Lumina supports project to reimagine how community colleges connect with adults
In partnership with CollegeAPP and StrategyForward Advisors, the project will involve six rural colleges reimaging how they recruit and enroll adults.
INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Lumina Foundation, CollegeAPP, and StrategyForward Advisors have joined to launch the Rural Community College Adult Learner Engagement initiative, supporting a cohort of rural colleges in strengthening their outreach to attract and enroll adults.
The initiative is designed to learn how to better support the more than 43 million U.S. adults aged 25 to 64 who have gone to college but left without finishing.
The colleges are:
Chattahoochee Valley Community College(Alabama)
BridgeValley Community & Technical College (West Virginia)
Columbia Gorge Community College (Oregon)
South Central College(Minnesota)
Manhattan Area Technical College (Kansas)
Athens Technical College (Georgia)
The colleges will participate in a two-year project to reimagine their branding, recruitment, and engagement strategies for adults. They will:
- Identify the size and composition of potential adult students who intend to pursue education and training in the areas they serve.
- Use effective messaging and data for social and digital marketing campaigns.
- Design marketing plans and implement campaigns to enroll students.
- Deepen understanding of how students view their brands and the value they offer.
- Develop business cases and sustainability plans to quantify educational returns and secure internal support for marketing investments beyond the project.
- Learn from each other and share what works with the broader field of higher education.
"In many rural communities, community colleges are still the best-kept secret for achieving economic progress," said Lumina Strategy Officer Mary Laphen Pope. "We're grateful to partner with StrategyForward and CollegeAPP to equip colleges to better connect with potential adult students."
CollegeAPP and StrategyForward Advisors have received a combined $582,000 to provide technical assistance to the six rural community colleges. The cohort will apply lessons from Lumina's Intent Matters and The Million Dollar Community College Challenge initiatives. CollegeAPP will work with colleges to identify and better understand the adults in their community, particularly those students who have been poorly served over time. StrategyForward Advisors will support colleges in reflecting on and refining their brand strategy to better engage and enroll adults.
About Us
Lumina Foundation is an independent, private foundation in Indianapolis committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all. We envision higher learning that is easy to navigate, delivers fair results, and meets the nation's talent needs through a broad range of credentials. We work toward a system that prepares people for informed citizenship and success in a global economy.
CollegeAPP is a data analytics service company supporting the higher education sector. The Adult Learner Recruitment solution helps more than 275 colleges and universities identify and recruit potential students among the adult population. Using proprietary predictive analytics algorithms, CollegeAPP's live dashboard allows clients to dynamically create target audiences and launch marketing campaigns to boost recruitment and enrollment strategies.
StrategyForward Advisors is a policy, strategy, and intermediary firm dedicated to transforming postsecondary education so all learners can achieve their goals. We work across the national, state, and institutional levels as your trusted strategic partner to advance policies and innovations that remove barriers and expand opportunity for all learners.
Media Contact: Tracy Chen, Lumina Foundation, tchen@luminafoundation.org
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SOURCE Lumina Foundation