July 2024 Wrap-Up

CCA has strengthened our Board of Directors with three new members who bring exceptional expertise to our organization:

• Bevelyn A. Coleman , JD - Executive VP & Deputy General Counsel at Regions Bank
• Lorenzo L. Esters , EdD - President of The Indianapolis Foundation
• Landon K. Pirius , PhD - President of Red Rocks Community College

Their collective experience in finance, philanthropy, and higher education leadership will help CCA continue to scale our national strategies on student success and equity in higher education.

We are pleased to welcome these new members to the CCA Board, and we are deeply grateful to the entire Board for their dedication and expertise in our mission to increase college completion rates nationally.

Read more about CCA's Board and its newest members.

Watch for our upcoming announcement on the sessions we'll host at All In: The 2024 CCA Annual Convening . In August, we'll announce the initial lineup of plenary speakers, breakout sessions, and more.

In the meantime, we've posted a more detailed schedule as you make your travel plans to attend All In. Register now for All In to secure your spot as an impatient reformer for student success.

Register today to secure one of the limited Early Bird spaces.

Today (July 31) is the LAST DAY to submit the form to be part of the All In Strategy Showcase ! Why participate in the Strategy Showcase?

1. Spotlight your institution's innovative strategies to support students in their journey to college completion
2. Network with like-minded professionals who are All In on restoring the promise of higher education
3. Contribute to larger systems change to shape policy, perspective, and practice in higher education
4. Learn from peers to help scale your and their ideas and find new avenues for collaboration

Time is running out to participate - submit our brief Strategy Showcase interest form TODAY and register to attend All In: The 2024 CCA Annual Convening .

Demonstrate Your Commitment to Student Success as an All In Sponsor or Exhibitor

Demonstrate your organization's dedication to college completion by becoming a premier sponsor or exhibitor at All In: The 2024 CCA Annual Convening . As a sponsor or exhibitor, you can:

• Connect with influential student success leaders and practitioners
• Elevate your work among decision-makers and innovators
• Showcase your work to a targeted audience

Be All In on transforming higher education. Secure your All In sponsorship or exhibitor spot today.

CCA Alliance Spotlight: Virginia Commonwealth University's Developing Men of Color program

In the latest Amplification Lab post , discover how Virginia Commonwealth University 's Developing Men of Color (DMC) program is transforming the lives of young men from historically excluded backgrounds.

Led by Dr. Carlton Goode, this innovative initiative addresses unique challenges faced by men of color in higher education through mentorship, academic support, leadership development, and community engagement. With success stories from alumni and current students alike, DMC is fostering academic achievement, personal growth, and professional development. Learn how this program shapes future leaders and creates a model for diversity and inclusion in higher education. Read more about the impact of DMC and Dr. Goode's visionary leadership in empowering the next generation of changemakers.

Do you want to amplify your college completion successes? Submit a story to the CCA Amplification Lab.

NEW: Student Success Job Board

Are you looking for your next career step to close institutional equity gaps and help students cross the finish line toward graduation?

Complete College America is excited to team up with DiverseJobs.net , the job site of Diverse: Issues In Higher Education . You can now search directly for student success jobs by clicking here.

Are you looking to hire an impatient reformer to help with student success and increase college completion rates? DiverseJobs.net is offering a discount for the Complete College America network to post job listings on their board. Contact info@completecollege.org to get your discount code.

Jobs at CCA

We'll be posting a job description soon for a Vice President for Development & Partnerships. Know any impatient reformers who would be interested? Send them our way!

Dive into CCA’s recent and most popular reports and tools to stay up to date on the latest research and resources in the college completion space:

CCA Case Study

Access to basic needs beyond the classroom is essential for any learner to thrive in the classroom. The University of New Mexico 's (UNM) LoboEats app addresses a need the university identified through a first-of-its-kind survey: food insecurity among students, faculty, and staff.

Addressing students' basic needs is directly tied to the Support pillar of CCA’s Pillars of Transformation , and UNM’s innovative approach to meeting the needs of its community is a model for implementing solutions to identified challenges.

Read the entire case study, University of New Mexico — Redefining Support: Addressing Food Insecurity with Tech: PDF | HTML

-

Ithaka S+R and CCA Collaborate on Credit Mobility

CCA and Ithaka S+R recently announced a new collaboration to explore methods for transferring credits that boost student success and college completion rates.

We'll share more insights and outcomes as we dive further into the collaboration, but read more here: Next Steps in Student Mobility: Ithaka S+R and Complete College America Partner to Support Student Success through Holistic Credit Mobility Policies, Practices, and Technologies .

-

CCA on the Air Listen to the latest episodes of CCA on the Air , and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

• Nurtured Advising: A Conversation with Dr. Patrice Glenn-Jones (Patrice W. Glenn Jones)
• - July 23, 2024 Telling Student Stories: Storytelling with Amy Wolf ( Amy Wolf ) - July 9, 2024

-

Leading the AI Revolution: The Crucial Role of HBCUs in Steering AI Leadership

A Joint Publication of the Online Learning Consortium , WCET - WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies (WCET) , and Complete College America

The evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) presents an unprecedented opportunity for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to lead in an era characterized by rapid technological advancement and societal transformation. This report from OLC, WCET, and CCA explores the integral role HBCUs can play in steering the AI revolution, ensuring that the Black community remains at the forefront of educational, economic, and social progress.

Read Leading the AI Revolution: The Crucial Role of HBCUs in Steering AI Leadership

The Complete College America team is always connecting with thought leaders, policymakers, and practitioners across the nation. Where can you find us over the next month?

• Carrie R. Hodge and Cassie Walizer will be at the Wisconsin Data Days in Madison, Wisconsin, on August 2.
• Charles Ansell , Brandon Protas, Ed.D. , Laura Schueller , and Cassie Walizer will attend the SHEEO Policy Conference in Washington, DC, from August 5 to 8.
• Yolanda Watson Spiva, Ph.D., BCC , Kate Derrick , Nikolas Huot , F. Janelle Hannah Jefferson, Ph.D , and Brandon Protas, Ed.D. will attend the New Jersey CCA Alliance kickoff in Rowan, New Jersey, on August 22.

CCA News and Information You Can Use

CCA in the News

CCA's team and work are being highlighted by major news outlets nationwide. See where we've been covered recently.

• Real Clear Education: Restoring the Promise of Higher Education is Key to Bridging Political Divisions CCA President Yolanda Watson Spiva, Ph.D., BCC authored this op-ed.
• The Campaign for College Opportunity: Embracing Change: How Legislative Reforms Transformed Math Education at Cuyamaca College CCA Content Expert and Cuyamaca College Dean of Math, Science, and Engineering Dr. Tammi Marshall authored this post.
• Bossier Press Tribune: LSUS senior involved in education policymaking discussions through fellowship. CCA Policy and Advocacy Student Fellow Louise Linh Tran is profiled.

- College Completion News Roundup

Below is a curated list of news stories to keep you updated on what people are talking about in the college completion world.

Value and Cost of Higher Education

• Higher Ed Dive: How do you calculate the ROI of a college degree?
• Diverse: Issues in Higher Education: Survey: Most Now View Higher Ed as a Good Investment
• Lumina Foundation: Community colleges have a terrific story to tell. Here’s how to showcase their strengths.
• Inside Higher Ed: Funding Student Success: Scholarships for Completion
• Research in Higher Education: 2-Year or Not 2-Year? The Impact of Starting at Community College on Bachelor’s Degree Attainment
• Higher Ed Dive: 3 charts unpacking the latest credential completion data
• National Bureau of Economic Research: New Evidence on the Returns to Attending College
• Lumina Foundation: Crisis of confidence in U.S. higher education: A call for renewed focus and reform

Equity in Postsecondary Education

• Inside Higher Ed: Report: Predictive Models May Have Bias Against Black and Hispanic Learners
• National Center for Education Statistics: Raise the Bar: Attaining College Excellence and Equity
• New America: Community Colleges Are Key to an Equitable Future of Work in America
• National College Attainment Network: Empowering Indigenous Students in Higher Education
• Diverse: Issues in Higher Education: Disparities of African American Men and Obtaining a College Education
• WGBH: The business case for diversity, equity and inclusion

Policy Approaches

• EducationCounsel: Six State-Level Levers to Advance Value in Postsecondary Education
• The White House: FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Actions to Expand Opportunities for Latino Communities and Ensure Every Family Has a Fair Shot at the American Dream
• The Education Trust: A Policy Roadmap That Steers Students of Color to Success, From Pre-K Through College
• Working Nation: Opinion: The Pell Grant no longer reflects the needs of today’s learners. Congress can change that.

Student Success Strategies and Supports

• Inside Higher Ed: Changing the Needs Conversation: Taking the Shame out of Getting Something to Eat
• The Hill: Almost a quarter of college students experienced hunger in 2020: GAO
• The Chronicle of Higher Education: More Colleges Are No Longer Putting Students on ‘Academic Probation.’ Here’s Why.
• Inside Higher Ed: Engaging Librarians in Student Success Work
• CBS News: Sacramento State program eases the stress for students who spent time in foster care
• Miami Today: Miami Dade College dual enrollment booms

Student Voices

• IHEP: College Completion Comebacks Film Series
• The EvoLLLution: Leveraging Students’ Voices in Undergraduate Qualitative Research: A Community College Impact Project
• The 74: ‘I Needed Help’: Students Spill the Truth About College Experiences

-

Grant Opportunities

Reach out to your CCA Strategy Director to learn how CCA or other Alliance members could partner with you on grant opportunities. Some current grant opportunities are below:

• US Department of Education: Centers of Excellence for Veteran Student Success  (due August 5)
• US Department of Education: Basic Needs for Postsecondary Students Program (due August 5)
• US Department of Education: Using Longitudinal Data to Support State Education Recovery Policymaking (due August 15)