Welcome to CAELs Member Appreciation Week

From daily raffles to workshops, networking, bonus benefits, and more, the will ahead offers something for members from every corner of the education-employment ecosystem. We have created a special webpage containing all the Member Appreciation Week information, such as links to sign up for events, access new benefits, and enter daily raffles to win prizes. Visit it here, and check back daily throughout the week!

We now return you to your regularly scheduled Member Matters programming

Creative Credentials
CAEL's very own Energy Providers Coalition for Education and its CPL-friendly constellation of courses that stack into certificate programs and a spectrum of degrees were profiled in "Credentialing: The New Focus For Workforce Training" (T&D World).

Wilmington University is offering a new take on "gamifying" learning. It has introduced a 100 percent-online certificate tailored to gamers that covers esports as well as "skill-based" curriculum components. The certificate positions students for several career pathways while granting them 18 credits that can stack toward associate and bachelor's degrees (Delaware Business Now).

Millersville University is among several Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PSSHE) institutions offering Google Career Certificates free to students. Completing a certificate confers "an industry-recognized certificate in subjects like cybersecurity, data analytics, digital marketing and e-commerce, business intelligence, IT support, project management or user experience design" (Lancaster Online).

Accelerating Adult Learning
One hundred thirty-one years after offering the first college correspondence courses in agriculture, Penn State University is celebrating the 25th anniversary of Penn State World Campus, which offered the university's first-ever online course in 1998 -- in turfgrass management. Today, Penn State World Campus boasts more than 175 degrees and enrollment of about 20,000, with the "typical" student being a "returning adult learner about thirty-one years old" (StateCollege.com). 

The University of New Orleans is adding six online graduate programs tailored to the needs of working adult learners. The programs can be completed in one year (University of New Orleans).

Proactive Partnerships
The University of Maine is leading collaboration among universities throughout the country, including South Dakota State University, to enhance electrical infrastructure, especially in rural, underserved communities. The initiative is well timed to help alleviate the impact of many contemporaneous retirements among the electric industry's workforce (The Brookings Register).

The Howard County Chamber of Commerce held its annual cybersecurity conference at Howard Community College. Among the points of discussion was research showing that upskilling cyber professionals can save businesses between $25,000 and $78,000 in attrition costs per worker (Business Monthly).

In another case of chamber of commerce collaboration, Athens State University and the Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce have entered a "learning partnership agreement" that includes a 10 percent tuition discount, no-cost CPL/transfer credit evaluation, and more benefits (WHNT).

CPL also features in a partnership between Empire State University and Union Plus, which connects members with complimentary Individualized Prior Learning Assessments and potential tuition grants (Empire State University).

Proffering the theme "How I Built It," Elizabethtown College's Workforce 2030 Summit drew 250 attendees. The event was dedicated to "help[ing] attendees create cross-sector partnerships and address workforce development challenges to create an ideal workforce in Lancaster County by 2030" (Elizabethtown College).

An additional investment of $35 million is marking the five-year anniversary of the Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute, a partnership among Northwestern Mutual, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Marquette University. The institute's focus on talent pipelines for the data science workforce has resulted in new programs at the universities and enhanced career pathways at Northwestern Mutual (Marquette Today).

Umpqua Community College consulted with local industries in the development of new degree and certificate programs aligned with rewarding and high-demand career pathways (KEZI).

Hands-on Learning
Louisiana Delta Community College and the University of Louisiana at Monroe have launched the "Grow Your Own Teacher" apprenticeship program, which incorporates experiential learning into an accelerated associate degree-bachelor's degree pathway designed to address a workforce shortage that has left nearly 50,000 students in Louisiana without a teacher (KNOE).

Personal care aides have a new route to on-the-job training via an apprenticeship program at Lenoir Community College. Along with complementary classroom training, the program includes progressive pay increases and culminates with nurse aide 1 certification (The Free Press).

A dual-enrollment program at Bay Path University is bringing hands-on learning experiences and previews of professional career pathways to high school students living in underserved areas (MassLive).

In Their Own Words
The president of the North Carolina Community College System discussed his outlook on the system's objectives, including the importance of engaging with adult learners as well as alternative credentials for high school graduates who don't enroll in traditional degree programs (North Carolina Community College System).

The president of Empire State University discussed the many ways the university benefits its community, including credit for prior learning and work-relevant credentials (Empire State University).

The interim president of Dalton State College and the dean of its Wright School of Business expand on the recent report of the college's and the overall University System of Georgia's economic impact (See below.) (Dalton Daily Citizen)

Economic Impact
The University System of Georgia generated $20.1 billion in economic impact in fiscal year 2022, $800 million over the prior year, according to a report from the Selig Center for Economic Growth, which breaks down the impact by member institutions (University System of Georgia).

In Oregon, Blue Mountain Community College and Rogue Community College generated an economic impact of $157.5 and $306.5 million, respectively, in fiscal year 2021-22, according to a report from Lightcast (East Oregonian, Medford Alert).

N.C. A&T State University delivered $2.4 billion in economic impact in North Carolina in 2021-22, up 63% from a similar study covering 2017-18 (Higher Ed Works).

In Service of Veterans
American Public University System has launched a program providing veterans and qualifying family members a "10-percent grant on all undergraduate and graduate education programs" and free undergraduate e-books (American Public University System).

Georgia Southern University will offer onsite graduate courses to soldiers and family members at Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield to create more seamless access to career-furthering educational programs (All On Georgia).The university also recently endowed six military spouses with scholarships supported by the Landings Military Spouse Academic Assistance Fund (Georgia Southern University).

The Art of Articulation
Onondaga Community College and Syracuse University have undertaken a direct transfer admission program agreement that guarantees qualifying OCC graduates admission to several bachelor's programs at the university (Syracuse University).

An agreement between Heartland Community College and Southern Illinois University - Carbondale gives eligible graduates of the college new opportunities to complete a bachelor's degree online and at a reduced cost (WEEK).

In a "first of its kind" for the agribusiness management program at Illinois College, a 2+2 transfer agreement will allow Kaskaskia College graduates of the associate of science or associate of applied science programs to complete a degree, online or on campus, at Illinois College (WGEL)

Other Notes of Distinction and Recognition
Cal State LA was noted for offering "marketable degrees at affordable prices" and for excelling at economic mobility and return on investment (Cal State LA).

Cayuga Community College was declared a 2023-2024 Military Friendly School (Cayuga Community College).

Northwood University is designated as a veteran-friendly school by the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (WNEM).

Elizabethtown College was identified as one of the best higher education institutions in the mid-Atlantic region according to a process based on student reports of their experiences (Elizabethtown College).

Among the virtues praised in the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities' bestowal of a 2023 Innovation & Economic Prosperity University Award upon Iowa State University is the university's Digital Ag Innovation Lab, which harnesses the power of employer partnerships and connects students with work-based learning experiences (APLU).