Member Matters August 2026

A Monthly Lookback at Some of the Good Work in the CAEL Membership Community

In Their Own Words

The associate vice president for student experience, marketing, and outreach at Forsyth Technical Community College made the case for proactive outreach to Comebackers, highlighting NC Reconnect data showing that outreach under the program delivered reenrollment rates of 22.6 percent versus a 2.7 percent statewide average (Community College Daily)

Championing Adult Learners

The Alabama Community College System is advancing a new adult learner workforce model that more directly aligns support services, training, and credentials to jobs. The strategy includes an increased use of federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training program, or SNAP E&T, funds (Alabama Political Reporter).

eHBCU, a course-sharing partnership among six HBCUs, is reducing delays related to course availability, helping students, especially adult learners, stay on track for credential completion. Led by Delaware State University, eHBCU also includes CAEL members Southern University and A&M College, Southern University at Shreveport, Southern University at New Orleans, and Alabama State University (Inside Higher Ed).

LaGuardia Community College is addressing the strong demand for childcare among adult learners through Horizons NYC at LaGuardia, “the first and only Horizons program in New York City located on a college campus” (Inside Higher Ed).

Brighter Futures in Prior Learning

In recognition of CPL's workforce development value, the Old National Bank Foundation has supported Davenport University with a grant to reduce PLA fees for students. The grant comes amid continued CPL growth at the university; in AY 2016-17, 12 PLA attempts were recorded, a number that soared to 285 in AY 2024-25. The PLA process has saved students more than $1.6 million over the past three academic years (Davenport University).

Doing Good With Grants

Clark University has been awarded $27 million from the U.S. Department of Labor to expand opportunities for learners to access registered apprenticeship pathways in information technology (Clark University)

Appalachian State University is using a $1.4 million Department of Labor grant to offer a new career pathways program dedicated to countering a shortage of rural special education teachers in the region (EdNC).

The Career Bridge Program at Virginia Commonwealth University, launched last year to support Pell Grant-eligible first-year students, is continuing thanks to a $2.3 million grant from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. In addition to financial support, the program offers students work-based learning opportunities and career advising and is credited for “the lowest rates of accounting holds and the highest retention rates in recent memory” for Pell-eligible first-year students at VCU (VCU).

Panola College will use a $196,000 Texas Reskilling and Upskilling through Education (TRUE) Pathways Design and Planning Grant to develop a health workforce pathway that will feature stackable credentials and close coordination with employers (Panola College).

Scaling Impact

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has selected the NSF NEO-SMART Engine in Northeast Ohio for its Regional Innovation Engines program. The Northeast Ohio partnership includes the University of Akron among its coalition of more than 70 partners and prioritizes cross-sector collaboration to achieve “successful place-based innovation and economic growth" (University of Akron). NSF Grid Modernization Engine in the Carolinas (Carolinas Grid Engine) was also designated as a Regional Innovation Engine; it is led by UNC Charlotte and features more than 100 partners across 36 counties in North and South Carolina (UNC Charlotte).

A study covering fiscal year 2023-24 has concluded that Central Piedmont Community College delivers $1 billion in annual economic impact to the Charlotte region and an ROI to students of $5.20 in greater lifetime earnings for every $1 spent on their education (CPCC).

Fostering Education-Employment Ecosystems

Ivy Tech Community College and Roche Diagnostics North America are partnering to bolster the medical laboratory workforce, which is contending with substantial personnel shortages. The partnership is beginning with a Roche-funded campaign to expand awareness of and access to the profession and is contemplating the later addition of an earn-and-learn component (Ivy Tech).

Virginia Western Community College has been designated an NC3 Leadership School, signifying its offering of “industry-recognized, portable certifications that are aligned with national skill standards" (Virginia Western).

Forsyth Technical Community College and SUNY Broome Community College are among the selectees to the Accelerator for Community Colleges in the Innovation Economy Work-Based Learning (WBL) Capacity-Building Cohort, a joint effort from New America’s Future of Work & Innovation Economy initiative and the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) Center for Policy & Practice (New America).