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The journey to a college degree contains major detours for more students than it may initially appear. Long heralded as the most critical pathway to economic mobility and personal fulfillment, higher education has come under greater scrutiny in recent years in terms of the value it provides and the outcomes its graduates experience. And for a surprisingly large group, enrollment does not result in a degree. 

What is driving the troubling trend of students stopping out, and what can be done to move these learners toward success? 

Join Inside Higher Ed's Colleen Flaherty for a live webcast that builds on the insights from the recently-published deep dive report of the same name. Featuring the report’s author, Kristi DePaul, with perspectives from higher education leaders deeply engaged in this work, the expert panel will discuss the current state of the stop-out, or “comebacker,” experience, the barriers for this population and the actions that institutional leaders and policy makers can take to better serve them in their postsecondary journeys. 

The webcast will cover the following: 

  • Profile of the growing population of students who stop out and the reasons given for leaving college
  • Some of the benefits and challenges that returnees may face that differ from first-time student peers
  • Notable examples of supportive policies and practices that states and institutions across the country are implementing to bring students who stop out back into higher education
  • Initiatives and interventions to ease the credit transfer process for returnees
  • Alternative credentialing programs and apprenticeships that offer pathways to careers, especially in the skilled trades 

Thursday, October 10 | 2 p.m. E.T.

From Some-College-No-Degree to Success: Postsecondary Pathways for the 40 Million

PANELISTS

Kelly Leon
Vice President of Communications and Government Relations at the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP)

Kelly Leon serves as vice president of communications and government relations at the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) and brings nearly 15 years of strategic communications experience in federal, research, philanthropic and postsecondary institutions. In this role, she leads the organization’s communications and government affairs efforts. Before rejoining IHEP, Kelly was appointed as deputy assistant secretary for communications at the U.S. Education Department and was concurrently delegated the duties to serve as assistant secretary for communications and outreach. Prior to her most recent federal service, Leon served as a communications officer at the Kresge Foundation, where she led storytelling and strategic communications projects for the education and American cities grantmaking programs. She also previously served as IHEP’s inaugural communications and advocacy officer. She earned a B.A. in English and an M.A. in organizational management from George Washington University, where she was a Presidential Administrative Fellow. Leon is the daughter of Belizean immigrants. She is inspired by IHEP’s steadfast commitment to developing equity-driven recommendations that promote postsecondary access and success for all students.

Kristi DePaul
Founder and CEO of Founders

Kristi DePaul is an entrepreneur whose work has centered on enabling others' economic and social mobility. She is a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review, and her writing has appeared in the Horizon Report and research reports sponsored by the Barbara Bush Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Digital Promise and Microsoft for Education, among others. DePaul leads Founders, a remote content agency that serves K-20 education, training and professional development organizations. She previously oversaw the teaching and learning column for EDUCAUSE Review. Earlier in her career, DePaul led marketing communications efforts for global edtech firms, educational consulting startups and for schools within both public and private higher ed institutions. She is a graduate of Penn State University’s Bellisario College of Communications and the H. John Heinz III College of Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University. A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Kristi lives with her family in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Colleen Flaherty
Senior Editor of Special Content at Inside Higher Ed

Colleen Flaherty, Senior Editor of Special Content, previously served as Student Voice Editor for Inside Higher Ed. Prior to joining the publication in 2012, Colleen was military editor at the Killeen Daily Herald, outside Fort Hood, Texas. Before that, she covered government and land use issues for the Greenwich Time and Hersam Acorn Newspapers in her home state of Connecticut. After graduating from McGill University in Montreal with a degree in English literature, Colleen taught English and English as a second language in public schools in the Bronx, New York. She earned her M.S.Ed. from City University of New York Lehman College as part of the New York City Teaching Fellows program.

Matt Bergman, Ph.D.
Partner Faculty at the University of Louisville and a Senior Fellow with the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

Matt Bergman, Ph.D. is a partner faculty member at the University of Louisville and a senior fellow with the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. Co-author of Unfinished Business: Compelling Stories of Adult Student Persistence, Dr. Bergman’s work centers on advancing adult student success through innovative degree completion strategies, prior learning assessment and student persistence initiatives. His scholarship in the field has garnered recognition from international media, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Chronicle of Higher Education, NPR, Inside Higher Ed and TIME Magazine. Under his direction, his program received distinguished honors such as the ACHE Distinguished Program Award, the AAACE Curriculum Innovation Award and the AAACE Malcolm Knowles Award for Adult Education Program of the Year. At the University of Louisville, Dr. Bergman has earned several prestigious accolades, including the ACHE South Outstanding Faculty Award and Metroversity Outstanding Faculty for Adult Learners. Additionally, he has been named a Top 4 Faculty Favorite by students. As an ambassador for the Council on Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), Dr. Bergman is a dedicated advocate, teacher and administrator, championing degree attainment for adult learners across the nation.

Lovell Pugh-Bassett, Ph.D.
President of Camden County College

Lovell Pugh-Bassett became the sixth president of Camden County College on July 1, 2022. President Pugh-Bassett previously served as the vice president of institutional effectiveness, advancement and strategic initiatives at the College since 2021. This marked her return to higher education after 20 years with the New Jersey Department of Education, having served in a number of capacities culminating in the role of Camden County executive county superintendent of schools. Pugh-Bassett’s professional introduction to education began in higher education where she served as an instructor and program coordinator for the Math/Science Upward Bound Program at Temple University. After years with Temple, she served as the program director for Upward Bound at the Community College of Philadelphia and transitioned to her work in K-12 at the NJDOE. Her philosophy of leadership and education is the idea of merging education with advocacy. Her mission can be summed up appropriately as “I slept and I dreamed that life is all joy. I woke and I saw that life is all service. I served and I saw that service is joy.” She believes that it is, after all, the inherent mission of a community college in its service to its community.

CAN'T ATTEND LIVE?

You should still register -- all registrants, including attendees and absentees, will receive a recording of the webcast and a copy of the presentation slides.