13 strategies to recruit and retain 'post-traditional' students

The familiar gaps in services for nontraditional students — from emotional and academic support to pathways to a new career — can and should be closed for the benefit of these students and the institutions that increasingly rely on their attendance, a new report recommends.The 13 strategies educational consulting firm EAB suggests community colleges employ to help retain adult learners in a strong economy apply to any institution looking to support this group. The report calls them "post-traditional learners" and defines them as the 85% of college students who aren't 17-to-21-year-olds attending four-year colleges and living on campus.These students tend to have high levels of financial need and schedules that conflict with traditional higher ed. Especially in a strong job market, community colleges must do more to show how their offerings can accommodate and benefit these students, the authors note.