Your Resource for Boosting Adult College Enrollment & Completion | September 2025

Connect with us this fall!

The Center team will be attending and presenting at conferences across the U.S. ✈️between now and the end of the year! We hope to connect with you in person. Will you be attending any of the events listed above? 

Email us and let us know so we can meet up!

2025 Research Updates

It's here - the Michigan Reconnect 21 Digital Marketing Case Study! We teamed up with CollegeAPP, 25th Hour Communications and MiLEAP to operate a digital marketing campaign promoting the Michigan Reconnect Age Expansion Scholarship with some impressive results. The insights into this specific population are featured in the highlight box below. We promise, it's only 16 pages. But if you want just the highlights, check out our summary. 📝

Plus, we’ve got another Reconnect report coming soon!



Michigan Reconnect Survey: We partnered with the MiLEAP team to analyze the data from their survey of Michigan Reconnect applicants in order to better understand the needs of this population. Insights include educational backgrounds, employment histories, anticipated challenges and more. We'll break down the full report in our December newsletter, so stay tuned.

Reconnect Marketing Case Study: Connecting with potential Reconnecters

Data-driven results are in! 🚀 

Our collaborative Michigan Reconnect 21 campaign with MiLEAP yielded powerful insights into effective digital engagement — resulting in 12,000+ new enrollments in the program!

The full case study reveals how a personalized approach boosted impact, highlighting platform preferences, demographic interests, and the crucial differences between in-district and out-of-district messaging strategies.

Dive into our report to discover the platform strategies and audience insights that drove engagement. Learn how we optimized our approach for maximum impact and discover what worked best to reach key demographics. 

The best part: You can take these findings and apply them at your own institution! Please reach out if we can help offer more insights into the data.

From the Blog: Aligning for Consistency in CPL Opportunities

Adult learners bring extraordinary skills and knowledge to the classroom, shaped by years of work, military service, community leadership, and personal growth. Yet all too often, higher education systems ask them to start from scratch — ignoring competencies they’ve already mastered.

Credit for Prior Learning changes that. As Matt says: "In a state like Michigan, where working-age adults are a critical part of efforts to raise educational attainment and fill talent gaps, CPL is not just a nice-to-have — it’s a must."

We're working with partners to grow Michigan's CPL capacity - get the "how" in our latest blog post.

Innovation Investment Award Success: Adult Learners Thrive Through Competency-Based Education Program at Jackson College

At Jackson College, under the banner of Total Commitment to Student Success, a transformative initiative is continuing with the support of the Innovation Investment Award (IIA) from the Michigan Center for Adult College Success. These resources are being used to operationalize scalable, flexible, and industry-relevant Competency-Based Education (CBE) programs for adult learners.

The mission is to redesign systems for flexible learning pathways, reduce time-to-credential, and increase workforce alignment, especially for working adults. Jamie Vandenburgh, Dean of Workforce, Technical and Professional Education, has been pivotal in leading these efforts. As she describes it: “We’re building flexible, career-aligned programs that honor the experiences of adult learners and open new doors to success.”

The Center Connection: Opportunities from Our Partners

NEW: External Insights - Your one-stop shop

Our website has been under construction... 🚧 

We're excited to introduce our new External Insights webpage! 

Explore a curated selection of research, reports, and publications from respected partners, institutions, and thought leaders. Check it out (and let us know if we're missing anything!)

We can help with that!

Start the new school year off on the right foot — you can contact us and get all of your questions answered on how to best support your adult learner population. 

One-on-One Support – Want to talk through a specific idea or challenge in serving adult learners? Need assistance with a grant or funding proposal? 

Join our virtual office hours every Tuesday from 9–10 a.m. and Thursday from 3–4 p.m. to connect directly with our team. No prep required—just bring your questions!

Helping adult learners succeed is a team effort, and we’re here to be part of yours. Reach out anytime—your next step starts here.

Know someone who would find this valuable? Forward this email and share the insights!

We collaborate to drive postsecondary innovation, transforming Michigan into a place where more adult learners enroll, complete and thrive.