Q&A With CAEL: Buffy Tanner

Perspectives on 50 Years of Impact

As CAEL marks its semicentennial, a big part of the celebrations is around its 5,000-strong membership. It is the daily work of this thriving community of practice that has made so much of the past five decades possible. To highlight some of the diverse individuals who create our collective success, CAEL invited members to answer questions about the past, present, and future of CAEL’s mission and its impact on education-employment pathways.

What is your name, title, and organization?

Buffy Tanner, director of innovation and special projects, Shasta College.

In its 50-year history, what would you say is CAEL's biggest accomplishment?

Simply paying attention to adult learners. In the higher education world, it is so easy to default to thinking about, recruiting for, and conducting research just on the K-12 pipeline to college. But our current labor market trends necessitate paying attention to adult learners, and CAEL is THE body that is laser focused on this population.

During that history, what would you consider to be the biggest shift in higher education?

Online learning has opened the world to learners of all ages. Place-bound learners are no longer limited to the institution next door ... or when there is no institution next door.

What would you consider to be the biggest shift in workforce development?

There are so many shifts in the workforce, it's hard to pinpoint one...but I think I would focus on job/career mobility.  Gone are the days of working for one employer your entire life. People are shifting not just employers, but jobs, and even careers on a much more frequent and rapid pace.  This means that throughout our lives, we need retraining and upskilling opportunities that are accessible to people who have busy lives (e.g., working, parenting, supporting their communities).

As CAEL begins its next half century, where do you see the greatest opportunity?

Building on the work that CAEL has done with Credit for Prior Learning (CPL), the next step is to work with institutions to recognize that the CPL that has been evaluated and granted at one institution should be accepted at the next institution.

What else would you like to share about your experience with CAEL? Do you have a favorite memory or highlight from your member experience?

My favorite part about CAEL has been building relationships with colleagues (now good friends) who are committed to the work of supporting adult learners.  Without CAEL, I would be struggling professionally to do the work I do, but I would be missing out on these amazing people who enrich my life personally.

Elizabeth “Buffy” Tanner has been supporting students’ college access and success since 1998. Her particular interests lie in helping remove barriers to higher education for first-generation, low-income students, and students with some college, but no degree. She is currently the director of innovation and special projects at Shasta-Tehama-Trinity Joint Community College District in Redding, California. She was a Complete College America Fellow from 2018-2023 and is currently a CAEL Ambassador.