作者：辛西娅·休伯特

2023年5月3日

At first, Christie Provost felt overwhelmed and isolated on 萨克拉门托 State’s sprawling campus. 她快50岁了，比她的大多数同学都老几十岁。 不确定自己是否属于这里，她不愿意在课堂上举手，也不愿意在办公时间与教授见面。

现在，在她的第二个学期，教务长已经站稳了脚跟。

“It’s mostly exhilarating,” said Provost, who is studying Psychology. “I love being back in college.”

教务长是在博彩平台学习的数千名年长学生之一，他利用了支持非传统学者的项目，官员们说，他们以许多重要的方式为校园环境做出了贡献。

超过25%的萨克州立大学学生年龄在25岁或以上，11%的学生年龄在30到65岁之间。

继续教育学院学术和专业项目临时主任安娜·凯克（Anna Keck）说，萨克州立大学对培养这些学生有浓厚的兴趣。 她指出，许多人从事专业工作，抚养孩子，并有其他宝贵的生活经历。 他们为课堂讨论和项目增加价值，有明确的目标和对学习的坚定承诺。

随着全国高校招生人数的下降，大龄学生成为越来越重要的招生目标。

“We need to actively and intentionally make sure that our university welcomes adult learners,” Keck said. “We need to knock down barriers, and make sure that they feel that they belong here.”

继续教育学院专门为高年级学生和其他非传统学习者设计课程。 其中一个，大黄蜂！帮助那些在获得学位之前离开萨克州立大学的工作年龄的成年人回来毕业。

凯克说，了解平衡工作、家庭和教育等挑战的顾问会与这些学生单独合作，帮助他们安排灵活的课程安排，克服适应新技术和学习环境等障碍。

The overall message is that “coming back is easier than you think,” she said. 它可以带来显著的回报：获得大学学位可以转化为更高的收入，更好的医疗保健和福利，以及更大的自豪感。

For a lot of older students, however, returning to college “is intimidating because most of the messaging out there about college features teenagers,” Keck said.

“In traditional higher education imagery, you don’t see an older student with gray hair, or with a kid on their hip. 因此，他们可能会对自己的处境感到羞耻或尴尬。 但事实是，这些学生并不孤单。 They won’t be the only older student in their class or in their major, and they are doing something great for themselves and their families.”

凯克补充说，配偶、其他亲戚和朋友可以在帮助大龄学生取得成功方面发挥关键作用。

“Support from their personal social networks can increase their comfort level and make a big difference,” she said.

一些支持以定期午餐聚会的形式出现，Sac州立老年学教授凯瑟琳·科斯（catherine Koss）为年长的学生组织午餐聚会，让他们彼此见面，分享经验。 在最近的一次午餐会上，学生们和其他一些人混在一起，这些人要么是在长期失业后刚刚重返大学，要么是在推迟了获得学位的梦想后第一次上大学。

“There are a lot of reasons why these students want to enroll in college, or come back,” said Keck. “A lot of it has to do with personal intrinsic motivation. It’s something they always wanted to do, or wanted to finish.”

20多年前，49岁的普洛斯特离开了社区大学，专注于在家教育她的孩子。 然而，最近几年，她说她一直在考虑重返校园，上学期她进入了萨克州立大学。

“It was hard at first,” she said. She struggled with technology issues, and blanched when professors referred to students as “kids” and “young people.”

“I felt out of place,” said Provost. “But I decided that I don’t want to waste any more time, and I want to move forward. Overall, it’s been amazing.”

她补充说，她的一些年轻同学已经成为了朋友。

“I mostly can relate to them, without the competition I felt when I was younger,” Provost said. “I tend to ‘mom’ them a little bit.”

现年56岁的史蒂文·墨菲（Steven Murphy）正在攻读商科，在进入萨克州立大学之前，他在联邦监狱待了四年。 He now is part of the University’s Project Rebound program, which helps formerly incarcerated students earn their degrees.

“We need to actively and intentionally make sure that our university welcomes adult learners. We need to knock down barriers, and make sure that they feel that they belong here.” -- Anna Keck, interim director of Academic and Professional Programs in the College of Continuing Education

2015年出狱后，墨菲进入洛杉矶地区的社区大学学习，并在办公室工作，学习了基本的会计知识。 He came to 囊状态 in 2020, earned his bachelor’s degree in 2021, and now is pursuing a master’s.

“When I first got here, it was exciting, because I had finally made it to a university,” said Murphy.

由于疫情限制，他在头两年远程学习，现在他正在享受课堂时间，与年轻的学生和教授面对面交流。

“I’ve made friends along the way, but the younger students have different priorities in life,” said Murphy. “I have no interest in partying. I’ve just kept to my own path. It’s been great.”

萨克拉门托-area native Desiree McFarland, 39, said 囊状态 “has always been a hub for me.”

“I feel right at home in many ways,” said McFarland, who is majoring in Communication Studies.

McFarland, also a Project Rebound student, managed a large apartment complex in recent years but “I hit a glass ceiling because I didn’t have a degree,” she said.

“I want my children and the younger students here to see me walking the walk, going to college and getting a degree,” McFarland said. “No matter what age you are, you can still benefit from a college education.”