This book investigates the key areas of nontraditional education program planning and development by examining the ways that liberal arts programs at various institutions have been academically and administratively established, developed, and maintained. Areas examined are the following: (1) the history of continuing liberal education and the changing role of the liberal arts at colleges and universities; (2) the differences in motivation, objectives, and expectations between the adult liberal learner and traditional students; (3) the establishment of attainable goals and design of new, creative, and appropriate liberal arts programs; (4) the importance of structure and format in liberal education programs and the interrelationships among their key elements; (5) effective ways of engaging liberal arts faculty in the planning, design, and implementation of programs; (6) appropriate marketing and public relations strategies for continuing liberal education programs; and (7) financial and administrative expectations in continuing liberal education programs. The book explores the idea of using program models and the suitability of specific program types to different institutional types. Finally, the academic, public relations, and financial expectations of liberal arts programs in continuing education contexts are discussed. Contains a 127-item bibliography and an index. (GLR)