New initiative aims to help non-traditional students make smooth transition into university

By JOANIE BAKER, The Daily News, jbaker@bgdailynews.com Friday, May 29, 2009 12:13 PM CDT

The Hill at Western Kentucky University is intimidating in more than one way to people who have been out of school for 25 years. Even for those who only stepped away from completing their degree for a couple of years, when life circumstances happen, many adults find it difficult to return to school. But WKU through a new initiative is looking to assist adult learners of all ages and experiences with getting back to school and starting or completing degrees. WkuREAL, or Reaching Each Adult Learner, is housed in Western’s University College in Cherry Hall and is offering a handful of counselors to assist adult learners to make a smooth transition back into college at no cost.

Todd Noffsinger, a counselor with the program, said the program aims to help adults complete admission forms and financial aid documents while helping plug the students into areas that will suit their needs, whether they are seeking to enhance their careers or are starting fresh from a recent job loss. Even if students don’t attend the school right away, Noffsinger said the counselors are available to help answer questions about higher education.

Jane Olmsted, interim dean of WKU’s University College, said while there are many programs, such as Upwards Bounds, that already assist adult learners with the admissions process, wkuREAL will broaden services by looking within the university to see how adult learners can be better served. Part of that initiative includes offering more evening and weekend classes, and possibly expanding to include programs that assess life experience toward course credit, Olmsted said.

“This doesn’t replace the good work already being done (by other assistance programs),” Olmsted said. “But it has a broader vision. We have a lot to learn from those other programs, but this is both for the student and the institution. We’re asking, ‘What does the institution need to do to respond to the large population of people over 25 who don’t have an education?’ ”

The program is also unique in that it offers counselors at each of Western’s extended campuses, and Noffsinger said each of those individuals was once an adult learner themselves. Felicia Payne, a 35-year-old mother of two, said she attended Kentucky State University in 1993 and left after her freshman year. She eventually got married and had children, and while going back to school was always in the back of her mind, the Franklin resident said she wasn’t sure how she would fit class into her busy schedule.

“I work as a teacher assistant for the Community Action Head Start program, and I want to further my education and enhance my job so I can eventually become the teacher,” she said. “I knew what I needed to do to attend school, but I didn’t know how to get started.”

Payne said she met with a counselor and got many answers to her questions, and received the encouragement she needed to move forward. “Basically, they just told me that if I have the will and drive, it could be accomplished,” Payne said. “Being a mother of two young children and having full-time employment, I was just leery of taking on the responsibility of going to school. But they reassured me if this is something I want to do, it can fit in my life.”

Starting in the fall, Payne will begin taking classes in the evenings after work and may expand to taking weekend classes as well. Olmsted said one of the goals of the program is making seamless transitions for students who either already have credits or already have an associate’s degree. Programs, such as 2+2, that guarantee a bachelor’s degree in two years to those who already carry an associate’s degree, are helping that effort, she said. The wkuREAL program gained roots from statewide initiatives, such as Project Graduate, that aim to encourage students with some college experience to finish their degrees.

Olmsted said wkuREAL looks to broaden the definition of adult learners and serve not only those who are over 25, but also those in undeserved populations where education is not seen as a clear path. At no cost, the program aims to reach anyone who is not fresh out of high school who is looking to attend college.

“There are a lot of people who are close to a degree and life came along and snagged them away,” Olmsted said. “After a few years of working or family, they start thinking of the rest of their lives.”

Olmsted said the benefits of an education can help some enhance their employment potential, seek promotion or begin looking at new career directions. The program will also serve as an advocacy to help provide continuing support to the adult learners at WKU, she said.

For more information about wkuREAL, call 745-3575 or the extended campuses at Elizabethtown at (270) 769-1614, Fort Knox at (270) 351-1192, Radcliff at (270) 352-1912, Glasgow at (270) 659-6900 and Owensboro at (270) 684-9797.