Iowa Community College Completion Initiative:

1. Iowa Community College Completion Initiative: Iowa’s Response to a National Imperative IACCT Conference July 2012

2. What We Tell Students • You need education or training beyond high school to compete in this global economy. • A college degree or certificate that demonstrates accomplishment of skills with value in the marketplace is essential to individual prosperity. • This is also true for our state and country.

3. A National Imperative • A highly educated and skilled workforce is fundamental to national economic competitiveness. • Yet only 38% of US adults hold a postsecondary credential, compared to 60% of Korean adults. • Despite boasting the best higher education system in the world, the US ranks in the high teens/low 20s in degree attainment. • A result of this disparity is a growing skills gap in the American workforce.

4. The National Completion Agenda • In response major US foundations and associations have launched completion initiatives: • Lumina Foundation has sponsored “Achieving the Dream” with the goal of reaching 60% US degree attainment by 2020. • Gates Foundation has sponsored “Complete College America” with similar goals. • National Governors Association has supported “Complete to Compete” with similar goals. • Obama administration has endorsed these completion goals.

5. Iowa Has the Same Challenge • Unacceptably low postsecondary completion rates. • Growing skills gap necessary to support economic growth and development. • Lacking significant in-migration, Iowa must succeed by increasing the percentage of its current population earning college degrees and certificates with value in the marketplace. • Iowa cannot afford to waste its existing human potential.

6. Iowa’s Response: Iowa Community College Completion Initiative • ICCCI adopted by IACCP April 4, 2012 • ICCCI: Iowa Community Colleges agree to work collaboratively to achieve the common priority of increasing the number of certificates and degrees earned by Iowa community college students. • Goal: To increase the number of higher education credentials earned by Iowa community college students by an order of magnitude similar to national goals for certificate and degree production.

7. By Increasing Degrees and Certificates… • Accountability: Iowa community colleges will demonstrate their accountability for the support provided by the State of Iowa, local communities, students and business and industry. • Economic Development: Iowa community colleges will contribute to their communities and the State of Iowa by closing the skills gap needed for economic development. • Quality and Rigor: Completion goals will be achieved while also upholding the quality, rigor and value in the marketplace of the degrees and certificates conferred by Iowa community colleges.

8. ICCCI Commitments • To make certificate and degree completion the top college priority • To use common metrics to determine the progress and success of the initiative, including common definitions for both in-process measures and final outcomes, and that uses both cohort and annual data • To examine and seek to improve community college policies, processes, procedures and practices to maximize student success as measured by completion of higher education credentials • To use a data-driven continuous improvement model to improve institutional processes, services and programs to increase degree completion

9. ICCCI Commitments (continued) • To pursue completion initiatives that are most relevant to each college’s priorities and challenges as determined by the data and institutional leadership. • To incorporate completion initiatives into the college’s institutional and strategic plans • To identify a “completion steering committee” at each college • To participate actively in and work collaboratively with Iowa community college colleagues in statewide groups that might be organized to support ICCCI

10. ICCCI Commitments (continued) • To share best practices among colleague colleges • To participate in common statewide completion initiative activities as determined by the leadership of the initiative • To learn from the successes of other colleges and states and to engage with and contribute to the national conversation about improving the production of higher education degrees and certificates

11. ICCCI Metrics • ICCCI has adopted common higher education metrics recommended by the National Governors Association . • NGA recommends that states should collect and report these metrics publicly to improve performance of colleges and universities, including • Outcomes Metrics • Progress Metrics

12. NGA Outcome Metrics • ƒƒDegrees awarded: annual number and percentage of certificates, associate degrees, and bachelor’s degrees awarded • ƒƒGraduation rates: number and percentage of certificate or degree-seeking students who graduate within normal program time (two years for associate’s degrees; four years for bachelor’s degrees) or extended time (three years for associate’s degrees; six years for bachelor’s degrees) • ƒƒTransfer rates: annual number and percentage of students who transfer from a two-year to four-yearinstitution; • ƒƒTime and credits to degree: average length of time in years and average number of credits that graduating students took to earn a certificate, an associate degree, or a bachelor’s degree.

13. NGA Progress Metrics • Enrollment in remedial courses • ƒƒSuccess in remedial courses and subsequent college-level courses • ƒƒSuccess in first-year college courses • ƒƒCredit accumulation • ƒƒPersistence rates • ƒƒCourse completion rates

14. Best Practices: Planning for Success • Assessment and Placement • Orientation • Academic Goal Setting and Planning • Registration before Classes Begin

15. Best Practices: Initiating Success • Accelerated or Fast-Track • Developmental Education • First-Year Experience • Student Success Course • Learning Communities

16. Best Practices: Sustaining Success • Class Attendance • Alert and Intervention • Experiential Learning beyond the Classroom • Tutoring • Supplemental Instruction

17. IACCP Related Initiatives • Statewide administration of CCSSE and SENS to support ICCCI • Statewide grant to adopt third-party industry certifications as standard for technology- related programs • Statewide commitment to administer the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC)

18. Implications for Institutions • Focus on completion will require changes in culture, processesand programs. • Focus on completion could result in short-term reductions in enrollment, though also likely to result in longer term enrollment growth. • Focus on completion will likely energize internal constituents and increase both effectiveness and efficiency. • Key challenge in increasing degree and certificate production is to maintain the open door while also requiring students who walk through it to take steps that will increase the likelihood of their completion.

19. Questions? • Comments? • Suggestions?

20. On behalf of all the Iowa community college presidents, thank you for your attention and your support as we embark upon this ambitious initiative.