MANSFIELD, PA— Dr. Hunter Boylan, director of the National Center for Developmental 
Education (NCDE) and a professor of Higher Education at Appalachian State University, visited Mansfield University on Thursday, September 24 to talk about the importance of retention, equity, inclusion and providing support for non-traditional students.
In his presentation, “21st Century Practices for Promoting Equity and Retention: What we know about what we do and what we do about what know,” Boylan spoke with MU faculty, staff and students about the changing demographics of college students and how to best help them adapt, adjust and succeed in college and beyond.
“The 21st century student is more likely to be non-traditional than previous students you’ve had and will have somewhat different needs,” Boylan said.
Boylan points out that the American workforce, in particular the educated workforce–people with a baccalaureate degree, is not increasing rapidly enough to fill the labor market’s needs.
“We cannot improve the number of our graduates by taking our traditional middle class students and graduating more of them, because pretty much everyone in the middle class that wants to go to college is already going, so the only way to expand our college graduates and our workforce is to dig deeper into the pool and reach low income 
students,” he said. “But, if you’re going to recruit low income students, and you’re going to need to, then you need to treat them a little differently than you do your middle class students.”
“There is a considerable and growing body of literature that suggests that diversity is an intellectual and educational benefit,” he added. “If you measure the intellectual development of students who have been in a diverse classroom and those who have not, in other words they go to school with people that look just like they do, you find the former group generate better critical thinking, analytical thinking and tolerance than the latter group. So bringing a diverse population into the community actually increases the quality of learning.”
When asked about academic “bridge” programs, such as Mansfield’s Gateway Program, Boylan called them “essential” and pointed out that research shows that one of the best ways to get non-traditional students–minority, low income and/or first generation, through at least the first year of college is through some sort of bridge program.
The Gateway Program provides early access to higher education for students who demonstrate potential for success in college, but may lack the traditional evidence required for standard admission. For six weeks over the summer, students who qualify for the program live on campus, take three credit based classes, receive individualized tutoring and supplemental instruction, participate in collaborative group experiences, learning opportunities inside and outside of the classroom, peer mentoring, academic advising by a professor, and a wide range of workshops that address emotional wellness, coping with change, and transitioning to college.
“So if we’re looking at having a different type of student at our institutions, then we have to look at doing different things for them and the Gateway Program is probably one of the strongest things we can do,” Boylan said. “It’s a little different than your old learning assistance program where we sat and waited for people to come to them. The new model is we go out and get them. We do not let people slip through the cracks because, as you can imagine, who slips through the cracks when you do that?”
Boylan pointed out that programs such as TRiO, which offer academic assistance and support after a student has enrolled for undergraduate study increase the chances of success in receiving their degree.
To learn more about the Gateway Program at Mansfield, go to mansfield.edu/gateway
To learn more about TRiO Student Support Services, go to mansfield.edu/trio
Boylan’s visit to Mansfield was sponsored by Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, Office of the Provost, MU Trustee Karen Russell and Professor Emeritus David H. Russell, former director of ACT 101.