“Indiana Focuses on Bringing Adults Back to School” by Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education, Teresa Lubbers
Education beyond high school means more today than ever before. For Hoosiers and their families, it means more job opportunities, higher earnings and greater job security. For the state, better educated Hoosiers mean a stronger economy and a stronger middle class. For employers, it means a larger pool of potential employees who stay longer and are more productive.
That’s why we need more Hoosiers to commit and complete some form of post-secondary education or training. With that in mind, Indiana set a Big Goal to increase the number of Hoosiers with a high-quality degree, certificate or credential to 60 percent by 2025. It’s an ambitious goal that’s directly aligned to Indiana’s future workforce needs—a future where two-thirds of jobs are projected to require education beyond high school.
Currently, there are more than 750,000 Hoosier adults with some college but no degree. These are men and women who at one time aspired to earn a degree or credential, but—as too often is the case—life got in the way. To reach our 60 percent goal, we need these Hoosiers go back to college and finish what they started. In 2016, Indiana is doubling-down on efforts to reach these adults.
In 2015, the Indiana General Assembly called upon Indiana’s colleges to make direct contact with Hoosiers with college credit but no degree. Since then, the Commission for Higher Education and Indiana’s public and private colleges have been working in partnership to build a large-scale statewide direct marketing campaign to identify, inform, support and encourage at least 200,000 of these Hoosiers to return and complete their degree or credential.
Our message is simple: You can. Go Back.
We want Hoosier adults to understand that a lot has changed since they left college. Indiana’s colleges now offer a wide array of new programs and delivery models—like online and self-paced options. What’s more, their lives are different, too. Returning adult students often have school-aged children of their own. They understand the challenges of earning a decent living without a degree or credential in today’s economy. They often are more determined to succeed in school—not just to increase their own earning power, but also to improve their household quality of life and to model the importance of education to their own children and grandchildren.
For this initiative to be successful, we’re asking Indiana’s community groups, K-12 schools, colleges, trades and employers to step up to the challenge. If you or your business, school or community would like to be a part of our effort to get 200,000 Hoosier adults back to school, let us know by emailing info@che.in.gov, and learn more about this and other efforts underway in Indiana at LearnMoreIndiana.org.
Education Matters Southern Indiana 