Empowering Adult Learners: How Five North Carolina HBCUs Are Building Capacity Through Lumina’s Adult Learners Initiative (ALI) Grant

By Kathy H. Thompson and Lisa Dunning

For many adults, returning to college means juggling family responsibilities, work schedules, and financial pressures while pursuing a long-held dream of earning a degree. At five North Carolina Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), these students are finding new pathways forward—pathways built with them in mind. Thanks to support from Lumina Foundation’s Adult Learners Initiative (ALI) grant, these campuses are reshaping how they serve adult learners, creating environments where education fits life, not the other way around. Elizabeth City State University (ECSU), Fayetteville State University (FSU), Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU), Shaw University (SU), and Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) joined forces as a collaborative cohort under the ALI grant. With ALI grant support, each institution enhanced strategies, infrastructure, and services tailored to the unique needs of adult learners, opening doors to enrollment, persistence, and completion for those who may have once thought higher education was a pipe dream.   

Just as importantly, the ALI initiative sparked meaningful, high-level dialogue across the cohort. Through shared insights, candid reflections, and collaborative problem-solving, each institution refined its approach, advancing individual campus goals while strengthening the collective mission to ensure adult learners not only enroll but thrive. 

This article highlights the technical assistance that fueled these capacity-building efforts and the tangible results achieved through the ALI grant. The Center for Innovation in Postsecondary Education (CIPE), in partnership with CAEL, provided targeted guidance through structured activities, regular meetings, and annual convenings for deep team collaboration. These efforts connected the five institutions, introduced evidence-based practices to the higher education field, and cultivated a thriving community of practice.

The Technical Assistance Team ALI Capacity-Building Progress with Five HBCUS

The Technical Assistance Team (TA), comprising Dr. Kathy Thompson (Center for Innovation in Postsecondary Education, University of South Alabama), Dr. Lisa Dunning (Kaizen Education Group), and Visha Patel (American Institutes for Research), provided strategic guidance to five North Carolina HBCUs throughout the three-year Adult Learner Initiative, funded by Lumina Foundation. The project unfolded across three distinct phases: Launch, Evolution, and Project Outcomes. 

ALI Launch Phase: The initiative began with a virtual convening led by Dr. Jasmine Haywood, strategy director for credentials of value at Lumina Foundation. This initial session introduced the project’s vision and goals. The TA Team then brought together the five HBCUs to initiate the capacity-building journey.

During Year 1, the TA Team posed a foundational question to each institution: “Where can you build more capacity to serve adult learners better?” Each HBCU selected a focus area for improvement and engaged in structured process mapping to understand institutional workflows and identify gaps. A series of communities of practice focused on three key themes:

1. Adult learner advising.
2. Integration of digital courseware and adaptive learning tools.
3. Capturing and elevating the student voice through improved adult learner data infrastructure.

The launch phase concluded with on-campus site visits, during which the TA Team worked closely with institutional leaders to refine process maps and prepare for the next phase.

ALI Evolution Phase: In Year 2, the TA Team guided each institution to answer a more forward-looking question: “What three strategic goals can help institutionalize your process maps and expand your capacity?”

Institutions initially achieved their foundational capacity-building objectives before setting SMART goals and developing corresponding action plans. These plans were further refined through additional site visits. Monthly virtual meetings enabled the cohort to share progress and challenges, which led to the introduction of Knowledge Share Sessions, held both in person at host campuses and online.

A highlight of this phase was the increased peer-to-peer collaboration among the HBCUs. Institutions began learning directly from one another’s strategies and innovations. One example of this peer learning is the Adult Learner Summit hosted by Winston-Salem State University, which inspired Johnson C. Smith University to host its own the following year.

ALI Project Outcomes: By Year 3, the TA Team encouraged each institution to reflect on the culminating question: “With increased capacity to serve adult learners, what have you learned from this experience?”

• Adult Learner Engagement: Institutions enhanced their strategies to engage and empower adult learners. For example, JCSU students now lead an active adult learner organization that promotes advocacy and peer support.
• Cross-functional Communication and Collaboration: Colleges strengthened internal communication and collaboration across departments. At WSSU, this resulted in greater flexibility and responsiveness in the Interdisciplinary Studies (IDS) degree program.
• Enhanced Support Services: All five institutions reported improvements in services for adult learners, including more robust data collection systems (hosting focused groups and executing survey tools to gather student voices), tailored orientation/onboarding processes, strengthened advising practices, and the creation of adult learner-focused spaces such as dedicated lounges.

Notable Institutional Highlights:

• Elizabeth City State University: Successfully launched a Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) policy and identified priorities through their process mapping exercises. ECSU collaborated with Ideas42 to redesign the fall 2025 new student orientation for the traditional and adult learners.
• Fayetteville State University: Successfully developed the Adult Learner One-Stop and the Adult Advisory Group.
• Johnson C. Smith University: Strengthened adult learner engagement through expanded programming and leadership opportunities by establishing the Golden Bull Adult Success Organization (GBASO), a student-led organization.
• Shaw University: Successfully established the Adult Learner Workgroup, a cross-functional team across the university. 
• Winston-Salem State University: Expanded course flexibility and developed degree pathways enabling adult learners to earn bachelor’s degrees in high-demand regional employment sectors in education, health care, and interdisciplinary studies. This initiative enhances career readiness and increases access to graduate education opportunities. 

Conclusion 

The ALI grant, funded by Lumina Foundation, provided five participating HBCUs with the opportunity to enhance their capacity to support adult learners. Each institution received structured guidance, engaged in process improvements, cross-functional learning and collaboration, and implemented impactful changes to their programs and practices for adult learners. Through these strategic initiatives, the institutions identified challenges and barriers and made enhancements that effectively engaged and supported adult learners. As these five HBCUs continue to enhance their programs for adult learners, the insights and accomplishments gained from the Adult Learner Grant Initiative will serve as a valuable resource, promoting continued support and success for adult learners in their academic journeys.

The authors served as technical assistance providers for Lumina Foundation’s Adult Learner Initiative, alongside Visha Patel, from 2021 to 2025.