Impact of Adult Degree Program Featured by Inside Higher Ed.com
A news feature published Dec. 7 by Inside Higher Ed.com highlights the growth of Guilford’s adult degree program and the College’s unique approach to serving adult students in a liberal arts setting.
The story notes that Guilford’s enrollment growth over the last decade is largely tied to a significant increase in nontraditional students. It acknowledges that the College’s aim is to bring the traditional and adult populations together.
In the story President Kent Chabotar comments about the positive impact of placing adults alongside traditional-aged students in the classroom. “In the class, I think it’s almost all positive. The idealism of the younger students [is] balancing, some would say the cynicism, I would say the realism, of the adults,” he says.
The story notes that Guilford has been deliberate in its efforts to serve adults. The adult student government, customized orientation, Adult Transitions program and pilot mentoring program make the College’s approach stand out, it notes.
President Chabotar states that the large adult population is good for the College’s financial bottom line. A recent budget analysis suggested that adult students give the college its largest per-student financial returns.
“The adults provided the most net contribution of anybody,” Chabotar says.
Dec. 7, 2010
