School For New Learning at DePaul Meets the Needs of Adult Students

Alex Braiman lends a whole new face to the term “adult education.” At 82 years old, the semi-retired Skokie resident is as enthusiastic about his studies at the School for New Learning (SNL) at DePaul University as any 25-year-old.

“I’d read a few ads about adult education programs, but then I saw the one from DePaul that would let me go at my own speed,” said Braiman, who will earn a bachelor’s degree June 14. “Classes were offered in the evenings and near my home. It had always been my ambition to go to college, so I took the initial course.”

According to the National Center for Education Statistics in Washington, D.C., there were an estimated 6 million students aged 25 and older enrolled in degree granting institutions in 2001. That figure was up 2.7 percent from the estimated 5.8 million charted in 1997. The increase in the adult student population has been attributed to a number of factors. The shift in the labor market from a manufacturing economy to one that is service and information based and the Baby Boom generation reaching middle age are two of the major reasons cited.

“As the job market and our economy changes, adults find that the best way to stay current is to return to college,” said Susanne Dumbleton, dean of SNL. “Mature students tend to fare much better in programs like SNL where they can learn with peers and arrange flexible and convenient schedules.”

In 2001, students aged 40 and over accounted for 11.9 percent of the total estimated number of students enrolled in degree-granting programs. SNL, which is expressly designed to meet the educational needs of adult students, provides them with the opportunity to apply work and life experience toward degree requirements. Students design their program specifically to meet their individual personal, professional and educational goals.

While at the seasoned age of 82 Braiman, who is a 1938 graduate of Hyde Park High School, is not your typical “adult” student. His life is a perfect example of an older student who had to put off going to college but later returned to the classroom to earn or complete a degree. Braiman explained that attending college had always been his ambition but after serving in the army and starting a family, his priorities shifted dramatically. “I returned from the service in 1946 and got married,” said Braiman, who has been married for 57 years and is the father of two, and the grandfather of six. “Instead of going to college I took a job in sales.”

After working in the grocery industry for several years, Braiman went on to become an expert in the life and health insurance industry. But the thought of earning a college degree remained in the back of his mind. After deciding to pursue that dream through SNL, Braiman soon learned that some of the courses he took to become a Chartered Life Underwriter and Chartered Financial Consultant--both coveted designations in the insurance industry--as well as some of what he learned through his other experience, would translate into 45 hours of credit at SNL.

Braiman’s academic experience also speaks volumes about the wealth of experience mature students bring to the classroom. “ I’ve lived through World War II the Vietnam War, the Korean War, recession, the depression, inflation and epidemics,” said Braiman, who plans to be a volunteer mentor and tutor for students in need after he earns his degree this spring. “I’ve marched for civil rights and seen prosperity and good times in this country. I knew Nelson Algren. These are things that you don’t forget and life experiences that I can bring to the classroom and share with my fellow students.”

In the fall of 2003, there were 2,400 students aged 24 and older enrolled in SNL programs. SNL, which offers courses on six campuses—the Loop, Lake Forest, Naperville, O’Hare (Des Plaines), Oak Forest and at Barat College in Lake Forest—provides a global model for adult education curriculum. The University of Free State in South Africa recently graduated its first class from a program patterned after, and designed with the help of, SNL.