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Supporting Nontraditional (Reentry) and Parenting Students at CSUF
- 1. PRESENTATION TITLE Supporting Nontraditional (Reentry) and Parenting Students at CSUF Challenges, Needs, Opportunities Megan Gurdine Thornberry Adult Reentry and Parenting Student Coordinator WoMen’s Center © Megan Gurdine Thornberry
- 2. WHO ARE ADULT REENTRY AND PARENTING STUDENTS? © Megan Gurdine Thornberry
- 3. The Traditional Student • 18 to 24 years of age • Matriculated into higher education directly from high school • Enrolled full-time © Megan Gurdine Thornberry
- 4. Adult Reentry and Parenting Students • Adults 25 years or older • Parents pursuing higher education • U.S. veterans • Employed students (full-time or part-time) • Students who delay initial enrollment in college or university after high school • Students who “take a break” from higher education © Megan Gurdine Thornberry
- 5. WHY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT REENTRY AND PARENTING STUDENT SUPPORT? © Megan Gurdine Thornberry
- 6. 40 to 74% of students are nontraditional Reported from a study conducted in 2015, according to NASPA Reported by USA Today in 2018 © Megan Gurdine Thornberry
- 7. WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES FOR REENTRY AND PARENTING STUDENTS? © Megan Gurdine Thornberry
- 8. Interrole Conflict • A student’s roles as parent, caregiver, employee or other roles compete for top priority • Feelings of guilt as a result of interrole conflict © Megan Gurdine Thornberry
- 9. Social Isolation • Age differences make it difficult for nontraditional students to connect to traditional students • Social programs on campus leave out the familial bonds or long-established social networks of nontraditional students © Megan Gurdine Thornberry
- 10. Lack of Flexibility • Course schedules favor traditional students and often compete with nontraditional students’ personal obligations • Limited course availability makes it more difficult to fulfill academic requirements in a timely manner • Student support professionals lack experience with nontraditional students’ needs © Megan Gurdine Thornberry
- 11. Persistence and Completion • Competing financial and personal obligations leads to a lack of self-confidence from the beginning of their academic journeys • In the face of challenges, nontraditional students are less likely than traditional students to complete degree objectives within 6 years © Megan Gurdine Thornberry
- 12. WHAT DO ADULT REENTRY AND PARENTING STUDENTS NEED? © Megan Gurdine Thornberry
- 13. Academic and Student Support Services • Flexible course options • More course offerings in students’ majors • Understanding and sensitivity from faculty and staff • On campus spaces dedicated for reentry or parenting students • Affordable on campus childcare © Megan Gurdine Thornberry
- 14. OPPORTUNITIES FOR REENTRY AND PARENTING STUDENT ENGAGEMENT © Megan Gurdine Thornberry
- 15. Creating Reentry and Parenting Student Engagement Opportunities • Create classroom opportunities where nontraditional students share life experiences, stories and culture • Student organizations or affinity groups • Activities that include nontraditional student’s existing social networks and family members (Clockwise from left: CSUF Project Rebound, AWARE and AWARE-sponsored event, Dianna Blake, MA English CSUF 2018) © Megan Gurdine Thornberry
- 16. Questions? © Megan Gurdine Thornberry
- 17. References Courtney Hittepole. (n.d.). Nontraditional Students: Supporting Changing Student Populations: A Guide for Chief Academic Officers & Chief Student Affairs Officers [PDF file]. Retrieved from https://www.naspa.org/images/uploads/main/Hittepole_NASPA_Memo.pdf Adult Reentry and Parenting Student Programs. (n.d.). Retrieved January 25, 2020 from http://www.fullerton.edu/adultreentry/ Leigh Guidry. (2018) Older students are the new normal at college. The reason? The recession and new technology [USA TODAY article]. Retrieved January 25, 2020 from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/10/03/adult-older-nontraditional-college-students- louisiana/1504180002/ © Megan Gurdine Thornberry
Editor's Notes
- Who are adult reentry and parenting students? Can you pick them out of the campus crowd? This is a diverse population on campus. There is no one indicator to identify the nontraditional student. The matter of serving nontraditional students is a matter of inclusivity. If we can serve this population better, we will serve our entire population of students better.
- Primary indicator is the student matriculates into college or university directly from high school.
- For students who delay or “take a break,” these delays are sometimes voluntary, but often not. Often can involve involuntary delay Financial barriers Unexpected pregnancy Life changing injury or illness My own husband suffered a brain injury 20 years ago and wasn’t able to return to university until very recently. It’s important to maintain a sense of compassion and remember these delays in obtaining an education are not always by choice, not due to a failure of intelligence or character, which is a common misconception that nontraditional students often must combat.
- Study conducted in 2015 reported a population of 40% nontraditional students on college and university campuses In 2018, USA Today reported 74% of students are nontraditional It’s obvious the numbers have grown over time Regardless of exact numbers, it’s a safe bet nontraditional students occupy almost half of our classrooms and campuses
- Caregiving for a child or older adult Balancing responsibilities as a full-time employee with class schedule and academic requirements These roles compete with each other Our students are: Doing homework while nursing their children, running kids to soccer practice before class, getting up at 5am to go to work after a late-night class or an evening of studying and essay writing Pursuing a higher level of education is a self-serving pursuit. Students feel a grand sense of guilt over pursuing an achievement for self, while other personal responsibilities suffer
- Nontraditional students find it hard to connect with traditional students due to age differences Misconceptions of traditional students that the delay to attend college or university is due to a failure of character. Students are thinking “what’s wrong this this person that it took them so long to get into college?” Nontraditional students come onto campus with long-established social ties, Programmatic activities don’t include: students’ children spouses students’ long-standing sources of social support.
- Course schedules offer more classes during the day when evening courses would agree better with a student’s work or parenting schedule Core coursework is offered infrequently, sometimes only once a year Sometimes this delays graduation when students are trying to maximize their time and financial resources in pursuit of their academic goals. Faculty or support professionals have difficulty relating to students with whom they have little experience. Well-meaning professionals try to apply a blanket approach to student success, but nontraditional students need an approach tailored to their unique circumstances.
- Nontraditional students begin their journeys fully aware of the financial and personal sacrifices that will be made to obtain their degrees This awareness of the bumpy road ahead leads to a real lack in confidence. Students find it hard to envision success in the face of these barriers A dismal fact that nontraditional students are less likely than traditional students to complete their degree in 6 years or less.
- We can offer more evening course options, more online or hybrid options. Maybe even self-paced courses We can hire more teachers for core courses. Core courses also need to be offered every semester, not once a year. Provide spaces for reentry students and parenting students to connect with one another, a nontraditional student lounge. On campus childcare that is affordable really helps ease the burden of that interrole conflict discussed earlier, by providing childcare options designed for student convenience
- Now that we’ve examined how we can meet the basic needs of reentry and parenting students, how do we take these students from academically successful to engaged in the campus community?
- Faculty members can cultivate the wealth of knowledge and experience these students bring to the table by creating spaces for students to share their life experiences, culture and stories in class discussions or activities. We are doing a fantastic job on the CSUF campus, with organizations like AWARE and Project Rebound, but forming and supporting organizations or affinity groups for nontraditional students is a great way to increase engagement. The bottom left image is Dianna Blake, a 2018 MA at CSUF that wrote her own book College Success for Moms. Maybe there is an opportunity to engage our alumni with our current students to show them what a successful nontraditional university experience looks like. When we are designing our programmatic activities, I encourage you to find ways to make them kid-friendly or inclusive of spouses and other existing members of a student’s social network. The Salary Negotiation Workshop is a perfect example. Maybe both mom and dad can attend encourage our reentry students to bring their best friend from their day job. Maybe we offer a childcare space for parenting students to come and benefit from the workshop while someone has an eye on their kids These are just a few of the things we can do to really encourage engagement for our reentry and parenting students.