what would they do? said Pat Fox, enrollment manager at Lancaster.
Editor's Note: This is the fourth in a five-part series on Ohio University's regional campuses.
Serving non-traditional students is an aim of all five Ohio University's regional campuses, and it has become a main priority at the university's Lancaster branch. In fall 2009, they comprised 34 percent of all students.
Students who didn't enroll in college directly after graduating from high school and those older than 25 are considered nontraditional.
The fact that we're here in this community providing the opportunity to a non-traditional student who thought college was an unattainable goal ... If we weren't here what would they do? said Pat Fox, enrollment manager at Lancaster.
Lancaster had 2,024 students in fall 2009 and a budget of about $10 million. The average student on the campus is about 25 years old, and 95 percent of students are white.
Students said they were attracted to the regional campuses because they are close to home, and non-traditional students added that the regional campuses are less intimidating than the Athens campus. Such feedback makes the regional campuses critical to OU's plan for growth.
The university and state officials want to boost enrollment through the regional campuses during the next few years. Tapping into a broader population, including non-traditional students and first-generation college students, is a large part of that plan. OU President Roderick McDavis has also made it a priority to increase the diversity - age, race, gender and other types - across all campuses.
One non-traditional student said the staff at her regional campus helped her readjust to the classroom.
At first it was kind of hard. Being out of school for 35 years it was hard transitioning back
said Kalynda Cloud, a student studying health administration at OU-Southern. She added the friendly atmosphere and support offered for non-traditional students at the Southern Campus helped with her transition. It's a nice environment
she said.
Cloud went back to school for her GED and college degree after her mother died in 2006. She said knowing what her mother accomplished inspired her to pursue an education.
Students on all of the regional campuses pointed to the diverse ages in their classes as an advantage that students in Athens might not get. Regional campuses range from 24 percent non-traditional students at Eastern to 51 percent at Southern, while the Athens campus is 3 percent non-traditional students.
Megan Ault, a junior studying psychology on the Zanesville campus, said having non-traditional students in class provides a more realistic view of the world beyond college.
It's nice to see a different perspective coming from an adult
she said. They've gone through a heck of a lot more
Ault said.
That outside experience, though, often means big commitments. Non-traditional and traditional students on the regional campuses are often holding down jobs and helping care for families while attending classes.
I think for students it's challenging. They have time management issues
said Lancaster professor Patrick Munhall. When I was on the main campus
I felt like I had to motivate students to stop allocating time (to some activities) but here I can't say
'Stop allocating time to your family and stop allocating time to your job.'
But faculty members stress that the curriculum and the rigor are the same on all of OU's campuses.
The style of the teaching is not changing and the syllabus
(the) grading doesn't change
