Traditional – Traditional No More
Arlene Cash – Georgian Court UniversityNational Small College Enrollment ConferenceJuly 14, 2015 Charleston, SC
The Mythological ‘Traditional’ Student
No matter how we define them, the challenge is –
Getting them into
Getting them matriculated through
Graduating them from
Our colleges!
Inside Higher Education: Emerging Markets Emerging Strategies Booklet
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Disruptive Innovation
• Not necessarily out of necessity
Transistor Radios
Boom Boxes IPods
Technology and how we see and use technology. Those things to which we assign status. Access
When technological innovation meets personal needs and preferences
Interests and Needs
Change
People change
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11
Disruptive Innovation
• Not necessarily out of necessity
Transistor Radios
Boom Boxes IPods
Technology and how we see and use technology. Those things to which we assign status. Access
When technological innovation meets personal needs and preferences
Interests and Needs
Change
People change
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12
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13
Disruptive Innovation
• Not necessarily out of necessity
Transistor Radios
Boom Boxes IPods
Technology and how we see and use technology. Those things to which we assign status. Access
When technological innovation meets personal needs and preferences
Interests and Needs
Change
People change
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Disruptive Innovation
• Not necessarily out of necessity
Military Aptitude Test
College Access Equalizer
Admissions Gatekeeper
Assuring Quality to Assuring Access to Assuring Quantity
Needs and Positioning Strategies Driven
SAT
Institution use changes
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Disruptive Innovation
• Not necessarily out of necessity
Primarily for adults part
time
Degree and Certificate Destination
Have become BA and AA providers
Function transitioned as needs evolved
Needs and Positioning Strategies Driven
Community College
Society’s use changes
“As we witness transformation across higher education, history can guide us. Many innovations started with non-traditional students and went on to redefine traditional education.”(www.eduventures.com)
The University of Maine at Presque Isle is moving away from grades
to competency-style education for all of its academic programs
Who are the traditional students?
Live in on-campus housing
Enroll in college immediately after graduation from high school
Pursue college studies on a continuous full-time basis at least during the fall and spring semesters
Complete a bachelor’s degree program in four or five years at the young age of 22 or 23
Traditional students are also typically financially dependent on others
Do not have children
Consider their college career to be their primary responsibility
Are employed only on a part-time basis if at all during the academic year
Who are the Non-Traditional Students?
Typically over the age of 24
At least one year between HS graduation and postsecondary enrollment
Long term postsecondary part-time enrollment
Full-time employment while enrolled (35 or more hours)
Classified as financially independent for financial aid purposes
Financially support dependents other than spouse
Single parent status
Lacking a traditional high school diploma (earned GED)
Each nontraditional characteristic negatively affects persistence and attainment directly or indirectly Most at risk for dropping out in 1st year at 2 or 4-year institution
Strategies for Success
Degree audit mapping/plans of study Develop early warning systems to identify at-risk students
Offer workshops to help students with stress and time management, organization, and resource identification
Connect students with financial aid information
Offer onsite daycare or transportation services
Offer flexible degree programs (block scheduling, virtual learning, mixed mode, video streaming…etc.)
(Pelling, 2001; Schuetze & Slowey, 2002; Hart, 2003; Ritt, 2008; Monroe, 2006; Wyatt,
2011,)
As small colleges, we are more likely to be mission driven. How do we bring about innovation? How do we integrate evolving technology? How do we keep up with the evolving profile of the traditional student and continue to be mission centered?
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