Member Matters July 2025

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

Championing College Completion
In support of the state's Sixty by 30 goal, Michigan College Access Network has dispensed $150,000 in Reconnect Now grants to 22 community colleges and workforce entities across the state. The grants will help community colleges and other collaborators spread the word about opportunities for adult learners to complete credentials at no cost to them (MCAN).

Indiana University Bloomington and Ivy Tech Community College are expanding the Hoosier Link program, in which high school graduates can embark on a university track at Ivy Tech's Bloomington campus while residing at the IU campus and enjoying access to resources from both institutions. The program, which began in 2006, boasts an 82% Ivy Tech-to-IU enrollment rate, with 75% graduating after four or more years (IU).

In the fall, Wayne State University will bring its bachelor's degree in sociology program to the Macomb Correctional Facility.  Participation in prison-based postsecondary education programs is associated with a 48% decrease in repeated incarceration. Yet 25% of formerly incarcerated people have not finished high school diploma, while 20% have not continued their education beyond a high school diploma (Inside Higher Ed).

National University's focus on serving adult learners includes its Whole Human Education™ model and a determination not to force students to choose between job, family, or degree, an inclusive approach that is meeting diverse students where they are (Black Enterprise).

Rewarding Links Between Learning and Work
County College of Morris has concluded a successful inaugural year of the Advanced Integrated Manufacturing Technologies program, which allows high school students to spend half of each school day at CCM's Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering Center, where they can graduate with up to 10 industry-recognized credentials and are prepared to work full-time for a CCM employer partner or to enroll in a CCM engineering program (CCM).

Links between apprenticeship and academic programs can offer the best of both worlds. An arrangement between Rowan University and Boilermakers Local 13 extends discounted credential completion to apprentices in the 400-member union (Rowan University).

Ivy Tech Community College and Carver Community Organization have created the first Department of Labor-registered apprenticeship program in early childhood education. It includes "pilot skills" training that features a crosswalk to the apprenticeship program as well as credit-bearing courses and degree opportunities (Ivy Tech).

University of Phoenix and Big Y, one of the largest independently owned supermarket chains in New England, have announced an education benefits program (University of Phoenix).

The Microsoft AI Co-Innovation Lab at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee will create new experiential learning opportunities for students as it engages with businesses and drives workforce development (UWM).

Solving skills gaps
It doesn't get more essential than language skills, which are an often-overlooked factor in workforce strategies. Amarillo College is stressing the synergies between its ESL and CDL programs, highlighting a capacity to help non-English speaking truckers comply with new mandates (KVII).

Short-term, adult learner-friendly programs in welding and plumbing beginning this fall will offer students industry-recognized credentials through Genesee Community College (GCC).

Polk State College will be using a $2.8 million Florida Job Growth Grant to expand the offerings available through its advanced manufacturing and industrial trades training, including a new welding program (Polk State College).

In Service of Veteran
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro's "ICOMMAND," or Institute for the Convergence of Optimized Methods for Military Advances and National Defense, supports service members "in and out of war zones." One of its key pillars of success is workforce development, including helping service members returning to civilian life access courses and hands-on training (WXII).

Scaling Impact
Tompkins Cortland Community College has joined Achieving the Dream, which provides community colleges throughout the country with a peer network, expertise, and other resources tailored to support their missions (TC3).

Savannah State University has launched an annual Mid-Year Economic Outlook event to advance the university's leadership, underscoring "Savannah State's growing role as a hub for economic thought leadership, workforce development, and community empowerment" (SSU).

Following the success of its inaugural Social Mobility Summit last year, Clayton State University hosted an even larger event in June, which engaged participants on experiential learning, cross-sector partnerships, and building successful pathways to education and employment success (Clayton State University).