Urban Adult Learner Institute

Urban adult learners play a vital role in today's rapidly evolving educational landscape. They often balance work, family responsibilities, and financial constraints. They possess a wealth of assets, face specific challenges, and require tailored support to succeed. Our shared responsibility as educational leaders is to ensure equitable access, persistence, and completion rates for adult learners, one of the fastest-growing student populations.

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APLU and USU are excited to offer the Urban Adult Learner Institute (UALI), which aims to build awareness, disseminate best practices, and gather national momentum to support this critical learner population. UALI is a four-module, self-paced, professional development program that will allow you to learn more about research-backed evidence to support the experiences, transitions, and career pathways adult learners are most concerned with during their time at our institutions. While UALI draws on the experiences of adult learners attending urban-serving universities, the modules can support adult learners in many university contexts. Upon completion of each module, UALI participants will earn digital badges, and upon completion of all four modules, participants will become certified Adult Learner Advocates.

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We invite you and your colleagues to join us on this transformative journey. By participating in UALI, you will gain access to a network of like-minded leaders, resources, and opportunities for collaboration. Together, we can create a collective voice for change and pave the way for improved outcomes for urban adult learners nationwide.

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UALI is free to faculty, staff, and students at USU member institutions, a $500 value, by using the code USUMEMBER2025 at checkout. You must use your USU member institution to register. If you experience any issues with the registration process, or have any additional questions, please reach out to Jimmy McClellan at jmcclellanjr@aplu.org