Business Journal Op-Ed

Adult Students

Adult education hit prime time TV when 42-year-old bad-boy rocker Tommy Lee arrived at the University of Nebraska last fall to act the part of a student for a six-part “reality” show now airing on NBC.  In a letter to faculty, the university chancellor acknowledged the risk involved in sanctioning the filming, but said the potential for improving recruiting efforts was worth it.

While Tommy Lee’s brief fling with higher education was a sideshow, colleges and universities across the nation are adjusting to the reality that students 23 years of age and older now represent nearly half of all undergraduates.  This fall at Guilford College, adults slightly outnumber traditional-age students as a result of a 400-percent increase in their numbers since 2000.

Who are these students?  Those who cling to the stereotype of campuses filled with 18 to 22 year olds may be surprised to know that adult students are fully integrated in senior college communities, and many are working and taking a full load of classes.  Some are returning to get additional education for a career change and others are enrolled for the very first time.  Many are juggling responsibilities of raising children or caring for aging parents.

Consider Virginia, an adult student in her mid 30s who enrolled at Guilford in the fall of 2004.  She’s a New York native who migrated to the Greensboro area in 1996.  She has been employed as a marketing professional and has a deep background in community theatre.  While working full time, Virginia is pursuing majors in forensic biology and theatre studies, taking three courses each semester.  With the forensics degree, her next career might be in a crime lab.

Then there’s James, a state patrolman living in Greensboro and working full time in Raleigh.  He spent three nights a week in class over two years before graduating with degrees in criminal justice and computer information systems last December.  A father of two, he entered Guilford under a federal program that pays tuition for officers who stay in their careers for at least five years after graduation – during which time he hopes to pursue a master’s degree.

None of the colleges in our area has Tommy Lee as a pitchman, which is just as well.  Local schools are doing their own effective marketing by reaching out to adult undergraduates in many new and creative ways.  They are offering majors that suit adult interests, scheduling classes at convenient times and providing non-degree and licensure programs that offer very practical educational opportunities.

Guilford, which has the oldest adult-degree program in the state, has increased its number of Saturday class offerings and is providing childcare.  UNCG holds a town meeting for adult students and social hours twice a month.  High Point University awards credit for prior learning for demonstrated learning resulting from professional, vocational and other off-campus experiences. Greensboro College offers an executive bachelor’s degree in business administration geared toward working professionals.

For Guilford, this shift in student demographics has challenged the college’s identity as a residential traditional college.  Some traditional-age students perceive an increased emphasis on adult programs to be a detriment to their experience.  However, enrolling more adult undergraduates is consistent with the changing nature of higher education and is in harmony with our core values and commitment to lifelong learning. 

By ignoring the non-traditional population, Guilford and other area institutions would downplay the impact they can have on helping adults gain economic parity through educational opportunity.  But perhaps more importantly, ignoring the impact of the adult market would ignore the benefits that come from having working adult role models for younger students.  Real role models, not “reality show” stars.

This opinion-editorial was originally published in the Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area in August 2005.