CAS Presents Post-Traditional and Commuter Students Programs and Services Standards

The Post-Traditional and Commuter Students Programs and Services Standards (PTCSPS) are new to CAS, combining and revising previous standards for adult and commuter students.

The Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) has released revised standards to provide direction for Post-Traditional and Commuter Students Programs and Services. CAS, composed of 41 collaborating professional associations representing over 115,000 professionals in higher education, has developed standards and guidelines for 44 functional areas, and rooted them in the scholarship and work conducted within their respective fields. The new standards delineate expectations for educators in the related functional areas and will be housed in the tenth edition of the CAS Professional Standards for Higher Education.

The Post-Traditional and Commuter Students Programs and Services Standards (PTCSPS) are new to CAS, combining and revising previous standards for adult and commuter students.

According to Marjorie Savage, Educational Specialist for Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota, and chair of the committee focused on commuter students, explains the new standards, “This set of standards combines two previous CAS Standards: Adult Learners and Commuter and Off-Campus Living Programs. By jointly reviewing both previous sets of standards, our two revision committees found considerable overlap in the needs of the two populations and of the services typically provided to each. We found that the relatively recent term, Post Traditional, could encompass both groups without diminishing the identities of either.”

Dr. Kristi Mindrup, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs, Quad Cities at Western Illinois University, served as functional area expert for the PTCSPS standards. Dr. Mindrup reflects on the process for the revision and implications for institutions, “The revision committee sought to revise the standards in a way that promotes institutional flexibility and awareness that identities and responsibilities have potential to evolve and become more complex as students mature and progress through college and life.”

CAS is very excited about this new set of standards and the potential they have for the field of higher education and student affairs. As Marjorie Savage notes, “CAS took seriously the challenge from our student services colleagues that higher education must adapt our traditional transition and support services... If we want all our students to succeed, we need to understand what kinds of support and guidance they need to achieve their goals.”

The revised Post-Traditional and Commuter Students Programs and Services standards and self-assessment guide are now available at www.cas.edu/store_home.asp

Please contact CAS executive director Marybeth Drechsler Sharp ([email protected] or 202.862.1400) with questions and media inquiries.