House Higher Education panel hears models to reconnect adults with college credentials

The House Committee on Higher Education and Workforce Development opened an informational session May 6 focused on “Adult Reconnect” programs to help adults with some college but no credential return to finish degrees or certificates. Chair Hudson convened the meeting and heard presentations from Dr. Elizabeth Coxbrand, director of the Student Success Center at the Oregon Community College Association (OCCA), and two researchers from the Belk Center in North Carolina.

The presenters said demographic shifts and falling birth rates are shrinking the pool of traditional 18-year-old college entrants and leaving a large number of working-age adults with partial college records. "Today I'm here to talk to you about a program called Adult Reconnect," Dr. Elizabeth Coxbrand told the committee, and she emphasized Oregon has more than 700,000 residents ages 25–64 with some college but no credential.

Why it matters: presenters argued Oregon’s workforce demand will increasingly require postsecondary credentials; without reconnecting adults who already have credits, community colleges risk falling short of employer needs. Dr.…