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Sinclair Re-Enrolls Over 430 Stopped-Out Adult Students

Sinclair partnered with Learn to Earn Dayton and StrivePartnership Cincinnati to reengage adult students (age 25 and older), who had previously withdrawn from college, bringing them back to Sinclair to complete their education. Sometimes referred to as “stopped-out students,” these 430 Sinclair adult learners have re-enrolled at Sinclair for the 2020 spring semester. Nine of these 430 students are eligible to graduate promptly from Sinclair with a degree or certificate.

This Cradle to Career initiative was funded and established by StriveTogether, a national nonprofit network of nearly 70 community partnerships that work to ensure that every child succeeds from cradle to career, regardless of race, income or zip code.  

Tom Lasley, CEO of Learn to Earn Dayton, said, “The effort to reengage stopped out students illustrates why Sinclair Community College is such an incredible asset to the Dayton community. Learn to Earn Dayton values the chance to work with Sinclair to create this opportunity for adults in our community.”

Byron White, Executive Director of StrivePartnership, said, “The success that Sinclair is achieving is providing a model and inspiration for other local partnerships around the state between cradle-to-career organizations and higher education institutions that are aggressively taking on this important task.”

Sinclair College President Steven L. Johnson, said, “At Sinclair, we are deeply committed to eliminating barriers to school success ensuring that we help more people in the Dayton area be college and career ready. We have an intensive postsecondary credential completion agenda underway which aligns with Ohio’s educational attainment goal of 65% by 2025. With a focused effort on stopped-out students, we will help more adults earn credentials with labor market value leading to family-sustaining wages and a stronger workforce for southwest Ohio.”

Sinclair has recently developed a program of supportive services and a course delivery system to specifically meet the specific needs of adult students age 25 and older. With the median age of Sinclair’s stopped-out students being 47, these newly designed services will help these students reengage in college and succeed. 

Over the past 15 years, the success rates of Sinclair students have skyrocketed, with over 5,300 students completing an astounding 8,100 degrees and certificates in the 2018-19 academic year. Since 2005, the college has experienced more than a 600% increase in the number of degrees and certificates awarded to African American male students and over a 1,900% increase for minority students. The number of degrees and certificates earned by all students has also increased by more than 335% since 2005.

Sinclair is recognized as a local and national leader in delivering high-quality and affordable higher education. One of the oldest and best known community colleges in the nation, Sinclair was founded in 1887 by David A. Sinclair and is a board member of the prestigious League for Innovation in the Community College. Sinclair offers over 260 accredited degrees and certificates.

For more information, contact Deena John at 937-272-8208 or deena.john@sinclair.edu

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