Michael Offerman, USA, Adult, Higher Education
Michael J. Offerman is vice chairman, external university initiatives, for Capella University, a fully online, accredited university with more than 20,000 students. He formerly served as president of Capella University and senior vice president of Capella Education Company from 2001–2007. He has an extensive background in adult and distance learning and is a frequent speaker at national conferences on these topics.
He also is a member of the Presidents’ Forum, a consortium of regionally accredited, adult-serving higher education institutions, and led the working group that developed the Forum’s groundbreaking Transparency By Design initiative.
The Other 85 Percent
Welcome to The Other 85 Percent. So what does “the other 85 percent” refer to? Research has shown that only about 15 percent of higher education students still fit the traditional definition of young adults age 18 to 22 who live on campus and go to school full time. Many today are working adults, often with families, who want to advance in their careers.
As the face of the typical student has changed, so must the institution of higher education itself. In this blog I will address issues such as educational accessibility, outcomes and accountability as they relate to the working adult. I encourage your comments and dialogue on these critical issues related to the future of higher education.
Theme: higher education, distance learning, college, elearning, online education
