Combine practical skills and formal instruction for students in maintenance, management, and food service programs. Reduce non-teaching payroll at the same time.
In the Work to Learn idea, students will learn by building and maintaining campus facilities, managing businesses, and growing food. Consider the benefits:
- Attract hands-on learners
- Reduce non-teaching payroll
- Attract retired professionals
- Attract like-minded donors
Let’s look at each point in more detail.
Attract hands-on learners
Some students learn better in a real-life environment. Working and learning under Christian adults who both model character and share practical experience could make it a “destination campus” for hands-on learners and for the more industrial degrees.
Reduce non-teaching payroll
With students doing more of the maintenance work around campus, there will be less staff needed to fill those positions.
Attract retired professionals
Many retired professionals may desire to live and work in this environment, where they can bring both extensive experience and teaching abilities onto campus.
Attract like-minded donors
While Berea College, College of the Ozarks, and a few others still exist today, the work-college model has many advantages, especially in the minds of donors!
Advantages for donors of the Work to Learn model:
- Help students climb out of poverty. Most work colleges help students who coming out of poverty. For these students, getting a degree is truly an attainment for them. See the outcome here: http://www.berea.edu/give-to-berea/tevin/
- Help students set a life course for success. Donors will see their dollars directly benefit students in changing their lives and setting the trajectory of their family into a different direction, not funding their sports scholarship. See an example: http://www.berea.edu/give-to-berea/the-berea-fund/why-give-to-berea/
- Impact the lives of students: https://www.cofo.edu/Page/Giving-To-C-of-O.18.html
Try this message on prospective students:
“Leave campus without debt and a unique resume!”