Higher education institutions currently face the unique challenge of maintaining enrollment in the face of demographic cliffs and changing attitudes towards the value of higher education. One area where institutions may see growth is in re-engaging their own pool of stopped out students who are now adult learners with some college credits and no credential (SCNC). The recent regulation limiting transcript withholding by the US Department of Education creates an opportunity for institutions to identify clear pathways for their stopped out students who were subject to these holds to return, rather than leave these students with only the option to transfer their credits elsewhere to complete their credentials.

To help institutions enhance re-enrollment efforts and develop new solutions, Ithaka S+R is working with the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) to build and facilitate a community of practice that unites diverse postsecondary education institutions across the state to share promising practices, challenges, and actionable takeaways for institutions to re-enroll and support adult learners. This community of practice in Pennsylvania is made possible through the generous financial support of Lumina Foundation and The Kresge Foundation.

Opportunity to Participate for PA Institutions

Deadline: November 22, 2024

Timeline: December 2024 through November 2025

If you work on re-engaging adult learners with SCNC at a higher education institution in Pennsylvania and would like to join a community of practice to share insights, challenges and successes, please complete this participation form by November 22, 2024.

The community of practice will focus on supporting institutions with adult learner re-enrollment through addressing administrative holds, past due balances, and related academic and financial supports. In addition to becoming a part of a collaborative and supportive network of Pennsylvania higher education institutions focused on re-engaging adult learners, participating institutions will also work to implement one high-impact solution to remove a re-enrollment barrier with support from Ithaka S+R and the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Benefits of Participation

Each of the four community of practice sessions will highlight the successes, challenges and lessons from adult learner engagement initiatives that are focused on addressing administrative holds, past due balances or the related academic and financial supports that adult learner need to complete their credentials. The sessions will include explorations of exemplars from other states, group discussions on institutional responses to federal policies, panel discussions with adult learner engagement experts and more. Participants will choose their actionable, adult learner-focused implementation goals before the first session and use the information from the sessions and feedback from peers to further develop and execute them. By participating, higher education practitioners will:

  • Connect with other Pennsylvania institutions of higher education, adult learner engagement experts, Ithaka S+R and PDE to access resources, guidance, and promising practices.
  • Engage with Ithaka S+R and PDE staff and collaborate with participants who share similar implementation goals throughout the community of practice to support plan development and execution of solutions for adult learner engagement.
  • Align current adult learner engagement efforts with state initiatives aimed at reducing the workforce credential gap.

Ithaka S+R will also gather insights that emerge from the community of practice to inform a published playbook of promising practices and outline actionable steps for implementation.

Key Activities/Expectations

By joining this Community of Practice, participants are agreeing to be actively engaged in sessions, responsive to requests for feedback from peers and check-in questionnaires from Ithaka S+R, and committed to setting and working towards an actionable goal. Specifically, community of practice participants are expected to:

  • Complete this participation form and set a goal for their institution related to improving adult learner re-enrollment
  • Attend and actively participate in four, 90-minute, virtual community of practice meetings between December 2024 and September 2025
  • Complete four short check-in questionnaires throughout the year
  • Attend a culminating virtual convening in November 2025

This project expands Ithaka S+R’s work in adult learner re-enrollment, including the Ohio College Comeback Compact and technical assistance projects with the Kentucky Council of Postsecondary Education (KY CPE) and the University of North Carolina (UNC) system office. The Ohio College Comeback Compact is currently in its third year, helping hundreds of students with institutional debt return to college. In partnership with KY CPE, we completed a mixed-methods study with eight universities and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System and recently shared findings with stakeholders at CPE’s Removing Barriers For Adult Learner Reengagement Convening.

If you have questions about the community of practice in Pennsylvania, please contact Toni-Anne Richards, senior analyst, at toni-anne.richards@ithaka.org.