It’s Back-to-School Time
—for Adults
American Council on Education Vice President Susan Porter Robinson is a champion for a growing segment of the college student population: adult learners
Interview by Deborah A. Benedetti
Today, one in three undergraduate students at colleges and universities is an adult learner—typically someone who has returned to school after a few years, is a military veteran or has multiple roles as a parent, employee and spouse. By 2013, this group will number 6.8 million nationwide. In Pennsylvania, one in five undergrads is an adult learner. Outreach magazine asked Susan Porter Robinson, vice president for Lifelong Learning at the American Council on Education (ACE), the major coordinating body for American higher education institutions, about this growing student group.
Q. You’ve said that a majority of adult learners are women. Why is that?
Robinson: Some research indicates that females tend to adjust better to school structure, while males may learn best in a less structured environment. Also, after high school, the lure of good-paying jobs like construction leads some men to take jobs, rather than go to college. Meanwhile, for older adults, time of life is an issue. Women may return to college because they have already raised children or been divorced and are seeking better employment.
Q. How are adult learners impacting the economy?
Robinson: A Bureau of Labor Statistics report projects a huge growth in the 55 and older population over the next decades. This, coupled with the fact that we have a zero percent change in the growth rate of our workforce, makes it more essential that adults be educated and remain in the workplace. In fact, the only workforce growth is expected to be among immigrants, as well as adult learners—71 percent of whom expect to keep working after retirement age, although they may start new jobs and careers.
Q. What education do immigrants typically need?
Robinson: About 40 percent of immigrants have high school diplomas, but no college. Many immigrants are not proficient in their own native language and feel intimidated by such language and cultural deficiencies. Online learning can be a great leveler and may be a good avenue for reaching this population. When immigrants enter the workforce, they, like other adult workers, can continue learning by taking courses at work. In fact, 51 percent of adults take courses in the workplace, while only 21 percent take work-related courses at postsecondary schools.
Q. How is ACE helping injured servicemembers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan?
Robinson: ACE launched a new initiative to help these servicemembers determine their goals for the future. These are the bravest of the brave. We’re working with the Department of Veterans Affairs to gain access to several medical facilities treating servicemembers. The goal is also to create a template for colleges and universities to do the same in the future. When veterans express an interest in going back to school, we connect them with institutions in their area. Not surprisingly, institutions are eager to help these individuals.
Q. What’s the biggest barrier for adult learners?
Robinson: Financial aid for this group is dreadful. Penn State and other institutions are developing creative ways to help these learners. For instance, Penn State participates in the Workforce Advancement Grant for Education (WAGE) program. [Editor’s note: WAGE, funded by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, helps adult learners obtain degrees or certificates in areas of identified workforce needs in the Commonwealth.] We need to make financial aid for adult learners a national priority.
Q. What’s one of your favorite adult learner success stories?
Robinson: Delaware’s first female governor, Ruth Ann Minner, is a great success story. She first left school at 16 to raise her young family. When she became a widow at 32, she returned to school, earned her GED and then went on to college and law school—all while raising three sons. [Before becoming governor in 2001, Minner served in the state House and Senate and as lieutenant governor.]
Q. Do you have any advice for Penn State?
Robinson: I applaud Penn State. You are leading Pennsylvania forward in increasing the educational attainment of workers. Your World Campus is a national model, as is your Adult Learner Enrollment Services Unit. One thing Penn State can do is further explore the mosaic of adult learners to identify those you are serving well and determine those you can better serve. Nationally, we see older adults, aged 55–79, as a growing population that may be primed for higher education.
