$150K Grant Awarded To Wayne's William Paterson University

WAYNE, NJ — William Paterson University is adding a weapon to its arsenal of financial support for undergraduate students.

The university's Center for Degree Completion and Adult Learning (DCAL) announced that it has received a $150,000 grant from the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education to reengage adults with some credits but no degree and encourage them to re-enroll and complete their bachelor's degree.

The grant project, titled WP Accelerate, will support access to credit for prior learning for the “some college, no degree” population and build more capacity to address institutional barriers for returning adult learners.

At William Paterson, the DCAL assists such students in returning to formal education and works with them to obtain credit for prior learning through testing, portfolio assessment of related work experience, and/or credit equivalency options for professional training and credentials.

“The challenges these returning students face as working adults necessitate additional support for peer connections distinct from traditional-age populations, opportunities to prepare for career advancement, and support for leveraging credit for prior learning to accelerate their degree completion,” said Kara Rabbitt, associate provost for academic initiatives.

William Paterson's efforts will be particularly focused on the requirements of adult learners who have had to interrupt their educational journeys due to familial, financial, or employment obligations.

The Accelerate project will help working people overcome barriers to degree completion by enhancing emergency, peer, and after-hours services for returning adult learners while also lowering financial barriers to re-enrollment and perseverance.

As part of the project, William Paterson will provide wrap-around support for the adult learner population through an innovative “Peer Career Learning” cohort experience, building peer networking connections and career readiness, and providing opportunities to earn credit for prior learning.

The WP Accelerate project builds on William Paterson's previous initiatives for adult learners, such as the Center for Degree Completion and Adult Learning, which offers onboarding for returning adult learners, credit for prior learning and targeted programming.

“The WP Accelerate project will allow William Paterson University to expand key supports aligned with evidence-based research for best outcomes and to build the systems needed to assure long-term persistence and success for returning students,” Rabbitt said.