LAPU Featured at CALEM Conference 2019
Every year, the Conference on Adult Learner Enrollment Management (CALEM) attracts admissions, enrollment, and program staff from over 150 institutions of higher education across the U.S. The goal of the conference is to share innovative strategies to best serve adult student populations. This year’s event in Scottsdale, Arizona featured speakers that represented a blend of industry and higher education — from Google and LinkedIn executives to academic and administrative leaders from multiple universities, including Los Angeles Pacific University.
In a room filled to capacity (with additional chairs needing to be brought in), LAPU Executive Vice President / COO, Frank Rojas, and Associate VP of Enrollment and Student Support, Dr. Jamie Brownlee, presented “It Takes A Village: Shared Accountability for Ownership of the Student Experience.” Their talk emphasized the need for inter-departmental collaboration and mutual accountability as a means to maximize efficiencies and provide adult students with a positive experience.
“The average adult student has very different needs than a traditional, full-time, residential student coming straight out of high school,” states Rojas. “They lead busy lives — balancing work, family, and life. When they choose to pursue a degree on top of that, it is no small task. They need specialized services and support, from the initial phone call through registering for classes.”
Rojas and Brownlee shared relevant data and anecdotal evidence with the attendees to help them identify ways to improve the processes at their own universities. Los Angeles Pacific University was conceived and designed specifically to serve an adult population. The last eight years of experience with that student demographic have created a valuable base of knowledge and specialized university operations that help LAPU successfully meet the needs of its adult students. CALEM 2019 proved to be an excellent venue for sharing the insights and wisdom gleaned over the past with industry colleagues.
