Rhode Island s Efforts to Assist Former Students with Degree Completion A report submitted in response to Senate Resolution 512

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1 Rhode Island s Efforts to Assist Former Students with Degree Completion A report submitted in response to Senate Resolution 512 Moving the Needle, a call to action for improving Rhode Island s economy, which was prepared by the Rhode Island Senate Policy Office and the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council, cited educational attainment among the strengths and barriers for a vibrant state economy and essential for the current health and future growth of the economy. During the 2013 session of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the Senate passed Resolution 512, which endorses the existing work of Rhode Island s public institutions of higher education in encouraging and supporting Rhode Islanders who have attained some postsecondary academic credits to return to complete to a postsecondary degree. Consistent with the findings in the Senate s 2013 Moving the Needle report, the legislation recognizes that the educational attainment of the state s workforce is fundamental to ensuring the state s economic competitiveness and growth. Assisting these former students in finishing their academic coursework is recognized as a low-risk, high-reward opportunity for expanding the number of Rhode Islanders who have earned a degree. Aims McGuinness, of the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS), has cited data projecting that by 2018, 101,000 jobs in Rhode Island will require an associate degree and 110,000 the bachelor s degree; however, there is an expected gap of 60,000 workers for jobs requiring the associate degree and a 16,000 worker gap for jobs requiring a bachelor s degree. The Rhode Island Senate requested the Office of Higher Education to provide a report to the Governor, President of the Senate, and Speaker of the House on the status of programmatic efforts at the state colleges and university to assist students in completing their degrees by January 1, The report requested by Senate includes: 1. Number of former students each institution has identified as within reach of possible completion by the number of credits already achieved; 2. Number of these students who re-enrolled in the academic year, reported by discipline; 3. Number of these students who successfully completed their degree in the school year, by discipline; 4. Description of the current strategy being used by each institution to recruit and retain such students; 5. The institutions policies, if already established, that target outreach and completion efforts to this student population (e.g., recruitment based on number of credits achieved and/or by discipline); 6. Types of institutional incentives used to re-enroll these students (e.g., direct academic plans or pathways to completion, enrollment support, financial aid, loan forgiveness, and/or other supports); and

2 7. Amount of funding dedicated to these efforts and the sources of funding (institutional and granted based). In responding to this request, each institution reported back on the student populations they had identified as initial targets that would fulfill the goals of assisting students with some credits to complete degrees. Since the cohorts are defined differently, it is therefore not informative to compare numbers across the institutions. The approaches and the student cohorts reflect the differing missions, student populations and funds available currently for addressing this issue. Summary by program CCRI: The community college has identified 4,975 students who are within 15 credits of earning an associate degree and who have no outstanding financial obligations. It is the intent of the college to refine the number by 1) identifying students who last enrolled within two years; 2) crosschecking students with The National Student Clearinghouse to identify students enrolled elsewhere. The college plans on a strategy of personal contact with students, followed by invitations to events targeted for this audience. It is intended that representatives of financial aid, advising and counseling, admissions, and records along with representatives of academic programs will be available. Students will be given the opportunity to participate in grant-funded student support programs. The college further plans to have developed several model learning plans that would be used in advising students to complete their associate degrees ideally in one to three semesters. The college has not earmarked any special funding for this initiative and estimates that funding would be needed to provide sufficient staff to assist the almost 5, 000 students identified as potential graduates. In the process of researching potential students, the college identified 452 students who were eligible for graduation. CCRI expects that the processing and notifying of students will be completed early in RIC: Finish Strong Rhode Island College has identified a cohort of 1,404 students who are within reach of degree completion. This includes: 1) students who were intended summer graduates between 2011 and 2013 but who didn t complete required coursework; 2) students who were re-admitted between 2011 and 2013; 3) students who left RIC in good standing and are now reactivating their enrollment; and 4) students who attended between 2009 and 2011, earned at least 75 credits and have not earned a bachelor s degree. To date, 477 students drawn from those intending August graduation and those students who were readmitted during the academic year have re-enrolled; 272 students

3 graduated during the same academic year. The most popular majors of those who completed their degrees were psychology (53) and nursing (46). Finish Strong established a resource team drawn from the admissions, bursar s, financial aid, records, academic support, and Learning for Life offices to recruit, re-enroll and support students to degree completion. The resource team is providing students with a plan for degree completion. Students who are formally readmitted to the college will have the $200 enrollment deposit waived. A specially designed pin, to be worn at graduation, will be given to students to signify they graduated through Finish Strong. The college established a dedicated Finish Strong website, , and phone line. The program is being promoted by transit advertisements on RIPTA buses and publicized through the college website and the alumni magazine among other outlets. RIC is using a grant from a College Access Challenge Grant awarded by the Office of Higher Education to expand the outreach for Finish Strong. Grant funds of $20,000 are being used to underwrite staff time, advertising and outreach. College resources are used for administrative expenses associated with the initiative. URI: Finish What You Started (FWYS) URI has identified over 2,600 students who over 8-10 years had earned at least 75 credits but never completed a degree. In 2011, URI launched a pilot program and targeted 300 students who were contacted with offers of special advising and mentoring to assist them in completing their degrees. Since the pilot was launched and the program was publicized, URI FWYS staff has worked with over 600 students, reenrolled 170 and graduated 35. Of the 35 who graduated, the most popular majors were English and psychology. These numbers do not include those students who were readmitted and who subsequently graduated through regular university procedures. The university initially used existing staff and hired a part-time advisor to assist students. Through OHE- awarded College Access Challenge Grants, the university was able to hire two part-time coordinators who support students from the initial contact to re-enrollment and throughout their studies at URI. Staff noticed that Finish What You Started students needed individual attention to make a successful readjustment to college and additional staff and services were required. The program offers students readmission counseling and support; flexibility in awarding credits for prior learning experiences; the opportunity to take courses at the Kingston or Providence campuses or online; one-on-one tutoring and academic skills support and some, limited, financial aid. The original target audience was students with 75 credits and in good academic and financial aid standing; however in response to inquiries, Finish What You Started will attempt to help all students who contact the university. URI reports over 30 inquiries per month. Over 25% of the 2,600 target students have a prior balance at the university. To encourage students to pay off prior balances, the university is giving a $500 scholarship 3

4 to students who pay off prior balances. Other incentives include the review of prior learning for academic credit, review of credits that are over 10 years old, need-based financial aid, and the other academic support and career services available through FWYS. The university notes that it has received a College Access Challenge Grant in 2012 with renewals through October 2014 of $80,000. For this academic year, it will receive $40,000 from the College Access Challenge Grant and estimates that the university will spend $75,000 in institutional funds (annually). The program is currently promoted through advertisements, word of mouth, and positive press. URI foresees that FWYS could expand to become a model program widely serving adults with some credits but without degrees throughout the state. The university notes that to properly assist this population in achieving the goal of completing a degree requires substantial support services such as are provided by academic advisors, learning specialists, financial aid specialists, and career/internship counselors. In addition, there would be costs for marketing and outreach, and as other states have determined, there is a need for a financial assistance fund specifically for adult students. The Charge to the Office of Higher Education The Rhode Island Senate resolution S512 requests that the Office of Higher Education aid in the coordination and expansion of programs assisting students to complete their degrees. Additionally, the Office is required to provide recommendations for expanding and strengthening completion efforts. Below are the recommendations from the Office of Higher Education and the institutions reflecting the challenges, successes, and opportunities that exist in this area. Recommend that the Office of Higher Education continues to coordinate and strengthen the efforts of the institutions to assist adults to earn degrees, including degree completion and reverse transfer initiatives, and that the Office continues to promote a coordinated statewide effort to improve the ability of adults to attend and complete a postsecondary credential. This would include further study and recommendations on flexible scheduling, forgiveness of debts, establishing learning pathways, advising support, career/internship advisement and financial incentives, which have been noted in national research as motivators for adult students to persist in earning degrees. Recommend to the Board of Education a policy on the consistent awarding and transferability of credits earned through prior learning assessment. Recommend that the Higher Education data hub be utilized along with the National Student Clearinghouse to identify students who would benefit from college degree completion initiatives.

5 Recommend further research on national models of state degree completion programs. Recommend that college completion efforts be coordinated with the efforts at the Department of Labor and Training to connect workers with postsecondary education and/or further technical training as needed for current and future workforce needs of the state. Provide additional resources to ramp up completion programs. The Office of Higher Education and Rhode Island s public higher education institutions will continue to promote degree completion for former students, and we will actively pursue the recommendations contained in this report. We would gladly partner with other state agencies to advance these efforts, and we welcome any feedback or further recommendations from the state s executive and legislative offices. 5