Dr . Tim McElroy Director, Reach Higher Oklahoma’s Degree Completion Program Dr. Debbie Blanke

1. Dr. Tim McElroyDirector, Reach Higher Oklahoma’s Degree Completion Program Dr. Debbie Blanke Reach Higher Contact Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education

2. One Initiative to Credential the State’s Workforce

3. DC OK00 No state with a low proportion of Bachelor’s degrees has a high per capita income. CT NJ OK05 MD MA VA NH NY DE MN RI CA AK CO WA IL NV HI WI PA VT MI GA WY OR FL No state with a high proportion of Bachelor’s degrees has a low per capita income. IA ME OH AZ NC IN KS TN ND MO NE TX SD AL MT KY SC OK UT NM WV LA ID AR MS State Per Capita Personal Income v. Share of Adult Population with Bachelor's Degree or Higher (2005) Oklahoma moved from 46th to 42nd in the rankings of the percentage of adults with a bachelor’s degree. OK

4. 23.3 23.2 23.8 23.3 35.5 28.2 24.0 22.4 23.0 25.1 18.9 25.1 20.6

5. Some College – No 4-year Degree

6. State Per Capita Income, 2005

7. Oklahoma’s Response

8. Bachelor of Science in • Organizational Leadership • Associate in Arts in Enterprise Development • Associate in Science in Enterprise Development

9. Oklahoma’s flexible, affordable degree completion program. Designed for working adults who want to finish their college degree from a state college or university. A second chance to finish a degree – while keeping a normal routine, maintaining normal work hours and having family time.

10. Designed by university and college faculty and administrators in Oklahoma to meet the needs of businesses. Bachelor’s degree available at nine universities with common costs and curriculum and with a convenient on-line application process. Associate’s degrees available at 14 community colleges and technical branches with options in business and general studies, uniquely designed for each student.

11. Over 300,000 Oklahomans left college with some credit but no degree (associate or baccalaureate). Nearly 70,000 Oklahomans have left college with more than 77 credit hours and a 2.0 GPA People leave college for: Family reasons Finances 2004 OSRHE Market Assessment

12. Two major reasons for returning to complete a degree: Personal satisfaction Better job opportunities Factors impacting their re-enrollment in college: Convenience Accelerated format Credit for previous experience Cost 2004 OSRHE Market Assessment

13. 1/3 indicated they would definitely enroll in an Oklahoma public university degree completion program over private programs 70% indicated that the program would be affordable if tuition were similar to current public university and college tuition rates 2004 OSRHE Market Assessment

14. December 2004 – discussions with business and industry, campus administration and faculty. • February 2006 – Northeastern State University designated “Lead Institution” • February 2006 / March 2007- Program Development • Curriculum • Faculty & Staff • Degree • Policy • Webpage • Marketing • September 2010 – creation of the Associate’s completion program

15. REACH HIGHER – Web Sitewww.reachhigheroklahoma.org

16. REACH HIGHER – Web Sitewww.reachhigheroklahoma.org

17. REACH HIGHER – Core Courses for Bachelor’s degree

18. February 2007 – Program Approved: Cameron University, Lawton East Central University, Ada Langston University, OKC Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Alva Northeastern State University, Tahlequah Rogers State University, Claremore Southeastern Oklahoma State University (Joined in 2010) Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Weatherford University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond

19. REACH HIGHER The Curriculum Baccalaureate Program: General Education 40 hrs. Professional Electives 33-39 hrs. Field Exp./Internship 3 hrs. Core Required 27-30 hrs. Institution-specific 12-15 hrs. TOTAL CREDIT HOURS 124 hrs.

20. Foundations of Organizational Leadership and Personal Development Professional Communication Data Analysis & Interpretation Survey of Fiscal Management Ethics & Organizations The Individual, The Organization & Society Leading and Managing Markets and Stakeholders Capstone

21. REACH HIGHERAdmission Requirements Bachelor’s Degree: At least 21 years old Completed at least 72 hrs. of college credit Minimum 2.0 graduation/ retention GPA in past college work Completed general education requirements as defined by the home institution or by AA or AS degree

22. REACH HIGHERCosts $165.00 per credit hour (resident) $391.00 per credit hour (non-resident) (Effective August, 2010)

23. 2,695 Inquiries 1,681 Applications 261 Majors enrolled 392 Total enrolled in classes 115 Program Graduates since March 2007 125 Referred to other programs

26. Average Age: 40 Gender: 1/3 Male 2/3 Female Ethnicity: 71% White, Non-Hispanic 14% American Indian 12% Black, Non-Hispanic 3% Hispanic

27. Financial Aid: • 47% Do not qualify for financial aid • 40% Qualify for some federal aid • 13% Qualify for loans only Average Course Load: • 3 to 6 credit hours per 8-weeks

28. REACH HIGHER – Web Sitewww.reachhigheroklahoma.org

29. Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology • Oklahoma State University – Oklahoma City • Redlands Community College • Rose State College • Seminole State College • Tulsa Community College • Western Oklahoma State College Associate Degrees: • Carl Albert State College • Connors State College • Eastern Oklahoma State College • Murray State College • Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College • Northern Oklahoma College • Oklahoma City Community College

30. REACH HIGHER The Curriculum Associate Program: General Education 37 hrs. Core Required 23 hrs. TOTAL CREDIT HOURS 60 hrs. Options: Business (accounting, economics, management, business statistics, etc.) General Studies (individualized for the student’s academic and career goals)

31. REACH HIGHERAdmission Requirements Associate Degrees At least 21 years old Completed at least 18 hrs. of college credit Minimum 2.0 graduation/ retention GPA in past college work Completed any required remedial work

32. REACH HIGHERCosts Same as current tuition costs at each participating institution (no common tuition at this point in time). On average, $90 per credit hour for Oklahoma residents

33. For more information or to have us come present the information to your agency, company, or clients, contact us! • Dr. Tim McElroy - mcelroyt@nsuok.edu or 918.683.0040, ext. 5017 • Dr. Debbie Blanke – dblanke@osrhe.edu or 405.225.9145