Colleges Address Needs of Students

There is a growing need for community colleges across the nation to address the needs of students enrolling in non-traditional fields. Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove, Illinois has embarked on the arduous task of identifying the needs of students at the institution enrolled in non-traditional fields with a "special programs outreach and retention coordinator" position, funded by the federal Carl Perkins grant.

The Carl Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-332), sets out a new vision of vocational and technical education for the 21st century.

"One of the primary focuses of the Carl Perkins grant is to promote and increase non-traditional enrollment," Daniel Corr, associate dean of Adult Education and Learning Enhancement at Waubonsee, explains. "In other words, women in a traditionally male dominated field, as well as men in a traditionally female dominated field. With our Carl Perkins funding, we're making that a real focus on what we do as an institution."

The "special programs outreach and retention coordinator" will work in a number of different areas in terms of non-traditional enrollment. One, Corr wants to get the word out. He wants to promote all the different opportunities available for women in traditionally male dominated fields, and vice versa. That is part of what this position entails, and it is part of what Waubonsee will do.

Corr notes that the position entails outreach and retention, so once students are enrolled in non-traditional fields, the coordinator ensures that the students succeed. For example, Waubonsee offers support through its Adult Education and Learning Enhancement program.

Corr is also working with the Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology at Waubonsee, to determine if they can come up with staff development programs for faculty, to make faculty aware of the special needs and stresses of students in their classes. The coordinator position collaborates with the existing in-house staff development program.