Consortium representing more than 10,000 California students and the North State Collective Impact Partnership launches new effort to significantly boost college completion rates and eliminate achievement gaps
National nonprofit Complete College America (CCA) announced today the launch of Complete College Northern California as the 46th member of the CCA Alliance. The new effort is focused on boosting completion rates and eliminating achievement gaps for the approximately 10,000 students at Shasta College and College of the Siskiyous and bolstering the efforts of North State Together, which serves a combined population of more than 300,000 residents in Shasta, Tehama, Trinity, Modoc and Siskiyou counties in far northern California.
As a new member of the CCA Alliance, Complete College Northern California has committed to setting college attainment goals, collecting and reporting the Common College Completion Metrics, and pursuing the organization’s Game Changer strategies – interventions such as Corequisite Support, Math Pathways, Adult Program Redesign and Re-engagement and Guided Pathways that are proven to dramatically increase college completion rates and close attainment gaps for large numbers of students across the involved institutions.
“The leaders in Northern California recognize that increasing achievement of college degrees and other credentials of value is the key to improving economic strength and overall quality of life within a community. We are excited to welcome them into the Alliance of like-minded leaders taking bold action to improve outcomes,” said CCA Senior Vice President Sarah Ancel.
“Our 20,000 square mile region is a mix of one urban center and many small, isolated, rural communities. By banding together through partnerships, we are large enough to work together to make more significant movement of the needle on successful outcomes to improve our communities,” said Dr. Joe Wyse, president of Shasta College. “Joining Complete College America provides additional support in our attempts to make lasting, positive changes in outcomes for our communities.”
Complete College Northern California will be led by a ten-person Alliance Team that includes representatives focused on the pillars of Equity, Metrics and Evidence, Policy, Communications, and Implementation:
- Kate Mahar, Dean, Shasta College – CCA Liaison and Team Lead
- Kevin O’Rorke, CEO, North State Together – Regional Lead
- Stephen Schoonmaker, President, College of the Siskiyous – Two-Year Implementation Lead
- Joe Wyse, President, Shasta College – Four-Year Implementation Lead
- Regina Weston, Equity Specialist, College of the Siskiyous – Equity Lead
- Jamie Spielman, Research Analyst, North State Together – Metrics, Evidence, Results Lead
- Nathan Rexford, Researcher, College of the Siskiyous – Metrics, Evidence, Results Leads
- Zachary Zweigle, Dean, College of the Siskiyous – Policy and Legislation Lead
- Dawnie Slabaugh, Director, College of the Siskiyous – Communications Lead
- Peter Griggs, Marketing Director, Shasta College – Communications Leads
Complete College Northern California is the third consortium in California to join the CCA Alliance. The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC) joined the Alliance in 2015, and the Inland Empire became the 45th member earlier this year.
Stay up to date on Complete College Northern California’s work at their CCA Alliance Team page.
