The old college try is now being tried in Mt. Juliet.

Cumberland University‚ which has been a mainstay in Lebanon since 1842‚ has established a Mt. Juliet satellite campus at Victory Baptist Church on Tate Road. The new Mt. Juliet Professional Development Center is primarily for adults looking to take classes to further their careers.

“We opened the Mt. Juliet center in late 2006 and have been offering just a handful of courses‚ including real estate licensure training and teacher education programs‚” says Harvill Eaton‚ president of Cumberland University. “The focus in these early stages of this venture will be on professional development as well as credit courses in business‚ technology and health care.”

Eaton says the city’s population boom has made it easy for Cumberland University to decide on establishing the first-ever college site in Mt. Juliet’s history.

“As for future college courses‚ we will monitor demand for specific classes and add them to the Mt. Juliet curriculum when the interest is high enough‚” he says. “That includes nursing programs‚ computer courses and MBA classes.”

The university also plans to establish future programs aimed toward the influx of senior citizens. In fact‚ discussions are under way with representatives from the Lake Providence by Del Webb retirement community regarding potential continuing-education courses being offered within that neighborhood.