County College of Morris
County College of Morris re-enrolled 545 adult learners and supported 53 to credential completion within its first year of partnering with ReUp.
County College of Morris (CCM), in Randolph, New Jersey, is a public community college serving 11,600 students annually. Established in 1968, CCM offers more than 50 associate degree programs alongside workforce development pathways, focusing on transforming lives and building stronger communities. Renowned for its strengths in STEM, liberal arts, health sciences, and visual and performing arts, CCM is recognized among New Jersey community colleges for its high graduation and transfer rates and for having the highest alumni salaries.
In December 2023, CCM was included in the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE)’s expansion of its Some College, No Degree (SCND) initiative. This initiative sought to re-engage the nearly 790,000 New Jersey residents who started college but did not earn a degree, enabling them to return to higher education to realize their educational aspirations.
As OSHE’s partner, ReUp Education provides data-driven outreach and personalized support services to 22 of the state’s public institutions of higher education, including CCM. ReUp’s goal is to assist New Jersey in reaching 65% of residents with a high-quality credential by 2025.
Partnership Overview
Learners outreached
Interactions between ReUp and CCM learners
Learners re-enrolled
Tuition Recovered
Students Graduated
The complex challenges of re-engaging adult learners
Re-engaging adult learners who stopped out was a persistent challenge for CCM. The school relied on limited calling campaigns, which struggled to produce meaningful outcomes. Without the internal capacity to update contact information or conduct the thorough follow-up necessary to engage this group, many potential returnees remained out of reach.
These outreach difficulties were further compounded by the unique barriers adult learners often face. Financial strain, demanding family responsibilities, and uncertainty stemming from long educational gaps created significant hurdles. Pamela Marcenaro, Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management, captured these complexities, explaining, “Adult learners are extremely layered. They bring a mix of frustration, emotions, and complex lived experiences. We needed a truly intentional approach to address their needs.”
Addressing these multifaceted challenges required more than a standard solution—it demanded a thoughtful strategy rooted in understanding and support.
Adult learners are extremely layered. They come with a mix of frustration, emotions, and complex lived experiences. We needed a truly intentional approach to address their needs.
— Pamela Marcenaro
Assistant Vice President, Enrollment Management, CCM
Partnering with ReUp Education
CCM’s partnership with ReUp was a turning point. ReUp brought an innovative, human-centered approach to re-enrollment by combining data-driven technology that allowed outreach at scale with personalized success coaching. Together, CCM and ReUp focused on improvements in four key areas to transform the school’s ability to find, enroll, and support adult learners.
Personalized success coaching
ReUp Success Coaches provided personalized support, grounded in empathy and a deep understanding of adult learners’ unique challenges. According to ReUp data, adult learners average 27 touchpoints over a period of 6 to 18 months before re-enrolling in higher education. This is because many learners must first devote time and energy to rebuilding their confidence, clearing away any existing barriers, and reframing how they approach the college experience.
Internally, CCM recognized a need for custom onboarding and advising for returning adult learners. The school replicated the model The Academic Success Center (TASC) used for first-year students. Now, adult learners go through TASC to receive onboarding and personalized support, led by the Center’s Coordinator of Academic Advisement. This centralizes the process for learners, allowing them to complete their orientation, access resources, address their individual needs, and connect to their faculty advisor in one place.“This isn’t a one-size-fits-all process—it takes patience, compassion, and an ongoing commitment to understanding their unique journeys,” Pamela said.
ReUp Success Coaches continue to supplement the persistence coaching performed by on-campus student success specialists, often going more in-depth. During regular check-ins, Success Coaches focus on creating and building empowering relationships in five key areas we refer to as the ReUp Spheres: external (includes family and work), self, university, finance, and with their coach. Our research shows that when these relationships are positive, a learner is more likely to persist to graduation.
Financial support and incentives
Financial barriers often represent the largest obstacle for adult learners. Data insights from ReUp revealed that, in New Jersey, financial issues outpaced other barriers by 32% as a deterrent to returning. To address this, CCM employed funds from the OSHE SCND grant to implement creative financial incentives like bookstore vouchers, Chromebooks, and even gift cards to cover basic needs. “Students were surprised and grateful to see resources like book money and affordable devices,” Pamela noted.
The school also instituted debt relief programs to eliminate financial holds that prevented many learners from re-enrolling. The immediate availability of these resources demonstrated CCM’s commitment to removing barriers for learners.
Targeted digital marketing campaigns
Within the past year, the school launched multi-platform digital marketing campaigns that used bilingual and personalized messaging to connect with learners, including those who responded to ReUp outreach. One key component was a focused and tailored website for returning adult learners, a best practice strategy ReUp promotes to its institutional partners.
CCM’s most recent marketing campaign exceeded industry engagement benchmarks. “We saw applications directly from campaigns within 30 days, which is unheard of,” Melissa Albright, Vice President of Marketing, Public Relations & Enrollment Management, said. “Engagement for these campaigns has exceeded our expectations.”
Streamlined processes
The feedback ReUp collected from learners gave CCM unique insights into what policies and programs needed to change, creating a foundation for ongoing improvement. Application forms, registration workflows, and credit evaluations were streamlined, reducing friction in the re-enrollment pipeline. Collaborative cross-departmental efforts ensured policies, orientation, and advising became more adult learner friendly.
A new chapter: Empowering learners and transforming policies
In the first year of working with ReUp, CCM welcomed back 545 adult learners; 53 have already graduated. The financial impact has been significant, with $1.2 million in recovered tuition. “Seeing learners cross the finish line with their degrees is one of the most impactful outcomes of our partnership with ReUp,” Melissa said. “At the beginning, we were slightly hesitant about this initiative because it felt like one more thing on a long list of changes we needed to make. But once we saw how quickly students engaged with consistent outreach, we got excited. I give that credit to ReUp for really leading the charge.”
The results are not confined to re-enrollment metrics. In the past year, CCM implemented several impactful policy adjustments as part of its evolving approach to supporting adult learners. These changes resulted in a more flexible academic and non-academic experience that is more customized and personalized.
Beyond institutional impacts, the partnership catalyzed a mindset shift among CCM staff. Personalized advising and student-first strategies are now hallmarks of the school’s approach.“It’s not just about re-enrolling students,” Pamela said. “It’s about providing a clear path forward with the right support.”
Looking Ahead
CCM’s partnership with ReUp has unlocked meaningful opportunities for growth and reconnection in the lives of adult learners. Moving forward, the college plans to experiment with innovative practices like virtual check-ins and in-person enrollment information sessions.
“This is about changing lives,” Melissa reflected. “Helping someone complete their education impacts their economic status, strengthens their family, and improves our entire community.” By continuing to collaborate with ReUp Education and peer institutions, CCM is determined to build upon its initial successes.
CCM's recommendations to support adult learners
- Personalization is critical: Treating adult learners as first-year students fostered engagement and trust.
- Invest in human touch: Dedicated success coaching and strong relationships significantly improved re-enrollment and retention. “One connection can make all the difference,” Pamela noted.
- Financial support boosts engagement: Strategic use of financial incentives energizes the re-enrollment process, showing learners that an institution is willing to invest in their success.
- Feedback fuels growth: Insights from ReUp guided changes to internal workflows, marketing, and advising that yielded tangible results.
ReUp Education is revolutionizing the enrollment to graduation journey for all adults seeking higher education. Built upon the belief that with the right support, resources, and people in your corner, anything is possible we partner with future-facing institutions and state systems to bring equitable success in higher ed to all.
Let’s start the conversation
Schedule a call with a ReUp team member to learn more about what a ReUp partnership could do for your institution.