Nontraditional students at the University of Akron have been meeting with administrators sharing what they see as problem areas at the university as they try to juggle family, work and finances while in college.
UA President Matthew Wilson said his goal is to make education more accessible for the nontraditional students — those 25 and older who delay college rather than attending college straight out of high school or return to finish work on a degree.
Wilson has tapped Jarrod Tudor, dean of UA’s Wayne County campus, to head the initiative, which includes making more evening and weekend classes available for more majors to better accommodate the work and family demands of nontraditional students.
There are 2,772 nontraditional students this academic year out of a total of 17,347 students enrolled at UA, down from last year’s fall enrollment of 3,365 nontraditional students out of 19,115 students enrolled.
“We are investing in programs that are demanded by employers and students and brokering those two sources to come up with the right academic programming for flexible learning opportunities,” said Tudor, who also heads the Adult Focus group, an academic support service for adult learners. “Our motto is to make the evening look like the day, whether it’s advising, admissions, transfers, military, etc.”
He said the university is also looking at redesigning Springboard, its online learning management system. The additions are expected to start in the fall of 2017.
Accessibility was a problem for Thytira Brown, 45, of Akron, who had a hard time finding online classes for her biology major because lab classes were required. She decided to attend college full time in the daytime.
She returned to school after a 20-year-hiatus, her second attempt at college in the pre-med program.
Her plan was to get her cosmetology license and save enough money for college. She earned her license in 1993 and became a full-time hairdresser.
“But life happened, and I had to decide whether to stay in school or work to keep a roof over my head so I had to drop out and go back to work,” she said. “It took me a little longer to get here this time, but I’m in it for the long haul. I’m glad I finally did it.”
She returned in the fall of 2013.
“It was a hard transition because I was overwhelmed, especially my first semester. I didn’t know what they were talking about when they wanted me to put a PowerPoint presentation together,” she said. “It was the younger students who helped me. I also took advantage of the university’s library resources and used tutors.”
Now she works part time as a hairdresser and home health care aide on weekends.
She also had a bad experience with her first adviser.
“I don’t think she liked her job. She seemed to dismiss me and tried talking me out of my major,” Brown said. “She kept steering me away from pre-med. I’ve always wanted to be a doctor, I told her I wouldn’t be wasting my money if I wasn’t committed.”
Brown said she had a better experience with another adviser her second semester after learning an appointment wasn’t necessary for her first adviser and she could see any adviser who was available.
“We clicked. He was more attentive and easy to talk to. From then on I always went to see him,” she said. “By the fourth semester I did switch my major — it was too much — but I still wanted to stay in the medical field. It was an easy transition to a major in exercise science.”
Her adviser helped her map out a new course without losing any credits, and now she’s aiming to become a sports medicine physician for children instead of a pediatrician. She graduates in December. This week she is visiting two colleges to check out their medical programs.
The obstacles facing nontraditional students are brought up in sessions held by an organization on campus called the Adult Learners,
“I think they are trying to be more conducive to the nontraditional student; it does sound like they are making an effort,” said Jim Woolf, 49, a Twinsburg firefighter and a Portage County sheriff’s deputy.
He is a first-time college student and plans on taking two classes a semester while he works toward graduation. He is majoring in emergency management services. He calls himself nontraditional among nontraditional students because he works 24 hours straight then has 48 hours off.
His wife got her degree a few years ago and his son, 25, is in law enforcement.
“Now it’s my turn,” he said. “Ironically, I am going through the retirement process. I have six more years before I officially retire. Hopefully, I can get my degree by then.”
He admitted to having second thoughts after the university orientation program. He was the oldest person in the room, and that day the computers weren’t working — cutting off access to Springboard and My Akron, key online companions to classroom activity.
“The guide just gave me the pointers that she could remember off the top of her head and jotted them down for me,” he said.
He said one professor attacked his work ethic and priorities in life.
“I think she thought she was talking to a young student, telling me that maybe I should drop the class. She was admonishing me, treating me like an 18-year-old just out of high school acting like I didn’t give a darn about the class,” he said. “I asked her if she knew who she was talking to and explained that I was a firefighter of 30 years and how many hours I work, but if there was an assignment due to tell me what it was and I would have it done that day.
He also got behind in English and met with his English professor.
“He advised me to not worry about context but to throw something together, submit it and work on that part of it later so I could get caught up with my assignments,” Woolf said. But as someone who routinely writes reports for work, he argued that being thorough the first time was essential. “Part of getting this degree is to learn. I’m not going to just throw something together.”
Marilyn Miller can be reached at 330-996-3098 or mmiller@thebeaconjournal.com.