LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City was awarded a $94,342 grant from the College Completion Innovation Fund for the creation of the Adult Learner Evening Hub at the college.
The CCIF — a collaborative CUNY education fund — has invested nearly $8 million in colleges and community-based organizations around the city since 2015.
According to a news release from the college, the evening hub will provide adult learners in credit-bearing degree programs with a dedicated space and increased evening access to support students transitioning into degree programs.
The fund will also help the college offer services to adult learners, such as tutoring, career counseling and expanded access to financial aid offices.
“By intentionally aligning evening academic and student support services with adult learners’ schedules, the Hub will strengthen enrollment, improve persistence, and reinforce LaGuardia’s role as a college built for working adults not just in principle, but in practice,” said Marsha Oropeza, director of Adult Learner Success and Credit for Prior Learning.
The college’s student population is undergoing a demographic shift, the news release noted, with a significant increase in adult learners.
Last year, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the New York State Opportunity Promise, a statewide free-tuition program for adults studying in high-demand fields at community colleges through CUNY and SUNY Reconnect. The Reconnect initiative covers tuition, fees, books and supplies for residents ages 25-55.
“This shift, coupled with the implementation of the NYSOP, creates both an opportunity for the college to respond differently and immediately,” Oropeza said. “Students must be supported in ways that reflect their lived realities.”
LaGuardia Community College serves approximately 24,000 students annually in pre-college, associate degree, workforce training and English for Speakers of Other Languages programs. Earlier this year, the college was awarded a nearly $2 million federal grant for new workforce training programs.
