ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the ways that higher education institutions have responded to the needs of adults. It briefly provides an overview of the present-day state of adult student participation in higher education and then suggests some ways to think about best practices and the promise of equity and inclusion. It introduces issues related to equity and the ways that higher education has expanded beyond its campus-based offerings to deliver on this promise and whether this promise can be delivered upon. Finally, it discusses some of the questions raised by research on this population. Since the research is sometimes spotty, it was not always possible to reconcile best practices and research-based practices. While there is much contemporary writing about making college campuses more hospitable to the college student, the sheer diversity of adult students mitigates the possibility of providing an umbrella that covers all students. That said however, there are some clear directions for improvement. This chapter provides an overview of these areas.
