Karen J. Wheeler, Ph.D. Associate Director

1. State of Arkansas Higher Education March 2011 Karen J. Wheeler, Ph.D. Associate Director

2. Interim Director • Sen. Shane Broadway • Oversight of staff whose jobs are to carry out the policy directives of the AHECB and to develop funding recommendations • Co-sponsor of Arkansas Scholarship Lottery legislation - 2008 • Served on the education committee each term except as Speaker of the House - 2001 • Joined agency in January as Deputy Director

3. Arkansas & Higher Education Color Palette • In September 2010, AR ranked 50th nationally in percent of adults that have completed a bachelor’s degree (18.9%)1 • Median household income has risen to $37,8231 but lags behind the national average of $50,2212 1. September 2010, American Community Survey, Table B1002, via www.census.gov. 2. U.S. Census Bureau, SF3 1990 & 2000. American Community Survey, R1901, 2009.

4. College Going Rates Source: ADHE SIS; NCES, Digest of Education Statistics 2009; Table 191 (federal calculation).

5. Unduplicated Enrollment for Public Institutions 50.8 percent increase in enrollment Source: ADHE SIS, 2010.

6. 2010 College going rate by county Source: 2010, Arkansas Department of Higher Education. Note: Rates based on first-time entering freshmen & first-time enrollment.

7. 2010 College going rate by school district Source: 2010, Arkansas Department of Higher Education. Note: Rates based on first-time entering freshmen & first-time enrollment.

8. Public Four-Year Colleges and UniversitiesDegrees and Certificates Conferred Source: SREB 2009-2010 Indicators Report; December 2010.

9. Public Two-Year CollegesDegrees and Certificates Conferred Source: SREB 2009-2010 Indicators Report; December 2010.

10. Credentials Awarded, Public Institutions Only % Increase 84% - Total Credentials Awarded 283% -Certificates of Proficiency 243% - Technical Certificates 135% - Associate Degrees 35% - Baccalaureate Degrees 67% - Master Degrees 87% - Doctoral Degrees Source: ADHE SIS, 2010.

11. 2010 Remediation rate by county (any subject) Source: 2010, Arkansas Department of Higher Education. Note: Rates based on reported number of placement test-takers (ACT, SAT, Asset, or Compass) & number of first-time entering freshmen.

12. 2010 Remediation rate by county (Math) Source: 2010, Arkansas Department of Higher Education. Note: Rates based on reported number of placement test-takers (ACT, SAT, Asset, or Compass) & number of first-time entering freshmen.

13. 2010 Remediation rate by county (English) Source: 2010, Arkansas Department of Higher Education. Note: Rates based on reported number of placement test-takers (ACT, SAT, Asset, or Compass) & number of first-time entering freshmen.

14. 2010 Remediation rate by county (Reading) Source: 2010, Arkansas Department of Higher Education. Note: Rates based on reported number of placement test-takers (ACT, SAT, Asset, or Compass) & number of first-time entering freshmen.

15. Arkansas Higher Education Initiatives

16. Achieving the Dream

17. Achieving the Dream Color Palette • A Two-Year College National Initiative that focuses on college students. • Pulaski Technical College, Phillips County College-UA, National Park Community College, Ouachita Technical College • AR Student Success Symposium • AATYC partnership and Student Success Center

18. Achieving the Dream • AtD acts on multiple fronts: • Providing planning and implementation grants to colleges and state policy efforts; • Helping colleges develop and implement strategies to improve student success and build a culture of evidence in which decisions are based on data about student achievement; • Conducting research about effective practices and student achievement at community colleges;

19. Achieving the Dream • Arkansas Progress and Accomplishments • May 2010 – two-year college presidents & chancellors unanimously adopted statewide student success and institutional measures; • Strong collaboration between ADHE and AATYC • Integrated AtD success into other statewide initiatives including Student Success Center and additional funding opportunities

20. Complete College America

21. Complete College America • Established in 2009 • Only national nonprofit organization focused solely on working to dramatically increase the number of young adults with a college degree or credential • Five national foundations are providing multi-year support and an initial $12 million • Carnegie Corporation of New York • Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation • Ford Foundation • W.K. Kellogg Foundation • Lumina Foundation for Education

22. Nevada Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont West Virginia Arkansas Connecticut Georgia Hawai’i Idaho Illinois Indiana Louisiana Maryland Massachusetts Minnesota 23 Charter Members

23. Complete College America State Job Growth and Education Demands: Employment projections anticipate that 54% of Arkansas’s jobs will require college education by the end of the decade.

24. CCA Strategies to Increase College Completion • Time • Choice • Structure

25. Accelerate Success • Require students to have graduation plans and declare majors early • Improve transfer policies • Develop common course-numbering system • Provide incentives for full-time attendance • Use technology to reduce seat time • Review programs that exceed 120 credit hours

26. Ways to Transform Remediation • Tailored Approach: • For students near college-ready: Let them start! • For students one or two levels below college- level: Compress and accelerate remediation • For students significantly behind: Focus on career readiness integrated with basic skills

27. NCHEMS Report

28. NCHEMS Report • National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) conducted a comprehensive analysis of Arkansas higher education policies in Fall 2010. • Analyzed data on the state’s educational attainment, economy, and higher education performance • Reviewed existing statutes and policies • Reviewed previous studies and task force reports • Interviewedhundreds of stakeholders (institutional, Governor’s office, legislative, non-profit, economic development entities, Governor’s cabinet)

29. NCHEMS Observations/Findings • Arkansas needs a clear statement of long-term goals for competitiveness in educational attainment that are: • (1) linked to the future competitiveness of the state’s economy, and • (2) reflect the realities of the current workforce. • Despite many well-intentioned state laws and policies, a significant gap remains between policy intent and the realities of implementation at the classroom level – both K-12 & college

30. NCHEMS Observations/Findings • State finance policies are not fully aligned with state priorities; few incentives for increased degree production and completion • Need to target adults who have serious deficits in the basic skills needed for further education to earn a living wage job • Establish an overarching goal to increase the competitiveness of the Arkansas workforce by doubling the number of quality degrees granted by 2025 to 34,400

31. Compact with Arkansas

32. Compact with Arkansas • In March 2011, four-year presidents and chancellors pledged 16 points to the People of Arkansas, Boards of Trustees, AHECB, General Assembly, the Governor, and other Constitutional Officers

33. Compact with Arkansas • Transparent and accountable decision making • Prudent fiscal management • Clear measures of institutional performance • Doubling, by 2025, the number of college degrees produced by the Compact’s partners • Keep tuition and fees low without sacrificing academic quality • Create a seamless process for transferring • Increase efforts to address the needs of non-traditional students

34. Arkansas’s College and Career Coaches

35. Arkansas’s College & Career Coaches Color Palette 3-year pilot program • Motivate/support high school students • Gives support needed to increase students’ knowledge and skills so they are prepared for the next level of education and/or training

36. Program Structure • Currently 45 College and Career Coaches with 3 new additions to Pulaski County in 2011-12. • Co-located through 12 Two-Year Colleges and 1 Adult Education Resource Center • Serving 56 school districtsin 21 poorest counties • ACT Enrichment and Remediation program

37. Career Coach Counties

38. Career Coach Measures Proposed Performance Measures: • High School Graduation Rate • Smart Core Opt-Out Rate • College-Going Rate • Reduced Remediation • Increased ACT Scores • Increased Applications for State and Federal Aid

39. Career Coach/Student Contacts (January – May 2010) • 4,892 (93%) of Seniors developed or revised their Career Plan prior to graduation • Of those 4,892, 100% received information and/or assistance with the College Admissions and Financial Aid process

40. Career Coach Outcomes After only 24 hours of instruction in the Summer ACT Academy • 474/586 (81%) completed the program. • Of the completers, 331 (64%) increased their ACT Composite Score by at least one point. • 87% of those who increased their ACT composite attained a score of 19 or higher.

41. Career Coach Outcomes • Non-Career Coach Counties: Financial aid applications increased by 63.15% from the previous year (2008-09 to 2009-10) • Career Coach Counties: Financial aid applications increased by 91.9% from the previous year (2008-2009 to 2009-10).

42. Say Go College Week

43. Say Go College Week 2011 • Governor Mike Beebe • North Little Rock High School

44. Say Go College Week 2011 • Funds provided through CACG • Grass-roots outreach to high school students, parents, teachers, counselors, and administrators with the goals of encouraging more high school students to attend college • Includes social media, earned media coverage, advertising placement, rallies/special events

45. Say Go College Week 2011 • More than 80 high schools were visited during Fall 2010 semester pre-event • Stone Ward & ADHE visited 19 high schools during the event week (Feb.14-20, 2011) • Gov. Mike Beebe kicked-off the event Monday the 14th • 37 locations across the state hosted College Goal Sunday workshops to help approximately 2,000 students with the FAFSA

46. Grant Opportunities

47. Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Program (C3T or TAA) • Collaboration between USDOE and USDOL. • Each state guaranteed minimum of $2.5 million and maximum of $20 million to be distributed over a 3-year period. • Program is designed to meet industry needs while accelerating learning and improving retention/graduation. • AATYC and ADHE are collaborating with two-year colleges to address developmental education, time-to-degree, and student support.

48. Complete College America: Completion Innovation Challenge($1 million Award over 18 months) • Real change and lasting impact • Reducing time-to-degree and accelerating success • Transforming remediation • Restructuring delivery for today’s students • Use of transformative technology • Demonstrate how plans will substantially increase the number of completed awards of labor market value.

49. Fund of Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE): Comprehensive Program($750k over 3-year period) • Priority 1—Increase Postsecondary Success • Increase the number and proportion of high-need students who persist in and complete college or other postsecondary education and training. • Increase the number and proportion of postsecondary students who complete college or other postsecondary education and training and who are demonstrably prepared for successful employment, active participation in civic life, and lifelong learning. • Priority 2—Data-Based Decision-Making • Collect (or obtain), analyze, and use high-quality and timely data to improve postsecondary student outcomes relating to enrollment, persistence, and completion and leading to career success

50. Legislative Update