PATHWAYS:
A Blog for the CAEL Community.

Neila Green is director of adult learners and an adjunct professor of psychology at the College of Staten Island (CSI), which is within The City University of New York, a CAEL member. She has a knack for building rapport with adult learners, something she says she owes in part to her graduate degree in counseling psychology. So it’s no surprise that she’s at the center of CSI’s Adults Returning to the Classroom (ARC) program and what she describes as a concierge philosophy to CSI’s support of adult learners, who total nearly 1,000 students. (For the purposes of its dedicated programs, CSI designates students 30 or older as adult learners).

CAEL promotes a philosophy of “a win for one is a win for all” within its community. We spread the word about member accomplishments to amplify that effect. In December, CAEL institutional member East Carolina University (ECU) received the John R. Bourne Outstanding Online Program award. The award recognized ECU’s bachelor of science in industrial technology (BSIT) program. The BSIT program’s raison d'être is to offer more onramps for working adult learners. The program creates a ladder from a traditionally terminal degree: the associate in applied science (AAS).

During a crisis, things can seem overwhelming. That’s always been the case. But it’s especially true in the age of social media and 24/7 news cycles. 

Amy Belcastro, Ph.D., is a professor with Southern Oregon University (SOU). Recently, CAEL chatted with her about some of the strides SOU is taking to serve adult working learners.

Work Learn Earn (WLE) is an online career exploration tool that empowers job seekers to discover career and educational pathways within their community or within an industry. Anyone who sees an example of WLE is usually pretty “wowed.” Up-to-date labor market data, career pathway mapping, exploration of career choices, links to programs that will prepare you for a career--it’s all there and user friendly.

There has been recent discussion about the need for consistent, student-friendly policies for recognizing transfer students’ prior college credit. Otherwise, there is a danger that students could lose a lot of the time and money already spent on learning. In fact, a GAO study found that 40 percent of college credits are lost in transfer.^[1] To mitigate this, some institutions have made their transfer policies more generous. Some have amplified these measures by establishing articulation agreements that, as the article linked above suggests, can be further strengthened through a consortium model.

Around the start of a new year, it’s common for people to reflect on change – maybe make a few predictions. A new decade? Even more so. The 2020s will be our sixth decade of advocating for working adult learners. Anyone who has shared that journey knows it’s challenged by constant upheaval. But I’d like to take the opportunity to focus on one constant amid all that change – and make one very confident prediction. From the beginning, CAEL’s greatest strength has been our membership. That will always be the case. 

Without a doubt, college degrees remain key to economic mobility and well-being in the U.S. Getting a college degree opens up new career possibilities and helps people earn more income over their lifetimes. Yet far too many aspiring graduates never obtain the degrees they are seeking, which leaves them without the benefit of the degree but often holding student debt. Making it to graduation day is challenging for many students, but it is especially difficult—and especially important—for students who care for dependent children.

There are currently 2.2 million working-age adults in Florida who have started college and never finished. Complete Florida, an attainment program funded by the legislature, has a goal to help these individuals get the degrees they need for the jobs they want. This effort keeps talent pipelines filled with skilled employees that keep Florida’s economy stable. Part of these efforts require that Florida colleges and universities understand their adult learner populations. Who are they? What are their needs?

Shasta College successfully implements accelerated programs, gateway programs to four-year degrees, and a degree-reclamation program to help working adult learners achieve success in degree completion and work.