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Bringing experience to SOU campus Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Lisa Rumrill, 38, keeps moving as she balances her classes at Southern Oregon University with two children and a commute to her home in Grants Pass. She�s one of about 1,450 "nontraditional" students who bring diversity and experience to the SOU campus, school officials say. �Nontraditional� students make up one-third of enrollment By Sara Murphy ASHLAND � A college degree wasn�t at the top of Lisa Rumrill�s priority list when she finished high school 20 years ago, but you can bet it is now. After working four years to earn her two-year degree at Rogue Community College, Rumrill hopes to finish her four-year degree in two. "I�m at the stage now where nothing�s going to stop me," says the 38-year-old Grants Pass woman, who started classes at Southern Oregon University this week. Rumrill is one of about 1,450 SOU students who transferred to the university from other schools. She�s also one of SOU�s 1,700 nontraditional students, a term for students over age 25. Those "older" students, who make up almost a third of SOU�s 5,800-member student body, help bring diversity and experience to the campus community, says acting President Sara Hopkins-Powell. They�ve often served in the military, worked or raised children before starting college. "I think that experience brings a lot to the campus," Hopkins-Powell says. "As an instructor, when I know I have a nontraditional student in the class, I rely on them to provide a sort of reality check to the theories we talk about in the classroom." Nontraditional students, who often have families and off-campus jobs, face different challenges than the average 18-year-old freshman, Hopkins-Powell says. On the other hand, they�re often more committed to getting an education. "Nontraditional students who come here bring a strong vision and determination," Hopkins-Powell says. "They are more clearly focused on what it is they�re getting." That story rings true for Rumrill, who says going to college just didn�t seem important when she graduated from high school in 1980. "It was the furthest thing from my mind," Rumrill says. "I was too anxious to move out of the house and be a grown-up." One of 13 siblings, Rumrill left her native California after high school and moved to Hawaii, where she tried a term at junior college, but didn�t stick with it. Sixteen years and two children later (now ages 12 and 7), the single mom decided to give school another shot and enrolled at Rogue Community College. "I found that I was competing for minimum-wage jobs," Rumrill says. "A light went off." Over the years, Rumrill worked at a furniture store, a doctor�s office and Safeway, often falling back on waiting tables because of the tips. "It really became clear to me how important a college degree is," Rumrill says. "I didn�t want to be stuck in that (minimum-wage) category anymore." Going back to school was harder than it would have been 20 years ago, Rumrill says. She sometimes dropped out for a term when working, studying and family responsibilities became too much to handle. "This last year, I was working full time and going to school full time," she adds. "I wasn�t always a nice person to be with." A $7,500 scholarship from the Gates Millennium Scholars initiative, funded by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, will allow Rumrill to set work aside and concentrate on her studies while she attends SOU. "I�m really grateful for this scholarship because it will help me go full time," Rumrill says. "But even before I got the scholarship I was determined to finish. I want to do it in two years." Still one class short of junior-class status, Rumrill has tackled her general education requirements and is looking to the future � and a degree in communication. "The field intrigues me," Rumrill says. "I�m a people person." Since she started at RCC, Rumrill says she�s put more emphasis on grades than she would have if she were younger. Thanks to the scholarship, however, she hopes to have even more time to hit the books. "All these years that I�ve been going to school, I�ve had some classes that have been really great," Rumrill says. "I would have liked to apply myself more, but didn�t have the time. "Now, I�m looking forward to indulging myself and walking away really knowing something." Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA