may go undiscovered under the university's proposal to restructure the Continuing Education Centre and slash its "Lifelong Learning" courses. From 2013, the centre's academic or research-based papers will be taught by university departments, not as night or weekend courses.
The university says it is "re-absorbing" the centre's academic papers into its existing departments, to be taught by faculty academics and tutors.
But students attending the classes point out that those classes are more expensive and are often at times that don't suit people who work. A student studying French currently pays $215 for the course through the centre. Under the Faculty of Arts programme that skyrockets to $622 for an equivalent paper.