News Archives - 2009
Augsubrg celebrates non-traditional students
The week of November 2-6 marks Non-Traditional Student Week at Augsburg College. Several Augsburg staff, faculty, and students will participate in a variety of activities this week to celebrate lifelong learning.
What makes a student "non-traditional"? According to the US Department of Education definition, several factors contribute to the label including a student's age, financial status, whether he or she is a parent, and the number of hours worked per week.
"It's kind of a misnomer," says Lori Peterson, Augsburg for Adults director. She adds that research literature ranks students as minimally to highly non-traditional depending on their individual circumstances. "Most of our students are highly non-traditional."
Peterson herself was a non-traditional student. She attended a two-year college near her hometown and returned to college to complete a Bachelor's degree at the age of 25. She says she sometimes felt out of place among her 19-year old classmates because she had different concerns and priorities.
Jessica Fox-Wilson, the coordinator of Augsburg for Adults, says almost half of Augsburg's undergraduate students—49 percent—are "non-traditional." She and Peterson say Non-Traditional Student Week is an important way to acknowledge the sacrifices and contributions of non-traditional students at the College.
Since the Weekend College program began more than 25 years ago, Augsburg has not only offered degree-seeking programs for non-traditional students but has sought to improve its offerings and services for students who work full-time during the day and attend class in the evenings or on the weekends. Augsburg was recently recognized by the Association of Non-Traditional Students in Higher Education for its superior dedicated service and support of non-traditional students.
"We are one of the only schools with a student government for non-traditional students," says Fox-Wilson. "Where most schools have a committee or a club, we have the ear of the president and the means to affect change." She has also developed a First-Year Experience program which is designed to help students navigate the educational system and remove the psychological and physical barriers to success.
Highlights of Non-Traditional Student Week include a presentation by staff who recently attended an adult student recruitment and retention conference. They will share experiences from the conference on Tuesday, Nov. 3 at noon in the Augsburg Room.
On Thursday, Nov. 5 from 5:30-7 p.m., several non-traditional students will discuss balancing multiple roles and priorities in their lives on the "Student And..." panel. The discussion will be in the Riverside Room.
The week will end with receptions for undergrad and graduate students on Friday, Nov. 6 and Saturday, Nov. 7. Download the complete schedule of events here.
