Member Matters December 2025

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

Accelerating Adult Learning

Barry University's adult learners have given it high marks as evidenced by student feedback captured via the university's participation in CAEL's Adult Learner 360^TM. Barry University consistently scored above the median, indicating that its adult learners have reported very high satisfaction compared to peer institutions. Institutional strengths highlighted in the survey findings included empowering academic environments, transparency that builds trust, and a welcoming community for every student. Institutions receive results in the forms of raw and comparison data, a gap analysis, and an assessment relative to national median scores. CAEL experts also provide a comprehensive written analysis that includes specific recommendations aligned with CAEL's legacy 10 Principles for Effectively Serving Adults and the Framework for Creating Adult Learner Leaders for Institutional Effectiveness (ALLIES) (Barry University).

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission's free tuition program for adults returning to college, Tennessee Reconnect, is helping more Comebackers enroll and complete. A report from the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, indicates that enrollment of adult learners under the program is up to 45.1%, with completion up to 15.2%. It also shows that adults who enroll through the program complete at greater rates than other adult learners (Tennessee Higher Education Commission).

The University of North Carolina System has approved "Flight Path" online degree programs at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University dedicated to helping adult learners succeed in in-demand fields. The university is offering the programs in partnership with Project Kitty Hawk, a nonprofit affiliate of the University of North Carolina System helping public universities offer online degree programs tailored to adult learners (University of North Carolina System).

A competency-based, online program is showing that soft landings can follow demographic cliffs. Enrollment at the University of Maine System is up almost 5% since 2022, compared to the national average of 3.4%. The trend is driven by a 171.8% increase at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, where the YourPace program is part of the system's longstanding preparations to accommodate adult learners amid a shrinking high school cohort environment (Bangor Daily News).

CollegeAPP has made a nationwide release of its proprietary Motivations and Obstacles models, which will allow education and training providers to design and distribute "targeted messages to address person-specific obstacles and support person-specific motivations to individual intent-driven adult learners" (CollegeAPP).

Harper College hosts an annual event called Career Forward that is dedicated to adult learners and includes tips on benefiting from CPL (Harper College).

Bowling Green State University is providing free microcredential programs through Ohio's Individual Microcredential Assistance Program (IMAP), the only public university in the state to do so. The university coordinated with industry partners to develop the microcredentials, which are available to all residents of the state (BGSU).

Education-Employment Partnerships 

Montclair State University and Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. are partnering to provide discounted tuition and other education benefits to PSEG employees (Montclair State University).

South Texas College's Center for Advanced Training and Apprenticeships is adding preapprenticeship options for young workers and adult learners, who will receive guidance from local employers as well as hands-on learning experiences (STC).

Miami University is partnering with the Warren County Career Center to create early access to the university's bachelor of science in nursing; WCCC students can use Ohio's College Credit Plus program to concurrently complete high school and first-year B.S.N. requirements (University of Miami).

Southeast Community College has developed an apprenticeship program with Klute Inc. that incorporates a work schedule that better accommodates students as they balance classroom and employment responsibilities (SCC).

The Art of Articulation

Grand Valley State University and Oakland Community College are partnering to allow OCC students who complete an associate degree in cybersecurity to transfer up to 80 credits toward GVSU's bachelor's degree in the same discipline (GVSU).

SOWELA Technical Community College and Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center – New Orleans have completed an articulation agreement encouraging students to transfer credits into LSU's bachelor of science in public health program (SOWELA Technical Community College).

Baton Rouge Community College and Loyola University New Orleans' transfer partnership will give BRCC students the first-ever opportunity to transfer all of their credits to Loyola (WVLA).

Tompkins Cortland Community College (TC3) and Syracuse University have implemented a transfer agreement that creates a direct transfer pathway for TC3 graduates pursuing an online bachelor's degree program at the College of Professional Studies at Syracuse University (TC3).

Awards and Other Achievements 

Rio Salado College is one of just 30 finalists in contention for the 2026 Bellwether Award, which lauds "outstanding and innovative programs in U.S. community colleges." The college's selection comes via its Building Workforce Pathways for Adult Learners Through Strategic Partnerships submission, a top 10 finalist in the award's workforce development category (Rio Salado).

River Parishes Community College's director of adult education is now also serving as vice president of the Louisiana Association for Public, Community, and Adult Education (RPCC).