Investments in Equity

Through a partnership with CAEL and InsideTrack, Waubonsee Community College is launching a five-year initiative to boost enrollment and completion rates among Hispanic and adult students. CAEL's work will include enhancing the use of credit for prior learning, which saves students time and money while increasing completion. The program is made possible by a $3 million grant awarded through Title V of the federal Higher Education Act (press release).

CUNY SPS is using mentoring to enhance completion among Black and Hispanic men within its nursing program, which is 100 percent online and offers nurses opportunities to advance both their education and their careers (Daily Nurse).

Trocaire College will be using a federal Strengthening Institution grant to "support initiatives for student retention and increasing graduation rates among minorities." Efforts will focus on reducing outcome gaps that challenge underrepresented students, boosting graduation among transfer students, and capitalizing on opportunities to sustain student success (Niagara Frontier Publications).

A new inclusive apprenticeship program at Rochester Institute of Technology is aimed at increasing career pathways into the cybersecurity sector for underrepresented workers (Rochester Institute of Technology).  

The Empowerment Center at Alamo Colleges District's San Antonio College "focuses on recruiting nontraditional students, including those who either never considered college an option or who had given up on college dreams." A recent graduate of the college who "was really scared and nervous about coming to college with all these young kids, and not only that, but with a physical disability" shared how the center supported her educational and career success (Alamo Colleges District).

Proactive Partnerships

Although Rich Barnhouse, Ph.D., has been president of Waukesha County Technical College for less than a year, he's already visited 35 manufacturing companies in the college's region to better understand their needs and how the college can prepare its students to meet them (Waukesha County Technical College).

Bowling Green State University, Owens Community College, and University of Findlay are collaborating to create a Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Logistics. The three institutions are now determining curricula for the center, which will coordinate with regional employers to address both acute and strategic talent pipeline needs (Sentinel-Tribune).

A partnership between the Tempe Chamber of Commerce and Rio Salado College, which began as a virtual program in 2020, has been updated for 2022. The Tempe Chamber Business Academy-developed curriculum, which is tailored to the needs of area industry, will now be offered on the Rio Salado College campus (In Business).

University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) has entered an education-and-training partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). CBP employees will be able to apply eligible on-the-job training they complete toward a UMGC bachelor's degree. In addition, they will receive a tuition discount (UMGC).

The Department of Homeland Security is working with the University of Nebraska to prepare students for workforce needs related to cybersecurity, hyperintelligence, emergency management, and law enforcement at the department (KFAB).

Purdue University Global is partnering with Quality Living Inc. (QLI) to offer tuition discounts to employees and their immediate family members, an initiative that will "allow both organizations to help build the pipeline of nurses for many years to come" (Purdue University).

Huntsville Hospital and Athens State University are focusing on the nursing shortage by adding incentives for health care workers to build on their nursing degrees. Huntsville Hospital employees and their family members, including those who aren't pursuing an education in healthcare, are eligible for a 10 percent tuition discount at the university, although the program's focus is on encouraging registered nurses to complete B.S.N.s (WAAY).

Monroe College has reached an agreement with Antigua and Barbuda to increase educational and vocational opportunities for citizens of the Caribbean country, with a focus on "sustainable jobs that align with the country's economy" (Caribbean Today).

Creative Credentials

Mercy College has created the division of Workforce Credentialing and Community Impact. In light of research showing that most workers whose employment was disrupted by the pandemic favor the pursuit of shorter-term skills instead of degrees, the new department will prioritize sub-degree credentials to "meet the expanding need to effectively prepare students of all ages to fill the skills gaps in the labor markets of today and the unknown jobs of tomorrow" (Mercy College).

Colorado Mountain College hopes to address shortages in pharmacy technicians through a new program that readies completers to take Colorado's Pharmacy Technician Certification Exam. "The pharmacy technician path offers a level of exposure to the medical field that grants people the opportunity to determine whether they would like to continue with a medical career," explains Elizabeth Poulos, CMC dean of the colleges School of Nursing, Health Sciences, Public Safety, Wellness, and Outdoor Studies (The Aspen Times).

Following a successful debut this year, a noncredit certificate program at Adelphi University's Innovation Center will continue to help faculty and students develop skills in AI and design thinking. The four-week synchronous online course will confer certificates in IBM Artificial Intelligence and Enterprise Design Thinking and an IBM digital badge (Adelphi University).

The CUNY School of Professional Studies offers free access to 100 hours of training in work-relevant skills through the Winter-Spring 2022 EverUp Micro-Credentials program. Participants receive a $300 stipend and possible internships or full-time jobs with major New York employers (CUNY SPS).

Kutztown University is introducing a graduate certificate in school social work to meet rising marketplace demands for the discipline (Kutztown University).

Thanks to a partnership between Google and Purdue University Global, students enrolled in any of five co-developed and co-branded Purdue Global and Google Career certificate programs can earn up to 45 credits at the university concurrent with completing Google's IT Support Certificate and a Purdue Global microcredential, which stack toward both associate and bachelor's degrees (WBIW).

With approximately 60,000 additional truck drivers needed to meet national demand, Rock Valley University is enhancing its longstanding truck driver training programs with a truck simulator. As one student described it, the simulator is "far from a video game" and is highly effective at preparing for the real thing (IL Transportation News).

Awards and Other Recognition

Kean University is one of 25 postsecondary institutions selected for a U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) University Center grant dedicated to fostering innovation and regional economic strength (Kean University).

Newsweek has ranked UNC Greensboro in the top 20 in its list of best online learning institutions. The magazine highlighted the university's already-robust online capabilities during the national rush to virtualize learning when the COVID-19 pandemic began (UNC Greensboro).

The Aspen Institute has ranked Pierce College among its top 10 community colleges since 2017 and has now announced it is one of 150 institutions eligible to compete for its $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, "the nation's signature recognition of high achievement and performance among America's community colleges (The Suburban Times).

Texas A&M Texarkana injected almost $106 million in local income from 2018-19. Its students can expect to enjoy a return of $4 for every $1 they invest in a Texas A&M Texarkana education (KTBS).

In Service of Veterans

On Veterans Day, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) dedicated the Melvin L. Merrill ABAC Veterans Center. Merrill, who served in the United States Army Reserve for 29 years, was also a member of the ABAC administration for 42 years (Albany Herald).

Also on Veterans Day, the University of North Georgia Oconee campus held a grand opening for its new veterans center (The Oconee Enterprise).

Springfield College also celebrated a new veterans resource on Veterans Day, holding a ribbon cutting for its Veterans and Military Service Center (WWLP).

In Their Own Words

Student veterans explained the impact of Bloomsburg University's Military And Veterans Resources Center and the military academic credit review board, an "individualized process that ensures military service and experience counts as class credit" (WBRE).

As UMass Amherst University Without Walls celebrates 50 years, a recent graduate (at age 60) has written about the institution's rich legacy of serving adult learners, noting that in 1971, "The concept of helping older students return to college was nothing short of radical" (Greenfield Recorder).

At Cleveland State University, adult learners comprise 15 percent of undergraduate enrollment. One of them recently shared her story of returning to postsecondary studies at the university (Cleveland State University).

Phyllis A. Mooney, executive director of career services for Pace University, discussed the future of work (Authority Magazine).

Benedictine University students shared their perspectives about online learning (Benedictine University).

The Art of Articulation

Students can expedite their path to a pharmacy career through an agreement between Dalton State College and the University of Georgia (UGA). Upon earning an associate degree with a focus in pre-pharmacy at Dalton State, they can receive priority application status to UGA's doctor of pharmacy program (Daily Citizen-News).

Students who complete eligible degrees from Chattanooga State Community College can transfer credit toward a bachelor's degree at Bryan College under a new articulation agreement between the institutions (The Chattanoogan).

An agreement between Post University and the U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School (USACBRNS) in Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. means enlisted students can receive degree credit for training and experience gained in the military. Students can apply up to 21 Army school credits and/or 36 military occupational specialty credits toward the completion of a bachelor of science in emergency management & homeland security (Post University).

Troy University's bachelor of science in occupational education (BSOE) combines theory and hands-on learning to help students develop skills needed in workforce development and educational fields. Thanks to a new agreement with Central Alabama Community College (CACC), students with an associate in applied science can transfer to the BSOE program, even after pausing their educational pursuits for a few years (Tallapoosa Publishers).