The public mission of four-year colleges and universities needs to adapt to encompass adult learners, according to a new report. That's the population that may be most affected by the changes in education introduced during the pandemic — more so even than K-12 and college students, the report suggested. Not only did the pandemic expedite the "already rising need for adult educational programming," the report stated, but it "also opened the eyes of many adults to the opportunities afforded by digital learning platforms." New Horizons: American Universities and the Case for Lifelong Learning was produced by the Longevity Project, whose lead content collaborator is the Stanford Center on Longevity, among other nonprofits, think tanks and media organizations.
