Member Matters March 2023

Proactive Partnerships
Rio Salado College and the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers are co-developing a degree program for telecommunications workers. Not only does the partnership ensure that the college's courses are in synch with the latest workforce needs, but it also includes a CPL component that delivers college credit through SCTE courses. The complement of RSC and SCTE courses delivers an associate of applied science degree in broadband telecommunications (Rio Salado College).

SUNation Energy and Suffolk County Community College have rolled out a solar installer certificate program that is paired with a paid externship. A guaranteed job interview follows completion of the 50-hour training opportunity (SUNation Energy).

Broward College is collaborating with the Broward County State Attorney's Office, the Law Office of the Public Defender, and the Florida Department of Corrections on two initiatives to increase access to postsecondary education for "select first-time offenders and other Broward County residents who have been involved with the legal system." The Court to College Diversion program allows qualified nonviolent offenders to complete a technical certificate rather than a criminal sentence. (The victim of the crime must approve the arrangement and is also eligible for the same free tuition available under the program.) A second program, Corrections to College, connects incarcerated women who are within 18 months of their release date to career and education counseling to pursue a program at Broward College or another college or university (Broward College).

Emory & Henry College is partnering with several public school divisions and other education and training providers to create a "laboratory school" to help alleviate the shortage of health care workers in southwest Virginia (WDBJ).

Florida Gulf Coast University and Suffolk County Community College have joined Amazon's Career Choice pre-paid tuition program (WFTX, LongIsland.com).

Lightcast contributed to a nine-county skills analysis for the Indy Chamber aimed at mapping core competencies to high-growth occupations and industries (Indy Chamber).

Navigating From Classroom to Career
A new career-navigation platform at the University System of Georgia, the Career Resource Planning Platform, will allow students to explore careers and occupations, offering salary data, strengths assessment, and even connections to System alumni (Columbus CEO).

Elizabethtown College hosted the first annual Creative Careers Week at its Career Development Center. Supported by alumni, the event raised awareness about career pathways, including nontraditional education-employment routes (Elizabethtown College).

Georgia Gwinnett College invites middle school students to its Super Saturday Series, the scene of hands-on learning experiences relevant to STEM career pathways (Gwinnett Daily Post).

Northeast Iowa Community College also helps students get a head start on work-relevant experiential learning. It recently concluded its first High Demand Skilled Trades Event for high school students, which featured simulators and other interactions designed to develop awareness about in-demand occupations (Radio Iowa).

Investments in Equity
Dalhousie University is working with Tajikeimik, a health and wellness organization, to improve access to career pathways in the health care industry for indigenous workers (Education News Canada).

Lincoln University of Missouri is one of eight HBCUs selected for NASA funding under the Data Science Equity, Access, and Priority in Research and Education initiative (Lincoln University of Missouri).

Bunker Hill Community College, a major point of origin for Asian American transfer students who continue their studies at UMass Boston, is part of a U.S. Department of Education-funded grant initiative to help the institutions "implement a culturally sustaining transfer pathway that enhances the capacities of each institution." The college is a federally designated Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander- and Hispanic-Serving Institution (Umass Boston).

More Good With Grants
A pair of grants is furthering Raritan Valley Community College's workforce development programs, including a career-exploration program in biopharmaceutical manufacturing and the site of the first community college clean room in New Jersey (NJBIZ).

Creative Credentials 
The new, non-credit division at Ball State University has launched a program via SkillStorm that offers Ball State students and the general community courses that deliver credentials validated by employers including AWS, Salesforce, and Pega. The WIOAA-eligible program offers certificates designed to further progress from any point in a learner's education or employment pathway (Ball State University).

Northwest State Community College is offering a one-credit-hour course that provides completers with an industry-recognized manufacturing credential in six weeks, with flexibility designed for adult learners (WTOL).

In response to recent storms that cut power to hundreds of thousands of Central Texan residents, Austin Community College District is cutting tuition by 50% for its lineworker certificate program, which can be completed in just six weeks and positions students for career success in an industry that is facing labor shortages today and anticipated hiring growth of 8% over the next four years (ACC).

Accelerating Adult Learning
A new report from Capella University covers more than 20,000 graduates of its direct-assessment competency-based education format since 2013, finding that the median time to completion was 50% and 36% faster for a bachelor's degree and a master's degree, respectively, compared to similar graduates earning degrees in equivalent Capella credit-hour programs. The CBE students also borrowed 58% less in federal financial aid for a bachelor's degree (39% less for a master's degree) (Capella University).

Among the benefits of Penn State World Campus' new bachelor of science in project and supply chain management are experiential learning and an asynchronous online modality designed to accommodate full-time workers (Penn State).

George Fox University's accelerated education degree is serving career switchers while helping address Central Oregon's teacher shortage. Students can complete a combination of weekly one-on-one meetings and evening classes with monthly Saturday online classes to receive a bachelor's degree and teaching license in 16-20 months (KTVZ).

Roberts Wesleyan University is adding a 100% online associate of art degree program in biblical studies. Designed for adult learners, the program is available to full- and part-time students, with an eight-week, accelerated option that allows completion in twelve to twenty-four months (Roberts Wesleyan University).

Encouraging Enrollment Trends
Bismarck State College reported spring semester enrollment was 20.2% higher than 2022, following a 6.2% YOY increase for the last fall semester, marking the first time in seven years that the consecutive semesters had both seen increases. The college's president cited the increasing need for skilled workers and the institution's polytechnic model, which features flexible, career-furthering options (Bismarck Tribune).

Spring graduate and online enrollment increased at the University of Maine System, a welcome contrast to a decline in overall enrollment. Online learning surged by double digits, while graduate enrollment grew 1.1% notwithstanding forecasts that had called for a "substantial decline" (University of Maine System).

In Their Own Words
The associate vice president for student success at Georgia Southern University discussed her career journey, how partnerships with student affairs can support adult learning and DEI, and advice for aspiring AVPs (NASPA).

Economic Impact
Dakota County Technical College and Inver Hills Community College add $331.4 million to the economy annually, according to a study commissioned by Minnesota State (Sun Thisweek). The report also highlighted Century College's $386.3 million impact (White Bear Press).

Lightcast has determined that community colleges contribute $6.6 billion to the Alabama economy and "represent one of every twenty-seven jobs" in the state (WTVY).

The Art of Articulation
Washburn University will more than triple the scholarship assistance it provides transfer students, which is available to students arriving with a minimum of 12 credit hours and a GPA of at least 3.0 from community colleges or four-year institutions (Washburn University).

The University of Arizona Global Campus and Central Arizona College are partnering to provide CAC associate degree alumni, staff, faculty, and employee family members a discounted path to completion of a bachelor's degree (University of Arizona Global Campus).

The University of Illinois Springfield and Waubonsee Community College are offering a new transfer pathway that guarantees eligible WCC students university admission (UIS).

Metropolitan Community College and the University of Nebraska at Omaha are collaborating to offer a transfer degree program in social justice (KETV).