When Pamela O’Neal came to Wichita State in 2002, she was around 30 years old, a decade removed from the age of an average university student.

This experience gave O’Neal a unique perspective on college, knowledge she utilizes in her role as the associate director of the Office of Online and Adult Learning.

Now, with the start of a new program at Wichita State — the Shocker Comeback Program — O’Neal is using her knowledge to bring WSU students back to finish their degrees.

“It was shocking … to see how many people just needed just one more semester, maybe two more semesters (to graduate),” O’Neal said.

The Shocker Comeback Program aims to re-enroll students who stopped attending Wichita State within the last one to three years.

The program, according to O’Neal, fits well within the Office of Online and Adult Learning, as she found that most students who did not finish their degree at WSU were adult learners. 

“What we found was (that) quite a few students who were 75% or more completed with their degrees, sometimes it was 95% — like, they were missing one or two classes,” O’Neal said. “And most of them were, in fact, adult learners.”

O’Neal said when something goes wrong in an adult learner’s life, education is the first thing to go.

“In that time that they stepped out, they had some life experiences that many adult learners have that our office is very versed with,” O’Neal said. “We know these experiences because we lived through these experiences.”

Another aim of the program is to alleviate the financial burden that higher education often presents. 

To encourage students to finish their education, the Office of Online and Adult Learning created a one-time $1,000 scholarship for students taking at least six credit hours.

“This scholarship — It made a world of difference, especially (for) those people that are just, you know, two or three classes (away),” O’Neal said. “It’s almost buy one class, get one free, if you will.”

As of Aug. 13, 34 students have been re-enrolled at WSU for this fall through the program. One of these is Tristin Smith, an accounting and international business major with a minor in Japanese.

Smith originally came to Wichita State in the fall of 2021 after getting her associate’s degree at Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City, Missouri.

In 2023, Smith dropped out because she was “really, really, really sick” and had a difficult time keeping up with classes. 

And, since then, Smith has had trouble finding the time or money to go back. She typically works Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“(It) is kind of a difficult shift to work around because by the time I get home, you know, I change my clothes, I eat dinner, and then it’s, like, 9 o’clock, and I got to be up in the morning at 8 (a.m.),” Smith said.

The nudge to finish her degree came with an email from the Office of Online and Adult Learning. The potential $1,000 scholarship also sweetened the deal for her.

“I was like, ‘You know what? I was already trying to go back anyways, so if I get the scholarship, I get the scholarship. If I don’t, then yeah, I’ll figure it out,’” Smith said.

Smith’s return is still contingent on a lot of factors, though. She’s waiting to see if business at her job will slow down, allowing her to take breaks for schoolwork. Financial concerns and classes not offered online are other factors that keep her guessing.

“I’m going to hope for the best and prepare for the worst,” Smith said.

While the Shocker Comeback Program is targeted at students who have only been out for a few years — like Smith — O’Neal emphasized that as long as a student has attended Wichita State at some point, the office can work with them to come back and finish their degree.

“If you’ve been out (for) 20 years and you’re like, ‘Hey, I need to come back and get this.’ Even if you’re only 60% of the way, we can make it happen,” O’Neal said.

The Office of Online and Adult Learning is now housed in suite 302 of the Shocker Success Center, formerly Clinton Hall. Information about the Shocker Comeback Program’s application process can be found at wichita.edu.