2016 Annual Conference

Explore the success of the Finish What You Started Program at the University of Rhode Island. Conceptualized in 2012 as a pathway for non-traditional students to return to the classroom, the program provides mentors for adult learners from admission to matriculation to graduation. Hear our success stories and strategies.

Any college professional that interacts with adult learners will benefit from learning how the FWYS Program supports adult learners with a hands-on approach geared toward fostering a positive mindset leading to degree completion.

The FWYS Program supports adult learners with a hands-on approach geared toward fostering a positive mindset leading to degree completion. Returning adult learners bring a unique set of needs to the admission/re-enrollment process. Re-enrolling/enrolling this population takes a great deal of time and effort. By providing a hands-on supportive approach, we are able to walk students through the application process from initial contact to enrolling in classes. Many of our students have been out of school for some time and are facing situational, institutional and dispositional barriers. It is estimated that it takes 7-10 hours of work to register a returning adult learner from initial contact to enrolling in their first class. FWYS’s strength is its aggressive hands-on approach to counseling and mentoring students. Not only do we keep continuous contact with students while they are in the application process, we maintain continuous contact throughout their entire career at URI. This allows us to connect students with the services they need, counsel them back if they need to take a semester off and, best of all, celebrate their successes.