Your Resource for Boosting Adult College Enrollment & Completion | March 2026 | | Reconnect Survey Analysis with MiLEAP | | |
To better understand the needs of Reconnect applicants, the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Attainment and Potential administers a statewide survey to all individuals who signed up for the Michigan program.
Between August 2024 and April 2025, nearly 10,000 applicants offered insights into their life experiences, plans for college, prior learning, and which supports best help overcome challenges. MiLEAP continues to provide the survey to new applicants in order to learn how it can better serve Michigan’s adult learners.
| | From the Blog: Reconnect Is Just the Beginning: What Adult Learners Need to Succeed | |
Michigan’s adult learners are motivated, experienced, and ready to return to college. But motivation alone does not guarantee completion.
New insights from the Michigan Reconnect Applicant Survey show that while thousands of adults are eager to pursue education through Reconnect, many are navigating uncertainty around transfer pathways, financial planning, course flexibility, and basic needs supports. These challenges do not reflect a lack of commitment. Rather, they reveal systems that are still catching up to the realities of adult learners’ lives.
Reconnect has opened the door. The next step is ensuring that adult learners can move through that door – and all the way to a credential that supports long-term mobility.
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Our Advancing Adult Attainment program offers technical assistance for institutional change. Subject matter experts in higher education transformation are matched with Michigan colleges and universities to help with curricular reform, policy and process review, and faculty/staff development to become adult-learner ready institutions.
Charla Long, President of the Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN), recently led a one-day planning retreat with leadership at Kuyper College. C-BEN is also working with Gogebic Community College and Jackson College on implementation of accredited, competency-based academic programs.
Student-Ready Strategies is launching a project this month with Montcalm Community College.
Sova Solutions coaches continue to work with our Innovation Investment Award recipients on sustainability of their programs.
We still have availability to serve a few more institutions this year with technical assistance at no charge! Expand the capacity of your institutional leadership – schedule a call today to discuss the possibilities.
| | There are only a few spots left to participate in our Advancing Adult Attainment programming. | | Join Our Community of Practice! | | Interested in joining our Adult Learner Navigator Community of Practice? There's still time to participate! | |  | | |
The Lay of the Land for Adult Learners: What’s Changed Since 2023? | |
You’re probably familiar with our original Landscape Analysis - as we formed as an organization, we identified specific challenges and resulting strategies that Michigan must put in place to increase the number of working-age adults with a postsecondary credential to 60% by 2030.
Hard to believe, but it’s been almost 3 years since the release of the original. With that baseline in place, we’re hard at work collecting fresh data on adult learners. As we analyze, we’ll get to measure how far we’ve moved toward our collective goals, how challenges have changed, and how we compare with other states on credentials, attainment and enrollment.
Will we be on track and compete with other states for better jobs and a growing population? Once we figure out where we’ve progressed, will we need to refocus our efforts on different challenges and opportunities?
You’ll be the first to know when we release our updated Landscape Analysis, and we’ll give you an opportunity to ask questions and give feedback, too!
| | Adult Learner Summit Recap | | |
Fireside chats, story swapping, networking and more! 💡
We hosted the first ever MCACS Adult Learner Summit last month in Detroit! A third of Michigan's higher education institutions participated in the dynamic three day event.
Special thanks to our partners at MiLEAP, CollegeApp, C-BEN, SOVA Solutions, CAEL, MWTEC and the Detroit Chamber for helping us put together meaningful programming.
| | Updates from Center Partners | | |
ideas42: Personalized timelines for asynchronous education and an 11-point improvement in the pace of student progress
While removing fixed class schedules and assignment deadlines offers learners valuable latitude in their studies, it also requires them to exercise much more self-discipline to stay on track. In partnership with Calbright and UC Irvine, ideas42 explored ways to help learners scaffold their self-paced learning with optional milestones to keep them on track toward their completion goals.
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Also from our friends at ideas42: Check out their Enrollment Roadmaps |
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Higher Learning Commission
Designed and led by experienced practitioners, the Academies provide a framework and guidance for institutions to address leading areas of concern in higher ed. The programs are adaptive to the needs of the wide range of institutional types served by HLC and support improvement within the context of an institution’s mission, vision and goals.
HLC currently offers two multi-year Academy tracks: assessment of student learning and student success. Applications for both are due by June 15, 2026
| | Innovation Investment Award: The Ultimate Group Project: Re-Engaging Adult Learners in Kalamazoo | | |
Western Michigan University (WMU) launched a targeted initiative to re-engage 750 Kalamazoo Promise scholars who previously paused their college journeys. Supported by an Innovation Investment Award from The Center, WMU’s vision resulted in a coordinated, human-centered support system through a partnership between WMU, the Kalamazoo Promise, and Kalamazoo Valley Community College. This spring, Kalamazoo is celebrating 20 years of the Kalamazoo Promise.
| | If you’ve missed previous IIA outcome summaries, you can find them here! | |
Office Hours
Our team offers regular virtual office hours for institutions seeking support on program design, data use, student-success strategies, and more.
Technical Support for Colleges and Universities
Institutions participating in Advancing Adult Attainment (AAA) receive 1:1 consulting, tailored guidance on program development, and hands-on support implementing accelerated credential pathways.
If your institution would benefit from individualized attention, reach out—we’re here to help.
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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. | | | | |
