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. Coxbrand cited Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce estimates that a large majority of “good jobs” will require postsecondary training and that only about 61% of Oregon high school graduates immediately matriculated to postsecondary education in 2023, the lowest rate in more than 30 years.

North Carolina results: Audrey (AJ) Jaeger, Dallas Herring Professor at NC State and founder of the Belk Center, and Sarah Diehl, director of research at the Belk Center, described NC Reconnect, a multi-cohort statewide effort. Diehl said the first three cohorts identified roughly 33,000 adults who had some college and no degree; NC Reconnect made contacts with about 8,600 of them (a 26% contact rate) and "1,700 students in those first 3 cohorts have already reenrolled in college," which Diehl described as "about 20% of the students contacted did reenroll." She added that roughly one in five of those who reenrolled completed a credential within a year.

Program design examples: the Belk Center stressed the program is campus-wide, not just marketing. Colleges in NC received mini-grants, targeted marketing, outreach to former students and support for institutional changes. The presenters said many returning students complete career-technical (AAS) degrees or transfer-oriented associate degrees; Diehl estimated the first cohorts produced about $7.5 million in full-time-equivalent (FTE) funding return to colleges (calculated from reenrolled student headcount and typical FTE rates).

Oregon pilots and practices: Dr. Coxbrand described Oregon efforts: two colleges joined a New America project to survey stop-outs and currently enrolled adult learners. Southwestern Oregon Community College implemented year-long block schedules so adult students can plan childcare and work schedules in advance. Mount Hood Community College used leftover tuition-waiver funds to buy down small balances owed by former students (students with debts of $500 or less were reduced to $199, a threshold that allowed reenrollment); Mount Hood invested about $136,000 and reported a same-term return on investment of over $300,000.

Barriers and incentives: presenters said the most-cited incentive to return was free tuition, but they also underscored nonfinancial barriers. Dr. Coxbrand noted mental-health concerns, including anxiety, were reported by about 60% of surveyed students as a reason they left school — a share higher than New America has seen in other states. Other cited supports included enrollment coaches, debt forgiveness or buy-downs, targeted marketing that emphasizes career outcomes, childcare, and textbook assistance.

Committee questions and next steps: Representatives asked about program scope (NC Reconnect focuses on community colleges), funding models (NC model included philanthropic support and state allocations), and how to measure return on investment. Dr. Coxbrand and the Belk Center said HB 2686 (cited during the session) was a starting point for an Oregon effort and that additional campus-level changes would be needed before a larger statewide ask. "We can't just say come back and nothing's changed," Dr. Coxbrand said.

The presenters offered to serve as resources; committee members signaled interest in further study and potential future budget proposals.

Ending: The informational session closed after Q&A and the committee moved on to two scheduled work sessions.