Odyssey Project offers new class location at Austin Town Hall

After nearly 20 years of offering a 32-week college credit program, The Odyssey Project will for the first time hold classes in Austin for adults with limited access to a college education.

Through Illinois Humanities, Austin residents can apply to be part of the free program to be held at Austin Town Hall, 5610 W. Lake St. The new location was added to the list that has included Greater Grand Crossing, Rogers Park and Cicero to make the program more accessible for Chicagoans across the city, according to Audrey Petty, director of projects.

“We are committed to welcoming and serving as many students as we can,” Petty said. “We really prioritize locations that are accessible by public transportation.”

Petty said the opportunity to expand the program to the Austin community has to do with equity and offering meaningful and high quality education to adults living on the West Side.

Students in the program study with professors from local universities and can earn six transferable college credits from Bard College.

The program, which is free for all accepted applicants, is made possible through funding from the state and federal government, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Seabury Foundation, Northwestern University, University of Chicago’s Civic Knowledge Project and the Alice Kaplan Institute for the Humanities.