Cleveland State University is one of 13 institutions of higher education in Ohio to be named a top tier institution for adult learners by the organization Abound Finish College.
Cleveland State University has recently been named one of the top higher education institutions in the country for adult learning. Abound Finish College has recently recognized Cleveland State University and a dozen other Ohio colleges with this designation.
Abound Finish College uses a metrics system dubbed the Four As, the As standing for Accessibility, Affordability, Acceleration, and Advancement.
Accessibility, which represents 10% of the total score, looks at courses being offered at flexible times, such as on weekends or during the evening, as well as online, such that students will be able to attend classes around their other responsibilities.
Affordability represents 30% of the total score and looks at a school’s commitment to offering grants, scholarships, tuition, and financial aid to its students to make education affordable for students.
Acceleration represents 30% of the total score and looks at an institution’s dedication to offering a direct path to a degree for adult students so that they can complete a program in the most cost effective and timely way.
The final A, Advancement, is also 30% of the total score and looks at whether or not a school exhibits an active interest in the long term success of its students.
The Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Success at Cleveland State University, Jonathan Wehner, was quoted in an article posted on the school’s website about his reaction to the accolades that CSU has received, saying, "There is an extraordinary sense of pride [and] it's a wonderful recognition of the CSU's mission to educate, provide access to education to a broad swath of folks in Northeast Ohio. Our mission is not to be one of these hyper-selective places, and I think being named one of the best colleges for adults recognizes we are striving and achieving our mission in terms of providing that access."
Cleveland State University has a wide variety of course offerings that appeal to adult learners, such as programs in healthcare, the arts, urban studies, engineering, and business. This range of avenues of study is half of the battle, according to the school. The other half is determining how to allow time for those classes so that an adult student has the time to achieve their dream of earning a degree.
Wehner went on to talk about how the university administration is keeping that struggle in mind as it develops accommodations for those adult learners, saying, "I also think the flexibility of a lot of our programs in terms of the ability to complete a program online or to complete a program in the evening is a huge part of it. I think another factor is the cost; we are very cost-effective compared to a lot of other four-year institutions [so] you get a ton of value and flexibility [here at CSU]."
Wehner went on to mention that as more and more workplaces are requiring a bachelor’s degree or higher as part of their job postings, he believes more adults will return to higher education, especially those who had started their higher education journey earlier.
"There are students that have some college and no degree, and some strategies colleges and universities might be able to leverage to get those folks back into post-secondary education and hopefully get them credentialed. It's a trend that is going to continue large in part demographically; we have an aging population [so] colleges in some ways, it is in their own self-interest to actually look at adult learners,” he said.
He then went on to reaffirm the university’s commitment to adult learners: "Given we have many colleges and universities in the state of Ohio, to be recognized within the group of best for adult learners is excellent. I think it just really speaks to the way that CSU is living out its mission," Wehner said.
More information about Cleveland State University can be found at the school’s website.