Member Matters April 2023

Ramping Up Career Pathways
Thomas Edison State University's professional learning review (PLR) program flips the script on the traditional credit for prior learning approach, and, in a "first of its kind for both institutions," PLR is helping high school students receive 16 college-level credits via a pre-apprenticeship career pathways program. TESU grants about 66,000 credits every year through the PLR process (TESU).

The Early College High School Program at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is adding "rural-remote" districts to its scope. Students in these traditionally underserved areas will be able to complete college courses at their high schools and online, allowing them to concurrently earn a high school diploma and associate degree, an advantage "whether students decide to continue at UW-Green Bay, transfer to a different college or university, or enter the workforce upon graduation with an earned college credential" (Press Times).

Cal State Fullerton is also focusing on helping high school -- and even middle school - fulfill their early career-prep potential. Project Propel is tasked with encouraging more high school students to become multilingual teachers, while Pathways for Careers in Manufacturing and Engineering seeks to help college, high school, and middle school students set an educational course toward biomanufacturing (Diverse Issues in Higher education).

Creative Credentials and Hands-on Learning
Bunker Hill Community College is offering a new "micro-pathway" learning opportunity, the Foundations of IT Support program. Built in collaboration with adult learners and employers, the program confers industry-recognized certifications upon completers that qualify them for the role of IT Support Specialist. The credentials, made possible through a partnership with Citizens Financial Group and Education Design Lab, are "digitally discoverable as well as stackable to a degree" (Citizens Financial Group).

LSU is supporting a project to create microcredentials that mark the mastery of competencies needed by high school teachers to effectively impart highly prized STEM skills to their students (LSU).

Eversource, an EPCE member, is working with Housatonic Community College and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers to maintain the Lineworker Certificate Program, which offers students an avenue to relevant training and Eversource's paid apprenticeship program (Eversource).

Microcredentials and other sub-degree offerings were a topic of discussion at a supply chain and logistics conference hosted by Northeastern State University (Tahlequah Daily Press). 

Students at the brand-new Adult Learners' College, opening this fall at Raritan Valley Community College, will be able to take "workforce, certificate, or degree programs" (Raritan Valley Community College).

Another brand-new facility, a state-of-the-art training center at Parkland College made possible by AGCO Corporation, will host a "work-based learning model to rotate students between classwork and fieldwork and award fully accredited associate degrees to successful participants" (AGCO).

Likely the first of its kind in Pennsylvania, the Bucks County Community College Building and Construction Trades Pre-Apprenticeship Program has launched (Bucks County Herald).

Fort Valley State University is the first HBCU to be included in a national effort to diversify the conservation workforce. The collaboration includes "peer-to-peer mentoring and experiential networks to support students, faculty, and early career professionals" and "will provide minority students with internship and permanent placement opportunities and open avenues for collaboration with other institutions" (The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education).

Rowan College is coordinating with industry and workforce developers to roll out experiential learning opportunities that certify workers with prized competencies in the burgeoning green jobs space. Along with their immediate workforce relevance, the credentials can stack into associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees (Rowan University).

The Business of Education Benefits
B.S.N. students at IU Kokomo's School of Nursing and Allied Health Professions can apply for a new nursing academy, which provides mentoring, experiential learning, and a $10,000 scholarship in exchange for agreeing to two years of employment at Community Howard Regional Health after graduation (IU Kokomo). 

The University of Arizona Global Campus is partnering with Yazaki North America Inc. to offer free tuition to U.S. employees of the automotive component maker. Immediate family members of employees are eligible for a tuition discount of 20 percent (University of Arizona Global Campus).

Economic Impact
In fiscal year 2021-2022, LSU churned out an annual economic impact of $6.1 billion for Louisiana, which equates to an ROI of $13.85 per dollar of state funding (LSU).

With a total economic impact of $5 billion in fiscal year 2021-2022, Iowa State University accounts for about 2.4% of its state's gross state product, including 1 out of every 36 jobs based there, equating to an ROI of $1.90 per "every taxpayer dollar spent" (Ames Tribune).

The job placement rate for spring 2022 graduates of epicenter of opportunity Ball State University was 94 percent, with 78 percent of the employed remaining in Indiana to embark upon their careers (Ball State University).

Online Excellence
On the plus side, competency-based education means advancing at your own pace. However, learners, especially online, might become siloed, disconnected from peers or interactive resources. To avoid this, Western Governors University's College of IT has created "digital support communities" where "students connect directly to peers and faculty, asking questions, looking for solutions and solving problems together" (Inside Higher Ed).

In Their Own Words
The president of Western Governors University discussed the possibilities of competency-based education and the meaning of "leading from the front" (Fierce Education).

The president of Colorado State University Pueblo wrote of his institution's significant investments in college accessibility, affordability, and experiential learning (The Pueblo Chieftain).

The University of Nebraska System's president detailed the positive impact the System creates for its state, which is reflected in an ROI of $9 for "every $1 the people of our state entrust to us" (University of Nebraska System).

The chancellor of Indiana University Northwest, who worked to foster a "renaissance of economic development" in New York City at a previous post, sees similarities in Northwest Indiana, where "an educated and skilled workforce" will be pivotal in ensuring the propitious possibilities come to fruition (Indiana University Northwest).

Awards and Other Recognition
Entergy's "commitment to economic development" has led to its being recognized as a "top U.S. utility" by Business Facilities (Entergy).

Kansas State University has inaugurated its own award, which recognizes excellence in science education. The award honors high school teachers, who "scarcely get the recognition they deserve, and the work they do is critically important to the state and to the educational and scholarly mission of Kansas State University" (Kansas State University).

The University of Wisconsin System also recently inaugurated an award, at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, which presented 3M with the UW System Regents Business Partnership Award. The UW-Stout counts more than 700 industry partners among its collaborators (US-Stout).

The American Council on Education has elected the president of the University of Nebraska System to its board of directors (University of Nebraska System).

Several CAEL members were recently awarded for being "military friendly." They include:

Fayetteville Technical Community College

Georgia Southern University

National University

SUNY Orange

Southeast Missouri State University

University of Louisville

The Art of Articulation
Nunez Community College and the University of Holy Cross have implemented a "2+2" articulation agreement under which students who graduate from the college's teaching program can transfer up to 60 hours to the university, which is half of the credit hour requirements for the bachelor's degree in elementary education (Biz New Orleans).

Qualified SUNY Orange students can transfer up to 66 credits to Mount Saint Mary College with guaranteed admission to complete a bachelor of science in cybersecurity (The Newburgh News).

California State University is partnering with California Community Colleges to offer a dual-admission program. Under the program, Transfer Success Pathway, high school graduates who commit to transferring to a state school after completing community college will receive guaranteed admission to CSU, which includes 23 campuses (The Sacramento Bee).

Saint Augustine's University and Wake Technical Community College have agreed to allow students who complete an associate degree at the college to transfer as many as 64 credits toward a bachelor's degree at the university (The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education).