Thousands of students are preparing for their return to school this fall. Many of these students will be non-traditional. A non-traditional student according to the Nation Center for Education Statistics is: Over the age of 24….(a) heterogeneous population of adult students who often have family and work responsibilities as well as other life circumstances that can interfere with successful completion of educational objectives."
A non-traditional student can be an individual in the workforce who has tasted success and failure in careers or jobs. Such a person needs reeducation to be more attractive in a particular market for economic stability or personal achievement. Non-traditional institutions specialize in adult education that gives one a chance to succeed despite a busy work schedule, financial or personal challenges.
"Non-traditional institutions opens the doors for more choices in education to have individuals succeed in life" said Mr. Drew Warren, President of Herzing College in Orlando, Florida.
He also spoke of the flexibility of the schools to meets the expectations of working non-traditional students. Mr. Warren said 200 plus students at Herzing get hands on individual attention much different then they would get at the larger colleges where one can get lost in the class. Adult students might be frustrated in an environment that is less personal. One of Mr. Warren's goals is: to get students from point A to point B in the shortest time without compromising education quality and ethical teaching.
Can it Cure Burnout?
"A greater percentage of females than males participated in personal interest courses (24% vs.18%) and work-related activities (29% vs.25%)," said the latest IES education statistics. What are their reasons? "I got burnt out!" says Keizer College, Medical Massage student Margie Lopez.
Lopez is over forty and has a degree from a traditional college under her belt. She works as a business administrator in a large hospital in Orlando. She has job security and experience but seeks contact with people to fulfill her life. Keizer College meets her expectations. She appreciates the professionalism and caring of her professors and the flexibility in scheduling. She has freedom in her courses to express what's important to her. For example, she used her speech class to act on her human rights concerns by talking about the reported involuntary organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners in China.
She felt that her current job environment wouldn't fully support her in caring about people more directly, so she is switching careers. "The first steps were hard," she said. But she trusted in God and her desire to help others, and that quieted her fears. Her three-year decision is finally bearing fruit to make a difference in someone's life.
Other non-traditional students have other goals and reasons for going back to school like Jason, who takes online courses. His goals are work-related, as a finance degree will help him earn more money for his growing family. "Online classes offer virtual flexibility," he says. Jason is catching up on a long-lived dream that was derailed by an expanding family and a move. Now he is back on track and advises "Everyone to go back to school, information is power."
Non-traditional colleges are becoming leaders in empowering the nation.
Dr. Richard K. Vedder, an adjunct scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, addressed the House Committee on Education in 2005 and told Congress, "You should aim to improve competition in higher education, promoting non-traditional alternatives to not-for-profit schools. You should take steps to rein in the artificially induced growth in demand that has pushed up tuition fees. Above all, you should put a brake on the costs to the federal government of helping finance higher education."
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