Explore the vital connections between college completion and a thriving democracy in this session recorded at All In: The 2024 CCA Annual Convening. Join education leaders and innovators as they tackle one of today's most pressing challenges: restoring public trust in higher education while expanding access and success for all students. From innovative state programs to student perspectives on classroom discourse, this conversation offers fresh insights into the future of higher education and its vital role in strengthening democracy. Featuring Dr. Yolanda Watson Spiva, President, Complete College America; Chris Lowery, Commissioner, Indiana Commission on Higher Education; Dr. Nicola Blake, Senior Fellow for Strategic Initiatives and Student Success, City University of New York; Darryl Cooper, Member of the Class of 2025, Howard University; and Dr. Carol Geary Schneider, Senior Advisor, Civic Learning and Democracy Engagement Coalition.

Both math pathways and corequisite supports increase the chances of students making it through gateway math courses, but the current research is limited to demonstrating early benefits. How can using both initiatives together support a better path for long term student success? CCA talks with Dr. Taylor Darwin of the Dana Center about what pathways and coreq math look like when they're integrated as part of a holistic approach to student success.

For many students, college completion starts even before application. Building a sense of community and onboarding students in a way that fosters campus engagement from the very beginning is one way that campuses can support a larger culture of completion. Dr. Lindsay Faulstick (Vice President for Student Life/Dean of Students) and Chris Hitchcock (Executive Director, Office of Admission) at Hanover College share how they work together to share data, encourage engagement, and create community that extends beyond the first year.

How do we move from insight to implementation in student success reforms? In the latest from CCA on the Air, Melinda Mechur Karp, Ph.D., Founder & Principal at Phase Two Advisory, discusses innovative placement practices and developmental education reform. In this episode, we talk about moving beyond traditional placement tests to more holistic approaches and how institutions can use lessons from adult learners to provide flexible, targeted support to all students. Dr. Karp, a researcher and sociologist by training, also dives into the relationship between research and implementation in driving meaningful change for students.

As institutions ramp up recruiting for adult learners, their increased presence on four-year campuses highlights both the strengths of this population and some unique gaps in existing student success strategies. On this episode of CCA On the Air, Pamela K O'Neal, MA, MPH, EdD, associate director of student engagement in the Office of Online and Adult Learning, and Brett Bruner, EdD, assistant vice president of student success and persistence in the Office of the Provost, share Wichita State University's approach with the Office of Online and Adult Learning influences student support campus-wide.

In this episode of CCA On The Air, we are thrilled to welcome Dr. Patrice Glenn-Jones to our podcast. Dr. Glenn-Jones discusses "nurtured advising," its history, and how it was developed at Historically Black Institutions. She also shares her insights on how this advising model can impact and transform student success, specifically for historically excluded students.

In this episode of CCA on the Air, CCA communications director Kate Derrick interviews Amy Wolf, senior public affairs officer and storyteller at Vanderbilt University. Today’s conversation touches on the power of storytelling to create economic opportunity and change lives. Wolf discusses her career path from news producing to higher education storytelling, emphasizing the importance of authenticity, personal connection, and finding purpose in one's work. She also shares tips on identifying and capturing compelling student stories, highlighting the value of diverse perspectives.

Establishing a new student success approach takes a village. In this episode of CCA On the Air, Dr. Kathy Almy, CEO and founder of Almy Education, discusses the challenges of scaling student success initiatives with faculty buy-in. She emphasizes the importance of cross-functional teams with diverse perspectives, including faculty, staff, and administration. As a former math faculty member now supporting math success at scale at institutions around the country, Dr. Almy shares tips for facilitating open collaboration, multiple viewpoints, and honest feedback in campus cultures of all types.

It’s been a challenging year for the FAFSA. A much-needed update to the form added complications to the submission process for many students, families, and institutions. In this episode, financial aid experts and leaders share their strategies and tactics for increasing FAFSA completion rates while navigating this year’s challenges of implementing the updated financial aid application.

In this episode, we speak to Dr. Tawnya Lubbes, Associate Professor of Education, ESL Program Advisor, and ESL Program Chair in the College of Education at Eastern Oregon University (EOU) in Legrand, Oregon. The Oregon Teacher Pathways program at EOU is supporting the next generation of culturally responsive teachers by implementing accessible pathways from high school to professional careers. Dr. Lubbes shares how EOU is leveraging partnerships, peer mentoring, and identity-responsive strategies to engage students toward powerful college completion outcomes.

The stories of 20 new grads remind us why we must continue to fight for policies and practices that replace the broken systems of the past and create justice and opportunity for all.

The stories of 20 new grads remind us why we must continue to fight for policies and practices that replace the broken systems of the past and create justice and opportunity for all.

CCA's episodic report celebrates the history of the organization and the work of the Alliance Members that have pushed to make change for students across the country.

CCA launches campaign to recognize valued Fellows and their experience as higher ed changemakers.