Higher Ed: Not just for kids anymore

By Laura Gilbert, May guest blogger

This month college students across the country will burn the proverbial midnight oil writing final papers, studying for exams, and bidding a summer goodbye to friends. Jack Slotnick is one such student. With good grades and family support he is on track to earn a psychology degree. Jack wants to work with returning veterans — for free. One more thing about Jack: Jack is 84.

Although Jack is the only “80-something” in his class, non-traditional students are becoming the norm. This is good news as it helps to ensure we have an educated workforce that can bend and flex with an ever-changing job market. In Hidden in Plain Sight, Peter J. Stokes states that fewer than 3 million of the 17 million students in higher education fit the traditional 18-22, full-time, living on campus model. Other studies suggest non-traditional students make up 42% to 85% of post-secondary enrollment (the low figure reflects state institution enrollment; the high figure includes all post-secondary institutions.) The face of today’s college student is changing.

Economic and societal shifts underlie this development. Gone are the days of the single lifetime career. Experts suggest seven to fourteen careers are today’s norm, often requiring training, certification or a degree. The past decade’s explosion of degree-completion, community college initiatives and MBA programs can barely meet current demand as laid-off and skittish adults turn to educational institutions to gain new skills, complete degrees and re-energize their spirits. Others returned after President Obama unveiled his $12 billion American Graduation Initiative and encouraged the unemployed and underemployed to return to school to prepare to fill forecasted job vacancies, 40% of which require some post-secondary education (5 million of which are predicted to go unfilled by 2018 due to a coming labor shortage.)

Even the image of retirement has changed as baby boomer retirees choose fitness and community learning centers over golf and bridge clubs. A recent AARP survey found that 16% of people age 50 and over intend to return to school (more than half headed to community colleges); that’s roughly 12.5 million people.

Regardless of one’s age or motivation, learning has moved from a one-time event to a lifetime reality. School is often a place of community, hope and growth where individuals who might otherwise never meet come together through common interest. As Craig Lien from Concordia University, St. Paul recently said to a group of business professionals, “higher education is no longer preparation for an adult life, but is a continual process throughout one’s lifetime”; that’s a belief fully embraced by our friend Jack.

In my next post we’ll look at a few local and national programs leading the way to help adults return to higher education. Visit Back to School for Grownups to see hot-off-the-press news items, hear inspiring stories, read tips for adult learner success and more.

LearnmoreMN is an initiative of the Minnesota Private College Council. Visit their site and post your comments to my blog post. Laura