Our mission continues – with renewed commitment to expanding opportunity for all students.

While our Alliance has made incredible progress, the data shows that there is still more to do. Significant achievement gaps still persist across the nation and proven strategies for improving student success are not yet the norm everywhere. From better serving returning adults to partnering with Minority Serving and Metro institutions, Complete College America is dedicated to doing more – and doing it more effectively. Please join us as we deepen our commitment to ensuring students of every race, gender, age and income level complete college with credentials of value and purpose.

 

ACHIEVEMENT GAPS

Overall, college completion trends are positive. But gaps in college completion persist, and in some cases are growing larger. The on-time graduation gap between Hispanic and white students is unchanged. Between African American and white students, it’s widening. And the divide in outcomes between traditional-aged students and returning adults continues to grow larger. The Alliance recognizes that attainment goals can’t be met unless these gaps are addressed. We have a moral and economic imperative to do better.

Better Deal: Returning Adult Students in Florida

15 to Finish: Early Wins at Minority-Serving Institutions

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MSI Initiative

Minority serving institutions (MSIs), whether designated by enrollment or an historical mission, continue to be at the forefront of culturally responsive and equity centered practices in the Guided Pathways movement. Last year, in partnership with CCA Alliance member the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), and with support from the Kresge and Lumina Foundations, CCA accelerated our work by launching an MSI Initiative with 19 select Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic-Serving Institutions. Leaders from these institutions have shown that early student momentum can be gained through 15 To Finish campaigns that can set the tone with early credit accumulation success that is a precursor to other CCA Game Changer strategies (Corequisite Support, Math Pathways, Academic Maps with Proactive Advising, A Better Deal for Returning Adults).

Early results are strong from the initial 15 To Finish adopters in the CCA MSI Initiative. The data and words from these transformational institutions and leaders speak volumes.

Emerging Leader: CCA Fellow Elena Quiroz-Livanis

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Joining CCA

Elena Quiroz-Livanis had just started working at the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education when she was asked to join the CCA Alliance Team for the Commonwealth.

“I had recently joined the Department and we needed someone to serve as the CCA Alliance Lead, so I was asked to serve in this role,” she said. “I remember going to a CCA event in Minneapolis and learning about a just-released RFP for states that wanted to bring the Corequisite model to scale. I thought, ‘that would be excellent for Massachusetts.’”

At the time, Massachusetts had some institutions implementing Corequisite Support, but they were not seeing the results that could come from scaling the work across the  state. Quiroz-Livanis led campus faculty and staff in a thorough examination of current practices and what a comprehensive developmental reform strategy might look like for Massachusetts.

Purpose First

Placing ‘Purpose First’ in Higher Education

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Schools Start Early With Career Counseling

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Purpose First at Houston Community College