By Anne M. Kress, PhD, President, Northern Virginia Community College

Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) has six decades of experience serving a diverse student body, including military service members and veterans, and recently we challenged ourselves to be more responsive to the changing needs of the members of our military community. We started offering programs built around the new realities of military life and that commitment to responsiveness led to two programs. One is designed for active-duty sailors and marines and offers asynchronous coursework with wraparound support that address the unpredictability of military schedules. The second prepares veterans and service members transitioning to life outside the military for careers in the rapidly expanding data center industry. 

NOVA’s transformational partnership with the U.S. Naval Community College (USNCC) launched in spring 2021 to provide an opportunity for active-duty sailors and marines to study cybersecurity. Nearly 100 students began working toward an applied associate degree with the possibility of earning three career studies certificates along the way. Given the unpredictability of military life, the program is offered through NOVA Online (NOL), NOVA’s remote learning platform, meaning that it is asynchronous and fully remote. Thus, students can stay on their degree paths no matter how often their duty station changes. 

What makes the program truly responsive is the support NOVA has built around the curriculum. Salesforce-based tracking tools, developed specifically to support USNCC students, generate weekly reports on enrollment, course performance, and at-risk indicators. Automated alerts go out the moment a student’s performance dips, and a third week of concern triggers a direct phone call. To meet the needs of students serving the country on the other side of the world, NOVA had to forge and maintain relationships with them, not just offer courses. A dedicated team provides hands on oversight and management.

The second program, AWS Duty 2 Data Center, exemplifies NOVA’s commitment to building high impact pathways that connect learning to earning. Northern Virginia is home to the largest concentration of data centers in the world; veterans — disciplined, technically skilled, and mission-focused — are a natural fit for these employers.

Launched in fall 2025 with a grant from Amazon Web Services (AWS), the first Duty 2 Data Center cohort brought together 20 veterans and three active-duty service members, representing every branch of the military. Students completed 11 credits and an OSHA-10 general industry and construction certification, and 96% moved directly into full-time work following the program. A second cohort of 23 veterans just launched, and a third is being planned for fall.

What has made Duty 2 Data Center so successful? Proximity and trust. Because courses were held on campus, NOVA faculty and staff saw students regularly and advocated for them. When barriers emerged beyond the classroom — housing instability, transportation gaps, financial emergencies — NOVA was there to help. Building in the capacity to address the holistic needs of our learners is not a nice-to-have. It is what transformational completion requires.

For policymakers, the ask is straightforward. Programs like USNCC and Duty 2 Datacenter required new technology infrastructure, specialized support teams, and emergency wraparound funding — none of which traditional higher education budgets are built to provide. If the educational promise made to those who serve is to be taken seriously, federal and state investment must be as reliable as the commitment military students make to our country every single day. The talent is here. The demand is here. What these programs need now is the policy foundation to scale — so that NOVA and all our nation’s community colleges can keep doing what we do best: proudly serving as economic changemakers, transforming individual lives while strengthening entire regions by providing the career-ready talent needed today and tomorrow.

By: Justin Lonon

America’s economic future hinges on a simple truth: postsecondary credentials are becoming increasingly more relevant. Yet tens of millions of adults remain stranded — without degrees, without pathways and without support.

By 2031, 72% of jobs will require education beyond high school, according to the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. Meanwhile, 43.1 million Americans have left college without a credential. 

The consequences of this national completion crisis are profound. Students invest in tuition, books and housing, only to leave without the degree that unlocks higher wages and career mobility.

Employers are feeling this pain as well. Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas states that as industries evolve and technology reshapes the workforce, employers increasingly seek workers with verified, up-to-date skills. For adult learners, earning postsecondary credentials or certifications translates directly into higher wages, stronger job security and clearer career advancement pathways.

The lifetime earnings of a full-time, full-year worker with a high school diploma are $1.6 million, while workers with an associate degree earn $2 million, according to the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. This highlights the significant return on investment in accessible, two-year higher education — and there are additional support and advancement benefits that a community college has to offer.

Breaking Barriers, Building Futures

At Dallas College, we see adult learners as the key to unlocking economic mobility and solving the national completion crisis. They are balancing jobs, families and financial pressures. They’re reinvesting in their future, and we must meet them with systems that reflect their reality. 

Cost remains a critical barrier. In a Gallup–Lumina Foundation study, 87% of the Some College, No Credential (SCNC) population cited affordability as a top reason for leaving. Others pointed to work conflicts, stress and limited learning modalities.

These are real-world problems that adults face. And in order to get adult learners back into the classroom, we must address them head-on. Some of the most persistent barriers include child care, transportation and access to flexible learning options.

Take Adamaris, for example. After earning dual credit in high school through Dallas College, she returned to pursue her dream of becoming an educator — this time as a mother. Her journey was made possible through Dallas College’s child care program, which provided a safe, supportive space for her son while she attended classes and studied. Now, Adamaris is on track to graduate next spring with her son cheering her on.

A New Ecosystem

Adaptability is the most important thing to consider regarding how to support adult learners, according to Katy Launius, Ph.D, strategy officer for student success at Lumina Foundation.

“I think what is best is when community colleges can think about how to really build an adult learner ecosystem. And that’s one where they’re creating an environment that is intentionally adaptable — so they’re finding ways to bring services to where adult learners are. They’re embracing flexibility in the delivery of courses and services. They’re thinking about how to intentionally provide for students’ basic needs and support.”

Dallas College is doing just that. Through Career-Connected Learning, we offer flexible, low-cost training programs that meet learners where they are — whether pursuing a GED, ESL instruction, job training or a degree. We’re also launching our fourth bachelor’s degree in management with a competency-based model, allowing students to accelerate their studies based on prior experience. 

We’re busting those life barriers too. Our Learner Care Model provides affordable tuition and wraparound support: transportation, child care, coaching and access to basic needs. These aren’t extras — they’re essentials. 

This work is not just about enrollment. It’s about equity and economic mobility. By building adaptable ecosystems and removing barriers, we’re showing what’s possible when institutions commit to supporting adult learners. 

We invite educators, employers and policymakers to join us — not just in adapting to change, but in reimagining what postsecondary education must become.