Metropolitan State recognized for service to adults
The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), a nonprofit dedicated to helping adults access higher education, awarded Metropolitan State University the 2008 CAEL Institutional Service Award. The award recognizes colleges and universities that have made an outstanding effort to reach out to adults and provide quality programs suited to their needs.
The award was presented during CAEL’s 2008 International Conference on Nov. 13 in Philadelphia, Pa. College deans, presidents and administrators gathered to discuss how the presidential election and the economy will affect Americans’ access to higher education. Susan T. Rydell, professor, Psychology Department, College of Professional and Community Studies, and project manager, Minnesota Center for Professional Development, represented the university at the award presentation.
In a letter to Interim President William Lowe, Pamela Tate, president and CEO of CAEL, wrote, “CAEL values the efforts of Metropolitan State University to create educational opportunities for working adults and other traditionally underserved populations. CAEL honors Metropolitan State’s student-centered approach to serving adult students, which includes recognition of demonstrated learning gained outside the classroom, access to small classes with flexible class schedules, and a commitment to high-quality, affordable education for working adult students.”
“We believe people of all ages should have access to higher education,” said President Sue K. Hammersmith, Metropolitan State. “Most of our students are working adults, some with families and many, many other obligations. We make it as convenient as possible for them to get their degrees through flexible scheduling, recognition of prior learning, and adult-friendly instructional delivery systems.”
The university and CAEL have had a long and symbiotic history. Metropolitan State was one of the 10 task force institutions, which came together with Educational Testing Service in 1974, to found CAEL. The late Dr. David Sweet, the university’s first president, was a member of the original CAEL steering committee. Dr. George Ayers, then the university’s academic affairs vice president, was CAEL’s Board of Trustees second chair. Rydell served as CAEL’s state representative in Minnesota during the 1980s. Metropolitan State has remained an actively engaged institutional member of CAEL.
The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) works to bring lifelong learning within reach for every adult. CAEL removes barriers to lifelong learning for adults, identifies and disseminates innovative and effective practices and delivers services that touch the lives of adults. To accomplish this, CAEL works with all the stakeholders in lifelong learning including: educational institutions, employers, labor organizations, government and communities.
CAEL has headquarters in Chicago and also maintains offices in Denver, Philadelphia, Norwalk, Conn., and New York City.