Photo by Flickr user zappowbang
Yesterday a friend of mine from Twitter had the opportunity to speak to a class about Pathways to Student Affairs. When she reported back that a student had been told by someone that she was too old for student affairs. I wish I could say that was shocking, but I hear this often from students, and not just regarding the student affairs profession. There are so many things wrong with telling students that they are “too old” or “too young” for careers. But in an effort to keep myself from ranting I want to stick to the student affairs profession.
I had my doubts about entering student affairs when I started looking graduate programs. I was <cough>37<cough>. But I was fortunate enough to make the acquaintance of Dr. Carolyn Palmer who went on to show me that one is never too old for education, student affairs, or sharing a zest for all aspects of life. Carolyn has become a mentor, a friend, and an advocate. Her focus on nontraditional students inspires me daily.
Our nation is aging with the baby boomers. Our institutions of higher learning are experiencing an influx of older students and traditional age students who have one or more of the characteristics of nontraditional students. According to the OCED the U.S. is the only first-world nation where less than half of adults do not hold some form of post-secondary degree. The current White House administration is striving to make higher education more affordable and accessible. Along with the Lumina Foundation and it’s Goal 2025 I cannot help but be excited about the increasing numbers of nontraditional students on our campuses. Higher education cannot continue to grow, and by grow I’m talking about admissions and retention that lead to degree attainment, without having nontraditional students on our campuses.
However, at the same time I worry that many campus administrations, staffs, and faculty members aren’t prepared for the unique challenges and talents that nontraditional students bring with them. The striking thing about the nontraditional student population is the diversity. We often talk about treating students as individuals, meeting them where they are, and the unique characteristics of the Millennial generation that now occupies a large portion of traditional campuses. Nontraditional students face additional situational, institutional, and dispositional challenges. They bring with them their children, spouses, parents, employers, and communities. They wear many different hats. I firmly believe that the older a students get, and the more nontraditional characteristics they acquire, the more individualized their needs become.
No one is EVER to old to learn, formally or informally. Nontraditional students should NEVER be discouraged. Regardless of age every student we work with has the potential to achieve something he or she defines as great, and the potential to change the world.
Please keep reading as I work my way into showing myself, and hopefully you as well, how we can best serve nontraditional students of any age!
