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Amid the ongoing challenges of declining enrollment, student attrition, and questions about the value of higher education, the 91��ɫ’s��is taking a bold new approach—building an entirely new model that aims to transform the learning experience of working professionals and create the kind of leaders that employers are seeking in today’s rapidly evolving workplace.��

Based on months of conducting focus groups with students, faculty, staff, and employers as well as intensive research into effective learning practices and competencies that make a difference, the new model more sharply defines what “career-ready” and “promotion-ready” really mean, says Bobbie Kite, PhD, the dean of Professional Studies.

While traditional online or hybrid degree programs tend to focus on convenience, Kite says, the new model addresses gaps they identified in outcomes not just for students but also for the employers hiring them and the instructors teaching them.

“The question we’re asking is, how do we make higher education work better for everyone involved?” says Kite. “Students want to see a clear connection between their education and their professional goals, employers want confidence in the skills and readiness of the people they hire, and instructors want the meaningful growth happening in their classrooms to extend beyond a transcript. This approach is about making that value more visible and more impactful."

A passport to learning

While Professional Studies offers several educational pathways to working professionals and community members in Colorado and beyond—including a�� program; undergraduate and graduate certificates; professional and workforce development programs; and non-credit enrichment courses through the��—at the heart of its new approach is the�� program and the Professional Passport.�� ��

The accelerated bachelor’s is the first and only reduced-credit bachelor’s degree in Colorado. Approved in February by the Higher Learning Commission for launch this fall, it requires 136 credits, in contrast to the more traditional, 180-credit Bachelor of Arts completion degree. The accelerated bachelor’s offers a structured, career-focused format with applied learning; the Bachelor of Arts Completion incorporates learning in lieu of electives and is designed to fulfill all major prerequisites for master’s and PhD programs.

Five majors are available through both programs: communication arts, information technology, healthcare administration, organizational leadership, and transportation and supply chain management. For the accelerated bachelor’s, all majors include 10-12 courses, taken on a standard, 2.5-year track or a faster, 1.5-year track. Students��must have already completed 24 quarter credits or 16 semester credits.

While this is a boon for students looking to finish their degree faster and in a less expensive way, the aspect Kite is most excited about is the Professional Passport. A holistic learning opportunity available as a pathway to accelerated bachelor’s students, the passport includes students getting “stamps” for experiential learning, including educational journeys, real-world industry and service projects, and one-on-one coaching. When they’ve finished their degree, the passport is a physical and digital verification of students’ transformation and growth.��

The passport, Kite says, is about students making meaning of their educational experience—something that is closely tied to 91��ɫ’s 4D Experience. “We want you to deepen your intellect, develop your well-being, develop character, and design lives of purpose. It’s difficult to do those without experiential learning.”

For their educational journeys, students can choose to visit National Park Service sites (a National Park Pass is included); state, regional, or local sites like municipal buildings, museums, and state parks; Civilian Conservation Corps and New Deal legacy sites; or 91��ɫ’s Kennedy Mountain Campus.

“Students get the academics in their courses, they get the nuts and bolts through an industry experience, like working on a project for a particular company, and they get the more human side of learning through their educational journey experience,” says Kite. “It's the meaning making of all of these pieces together that I'm really focused on. Ultimately, knowing how to make meaning in your life is what makes you happy enough to stay in a job and perform at a high level.”��

Professional Studies is partnering with select employers to offer students the Accelerated Bachelor of Professional Studies coupled with the Professional Passport that covers the cost of the coaching lab through tuition benefits.

“Our goal is for students to be able to use their employer tuition benefits to finish their degree for less than $15,000 out of pocket—and in less than three years,” says Kite. “These [participating] employers are showing a commitment to their employees and future leaders. We’re showing a commitment by providing well-rounded students who are ready to lead.” �� ��

One day, Kite hopes the passport program will grow to serve more students than any other Professional Studies program, that students and faculty will value the experience, and, most importantly, that employers will look to 91��ɫ for career- and promotion-ready leaders equipped to take on the world.

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