By Frank R. DiSilvestro
The [Bloomington, Indiana] Herald Times editorial on February 18, 2006, urged Indiana University and other colleges and universities to carefully consider the challenges of new societal trends described by public policy researcher Daniel Yankelovich. The first trend is "Changing life cycles as our nation's population ages." One sign of this trend is young people delaying major life decisions such as getting a college degree. Another sign is the growing number of baby boomers who are turning to higher education to prepare for new life opportunities. The challenge, according to Yankelovich, is to integrate higher education, training, and work and to better match course offerings and timetables with the needs of these older people.
Fortunately for IU and for the citizens of Indiana, John Ryan, former IU president, and Robert Richey, former dean of the IU School of Continuing Studies, had the foresight to address this trend - 30 years ago. Together, they started the School of Continuing Studies, which offers the General Studies Degree Program. This degree was specifically designed to meet the higher education needs of older, nontraditional students.
The IU School of Continuing Studies offers both an Associate of Arts in General Studies and a Bachelor of General Studies. The general studies degree has no major; rather, it is an interdisciplinary degree that includes the arts and humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and mathematics and natural sciences. It allows students to develop their own individualized plan of study to meet their unique goals. This highly flexible degree allows students to transfer previously earned college credit and to earn college credit for self-acquired learning. In addition, students may earn the degree in a variety of ways: entirely at a distance through the universitywide office, at one of the eight IU campuses throughout the state, or by combining distance learning with on-campus instruction.
A recent research study conducted by the School of Continuing Studies investigated what general studies graduates are doing with their general studies degree, and what they think of the General Studies Degree Program. The study found that graduates worked in a wide variety of occupations, led by business and management and followed by administration, education, healthcare, and social sciences. Many graduates pursued further education in their chosen fields, such as business, liberal arts, and education. Some went on to complete graduate degrees at IU or at other well-known colleges and universities. The general studies degree clearly served as an effective credential for both employment and further education.
Graduates consistently reported that the General Studies Degree Program appealed to them because of its flexibility. Graduates specifically mentioned the program's flexible scheduling and location of classes, as well as its flexible curriculum. A majority of respondents reported taking courses on-campus, while a large portion of the respondents completed course work through a combination of both on-campus and distance learning, or solely by distance learning. Graduates also chose this degree program because of its flexible policy of accepting prior college credits and accepting various forms of assessment of prior learning. They also liked the breadth and options of the general studies curriculum. Graduates reported that the factor that contributed most to their success in earning the general studies degree was the support they received while pursuing the degree. They specifically pointed out the support from the School of Continuing Studies' staff, their instructors, and support from their families.
The founders of the General Studies Degree Program would be happy to know that more than 28,000 students have received general studies degrees from IU since the degree's inception in 1975. Because of a vision shared 30 years ago, IU is ready today to meet the needs of older students, the challenge of changing educational needs in an ever-changing world.
Frank DiSilvestro is a professor of adult education in the School of Continuing Studies.
February 28, 2006
