UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The president of a California community college will discuss how to support adult learners in a post-COVID-19 world as part of Penn State’s annual conference on the best practices to serve this student population.
Keith Curry, the president of Compton College and the CEO of the Compton Community College District, will provide the keynote address of the 2022 Penn State Hendrick Best Practices for Adult Learners Conference. The conference will be streamed online starting at 11 a.m. ET Wednesday, May 10, and Thursday, May 11.
Faculty, staff and administrators from any university in the country are invited to attend. Registration is open through May 1.
As the president and CEO, Curry is responsible for promoting student enrollment, success and retention and working with the vice presidents of the college to develop strategic plans and procedures to enhance programs and services.
Chuck Greggs, the chair of this year’s Hendrick Conference, said the insights from Curry are sure to be timely and relevant for faculty, staff and administrators.
"Everyone has had impact from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Greggs, who is also the director of enrollment management at Penn State Shenango. “In higher education, understanding the lessons learned in teaching and learning allows us to create important innovations in the future to support adult learners. A goal of the Hendrick Conference is to share those lessons learned widely."
The topics have been organized around two tracks: recruiting and retaining adult learners and teaching theory and practice.
Sessions will include talks from experts, panel discussions with current Penn State adult learners, and recognition of the outstanding service award for a Penn State employee who supports these students.
Adult learners are a significant population of Penn State’s student population, with almost 30,000 students attending the University through one if its 24 campuses, including University Park and Penn State World Campus.
The commission, established in 1998, comprises administrators, faculty and staff from across Penn State who are dedicated to reviewing policies and practices that will improve the adult learner experience at the University.
"The Commission has a rich history of advising University leadership on best practices related to adult learners,” said Kelly Wolgast, the chair of the commission, an associate teaching professor in the College of Nursing and the director of the University’s COVID-19 Operations Control Center. “This work continues by the dedicated Commission members representing our campuses and learner population."
Penn State’s Commission for Adult Learners sponsors the annual conference, which is named in honor of the late Shirley Hendrick, associate dean for continuing education in the Penn State Smeal College of Business and the inaugural chair of the commission.
Visit the Hendrick Conference website to register for this year’s conference.