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ADCP named Outstanding Adult Education Program of the Year
Written By: Rachel Rodemann Putman
The Adult Degree Completion Program at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, along with Dr. Tina Root, Dr. Kristin Tardif, and Dr. Ken Warden, earned the prestigious Malcolm Knowles Award for outstanding adult education program leadership earlier this month.
The Adult Degree Completion Program (ADCP) began in the Fall of 2019 with a class of 19 students. This fall, more than 100 students were participating in the ADCP program. The program was honored for its innovative and robust assessment process for portfolio assessment and granting of credit for prior learning, as well as its programmatic dedication to student success.
“Serving our non-traditional students in new and innovative ways is core to the mission of UA Fort Smith, and the Adult Degree Completion Program (ADCP) is one of the many ways UAFS works to improve our community,” said Dr. Ken Warden, Associate Vice Chancellor for Compliance and Legislative Affairs. “ I’m very proud to be a part of the ADCP program and the Malcolm Knowles Award. This national recognition highlights the great work of the university and demonstrates how UAFS is a premier institution of higher education.”
ADCP students enter the program with a dedicated program advisor who works with students from admission through graduation, a dedicated introductory course for ADCP students which guides them through the portfolio process and prepares them for a return to college classes, and access to special accelerated sections of major and general education courses to increase the speed of degree completion. Courses are offered online and during the evening, and instructors are experts in adult education.
“The UAFS Adult Degree Completion Program has been the ideal option for me to realize my dream of earning a college degree,” said Melanie Gage, Senior Vice President and Private Banking Manager at Arvest. “By receiving credit for prior learning, I am on track to complete my degree in two years and I will be graduating in December of 2021 with my Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Leadership. Dr. Root and her team have been so supportive of me through this process and it has been clear to me how invested they are in my success. Even though I am graduating soon, I am certain the relationships we have built will continue long afterward. The experience has been amazing and the program has already helped me achieve a new career milestone with a recent promotion.”
In the two years since the program’s inception, seven students have completed the Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership as of Spring 2021, with an additional 12 students anticipated to graduate by Fall 2021. In addition, ADCP students have completed eight Associate of General Studies degrees and anticipate an additional five graduates by the end of Fall 2021.
“Serving our non-traditional students in new and innovative ways is core to the mission of UA Fort Smith, and the Adult Degree Completion Program (ADCP) is one of the many ways UAFS works to improve our community,” said Dr. Ken Warden, Associate Vice Chancellor for Compliance and Legislative Affairs. “ I’m very proud to be a part of the ADCP program and the Malcolm Knowles Award. This national recognition highlights the great work of the university and demonstrates how UAFS is a premier institution of higher education.”
According to the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE), the Malcolm Knowles Award was established by the AAACE in the name of Malcolm S. Knowles for his distinguished contribution to theory and practice in the field of adult education from 1935 onward. A hallmark of Malcolm's work has been his popularization of the theory of andragogy — the art and science of helping adults learn — in the USA and the spread of its influence around the world. This award is intended to give recognition to an adult education program, including the personnel responsible for carrying out the program, in accordance with the andragogical process.
Dr. Tina Root, Director of Adult Degree Completion Program accepted the award on behalf of the program during the 2021 AAACE Annual Conference this October.
About the Malcolm Knowles Award for Outstanding Adult Education Program Leadership
Malcolm Knowles has been a major influence in the practice of adult and continuing education. In his name, this award recognizes teams or individuals for outstanding leadership to programs, in accordance with andragogical processes, that demonstrate particular effectiveness, relevancy, creativity, immediacy, institutional cooperation or collaboration, and legislative impact.
About the American Association of Adult and Continuing Education
The mission of the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE) is to provide leadership for the field of adult and continuing education by expanding opportunities for adult growth and development; unifying adult educators; fostering the development and dissemination of theory, research, information, and best practices; promoting identity and standards for the profession; and advocating relevant public policy and social change initiatives.
AAACE holds an annual conference in different regions of the country every year and publishes the leading adult education journals in the field: Adult Education Quarterly(AEQ), Adult Learning (AL), and the Journal of Transformative Education (JTED) as well as the Handbook of Adult and Continuing Education every 10 years.
About the Adult Degree Completion Program (ADCP)
The Adult Degree Completion Program (ADCP) at University of Arkansas – _Fort Smith is a program through which non-traditional students with some college credits can earn a Bachelor of Organizational Leadership via a streamlined process. ADCP students must be at least 25 years of age, have at least five years of work experience, have more than 30 hours of college credit, and have never earned a bachelor’s degree.
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