Dear Colleague,
My colleague Sindy Lopez and I recently published a report that looks at the extent to which private, not-for-profit colleges and universities with high graduation rates made gains in enrolling Black and Latino students between 2000 and 2018. We found that while improving the representation of Black and Latino students has become a stated priority for a number of institutions as they work to increase equity, many are still lagging. Since 2000, there remains a persistent underrepresentation of Black and Latino students at the most selective private institutions.
This is one example of the initiatives underway across Ithaka S+R focused on increasing educational opportunities for underserved communities. We highlight several of these in our newsletter, including new work to improve learning outcomes for incarcerated students. Across this body of work, we feature steps our sector can take to improve the enrollment, persistence, and graduation rates of minoritized, low-income, and first-generation students.
For a number of programs described below, Ithaka S+R is serving as the independent evaluator. If we could act in a similar capacity for one of your initiatives, I encourage you to reach out.
Sincerely,
Catharine Bond Hill
Managing Director, Ithaka S+R
Evaluating emergency micro-grants at Georgia State
Since 2011, Georgia State has awarded more than 10,000 micro-grants aimed at protecting and supporting students in the face of unexpected financial trouble through its Panther Grant Retention program. The program, which specifically targets students who are in good academic standing and have exhausted all other sources of aid, automatically awards up to $2,500 to clear students’ unpaid balances and allow them to remain enrolled for the term. In conducting an evaluation of the program, we found that receiving a micro-grant reduced the time to degree completion for all student groups. We also found that the grants decreased the amount of debt incurred by Pell recipients and students from underrepresented minority backgrounds.
Increasing transfer pathways
Strengthening transfer pathways between two-year and independent not-for-profit four-year institutions is one way to increase transfer and bachelor’s degree completion. Independent colleges offer high graduation rates, flexible degree options, and personalized supports that can assist students looking to complete a four-year degree. But to make a difference at scale requires coordination at a state-wide or consortial level. Based on our evaluation of the Transfer Pathways to the Liberal Arts initiative, funded by the Teagle and Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, we have developed a playbook to help independent four-year institutions—and their state or regional associations—increase community college transfer and completion on a sector-wide basis.
Counting credits
Since June 2019, the Articulation of Credit Transfer project (ACT) has sought to shed more light on how credits from one City University of New York (CUNY) institution transfer to another CUNY institution. The project’s aim is to help students count more of their transferred credits toward their new degree program, significantly improving their chances of earning a degree and doing it sooner. In “Archiving Degree Audit Data to Measure and Reduce Lost Transfer Credit,” we describe one of the major steps we have taken to reveal how credits transfer within CUNY, and what we have started to do with the data to benefit students directly, track institutional transfer outcomes, and inform process improvements. While the report is specific to CUNY, it highlights data collection and process improvements that may be applicable for other systems.
Reimagining learning spaces in prisons
Thanks to a new grant funding from Ascendium Education Group, Ithaka S+R and Ennead Lab are launching a two-year research and design project to both understand how space acts as a limiting factor on the quality and scalability of higher education in prison and propose solutions to mitigate these challenges. Through the project we seek to provide stakeholders with the evidence and inspiration to reconceive existing spaces in support of learning. Essential to this work is our belief that solutions do not result in building bigger prisons but in finding ways to use existing space more creatively, flexibly, and collaboratively to the benefit of incarcerated students. With the anticipated full restoration of Pell funding in 2023, we expect to see a further expansion of higher education offerings in prison. Against this backdrop, there is an urgent need to ensure that higher education programs are high quality and student-centered.
An interview with Dr. Jay Darr, Director of the University Counseling Center at the University of Pittsburgh
As part of the American Talent Initiaitve’s Academic Equity Interview Blog series, we asked Dr. Darr to help us understand Pitt’s approach to improving student mental health. Addressing mental health is imperative for addressing academic inequities, especially as lower income students, students of color, and other underrepresented students are more likely to experience mental health concerns and experience pandemic-related hardships. In this interview, Dr. Darr shares his insights on the importance of mental and emotional well-being, the relationship between the current moment and Pitt students’ mental health, and opportunities for other institutions to improve student wellness.
Programming notes
Our webinar series, “Conversations on Community College Library Strategy and Collaboration,” continues in April. Join us on April 7 at 2:00 pm and April 19 at 2:00 pm to learn more about the evolving mission and role of the library in the community college ecosystem. More details are available on our blog.
On Friday, April 8, at 12:30pm ET, Ithaka S+R will be in conversation with the Mellon Foundation via Instagram Live (@MellonFdn) to discuss the value and impact of data for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the arts.
In the news:
March 18, 2022
New Playbook About Transfer Pathways at Independent Colleges
Sara Weissman, Inside Higher Ed
March 16, 2022
The Edge: Four Ideas on Where Higher Ed Is Headed
Goldie Blumenstyk, The Chronicle of Higher Education
March 14, 2022
The Ukraine Dilemma: U.S. Colleges Debate Whether to Sever or Sustain Ties With Russia
Karen Fischer, The Chronicle of Higher Education
March 9, 2022
Excluding Online Programs from Pell Expansion Won’t Solve the Quality Issue – Work Shift
James Dean Ward, Open Campus Media
March 2, 2022
Decoupling from Russia
Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe and Roger C. Schonfeld, The Scholarly Kitchen
February 16, 2022
Stranded Credits Prevent Students From Earning Degrees
Mark J. Drozdowski, Best Colleges
February 10, 2022
Associate-to-Bachelor’s Transfer: An Introduction
Alexandra W. Logue, Inside Higher Ed
February 2, 2022
Report: How A Credit Transfer Project at CUNY Helps Students
Rebecca Kelliher, Diverse Education
February 2, 2022
CUNY Program Suggests Ways Data Can Help Transfer Students
Laura Spitalniak, Higher Ed Dive
February 2, 2022
CUNY Project Improves Credit Transfer
Tabitha Whissemore, Community College Daily
January 27, 2022
More Time, Grants for COVID-19-impacted Stanford Professors
Colleen Flaherty, Inside Higher Ed
January 14, 2022
Breaking the Chicken-or-Egg Cycle in American Higher Education
Catharine Bond Hill, The Hill
January 3, 2022
A New Plan to Save Stranded Credits
Maria Carrasco, Inside Higher Ed
December 21, 2021
Education Secretary, College Leaders Want Colleges to Stop Holding Transcripts Over Unpaid Balances
Kirk Carapezza, GBH
December 20, 2021
New Program from Northeast Ohio Public Colleges Aims to Resolve “Stranded Credits”
WHDH
December 14, 2021
Northeast Ohio Colleges Aim to Tackle “Stranded Credits” in a Bid to Reenroll Students
Laura Spitalniak, Higher Ed Dive
December 14, 2021
MIT Press Plans to Release Much of Spring Slate Open Access
Suzanne Smalley, Inside Higher Ed