I D P. P R O G R A M

The following feature story appeared in the campus publication MOSAIC in November, 1998. Although some of the courses, students, and faculty members referenced in the story may have changed in the meantime, it still provides a full and accurate picture of the Individualized Degree Program. For the most current course information and faculty listing, we encourage you to visit the program's homepage.

INDIVIDUALIZED DEGREE PROGRAM (IDP) AT 25 - CELEBRATING SUCCESS AND EMBRACING NON-TRADITIONAL STUDENTS

At 84 years old, Bernie Neville '00 doesn't exactly blend into the crowd in the halls of Seabury. Trinity's oldest undergraduate, Neville has been known to make the joke that he chose history as his major because, "I was there. I don't have to study." There are 175 adult undergraduates in the Individualized Degree Program (IDP) who, like Neville, bring a different kind of diversity to Trinity's classrooms - age diversity. After all, as Professor of Sociology Noreen L. Channels, observes, "Our commitment is to undergraduate education, not necessarily to young people."

Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, IDP provides a central office to handle the recruiting, enrollment, registration, financial aid, academic advising and other support for non-traditional undergraduate students. The program allows students to take up to 10 years to complete their degrees, enabling them to balance their academic work with jobs - often full-time employment - and family responsibilities. Students may also take a leave of absence for up to one year. These are important considerations for students coping with illness, divorce, the birth of a child, the care of elderly parents, and other issues that can become obstacles to academic achievement for adult students. The program currently boasts more than 400 graduates, and Associate Director of Special Academic Programs Denise T. Best says that one of the reasons IDP is successful is because it is "the most flexible adult education program in the region."

Louise H. Fisher, director of special academic programs, says that IDP is just one example of Trinity's commitment to meeting the different needs of different segments of its student population. She notes that the academic standards for IDP students are exactly the same as for traditional students. And, as with traditional alumni, a sampling of IDP alumni is indicative of the caliber of the group. D. Holmes Morton, M.D., '79 won the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism for his innovative medical treatment of genetic disorders in Amish children. Mystery writer Elaine Budd '88 was nominated for an "Edgar Allen Poe Award" by the Mystery Writers Association of America. Closer to home, IDP graduate Robert F. Peltier '91 is a lecturer in Trinity's Writing Center.

Support from the faculty

Developed by the faculty under the supervision of the Dean of the Faculty, IDP has enjoyed tremendous support from its inception. Fifteen faculty members at a time serve three-year terms on the IDP Council, the policy-making body for the program. Council members - among them some of the College's most senior and most respected professors - also participate in interviewing prospective students and serve as advisers to those who enroll. Many faculty members say they enjoy having IDP students in their classrooms because of the different perspectives they bring. After all, underneath Bernie Neville's joke about knowing history from first-hand experience is the very real fact that someone his age, with his life experience, can make a unique contribution to a discussion.

IDP Council member Professor Noreen Channels believes that IDP students "add a note of reality in a classroom" because they offer proof of how academic work can be useful in the real world. She gives the example of her "Research Methods in the Social Sciences" course, which includes an exploration of data collection and analysis. IDP students who use data tables and charts in their professional work, she says, can attest that the course is teaching skills that help people do their jobs better.

IDP student Jennifer Faber Cordier '99, an American Studies major who is concurrently earning her teaching certificate through a program at St. Joseph College, confirms that what she has learned at Trinity is immediately applicable to the corporate environment in which she presently works. She says, "I have a better understanding about other people, where they come from, and how class, race, and sex make a difference."

Benefits to the college and the community

While IDP offers educational opportunities to individuals, it also increases Trinity's ties to local institutions. Recruiting efforts target local community colleges, college fairs, and corporations. Louise Fisher says that the IDP office also plays the role of an information clearinghouse and referral service for adult learners with a questions and needs that are not necessarily met by Trinity's programs. "We never turn anyone away," she says. "If we can't help them with our own programs we try to send them in the right direction." Her goal is to formally create a separate Adult Education Resource Center for the community, which would counsel people on a wide variety of educational and training opportunities.

Changing world, changing student populations

Twenty-five years ago, many of the IDP's early students were suburban housewives who had gotten married before or during college and now wanted to finish their degrees. Today, the ranks of IDP students include men and women of all ages who have many different personal and professional reasons for going back to school. After a 13-year law career, Elizabeth B. Joyce '99 came to Trinity to earn a degree in music (she has a double major in music and religion) and plans to go on to graduate school for music. "It's wonderful to be able to go back and totally change directions in your life," she says. She points out that this is not such a novel idea these days. "People don't have lifetime security anymore," says Joyce, adding that traditional students who are starting college at 18 years old can expect to change jobs and careers during their working lives, perhaps many times.

Maybe some of them will find their way to Trinity as adult students. As Joyce says, "You can learn at any age."

 

-- Leslie Virostek