The adult learner: A change agent in post-secondary education

Abstract

While online universities and career colleges are experiencing increasing enrollment trends, the enrollment for traditional universities and colleges appears to be declining. Recent data shows that there is a slight decline in enrollment to the tradition 4-year college, while there is a steady increase within the technical and vocational institutions (Institute for Community Inclusion, 2006). This paper will explore the rise in demand of postsecondary education and how one small Catholic college in the upper mid-west, The College of St. Scholastica, is responding to this demand from adult learners. Introduction Statement of the Problem While online universities and career colleges are experiencing trends in increasing enrollment the enrollment for traditional universities and colleges appears to be declining. Recent data show that there is a slight decline in enrollment to the tradition four-year college, while there is a steady increase within the technical and vocational institutions (Institute for Community Inclusion, 2006). The reasons behind these findings are multiple. Some researchers cite the exponential rise in costs related to tuition, room and board and various other fees associated with to institutional costs, while others attribute the shifting demand to the increase in online learning opportunities and an already college educated work force (Karoly & Panis, 2006). Since the 1970’s, the U.S. economy has gone through a conversion from a primarily manufacturing based economy to one that is information based (Reich, 2010). This transformation seems to have had a significant impact on the needs and demands placed on the current and future workforces. This places the future economy in a position of needing to retrain and educate the current and future work force, but in manner that is quick, effective, and relevant to the market, all while being cost effective. The justification for not going to the traditional post-secondary educational institution is one that is rooted in logic. Some that wish to begin a career feel that the cost of the traditional option of post-secondary education (twoand four-year institutions is too costly, resulting in: 1) student loans that require long-term payments; 2) a feeling of uncertainty related to future professional prospects; and 3) a basic lack of desire (Rahman, Situ & Jimmo, 2005). While there are other, more long standing reasons why some do not attend a post-secondary option, the exponential increase in tuition costs is one of the most dramatic and long term problems college graduates will deal with (Reich, 2010). This issue of high tuition cost, resulting in large student debt, will not only impact enrollment rates and the overall work force, but will also affect the long term economic future of the U.S. economy (Reich, 2010). Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study is to investigate the College of St. Scholastica’s current strategic plan for market diversification through the examination of public data while analyzing this information against the current trends in adult and continuing education. Historically, the back bone of any economy has been a strong system of education (Reich, 2010). Today the U.S. economy is moving to a more information based system, resulting from global competition, not just local and regional completion as we have seen in the past. As the country moves toward a need to create a highly skilled workforce, the U.S. is seeing a decline in the production of post-secondary graduates with a rank of 12th in the world (U.S. Department of Education, 2010). It is only natural to assume that policy makers hope to create the same economic prosperity previous generations have seen, but for this to happen there must be an educated workforce available to meet the demands of the changing economies of the world. Statement of Research Question What will be the future role of The College of St. Scholastica in the face of competition from career colleges and forprofit online learning environments?