News

A Farewell Message from Amy Kerwin

• A Personal Message from Amy Kerwin
• Reflections on Visiting Sing Sing, Plus Resources That Center Incarcerated Learners
• Fund for Workforce Equity Organizations Selected

Partnerships Help Offer Rural Learners In-Demand Career Credentials, Promising Caring Campus Results and More

• Local and Online Postsecondary Education Providers Partner to Offer In-Demand Career Credentials in Rural Areas
• Caring Campus Makes Student Success Everyone’s Business, With Promising Results

Biotechnology Industry Gets a Boost from Community College Degrees

Although bachelor's degrees are traditionally earned at four-year institutions, 25 states have authorized community colleges to offer affordable bachelor's degrees. This expands opportunities for learners from low-income backgrounds to achieve their career goals. In California, MiraCosta College has launched the nation’s first biomanufacturing bachelor’s degree. It’s partnerships with the industry ensure graduates are prepared to meet the workforce needs of Fortune 500 companies in biotechnology.

Caring Campus Makes Student Success Everyone’s Business, With Promising Results

Despite mounting evidence pointing to the crucial role nonacademic staff play in removing cultural barriers to success, large-scale efforts to improve retention at community colleges and elsewhere typically focus little direct attention on interpersonal interactions between students and staff. That’s where Caring Campus comes in. Developed and administered by the Institute for Evidence-Based Change (IEBC), the program engages faculty and nonacademic staff in building a culture of belonging, with promising results.

New Investments Total $17 Million+ for Dev Ed Reform, Rural Workforce Training, Skills Training Programs and More

• Investments in Dev Ed Reform, Rural Workforce Training Among $17 Million+ in Recently Approved Grants
• Merit America Skills Training Programs Generate Upward Socioeconomic Mobility

Investments in Dev Ed Reform, Rural Workforce Training Among $17 Million+ in Recently Approved Grants

Ascendium recently approved nine new grants totaling over $17 million. These grants support a range of initiatives designed to help learners from low-income backgrounds, including developmental education reform, expanding pathways to upwardly mobile careers in information technology and the scaling of proven strategies to improve transfer outcomes.

New COVID-19 Transfer Data Findings, the Impact of Media Grant Partners on Inequity and More

• COVID-19 Transfer Data Reveals Trends that Can Inform Equity and Student Success Policies
• Engaging with Media Showcases Grant Partners’ Positive Impact on Inequity
• Are You Interested in a Student-Centered Partnership?

Helpful Resources for Institutions Seeking Funding Under the College Completion Fund for Postsecondary Student Success

Know any Historically Black Colleges or Universities, Tribal Colleges or Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions or other Minority-Serving Institutions seeking funding under the U.S. Department of Education’s new College Completion Fund for Postsecondary Student Success? The briefs in MDRC’s College Completion Strategy Guide summarize the research on strategies to increase college completion and should prove useful in completing the application before the Oct. 11 deadline.

A Pivotal Time for Postsecondary Education in Prison, the Impact of Administrative Holds on Student Success and More

• Q&A: Molly Lasagna on the State of Postsecondary Education in Prison Ahead of Pell Restoration
• Hold Up: What We Do and Don’t Know about the Impact of Holds on Postsecondary Student Success
• Congratulations to 10 Exemplary Community Colleges in the Running for 2023 Aspen Prize

Hold Up: What We Do and Don’t Know About the Impact of Holds on Postsecondary Student Success

Policy changes at institutions, systems and states are curtailing the use of transcript holds. These types of holds can be detrimental to student success. However, there are other types of administrative holds that colleges can impose on students who are still enrolled (e.g., a registration block for an incomplete immunization record, an unpaid library fine or poor academic standing). The impact of these varied holds, especially on learners from low-income backgrounds, requires further examination to be understood.