For active-duty service members and veterans eyeing a college degree, the march to academic success just got easier. The University of North Carolina system now has a tool that simplifies the conversion of military expertise into university credits across 16 campuses.

Bradley Wrenn, program manager for military and veterans education with UNC, described the system's Military Equivalency System as a way to streamline what used to be a rigorous process for people looking to find out how much of their military service translates to a college degree.

"The real challenges fell in the students not really knowing where to submit the information. There wasn't really a system-wide mechanism for them to input their military training and experience information, and so they were doing it at the university level," Wrenn said.

He noted that there was inconsistency among universities regarding who provided information to potential students. Now, anyone with an American Council on Education joint services transcript can easily input their information to find out which courses they will receive credit for.

The impact of this initiative extends beyond individual students. North Carolina ranks as the fourth-largest state for military members, and Wrenn said the UNC System aims to leverage this tool to address critical workforce needs. By credentialing military members, Wrenn added they will have the opportunity to fill needs in high-demand fields such as health sciences, business, education, and STEM.

"We see these folks who are coming out of the military as being key to being able to fill those workforce needs by credentialing them in such a way that they're able to take those jobs because our end goal is not only to graduate our students and to credential them but to keep them here in the state, " Wrenn added.

There are about 7,000 course matches in the tool's database, but Wrenn says it will expand to include more courses. More than 21,000 military-affiliated students enrolled in UNC institutions, representing nearly 10% of the student population.

When students return to a North Dakota college this fall, some will be in a new nursing program. Leaders say not only will it help with workforce shortages, the approach could set easier career pathways.

The University of Jamestown has announced a new degree offering focused on getting more bedside nurses out into regional hospitals and clinics. In partnering with various health providers, the school will open a learning center in Fargo later this year.

Polly Peterson, president of the university, said based on how the degrees are structured and other factors, prospective students might see them as manageable options in pursuing a new career.

"It is significant because of a new population that will be able to access nursing education in an accelerated fashion," Peterson explained.

One program is a "direct-entry" master's in nursing. It is for those with a non-nursing bachelor's degree to begin navigating the profession at an advanced level without taking certain undergrad courses. Peterson acknowledged such degrees are hard to find in the region.

North Dakota's shortage woes aren't as dire as in other states, but industry forecasters say by 2030, it is projected to meet only 84% of its nursing demand.

According to Peterson, the new initiative aims to lure nontraditional college students. In doing so, school leaders realize they cannot adhere to the traditional class schedule.

"These are people that are already probably working, need to continue to work," Peterson pointed out. "We've worked with several of the employers to offer flexible scheduling to allow for that learning to occur."

Peterson noted clinical settings are still an important part of nursing education. But she added the leaning center will lean on emerging technology, such as lifelike simulation dolls, to enhance the experience for students. The school anticipates over the next four years, the degree programs will produce about 350 new nurses.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.


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A Minnesota community college serving rural students is getting a lift as it works to bring more innovation to its campus.

The school was selected as part of a national effort to ensure smaller institutions have the tools to thrive.

Riverland Community College, with locations in greater southeastern Minnesota, was chosen for support from the Accelerating Equitable Outcomes initiative.

It's part of an organization known as Achieving the Dream.

The group's President and CEO Karen Stout said rural community colleges tend to work with tight budgets, making it hard to access outside expertise, and their contributions are often overlooked.

"Sometimes, our community colleges in rural communities are the largest employer," said Stout. "They are sometimes the cultural hub for the community, they can be the social services hub for the community, you know, they can be the recreational hub for the community."

Stout said many students at these schools also lack key resources, and improving their campus experience might propel them to better outcomes.

Just across the border, Chippewa Valley Technical College in Wisconsin was also chosen to join the support network. The program offers a three-year engagement process where school leaders work with coaches and each other on various strategies.

Stout said a lot of these schools are the only post-secondary education option for miles around. She noted they hope to make them ready to adapt to the changing needs of their surrounding communities.

"Some of them are bringing digital skills into their general education work," said Stout, "so that every graduate of that rural community college is digitally savvy."

Stout added that as smaller towns become more diverse, these schools are likely to be serving many first-generation college students in the years ahead.

Understanding what those individuals need to succeed is viewed as a top priority. This initiative is funded through a donation from private philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.


Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.




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Boston University's Prison Education Program is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and is hoping to expand.

Students at Massachusetts Correctional Institution Norfolk and MCI Framingham are earning undergraduate certificates and Bachelor of Liberal Arts degrees, to reform their lives and find ways to give back to their communities upon release.

Program Director Mary Ellen Mastrorilli said it offers hope for a better self, and her students are eager to learn.

"They're highly motivated," said Mastrorilli. "They're not afraid to work hard. They do their assignments. They're just, in some ways, the ideal student."

Mastrorilli said there's a misconception that educating people in prison is being soft on crime, but research shows these programs reduce misconduct and cut the likelihood of recidivism nearly in half.

That may be due to the better job prospects and higher wages that formerly incarcerated people with education experience.

It's also one reason Mastrorilli said she hopes the program will expand - and why even more universities, including Tufts and Emerson, are growing their own prison initiatives, and giving students a second chance.

"The prison education classroom is a space where they get to claim their humanity and their dignity," said Mastrorilli. "And it's easy to understand how personal growth will come from that."

Students in Boston University's program have earned more than 400 bachelor's degrees in the past few decades alone.

Mastrorilli said the undergraduate certificate program has also become increasingly popular with people serving shorter sentences, and for those unsure if they can handle the degree program workload.

She said it's important to judge her students not by their crimes, but as human beings with unlocked potential.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.