Spotlight: Return to Learn at Alpena Community College

Michigan's Return to Learn Initiative

"Return to Learn" is a collaborative initiative between the state of Michigan and Alpena Community College to encourage adult learners to return to college to complete a degree. As Governor Granholm said in announcing the "Return to Learn" initiative, "A college degree can be the ticket to a bigger paycheck for our citizens and a stronger economy for our state. To attract the kinds of businesses we need to grow Michigan's economy, Michigan needs to lead the nation in the number of college graduates we have in our state."

The governor says she hopes the "Return to Learn" focus will help many adults in the workforce realize both the possibility and importance of resuming their studies. “A college graduate in Michigan will earn a million dollars more in a lifetime than someone who has only finished high school” said the Governor. “If only a few courses or a couple of semesters stand between you and a degree, it makes perfect sense to return to learning.”

Certainly there are costs associated with returning to college, but many working adults may not appreciate the array of financial aid, as well as company, union, and other education and training resources that may be available to them to earn credentials that help them advance in the labor market. As Governor Granholm has noted, “Tens of thousands of adults in Michigan can qualify for financial aid if they go back to school. And there is probably no state in the union that has a more extensive array of employer and union financed education benefits.”

For more information about the "Return to Learn" program in Michigan, and a list of all the participating colleges and universities, follow this link to Governor Granholm's website.

Adult learners who have been out of school/education for some time may be anxious about returning to college - and have questions regarding affordability or whether they can build on their previous higher education experience. President Olin Joynton of Alpena Community College encourages anyone with prior college experience to contact one of the individuals below for a personalized response and to obtain assistance in preparing a "Return to Learn" degree completion plan.

Learn More About Michigan's Return to Learn. 

The individuals listed above will help prospective students understand where and how to pursue the degrees/careers they are interested in, and how easy it is to transfer courses and credit from one institution to another, along with the various forms of financial assistance that may be available to them.