Campus traditions changing.

• Position: COMMENTARY

Byline: Jack P. Calareso

COLUMN: AS I SEE IT

Now that we are in the midst of the fall semester, the image most Americans have is one of young men and women attending classes, living in residence halls, walking across a campus green, attending a weekend football game. While this image remains accurate for some of today's college students, the full picture of American higher education is quite different. The profile of today's college student has changed, and the nature of today's college has changed as well.

It is estimated that almost 19 million students will attend college in 2009. Of this number, over one third will be nontraditional age students (over 25 years old) and almost 40 percent will attend part-time. Part-time and nontraditional students will be the fastest growing population of college students in the coming years, when the total college enrollment is expected to exceed 21 million.

It is essential that higher education responds to the diversity of the student populations of today and tomorrow. One size does not and will not fit all, and higher education needs to provide varied opportunities that ensure opportunity and access for all types of learners.

Adult learners are goal oriented and much more focused on degree completion as it relates to their profession and/or professional goals. They are more discerning of quality expectations and interested in an educational experience that can be balanced with their world of work and family. Flexibility and convenience are as important as quality and relevance.

In response to the needs of adult learners, many colleges have developed accelerated degree programs that allow for a more focused and intensive learning experience. These programs typically run year-round and allow the adult learner to remain on a rapid pace toward degree completion.

However, the fastest growing area of higher education for the adult learner is online education. In the past five years, online students have increased by more than 400 percent and now represent a significant portion of the adult learner market. Anna Maria College, for example, has always made a commitment to adult learners through its part-time programs delivered on weekends and evenings, on and off campus, on ground and in blended formats (on ground and online classes).

But this year, we have developed a significant initiative to provide fully online programs in response to the needs of our nontraditional students. Beginning in January 2010, we...