Member Matters September 2024

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

Hands-on Learning
Davenport University took advantage of Credit Predictor Standard, a complimentary CAEL member benefit, to enhance proactive CPL resources to current and prospective students. Marketed as PantherPath, the tool allows students to quickly and easily ascertain the number of credits they may receive in recognition of their prior learning (Davenport University).

Early next year, Winthrop University will add a competency-based education option to enhance flexibility for adult learners, including the 95,000+ Comebackers in Winthrop's region. The program, called Elevate, will feature stackable credentials and support partnerships with employers looking to offer degree completion benefits to workers (Winthrop University).

The University of Cincinnati's growing cooperative education program, which places participating students in workplace settings related to their field of study, delivered nearly $90 million in wages in the 2023-24 academic year, or nearly $10,700 per student (UC).

Learners of all ages can complete a two-month advanced manufacturing pre-apprenticeship program at SUNY Canton at no cost to them. The apprenticeship covers occupation-specific competencies as well as "essential skills" that further general career readiness (SUNY Canton).

Edmonds College and the Washington Health Care Association are launching an apprenticeship program that will qualify certified nursing assistants as LPNs. In addition to providing learning-concurrent wages, the program covers 50% of tuition costs (Edmonds College).

Work-Ready Credentials
In order to "house programs that align with industry needs in real time," Sam Houston State University will open a polytechnic college for short-term certificate programs, which will also stack into traditional degrees (Houston Chronicle).

Pima Community College, Estrella Mountain Community College, and Mesa Community College are among the colleges selected for the ReadyTechGo network, dedicated to qualifying learners to enter career pathways in advanced manufacturing in as little as two weeks (Pima Community College).

Louisiana Tech University has tailored a pair of graduate and undergraduate certificates to the needs of the business analytics occupation while also integrating them within degree programs (Louisiana Tech University).

In Their Own Words
In a recent Q&A, the interim president at Houston Community College Southwest explained how the college matches its offerings to the needs of learners and employers (KPRC).

In another Q&A, the associate vice chancellor and chief digital and analytics officer in health affairs for The University of Texas system underscored the need for collaboration in solving nursing shortages (UT System).

Proactive Partnerships
Micron Technology is funding a Syracuse University semiconductor training course that military-connected learners and their spouses can take at no cost to them. The course will be available in-person at 16 military bases around the country and online (Military.com).

The Appalachian Regional Commission is investing in the Silicon Carbide Innovation Alliance at Penn State to provide education and training opportunities in support of Pennsylvania's growing semiconductor sector (Penn State).

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is leading an effort to establish industrial training assessment centers at nine community colleges in Wisconsin and surrounding states in support of green jobs in the manufacturing sector (Wisconsin Public Radio).

Dalhousie University and the Association of Certified Gaming Compliance Specialists have collaborated to convert a professional certification into a microcredential at the university to better convey "skills-based learning components" (SBC Americas).

Ohio TechNet, a consortium in the manufacturing and technology space, and Lorain County Community College, which facilitates it, are launching the U.S. Department of Energy-funded Ohio TechNet Industrial Assessment Center, which will provide training for "cluster-specific" high-demand occupations (LCCC).

Awards and Other Achievements
The University of Wisconsin-Stout's Cooperative Education and Internship Program has been recognized with the annual Excellence & Innovation Stewards of Place award from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (UW-Stout).

Fletcher Technical Community College recently announced the annual winners of its own award program, which honors local employers that support the college in areas including advisory boards, program creation, hiring graduates, and more. (Fletcher Technical Community College).

Thanks in part to more than 500 "new traditional" students, Walsh University has seen its biggest incoming undergraduate class in 10 years. The cohort includes the university's largest-ever number of transfer students (Walsh University).

UNC Charlotte remains an Association of Public and Land-grant Universities-designated Innovation and Economic Prosperity university, a classification it has held since 2017 (UNC Charlotte).

City Colleges of Chicago has received the 2024 HSI Impact Award from Angeles Investors, highlighting "the critical contributions that City Colleges of Chicago has made in empowering Hispanic students" (City Colleges of Chicago).

A recent study finds that Kaskaskia College produces an annual economic impact of $132.7 million, returning $1.1 million in benefits for every $1.0 million invested in the college by state and local taxpayers (Kaskaskia College).

A similar study of the University System of Georgia concludes that the system generated $21.9 billion to the state economy in Georgia (July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023), 9% more than the previous one-year reporting period (University System of Georgia).

Northwestern State University, which recognizes military experience and training among the various CPL sources it welcomes, was honored with a Silver designation in the 2024-2025 Governor's Military and Veteran Friendly Campus Program (NSU).

Southeast Missouri State University was named to the 2024 "Transfer Honor Roll" by the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (SEMO).