2016 Annual Conference

The study explores how alumni can help community colleges recruit adult learners from groups traditionally under-served by higher education. Interviews conducted with alumni directors and admissions officers at community colleges explore how alumni help to recruit, motive, and retain adult students. Examples of "best practices" are discussed.

The target audience for this presentation is adult educators who work with people from groups that are traditionally under-served by higher education, including learners from non-dominant groups and the economically-disadvantaged. The presentation is specifically for those who work to recruit and retain adult learners or work with alumni at community colleges.

"Why do so many students with high ability not go to college? We find two reasons identified consistently by investigators: lack of money and lack of desire."
The quote above may seem applicable to traditional and non-traditional students today, but the reference is from 1962 (Fields, The Community College Movement). Over the past fifty years, while access to higher education has increased significantly, there has been less progress in improving opportunities for adult learners from groups that are traditionally under-served by higher education. People from non-dominant groups and those who are economically-challenged, particularly those from generationally poor families, continue to be marginalized.
The community college has always been concerned with increasing access to higher education. It is clear, however, that low income and minority adult students are less likely to enroll in college, and once in college, they are less likely to complete degrees.
A study was conducted to examine whether community college alumni can help to recruit and retain adult students. The goal was to find “best practices” of how alumni can help community colleges to assist adult learners in breaking the cycle of poverty through college attendance.