HIGHER EDUCATION ORGANIZATION LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN DESIGNED TO INSPIRE
UCEAdirectory.org Helps to Bring More Adults Back to School
CHESTER, PA, June 7, 2006 -
Continuing higher education is becoming more prevalent in today's society, but some adults still have reservations about returning to college. UCEAdirectory.org, the most trusted resource for information on continuing education, has created a groundbreaking new online experience to minimize those reservations and prove to adults that they can earn their degree while leading busy lives at home and work.
UCEAdirectory.org's Inspire, which can be found at UCEAdirectory.org/inspire, tells stories of adults who have successfully earned their college degrees. The aim is not only to entertain a mass audience with touching and inspiring stories of family, success and the overcoming of odds, but to encourage adults considering going back to school that earning a degree is possible.
"Our goal is to increase the number of adults pursuing their college education," says Lori Mitchell, manager of UCEAdirectory.org. "Not only does this make for a more educated society, but for a happier, more productive one."
Mitchell believes that if prospective continuing education students are able to read and relate to stories of other adults discussing their experiences with deciding to go back to school, surviving the first day and graduating, it can inspire those potential students to take action and seek their own degree.
The inaugural Inspire story involves a mother of three commuting two hours to Excelsior College in New York. She says her experience was so rewarding she has now become an advocate for adult education.
Diane O'Connor-Easton, Director of Marketing Services at a Excelsior College, says, "The concept and the intent of Inspire is great. By revealing the success stories of adult learners, it serves as an inspiration to those who have wanted to pursue higher education for personal and professional reasons but have held back because they wonder 'Can I do this?' or 'How do I fit this into my already busy life?' Seeing that others, like themselves, have succeeded and are thriving because of their accomplishments is a great motivation for those who see a long road ahead."
Other stories involve a 45-year-old father deciding to become a nurse, and a soldier who earned a degree while serving in the military. Mitchell hopes to have many similar stories on the Inspire website so that there will be at least one story to which every adult can relate in some way. In addition, fans of the site can sign up to receive a newsletter in which a new inspiring story is e-mailed to them every other week.
"Everybody likes touching, emotional tales," Mitchell says. "Imagine listening to a child talk about how he and his mother do homework together every night, or reading the story of a self-made businessman who finally received the art degree he could not afford earlier in his life. These stories will surely touch your heart and, if all goes well, inspire some to pursue an education of their own."
UCEAdirectory.org
UCEAdirectory.org is an online directory of regionally-accredited continuing education institutions. The website is run through a strategic partnership between the University Continuing Education Associate (UCEA), an organization committed to extending opportunities to the expanding population of non-traditional students seeking continuous learning, and Educational Directories Unlimited (EDU), the leading provider of online higher education directories with such websites as GradSchools.com and StudyAbroad.com.