Older graduates part of a demographic trend at Southeast

Charles Vandegriffe is a lifelong learner. At 80, the suburban St. Louis man is making plans for graduate school.

Vandegriffe, with the help of his walker, will take his commencement steps Saturday, graduating with a general education degree from Southeast Missouri State University.

"It has been a long road," he said.

It's not that he needs the degree. A pioneer in computer technology, Vandegriffe started with computing punch cards in the Navy. He was the civilian equivalent of a "bird colonel" at one point, worked in integrated technology for multinational corporations like Ralston Purina and Electronic Data Systems, and helped tackle the Y2K scare.

At 70, he retired -- sort of. Vandegriffe went on to serve as ambassador for insurer United HealthCare and write books and newspaper columns.

"I started settling down a little," he said, "but I have got to keep busy. I don't want to sit on the front porch in a rocking chair and watch my liver spots jump from one hand to the other."

So he pursued his degree online from Southeast. His much younger classmates in the Web-based forums keep his mind sharp, he said.

"They keep me young," Vandegriffe said. "Old people shouldn't sit in a corner and wait for death. That's wrong. I still got a lot of living to do."

Vandegriffe will join an anticipated 18 undergrads 50 or older -- including two in their 70s -- to receive their degrees this semester from Southeast, about 3.6 percent of the 500 students expected to graduate Saturday. There were 157 students older than 50 enrolled last spring, according to the university's spring 2010 four-year census.

Students 25 years and older make up nearly 50 percent of U.S. college enrollments, according to the 2008 National Adult Student Priorities Report. The projected increase in college enrollment from 2007 to 2018 will be 12 percent for students 35 and older, according to the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education. Growth of adult student enrollments is expected to outpace that of traditional student enrollments through 2016.

Southeast's older, adult learning population, including nontraditional students, has nearly doubled over the past couple of years, according to Danielle Alspaugh, the university's associate director of admissions for operations. The troubled economy has a lot to do with those figures, Alspaugh said, with mass layoffs and federal assistance programs driving displaced workers back to school.

For some, it's about job security.

"We have several others who say they have been in a job for 30 years and everyone around them that is being hired has a degree," Alspaugh said. "Then there is the person who says they are missing something in life and they want to make sure they are accomplishing their goals and dreams."

Baby boomers, the first generation to go to college in force, are filling classrooms and chat rooms to capacity. But higher education advocates say U.S. colleges and universities need to do more to accommodate the needs of a growing student population.

"Adult learners must be recognized as a diverse and complex set of individuals with widely divergent aspirations, levels of preparation and degrees of risk," according to a report from the Lumina Foundation, which calls for the U.S. to develop the "untapped potential" of the more than 50 million working adults who have not completed a four-year degree.

Second chances

This Saturday, Teresa Golden can cross off the one big regret in her life. At 50, Golden will receive a bachelor of general studies degree with minors in administrative systems management and accounting.

The Cape Girardeau woman's path to commencement began more than a quarter-century ago. She was a young mother trying to balance family, work and school. After another late-night study session, Golden and her husband got a phone call from a firefighter early in the morning informing them that their two small children were at the firehouse; someone had found them playing in the street.

"That scared me so bad," Golden said. "I said right then, 'I'm quitting. My children need me more than I needed to go to school.'"

Four years ago, she had surgery to remove a cell phone-sized tumor from her heart. The operation forced Golden to take a closer look at her life, and she realized the one thing that was missing was that college education.

So she faced her fears and enrolled. It was daunting at first, Golden said, but over time she has grown to enjoy her role as student and conversation-starter in classes with younger and often more reserved classmates. She learned more than what was on the syllabus. Early on, Golden was diagnosed with a reading disorder. While there were times when she wanted to give up, she has persevered.

"Somewhere my attitude and confidence level has changed, and it has grown throughout," she said. "I'm proud of myself, and my children and husband are, too,"

This weekend her mother, with an eighth-grade education, and her father, who left school after fourth grade, will watch her walk the graduation stage.

As for Vandegriffe, he plans to continue his education by pursuing a master's degree in religion focusing on Bible studies. He describes himself as just an average guy, albeit richly blessed.

"I have a nice wife, a lot of children and grandkids. I have a 62-year-old boy who kisses his dad yet," Vandegriffe said. "There's hope for everybody as long as you do what you like, and if you do you will be successful and the money comes from that."

Winter commencement at Southeast Missouri State University will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Show Me Center.

mkittle@semissourian.com

388-3627