Alabama's goal of adding 500,000 more college-educated people to the workforce by 2025 is quickly approaching.

One group is dedicated to breaking down barriers to higher education and helping more people enter classrooms.

Chandra Scott, executive director of Alabama Possible, said the group collaborating with national and local partners to assess the state of the workforce and identify obstacles that prevent individuals from pursuing or completing their degrees.

She said the goal is to level the playing field across the state.

"We want to make sure that we hear them and we understand what barriers that they're faced with," said Scott. "And if we can be their voice in the halls of the Capitol or with organizations who are leading that work and helping them to understand how to resource those individuals, then that's our role. "

She said this work will take place at the 2024 Virtual Alabama College Attainment Network Conference on April 10.

People looking to attend can find more information on their website - alabamapossible.org.

Scott said the annual conference is about more than identifying those barriers to college. She said Alabama Possible wants to create real change.

She pointed out that last year it was able to make progress on an issue impacting women looking to work later shifts.

"Child-care accessibility at those hours just did not exist," said Scott. "And so we began to elevate those type of conversations across our state. And now this year, all you've heard about is child-care subsidies, child-care credits, and being able to widen the playing field."

The state has already met 43% of Gov. Kay Ivey's goal, by adding more than 214,000 more skilled workers, according to the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness.

Boston University's Prison Education Program is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and is hoping to expand.

Students at Massachusetts Correctional Institution Norfolk and MCI Framingham are earning undergraduate certificates and Bachelor of Liberal Arts degrees, to reform their lives and find ways to give back to their communities upon release.

Program Director Mary Ellen Mastrorilli said it offers hope for a better self, and her students are eager to learn.

"They're highly motivated," said Mastrorilli. "They're not afraid to work hard. They do their assignments. They're just, in some ways, the ideal student."

Mastrorilli said there's a misconception that educating people in prison is being soft on crime, but research shows these programs reduce misconduct and cut the likelihood of recidivism nearly in half.

That may be due to the better job prospects and higher wages that formerly incarcerated people with education experience.

It's also one reason Mastrorilli said she hopes the program will expand - and why even more universities, including Tufts and Emerson, are growing their own prison initiatives, and giving students a second chance.

"The prison education classroom is a space where they get to claim their humanity and their dignity," said Mastrorilli. "And it's easy to understand how personal growth will come from that."

Students in Boston University's program have earned more than 400 bachelor's degrees in the past few decades alone.

Mastrorilli said the undergraduate certificate program has also become increasingly popular with people serving shorter sentences, and for those unsure if they can handle the degree program workload.

She said it's important to judge her students not by their crimes, but as human beings with unlocked potential.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.

This summer, colleges and universities will have to comply with a new federal rule and not withhold students' transcripts over unpaid tuition and fees.

North Dakota officials see the movement as a boost to people pursuing new job skills. The U.S. Education Department said starting July 1, higher-ed institutions cannot refuse to turn over transcripts related to any course paid for by federal student loans or grants, which are sometimes prompted by overdue book fees or other school debt.

Lisa Johnson, vice chancellor of academic and student affairs for the North Dakota University System, said for a person looking to re-enroll or apply for a new job, overcoming such obstacles can be huge.

"If we're trying to attract returning adults, individuals who have 'stopped out,' this really has to be a part of your focus and the broader array of policies and procedures that we look at," Johnson contended.

North Dakota's system is not designed to issue partial transcripts. Johnson expects the state to honor releases for all situations involving an outstanding balance. A formal vote is expected this spring. She noted campuses would still have leeway to prevent a student from seeking new courses at their school over fears they would be taking on too much additional debt.

In those cases, Johnson pointed out a student can try to work with the campus on a repayment plan, or seek out opportunities at other schools, including certificate programs which may cost less. She added some North Dakota schools are exploring other ways to ease debt issues.

"Campuses are having preliminary discussions about waiving low levels of outstanding debt," Johnson emphasized. "Things like parking tickets."

Beyond wiping out minor balances, she noted schools within the North Dakota system are being proactive in working with former students looking to pay off their debt. She said it is better than relying on collection agencies tacking on additional fees and putting students in a more difficult spot.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.

A new degree program could grant students across the Utah System of Higher Education a bachelor's degree in just three years.

Geoffrey Landward, commissioner of higher education with the Utah System of Higher Education, recently approved a new degree category called the Bachelor of Applied Studies. It would have a minimum of 90 credits for students to complete which would differ from the current standard of 120 credits.

"That saves a student a full-year of tuition, but it also puts them in the workforce a full year earlier. So that is a double benefit. They're saving money on the degree side, but they're also earning more money now that they have a degree and they're in the workforce," he said.

Landward added areas of study within the new category would be limited and tied to specific industry needs and occupations, but would also require national accreditation and need approval by the state's board of higher ed before being made available. He said that Southern Utah University already has a three-year degree program which lets students complete three semesters of school per year, rather than completing the traditional two.

Landward said they've asked schools across the state to think about what industries they would like to see more degrees in and adds that this provides institutions with a creative opportunity to work with industry partners to ensure students who potentially could earn three-year degrees are valued and what Landward calls "hire-able."

To make this happen, Landward said they'll be identifying what he terms "core competencies," while scrutinizing elective requirements.

"Do we really need all of these electives? And if not for this particular occupation, can we streamline that degree? And it may not be just three years, it may be three and a half years for example. We're not set on just one number, but the idea is let's see if we can finish this degree in under four years," he explained.

He said there will likely be challenges, and though these programs aren't available yet, he added he's excited for what this could mean for students accessing higher education in the Beehive State.


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