Member Matters January 2026

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

Extended Pathways

A new program at Bermuda College offers multiple on-ramps to the accounting discipline, featuring stackable credentials and evening classes, all part of the college’s  intent to help more adult learners succeed among growing job opportunities (The Royal Gazette).

Panola College is exploring a potential construction supervision pathway, with plans to include credit for prior learning and incorporate continuing education courses as "stackable building blocks" that accrue toward an associate degree (Panola College).

North Carolina A&T State University is set to inaugurate "Flight Path" online degree programs customized for adult learners. The eight-week "mini-mester" programs were developed in collaboration with the University of North Carolina System's Project Kitty Hawk (The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education).

CPL is helping students complete faster at University of Maryland Global Campus, which recently celebrated its largest-ever graduating class (17,800) and its shortest-ever (fewer than 36 months) average time-to-degree-completion (UMGC).

Thanks to an Illinois Community College Board grant, Black Hawk College is offering adult learners who are taking ESL or GED classes to concurrently enroll in a welding class under the  Integrated Career and Academic Preparation System (ICAPS) welding program (Black Hawk College).

In support of CPL options for learners, Eastern Kentucky University now has 25 agreements covering about 50 courses and 157 credits (EKU).

In Their Own Words

The president of College of DuPage wrote of how community colleges "anchor regional prosperity," highlighting the importance of workforce partnerships for the sector, where nearly 40% of undergraduate students in the U.S. are enrolled (Daily Herald).

In her own op ed, the president of Florida Gulf Coast University detailed how its focus on partnerships, hands-on learning, and student success is helping support regional talent demands (The News-Press via Yahoo).

Finally, in an article jointly penned by the University of Illinois Springfield's vice chancellor for enrollment and its transfer coordinator, the authors introduce the university's A+B Pathway, an alternative to the traditional 2+2 transfer model. By grouping courses into categories instead of semesters, they explain, the A+B approach better supports adult learners in their progression from community college to university (The EvoLLLution).

Hands-on Learning and Proactive Partnerships

"Career-connectedness" is a pillar of Indiana State University's new strategic plan, which emphasizes that every program will incorporate experiential learning opportunities. The university is also expanding stackable credentials, embedding workplace competencies in curricula, and boosting flexibility for adult learners (Indiana State University).

Florida International University and ALC Home Health, a nationally accredited home health agency, are partnering to increase clinical learning opportunities and meet rising workforce needs (ALC Home Health).

The associate provost of Seton Hall University presented Building High-Impact Experiential Learning Pathways at HSIs and Emerging HSIs at the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) Annual Conference in Denver. Highlights of the presentation included the university's use of microcredentials and leadership badges, corporate partnerships, and work-learn opportunities such as its CPA apprenticeship model (Seton Hall University).

A partnership between American College of Education® and the Arizona Nurses Association will extend a 10% tuition reduction grant for ACE programs to eligible association members (ACE).

Xcel Energy's 2025 community impact included a focus on STEM career pathways, an area of focus in nearly $5 million in grant funding to 400 nonprofit organizations (Xcel Energy).

Awards and Other Achievements 

The president of SUNY Oswego is recognized on City & State's 2025 Upstate Power 100, "a list recognizing leaders who are shaping the future of politics, policy, education, business, and community life across the region" (SUNY Oswego).

The president of University of Phoenix has been named a 2026 Arizona Business Leader by AZ Big Media (University of Phoenix).