News Release

Focused on the Future of Higher Education

A Wilmington University partnership leads to a seat at the table during a recent national education policy summit.

The future of higher education depends on innovative models and methods to reach the next generation of learners. Through its participation in a groundbreaking federal program, Wilmington University recently earned the opportunity to discuss that future with policymakers from the White House and the U.S. Department of Education.

Dr. Mary Ann Westerfield, Dean of the College of Technology, and Lindsay Rice, assessment manager for the College of Online and Experiential Learning, were among 200 representatives from schools, companies and non-profit organizations invited to a Washington D.C. symposium on quality improvement and cost reduction in post-secondary education on November 15.

The symposium, hosted by undersecretary of education Ted Mitchell and other administration advisers at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, highlighted grant programs, experimental efforts and other developments that could boost the effectiveness and efficiency of higher education.

The day before, Westerfield, Rice and Melanie Augustin, head of school at software development boot camp Zip Code Wilmington, met with Department of Education staff and other Education Quality Through Innovative Partnerships (EQUIP) program participants to report on the progress of the program's creation, identify the challenges they've experienced and compare notes.

"There was a lot of really good learning there," said Westerfield. "It was great to be a part of the national discussion and to help move it forward."

The discussion is at a critical juncture, she said. Higher education is in the process of determining what directions it may take in the near future — what degrees and certificates will look like, for instance, and what experiences will count as credit hours.

"EQUIP has gotten us a seat at the table, but EQUIP is just the first step," said Westerfield. "The world is changing in higher education. I'd rather be part of the conversation than let the folks in Washington, who aren't the ones in the trenches, make all the policy."

The Department of Education's EQUIP program aims to improve access to technological training opportunities — and tech-sector employment — for low-income students. It does this by allowing the students to tap federal financial aid when enrolling in non-traditional programs that have partnered with accredited post-secondary institutions.

Wilmington University and Zip Code Wilmington, an intensive, immersive, 90-day coding skills course backed by area corporations, were selected in August 2016 as one of eight partnerships to participate in the pilot stage of EQUIP.

Through the program, eligible students can receive federal Pell Grants toward Zip Code Wilmington tuition as well as a full semester of college credit, applicable toward Wilmington University's associate or bachelor's degrees in applied technology.

Palo Alto, California-based tech recruiting firm HackerRank will serve as a third-party quality assurance overseer to the partnership, tracking students' progress, performance and employment outcomes.

Westerfield said she anticipates the partnership's ground rules to receive the Middle States Commission on Higher Education's approval early next year, and for the partnership to begin in earnest in summer 2017.

The WilmU - Zip Code team is unique among the EQUIP program's partnerships in that both are non-profit education providers. It is one of the reasons why the College of Technology — home of East Coast Reboot, an annual tech talent competition, and BSides Delaware, the longest running cyber security conference and competition in Delaware — is ideally suited to play a role in the developments that could innovate higher education.

"People might not understand what programs we have here," said Westerfield. "The College of Health Professions and the College of Education are pretty self-explanatory. But what, exactly, is the College of Technology?"

In her view, it's where fantasies of the future become hands-on facts. "When business is gamifying everything, this is where that education happens," she said.

For more information, visit the College of Technology website or contact the University Information Center by calling toll free (877)967-5464. 

About Wilmington University

Wilmington University is a private, nonprofit institution committed to providing flexible, career-oriented, traditional and online associate, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs. Ranked as the second fastest growing nonprofit doctoral institution in America 2004 – 2014 by The Almanac of The Chronicle of Higher Education, affordable tuition, academic excellence and individualized attention are hallmarks of the University that enable greater student success in their chosen careers. For more information, contact Wilmington University at 302-356-INFO (4636), via email at infocenter@wilmu.edu, or visit our website: www.wilmu.edu.

Published: Friday, December 16, 2016 - New Castle, DE