Karen Rice, of Martinsburg, has been named the director of Lifelong Learning at Shepherd University.

Rice holds a bachelor of science degree in finance from Virginia Commonwealth University and is working on her master of business administration at Shepherd. A board member of the Contemporary American Theater Festival at Shepherd, Rice works in the Academic Advising Center at the university. She had been a trust officer with BB&T in Charleston.

“We are fortunate to have Karen Rice heading up this new initiative,” said Diane Melby, vice president for advancement, in a press release. “Her education, experience, and ties to the local community will help her develop course topics and attract knowledgeable teachers.”

The Lifelong Learning program at Shepherd will offer noncredit courses to adults. A committee was formed in the spring to survey the needs and interests of the community for adult education topics.

Classes to be offered starting Oct. 4 include “Afghanistan and its Neighbors” with Grant Smith; “Holocaust: A Study in Human Behavior” with Robbye Horowicz; “Literature: Excerpts from Abolitionist Writers” with Sara Smith; “West Virginia Politics” with Rep. John Doyle (Jefferson-D) and Rep. Walter Duke (Berkeley-R); “Poetry” with Philip Bufithis; F”amily History 101″ with Sandy Donahue; and “West Virginia History” with Bill Drennen.

Individual class cost is $99 per class. Semester memberships are available for $249 and entitle members to attend any or all courses offered during the semester. An annual membership is also available for $449.

For more information about Shepherd’s Lifelong Learning program, contact Rice at 304-876-5135 or krice@shepherd.edu or visit the website at www.shepherd.edu/lifelonglearning.