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The Executive Office of the President 

January 2014

COMMITMENTS TO ACTION 

ON COLLEGE OPPORTUNITY
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LIST OF COMMITMENTS

As part of the Administration’s efforts to increase college opportunity, the President and First Lady made a call to action, 

asking colleges and universities, nonprofits, foundations, businesses, state officials and other leaders to make new 

commitments to increase college opportunity. In response, the White House received the following commitments, as 

reported and described by respondents. The list includes both participants in the Jan. 16th event as well as institutions and 

organizations who were unable to attend. 

Colleges, Universities and State Systems........................................................................................................... 8

Allegheny College (Meadville, PA)................................................................................................................................ 8

Alma College (Alma, MI)............................................................................................................................................... 8

Amherst College (Amherst, MA).................................................................................................................................... 8

Arkansas.......................................................................................................................................................................... 9

Augsburg College (Minneapolis, MN) .........................................................................................................................10

Augustana College (Rock Island, IL)............................................................................................................................10

Barnard College (New York, NY) ................................................................................................................................10

Bates College (Lewiston, ME)......................................................................................................................................11

Bowdoin College (St, Brunswick, ME) ........................................................................................................................12

Brandeis University (Waltham, MA)............................................................................................................................12

Brown University (Providence, RI) ..............................................................................................................................12

Bryn Mawr College (Bryn Mawr, PA) .........................................................................................................................13

Bunker Hill Community College (Boston, MA)...........................................................................................................13

California Community Colleges ...................................................................................................................................14

California State University System...............................................................................................................................15

Carnegie Mellon University, (Pittsburgh, PA)..............................................................................................................15

Centre College (Danville, KY) .....................................................................................................................................16

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania (Cheyney, PA)...................................................................................................16

Claremont McKenna College (Claremont, CA)............................................................................................................16

College of the Holy Cross (Worcester, MA) ................................................................................................................17

Colorado........................................................................................................................................................................17

Colorado Community College System..........................................................................................................................18

Columbia University in the City of New York (New York, NY).................................................................................18

Community College of Baltimore County (Baltimore, MD)........................................................................................19
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Connecticut ...................................................................................................................................................................19

Cuyahoga Community College (Cuyahoga County, Ohio) ..........................................................................................19

Davidson College (Davidson, NC) ...............................................................................................................................20

Delaware .......................................................................................................................................................................20

District of Columbia......................................................................................................................................................21

Drake University (Des Moines, IA)..............................................................................................................................21

El Paso Community College (El Paso, TX)..................................................................................................................21

Florida International University (Miami, FL)...............................................................................................................22

Franklin & Marshall College (Lancaster, PA)..............................................................................................................22

Georgetown University (Washington, DC)...................................................................................................................23

George Washington University (Washington, DC) ......................................................................................................23

Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA)............................................................................................................24

Georgia State University (Atlanta, GA)........................................................................................................................24

Goucher College (Baltimore, MD) ...............................................................................................................................25

Hamilton College (Clinton, NY)...................................................................................................................................25

Harper College (Palatine, IL)........................................................................................................................................25

Harvard College (Boston, MA).....................................................................................................................................26

Harvey Mudd College (Claremont, CA).......................................................................................................................26

Hawai‘i..........................................................................................................................................................................26

Hiram College (Hiram, OH) .........................................................................................................................................26

Hobart and William Smith Colleges (Geneva, NY)......................................................................................................27

Howard University (Washington, D.C.) .......................................................................................................................27

Idaho .............................................................................................................................................................................27

Illinois...........................................................................................................................................................................28

Illinois Community College Board ...............................................................................................................................28

Indiana...........................................................................................................................................................................29

Iowa State University, (Ames, IA)................................................................................................................................29

Kentucky.......................................................................................................................................................................30

Kenyon College (Gambier, OH) ...................................................................................................................................30

Kingsborough Community College - CUNY (Brooklyn, NY) .....................................................................................31

Knox College (Galesburg, IL) ......................................................................................................................................32

Lake Washington Institute of Technology (Kirkland, WA) .........................................................................................33

Lawrence University (Appleton, WI) ...........................................................................................................................33
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Lewis & Clark College (Portland, OR).........................................................................................................................34

Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge, LA)............................................................................................................34

Maryland.......................................................................................................................................................................35

Massachusetts ...............................................................................................................................................................35

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA) ...........................................................................................36

Miami Dade College (Miami, FL) ................................................................................................................................36

Middlebury College (Middlebury, VT).........................................................................................................................37

Minnesota......................................................................................................................................................................37

Missouri ........................................................................................................................................................................37

Montgomery County Community College (Montgomery County, PA) .......................................................................38

Montana ........................................................................................................................................................................38

Morehouse College (Atlanta, GA)................................................................................................................................39

Morgan State University (Baltimore, MD)...................................................................................................................39

Mount Holyoke College (South Hadley, MA)..............................................................................................................40

Navajo Technical University (Crownpoint, NM) .........................................................................................................40

Nebraska Wesleyan University (Lincoln, NE)..............................................................................................................40

Nevada ..........................................................................................................................................................................41

North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC)............................................................................................................41

Northeastern University (Boston, MA).........................................................................................................................41

Northern Virginia Community College (Annandale, VA)............................................................................................42

Northwestern University (Evanston, IL).......................................................................................................................42

Oberlin College (Oberlin, OH) .....................................................................................................................................43

Ohio...............................................................................................................................................................................43

Oklahoma ......................................................................................................................................................................43

Oregon...........................................................................................................................................................................44

Oregon Institute of Technology (Klamath Falls, OR) ..................................................................................................44

Patrick Henry Community College (Martinsville, VA)................................................................................................44

Pitzer College (Claremont, CA)....................................................................................................................................45

Pomona College (Claremont, CA)................................................................................................................................45

Portland State University (Portland, OR)......................................................................................................................45

Princeton University (Princeton, NJ)............................................................................................................................46

Scripps College (Claremont, CA) .................................................................................................................................46

Shawnee State University .............................................................................................................................................47
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Skidmore College (Saratoga Springs, NY)...................................................................................................................47

Smith College (Northampton, MA) ..............................................................................................................................47

Spelman College (Atlanta, GA)....................................................................................................................................48

State University of New York System..........................................................................................................................48

Stony Brook University - SUNY (Stony Brook, NY)...................................................................................................49

Tacoma Community College (Tacoma, WA)...............................................................................................................49

Tennessee......................................................................................................................................................................49

Texas Association of Community Colleges (TACC)....................................................................................................50

Tufts University (Medford, MA) ..................................................................................................................................50

Tulane University (New Orleans, LA)..........................................................................................................................51

University of Arkansas (Fayetteville, AR)....................................................................................................................51

University of California, Berkeley (Berkeley, CA) ......................................................................................................52

University of California, Davis (Davis, California)......................................................................................................52

University of California, Merced (Merced, CA)...........................................................................................................53

University of California, San Diego (San Diego, CA)..................................................................................................53

University of California System ...................................................................................................................................54

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL) ............................................................................................................................54

University of Colorado, Boulder (Boulder, CO)...........................................................................................................55

University of Delaware (Newark, DE)..........................................................................................................................55

University of Houston (Houston, TX) ..........................................................................................................................56

The University of Kansas (Lawrence, KS) ...................................................................................................................56

University of Maryland of Baltimore County (Baltimore, MD)...................................................................................56

University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN)................................................................................................................56

University of Missouri (Columbia, MO) ......................................................................................................................57

University of Nebraska (Kearney, Lincoln and Omaha, NE) .......................................................................................57

The University of New Hampshire (Durham, NH).......................................................................................................58

University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill, NC)...........................................................................................................58

University of Rochester (Rochester, NY).....................................................................................................................59

University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA) ............................................................................................................59

University of Puget Sound (Tacoma, WA)...................................................................................................................60

University of South Carolina (Columbia, SC)..............................................................................................................60

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (Knoxville, TN)............................................................................................60

University of Texas at Austin (Austin, Texas)..............................................................................................................61
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University of Vermont (Burlington, VT)......................................................................................................................61

University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA) ................................................................................................................62

University of Washington (Seattle, WA)......................................................................................................................62

University of Wisconsin, (Madison, WI)......................................................................................................................63

University System of Maryland ....................................................................................................................................63

Utah...............................................................................................................................................................................63

Vassar College (Poughkeepsie, NY).............................................................................................................................64

Virginia Community College System...........................................................................................................................64

Washington & Jefferson College (Washington, PA) ....................................................................................................65

Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO) ...................................................................................................65

Wellesley College (Wellesley, MA) .............................................................................................................................66

Wesleyan University (Middletown, CT).......................................................................................................................67

West Virginia ................................................................................................................................................................67

West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission ..................................................................................................67

Whittier College (Whittier, CA) ...................................................................................................................................68

Wilkes University (Wilkes-Barre, PA) .........................................................................................................................68

Wisconsin......................................................................................................................................................................69

Wyoming.......................................................................................................................................................................69

Yale University (New Haven, CT)................................................................................................................................69

Zane State College ........................................................................................................................................................70

Nonprofits, Organizations, Foundations and Businesses.................................................................................. 71

100Kin10.......................................................................................................................................................................71

Achieving the Dream ....................................................................................................................................................71

American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).............................................................................................72

Blue Engine...................................................................................................................................................................73

Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching ..............................................................................................73

Chegg ............................................................................................................................................................................73

College Board ...............................................................................................................................................................73

College Possible............................................................................................................................................................74

College Spring ..............................................................................................................................................................74

College Summit.............................................................................................................................................................75

College Track................................................................................................................................................................75

Council for Opportunity in Education (COE)...............................................................................................................76
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Complete College America...........................................................................................................................................76

Education Commission of the States.............................................................................................................................77

ESC GEAR UP in South Texas ....................................................................................................................................77

Helmsley Charitable Trust ............................................................................................................................................77

Hewlett Foundation.......................................................................................................................................................78

Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) .......................................................................................78

Howard Hughes Medical Institute ................................................................................................................................79

"I Have A Dream" Foundation......................................................................................................................................79

iMentor..........................................................................................................................................................................79

James Irvine Foundation ...............................................................................................................................................79

Jobs for the Future.........................................................................................................................................................80

John M. Belk Endowment.............................................................................................................................................81

Joyce Foundation ..........................................................................................................................................................81

Khan Academy..............................................................................................................................................................81

Kresge Foundation ........................................................................................................................................................82

Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (LEDA).................................................................................................82

National Association For Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO) .............................................................83

National Center for Academic Transformation (NCAT)..............................................................................................83

National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP) ....................................................................84

National Education Foundation ....................................................................................................................................85

National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC)...........................................................................85

National College Access Network (NCAN) .................................................................................................................86

National College Advising Corps (NCAC)...................................................................................................................87

New Mathways Project .................................................................................................................................................87

OneGoal ........................................................................................................................................................................87

Pearson..........................................................................................................................................................................88

PG&E............................................................................................................................................................................88

Posse Foundation ..........................................................................................................................................................88

Starfish Retention Solutions..........................................................................................................................................89

Student Success Initiatives at University of Texas.......................................................................................................89

United Negro College Fund (UNCF)............................................................................................................................90
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Commitments to Action on College Opportunity

As part of the Administration’s efforts to increase college opportunity, the President and First Lady made a call to action,

asking colleges and universities, nonprofits, foundations, businesses, state officials and other leaders to make new

commitments to increase college opportunity. In response, the White House received the following commitments, as 

reported and described by respondents. The list includes both participants in the Jan. 16th event as well as institutions and 

organizations who did not attend. 

Colleges, Universities and State Systems

Allegheny College (Meadville, PA)

Allegheny College will expand financial aid by making endowed scholarships a primary focus of its upcoming capital 

campaign. Allegheny College is in the quiet phase of its largest capital campaign in history, of which up to $100 million 

will be devoted to endowed scholarships – building on the $42 million Allegheny currently offers in financial aid to 90 

percent of its 2100 students. 

Building on Existing Efforts: Allegheny College’s Learning Commons consolidates academic support services in one 

cohesive unit for students and facilitates Academic Performance Reports online, which helps identify students in need of 

early intervention and academic support. The College has also instituted a number of outreach efforts to students 

concerning academic preparation and ongoing academic success. In addition, Allegheny College has recently 

implemented a VISA program (Volunteers in Support of Allegheny) which leverages alumni participation in support of 

admissions outreach, internships and job placement. One of the hallmarks of this program is extending the highly 

personalized approach of recruitment into new markets the college previously has not been able to reach.

Alma College (Alma, MI)

Alma College will develop campus communities for low-income students, admitting an additional five to ten students 

from the Detroit Edison Public School Academy for the 2014 – 2015 school year. Once enrolled at Alma College, these 

students will meet for a week before the term starts to participate in workshops designed to address issues frequently 

encountered by low-income students. Throughout the year, this “community” will meet twice a week for study groups 

and once for a social event. During school breaks and spring term, the students will return to their high schools to work 

with students on college and service activities.

Building on Existing Efforts: Alma’s Opportunities and Connections program is a King-Chavez-Parks (KCP) initiative 

designed to provide support for Alma College students with a specific focus on those who are low-income. The KCP 

initiative is a state-wide program designed to increase access to and graduation from college amongst low-income 

students. Alma College is the first and only small liberal arts program that is part of KCP. This year, roughly one-fourth 

of the incoming class meets requirements for the KCP program and is eligible for need-based Pell grants. 

Amherst College (Amherst, MA)

Amherst commits to recruit and graduate more Native American students, through their programs for low-income and 

disadvantaged students, including need-blind admission, full-need financial aid, and no-loan financial aid packaging. 

Amherst commits to increased recruitment of Native American students, in partnership with College Horizons, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing the number of Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian students succeeding in 

college. They also commit to hosting the College Horizons summer program that will eventually include up to 100 

participants.

Amherst will also do more to help build the pipeline of college-bound low-income and disadvantaged students in the 

Springfield, Holyoke, Northampton, and Amherst region. Using the resources of its Center for Community Engagement, 

Amherst will work with key stakeholders to help plan and implement concerted action to increase the number of lowincome and disadvantaged high school students who apply, are admitted, and attend college. Amherst will help to provide 

resources to bring together local schools, colleges, and social service agencies as well as representatives from the private 

sector and local government. Amherst will also deploy their Telementoring Program in which Amherst College students 

from diverse backgrounds will guide assigned high school students through the college search, application, and choice 
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process of whichever institution they choose to attend. 

Amherst also commits to close the gap between the percentage of low-income students and the student body as a whole 

who major in STEM fields. Amherst will work with academic departments in these majors and draw on programs in

biology and math.

Amherst also commits to working to close the participation gap for low-income and disadvantaged students and students 

as a whole in study abroad programs, internships, senior thesis writing, and independent research with faculty supervision. 

Amherst will close this gap by offering more assistance through their Writing and Quantitative Skills Centers and 

expanding mentoring. Amherst intends to track participation in these programs so that their effects can be assessed and 

disseminated more broadly. 

Building On Existing Efforts: Sixty percent of Amherst students receive financial aid, and 23 percent are Pell Grant 

recipients. Low-income students graduate from Amherst at about the same rate as other students—95 percent. Of the 

students who transferred to Amherst College since 2007, 65 percent came from community colleges, 85 percent of whom 

are low-income students. The percentage of low-income students who graduated with a STEM major increased from 9 

percent in 2008 to 32 percent in 2013. Programs that have helped increase access and success at Amherst include needblind admission, full-need financial aid, no loan financial aid packaging, Telementors, QuestBridge, Diversity Open 

Houses, Diversity Interns, and the Summer Science and Humanities Institutes. 

Arkansas

Arkansas commits to developing a statewide system for students to access courses and programs offered online in the 

state. The system will allow current students as well as adults seeking to finish a degree the opportunity to view new 

opportunities for them to take courses in different formats and times to meet their needs from an Arkansas institution that 

will provide a greater degree of transferability due to the work already done to streamline transfer at Arkansas 

institutions. Arkansas is also working to develop a statewide Prior Learning Assessment process to encourage adults to 

return to college by identifying and certifying knowledge and experience that could lessen the courses needed to complete 

a degree.

Arkansas commits to building more accelerated, structured career and technical education (CTE) programs, by 

eliminating program credit hours, compressing courses, creating more prescriptive degree plans and course schedules (e.g. 

block schedules) and providing intrusive advising and support services. The Arkansas Association of Two-Year Colleges 

(AATYC), through its Center for Student Success, has applied for a Kresge Foundation grant to deepen this emerging 

institutional pathways work with a select group of two-year and four-year colleges, using a Completion by Design-like 

process and the primary consulting team for CBD. AATYC and the Arkansas Department of Higher Education (ADHE) 

intend to use these pioneering colleges to teach others how to undertake similar work. AATYC and ADHE also have been 

invited to learn from a CCA initiative funded by the Lumina Foundation to support several state higher education systems 

to build better institutional and system pathways.

Building on Existing Efforts: Arkansas is currently implementing the Common Core State Standards which will provide a 

more rigorous college preparation curriculum for K-12 students aimed at supporting postsecondary student success.

In partnership with the Southern Education Foundation, Arkansas’s Council on Postsecondary Education and Career 

Readiness has begun work to improve the collaboration between K-12 and higher education to remediate students before 

they graduate from high school. Arkansas, as part of the Transformative Change Initiative managed by the Office of 

Community College Leadership and partly funded by the Gates Foundation, has also committed to developing alternative 

assessment methods to further improve accurate placement of students in remedial and college-level courses and Arkansas 

colleges and universities now are considering other academic methods and measures in addition to the national exam 

scores for student placement in college courses or simultaneous enrollment in developmental and college courses in 

accordance with state law and policies.

The ADHE and ADE (Arkansas Department of Education) have worked with the Southern Regional Education Board 

(SREB) on a Gates Foundation funded project to develop transition courses for the senior year of high school to better 

prepare student for college-level work and develop a greater understanding of the expectations of college faculty. 
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Successful completion of these transition courses will allow students to enroll in college courses without further 

remediation.

Arkansas has established the College and Career Coaches program which provides college and career counselors in lowincome school districts to better prepare students to enter college or a career. From January of 2010 through August of 

2012 the program increased the college going rate by 16.95 percent and reduced the remediation rate of those students by 

3.5 percent in the districts served by the program.

Through the Completion Challenge Grant from CCA, six four-year colleges have developed a quantitative literacy course 

as an alternative to college algebra for students not pursuing STEM-related degrees. The necessary state policy changes 

have been put in place to allow this course to serve as a system-wide transfer course. 

Augsburg College (Minneapolis, MN)

Augsburg commits to recruit additional low-income students from both new and existing College Possible high school 

program sites. Augsburg anticipates that its enhanced recruitment efforts will result in the enrollment of an additional 20 

students beyond the 173 currently enrolled Augsburg students who are College Possible alumni. Augsburg will also 

increase support, meeting space, and integration opportunities for two College Possible AmeriCorps members serving as 

on campus “College Coaches.” Augsburg will share retention and progression data with College Possible and will 

collaborate with College Possible leaders to identify and implement efforts designed to improve retention among lowincome students. 

Augsburg will reduce financial barriers for low-income community college transfer students to complete bachelor’s 

degrees by eliminating out-of-pocket tuition costs for targeted student populations and offering a dual-admission, fasttrack nursing degree program to support Minneapolis’ diverse community college nursing student population. 

Building on Existing Efforts: Augsburg College has worked in partnership with College Possible since 2006, when the 

College reaffirmed its mission-driven commitment to an intentionally diverse campus community by increasing its 

engagement with college readiness programs and creating a scholarship for program participants. Since that time, 

Augsburg’s traditional day program population of 2,000 students has become one of the most diverse in Minnesota.

Augustana College (Rock Island, IL)

Augustana’s “Close the Gap” program – announced in December in response to the President’s call to action – will 

improve access to high-quality, private, higher education for students with financial need that exceeds 80 percent of the 

cost to attend ($36,000 and above). Augustana College will address under-matching by cutting these students’ unmet 

financial need by $2,500 to $7,500 annually. To date $800,000 has been raised from private donors toward the $1 million 

the College estimates will be needed in order to reach its goal of positively impacting 10 percent of the class entering in 

fall of 2014 (70 students) for each of the next four years.

Building on Existing Efforts: This new commitment builds on Augustana’s existing efforts to support success for lowincome students. Augustana invested more than $39 million in financial aid grants and scholarships last year, and 96 

percent of its enrolled students received some type of financial assistance. Augustana incents students with a $500 Early 

Filers Award encouraging Pell- and near-Pell-eligible students to complete the FAFSA in time to avoid early cut-offs in 

the State of Illinois’ Monetary Award Program; last year only 4 students failed to meet the deadline for MAP eligibility.

Barnard College (New York, NY)

Barnard seeks to reach 25 percent more students – increasing from 80 to 100 – through its “Barnard Bound” program, 

which offers low-income high school seniors a chance to visit the Barnard campus and get a sense of college life before 

the application process begins. Barnard also commits to extending campus visit opportunities for students and their 

families to help ensure it reaches a large number of New York State young women who are eligible for the Higher 

Education Opportunity Program (HEOP). Furthermore, Barnard will expand its outreach to low-income families from 

New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. It will admit up to three additional students per year to the “Barnard 

Opportunity Program,” which offers non-New York State students the HEOP experiences of a summer “bridge” session 

before freshman year as well as ongoing tutoring and advising support. 
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Barnard will increase its marketing outreach within local area community colleges to inform students about Barnard and 

its programs, as well as expand its outreach to 5-10 additional community colleges across the country. Additionally, in 

2014 and beyond, Barnard seeks to increase by 10 percent the number of students receiving support for Barnard’s summer 

“Pre-College Program” in partnership with community-based organizations. Barnard will also identify 10 new high 

schools over the course of the next 2-3 years with low-income populations to establish stronger relationships, speaking 

about the college admission process in general, and offering workshops on financial aid to students and their 

parents/primary care givers.

Building on Existing Efforts: Barnard offers both on and off campus enrichment programs and activities and offers a 

comprehensive science and mathematics enrichment and college preparatory program to approximately 85 middle and 

high school students each year. Through the HEOP and Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Programs, Barnard 

works with low-income undergraduates interested in STEM fields by providing a variety of support services throughout 

the year and a summer bridge program before college begins. These two programs serve 120 students each year and have 

a proven track record with graduation rates that surpass the national average. Barnard also has a long history of partnering 

with community-based organizations to attract low-income students. 

Bates College (Lewiston, ME)

Capitalizing on the benefits of its small scale and residential model, Bates College will enhance its efforts to support lowincome students through their college years. Bates will create a holistic and cohort-based advising structure for lowincome and underrepresented students to support each student for academic and personal success. Each incoming lowincome or underrepresented student will be assigned to a cohort, which in turn will be assigned to a professional staff 

member to work with this group of students over their four years. Bates also commits to adopting a team-based, multidepartment approach to providing services to low-income and underrepresented students.

Bates will design a community-wide public peer mentoring communications campaign to expand what students consider 

“normal” college experiences, identify multiple avenues of student success, and increase awareness of invisible and 

visible aspects of diversity on campus, including socioeconomic diversity. This initiative will employ a wide range of 

student and alumni voices and images in posters and videos that convey the message that “college” is an experience that 

belongs to all of the College’s students.

As part of a college-wide initiative on “purposeful work,” Bates will create an infrastructure of networks, funded 

internships, and skill-building experiences for all Bates students including low-income, underrepresented, and first 

generation to college students, to prepare them for the post-college transition to the world of work. Designed on the 

premise that preparing students for lives of purposeful work lies at the heart of the liberal arts mission, it will include 

curricular and co-curricular elements aimed at helping students discern their deepest talents and interests. The program 

will also include a set of funded internships designed to give students exposure and experience in their chosen domains. 

The goal is to ensure that all students — not simply those with strong parental networks — will have an equal opportunity 

for post-college success.

To increase college access, Bates will expand its pre-college counseling program for low-income and underrepresented 

high school students. Bates will host a series of workshops and panels on campus and in targeted high schools nationally 

aimed at demystifying the college admission process for students and families and helping students align their academic 

work with their college aspirations. This is a general service — not aimed specifically at students applying to Bates.

Building on Existing Effort: Bates College’s efforts to ensure access have resulted in forty-four percent of its students 

receiving financial aid packages with the average financial aid award of over $40,000. Bates actively recruits students 

from a wide range of backgrounds and targets travel to high schools with large populations of low-income and 

underrepresented students. Bates hosts two fly-in programs per year for low-income, first generation to college, and 

underrepresented students and conducts financial aid phone-a-thons to help financial aid applicants complete the process. 

Financially, Bates College meets every admitted student’s full financial-aid for all four years. Bates also invests heavily in 

academic support services for its low-income and underrepresented students.
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Bowdoin College (St, Brunswick, ME)

Bowdoin is seeking endowment support that will allow the college to provide need-based financial aid to 50 percent of 

students. In the last three months, Bowdoin has raised more than $25 million toward this goal. Bowdoin College currently 

provides $32 million in need-based financial aid to 46 percent of our students, with an average annual grant of $37,000. 

Bowdoin does not offer merit aid. About 45 percent of Bowdoin’s endowment is restricted to the support of student aid.

Bowdoin and Stanford University will host and fund the College Horizons program during the summer of 2015. 

Established in 1998, College Horizons is a six-day, pre-college program for Native American, Alaska Native, and Native 

Hawaiian high school juniors and sophomores designed to increase the number of these students succeeding in college. 

The program provides test-taking strategies, essay writing tips, help with the application and financial aid process, and 

advice on how to succeed in college as a Native student.

Building on Existing Efforts: The six-year graduation rate for students receiving financial aid at Bowdoin exceeds 93 

percent, and Bowdoin’s six-year graduation rate for Pell Grant recipients (94 percent) is nearly identical to the six-year 

overall graduation rate (95 percent). The percentage of Bowdoin students receiving Pell Grants for low-income students 

(currently 14 percent) is among the highest at the nation’s most selective liberal arts colleges. Furthermore, since 2008-

2009, Bowdoin has replaced loans with grants for all new and current students receiving financial aid. While some 

students continue to borrow, families with annual incomes below $70,000 generally graduate with no debt. Each fall, 

Bowdoin covers the cost for about 120 low-income students to experience the College first-hand and to learn more about 

the application process, financial aid, and college life. In addition, Bowdoin funds a three-day weekend visit to the 

College each spring for approximately 100 admitted students from disadvantaged backgrounds who have not had the 

means to visit previously, and (with Bates and Colby), Bowdoin funds an annual two-and-a-half day program for guidance 

counselors aimed at increasing awareness about Maine’s liberal arts colleges among disadvantaged students. Bowdoin 

also maintains a counselor voucher program that allows guidance counselors from diverse high schools to visit the 

College. Bowdoin hosts a special Maine Day program attended by low-income students from Maine, many of whom are 

first-generation college students (first-generation college students currently make up 13 percent of the enrollment at 

Bowdoin).

Brandeis University (Waltham, MA)

As a founding institution of the STEM Posse program, Brandeis University will commit to serve as a resource to newer 

program participants. Brandeis will provide consultation and materials to all STEM Posse institutions to help them tailor 

the program to their individual campuses. Brandeis will work with the Posse Foundation to organize and host meetings of 

these institutions to help assess and improve the STEM Posse program. Brandeis is also developing, and plans to test next 

year, a novel STEM retention initiative that incorporates the lessons learned from STEM Posse in a program that has the 

potential to significantly increase the numbers of students participating at a given institution and can be more easily 

adopted by a wide range of schools. 

Building on Existing Efforts: Brandeis University provides more than $51 million each year in undergraduate student 

aid. Founded in 1948 on principles of equal access and social justice, Brandeis is committed to matriculating a diverse, 

highly qualified student body. Brandeis Posse is a merit-based scholarship program founded by Brandeis alumna Debbie 

Bial, '87. Each year, ten students are selected as Brandeis Posse Scholars from New York City and Atlanta, making 

Posse one of the most competitive scholarship competitions in the country. Furthermore, Brandeis offers the Myra Kraft 

program, a one-year academic program for students who have not had access to necessary resources either at home or in 

school to prepare for a rigorous four-year undergraduate experience. Each year out of 200 applicants, 20 outstanding 

students who have not had access to AP courses and honors courses are admitted to Brandeis through the Myra 

Kraft TYP.

Brown University (Providence, RI)

Brown commits to providing students receiving need-based financial aid with the opportunity to participate in at least one 

funded internship or research opportunity during their undergraduate careers. The program will begin in summer 2014 and 

ramp-up over four years to be fully enacted by summer 2018.

Building on Existing Efforts: Brown’s most important and lasting commitment to affordability and access is our 

investment in undergraduate financial aid. Over the past decade, Brown has more than doubled its direct spending on 
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financial aid, from $44 million to nearly $100 million. Brown has focused its financial aid budget on those with the 

highest need; eliminating parental contributions from families earning less than $60,000 and eliminating loans for those 

earning less than $100,000. During that time, the percentage of aided students with no expected parental contribution has 

tripled; the number of students receiving Pell Grants has increased by 45 percent; and the class of 2017, 49 percent of 

whom receive financial aid, is the most diverse in Brown’s nearly 250-year history, including 41 percent who are students 

of color and 17 percent who are first generation college students.

Bryn Mawr College (Bryn Mawr, PA)

Beginning this year and over a five-year period, Bryn Mawr College will enroll five overlapping “STEM Posse” cohorts 

of ten students from underrepresented groups with strong aptitude and interest in math and science. These women will

participate in a program designed to increase the participation and persistence of nontraditional STEM majors by 

providing innovative curriculum, early research opportunities, comprehensive mentoring and leadership development. 

Based on Bryn Mawr’s past experiences with liberal arts Posse cohorts, the college expects that the new STEM Posse 

Scholars will serve as highly visible role models for other students, especially those from underrepresented minority 

groups, thereby helping to recruit additional students into science and math majors at Bryn Mawr.

Beginning in fall 2014, Bryn Mawr will independently fund the Community College Connection (C3) program to increase 

the number of community college transfer students from underrepresented backgrounds who successfully transfer to Bryn 

Mawr to complete their undergraduate degree. The program, which began in 2011 with a grant from the Jack Kent Cooke 

Foundation and whose start-up funding concludes in May 2014, has dramatically increased the number of community 

college transfer students and significantly diversified the undergraduate student body. Bryn Mawr’s new commitment 

provides funding for the C3 program from its own resources. Bryn Mawr is also expanding the C3program by including 

all two-year institutions across the country. It has recruited students at fairs for community college students and continues 

to network with existing community college organizations.

To improve the transition to college and to better retain first generation college and low-income students, Bryn Mawr 

College will create a new semester-long orientation program that addresses all students’ needs in transitioning to campus 

life. Topics particularly relevant to first generation and low-income students and their success in college, such as 

balancing obligations, study/exam-taking strategies, and making the most of our diverse community, will be addressed to 

better educate these students about community expectations and better equip them for success at the College.

Building on Existing Efforts: Bryn Mawr College’s founding mission was to provide access for women to an education 

equal to that available only to men. For decades it has been a leader in recruiting, enrolling, and graduating women of 

color and women from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds. Bryn Mawr’s average discount from full tuition over the 

past ten years is 43 percent. The college’s ten-year Pell grant enrollment average is 17 percent. Bryn Mawr collaborates 

with College Match to give female high school students in the Los Angeles public school system a chance to visit Bryn 

Mawr and participate in college readiness workshops and has enrolled 16 students from this program since its inception in 

2006. Bryn Mawr has also partnered with the Posse Foundation to recruit and enroll a liberal arts Posse for the past 13 

years. Further, in 2010, Bryn Mawr established a two-tier quantitative requirement to address the needs of under-prepared 

students and strengthen quantitative rigor across the curriculum.

Bunker Hill Community College (Boston, MA)

BHCC plans to double the scope of its successful Summer Bridge program in FY14 to serve at least 900 students per year. 

Launched in 2012, the Summer Bridge Program enables entering students with assessed need for developmental (precollege) English and/or math coursework to receive intensive instruction and review to progress through developmental 

levels prior to fall entry. The program served more than 800 students in its first two years. The program consists of skill 

reviews in math and reading/writing and courses in developmental math and reading/writing. 

BHCC currently operates two dual enrollment strands – a scholarship program enabling high school students to take 

courses at the BHCC campus, and a component that brings BHCC courses onsite to partner high schools and community 

organizations – which combined serve nearly 400 students per year. Participating schools and CBOs predominantly serve 

low income students and students of color. Beginning in FY14, BHCC will add a peer mentoring component to the dual 

enrollment program, to provide a strong link from the partner high schools to the Summer Bridge program, and support 

students with College registration and financial aid procedures, to ensure smooth transition and successful enrollment at 
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the College in the fall. 

Finally, BHCC has a strong institutional focus on the critical first year, helping students explore and identify their 

educational/career goals, link with academic and personal support services needed for success, and form supportive 

relationships with peers and faculty. These efforts are at the core of the College’s goal to increase the percentage of 

students completing at least fifteen credits in their first year to 25 percent by 2016.

Building on Existing Efforts: BHCC is collaborating with local school districts, workforce agencies, employers and other 

partners to develop a health career pathway from high school to college. Curriculum alignment with partner high schools 

will enable high school students to fulfill developmental coursework and earn college credit towards a health care degree 

or certificate.

BHCC’s Learning Community Seminars and Clusters are designed to promote a strong college transition for entering 

students, and help them choose and pursue a program of study that best fits their interests and goals. Learning 

Communities promote increased student success by providing learning environments that are both collaborative and 

student-centered.

BHCC faculty have streamlined the developmental math sequence to promote success and accelerate progress into 

college-level math courses. The new sequence is reduced to two courses for all students except STEM majors, and all 

courses now include an acceleration option and incorporate contextualized learner-centered instruction. 

BHCC’s Math Space was fully redesigned in 2013 to provide academic support, technology tools and experiential 

learning, in support of the new developmental math sequence.

The Student Emergency Assistance Fund provides monetary relief to students for emergencies that may significantly 

interfere with their ability to continue to attend college. Students assisted through the emergency fund have shown that 

their term-to-term and year-to-year retention is consistently higher than for the BHCC student body as a whole.

BHCC’s Learn & Earn program provides paid work experience at partner employer sites to qualified students majoring in 

a range of areas. Students earn three academic credits in their major. Companies also provide transportation stipends, 

onsite supervision and mentoring.

California Community Colleges

California Community Colleges commit to implementing system-wide policies to incentivize all incoming students to 

complete orientation, assessment for placement and prepare and education plan with priority registration to ensure they 

get the courses they need. Designed to assist all new students, these policies will have greatest impact on students who are 

the first generation in their families to attend college. This change will guide students to support services, provide for 

more accurate placement and orient them toward an educational goal by declaring a program of study early in their 

academic careers. 

California Community Colleges commit to using the Student Success Scorecard, a publicly available on-line 

accountability tool for 112 colleges, to establish system-wide and college-level goals for closing the achievement gaps for 

students of color and improving overall completion rates in remedial math, English and English as a Second Language. 

Goals will include quantifiable improvements in basic skills completion rates.

California Community Colleges commit to creating a common assessment that, along with other measures such as high 

school grades, will provide up to 260,000 incoming students with more diagnostic assessment and placement tools. 

Students will have the ability take a “pre-test” delivered on-line to prospective students before taking the actual 

assessment tests, and test results will be portable among the system’s 112 colleges.

California Community Colleges commit to encouraging students to begin addressing basic skills deficiencies in their first 

year. This will be done through improved assessment and placement practices, as well as through improved education 

planning services. 
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California Community Colleges commit to providing system-level leadership to help colleges scale up effective remedial 

education reforms such as redesigning content and timing of courses to accelerate student success and contextualizing 

basic skills instruction so it is delivered as part of coursework relevant to students’ occupational or academic goals.

California Community Colleges commit to identifying multiple measures that can be used as college-readiness indicators, 

along with effective practices to assist students who are not prepared for college-level work. This work will be done as the 

community college system works with K-12 and other public higher education segments in California to support 

implementation of the Common Core standards.

Building on Existing Efforts: Since 2007-08, each California community college has received targeted funding improve 

the effectiveness of basic skills instruction. The Basic Skills Initiative (BSI) allocations are based upon student enrollment 

in courses in English (reading and writing), mathematics, and English as a second language (ESL) departments. The 

purpose of this special funding is to transform how the colleges teach students with basic skills needs and to utilize data to 

drive decisions.

California State University System

The California State University will commit $8 million to hire 70 more professional staff advisors on campuses and to 

leverage work already underway with e-advising technologies that provide “real-time” advice for students as they 

navigate college life. First-generation and underserved students will benefit in particular from this effort. The CSU will 

also add $8 million to expand its Early Start summer program, which will help incoming CSU freshmen attain college 

readiness in math and English before arriving on campus and support underserved students. Students from low-income 

communities as well as other underserved students will receive the most benefit from this initiative.

The CSU will expend $12 million to ramp up high-impact practices including service learning, undergraduate 

participation in applied research, internships, study abroad, and first-year student learning communities that support 

persistence to degree completion. The CSU has found that such practices – which include “high touch” alternatives to 

traditional lectures, more direct freshman/faculty contact and engagement in projects that tie students to the university -

are especially helpful to persistence rates and performance for underserved students. 

The CSU will improve access and degree completion of community college students within two years through a host of 

new campus and system-level strategies including admissions preference. CSU is providing prospective transfer students 

with clear, unambiguous, efficient pathways in the twenty-five most popular majors. This initiative will provide a direct 

positive benefit for community college students, who originate disproportionately from low-income and underserved 

communities.

Building on Existing Efforts: With 23 campuses and nearly 437,000 students, the California State University (CSU) is the 

nation’s largest and most diverse system of senior higher education. During 2011-2012, over 180,000 CSU students –

more than 40 percent of undergraduate enrollees – received Pell Grants, with an average grant of almost $4100. More 

than a third of CSU students are first generation college students. 56 percent of CSU students are students of color, and 

the CSU provides more than half of all undergraduate degrees granted to California’s Latino, African-American, and 

Native American students. Every year, over 50,000 students transfer from community colleges into the CSU. In 2011-12, 

nearly half of the undergraduate degrees awarded by the CSU (37,000) went to Pell Grant recipients. The CSU has an 

abundance of innovative programs in communities throughout the state and on CSU campuses that are designed to help 

low-income students succeed, which can be found at http://www.calstate.edu/externalrelations/partnerships/.

Carnegie Mellon University, (Pittsburgh, PA)

Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is now launching a Computer Science for All initiative. Created by the School of 

Computer Science as an outgrowth of its Women in Computer Science program, this initiative (SCS4ALL) is developing 

a program of social and professional activities and leadership opportunities to broaden interest and participation in 

computing by underrepresented groups in Pittsburgh and other regions across the nation. SCS4ALL will target K-12 

students and teachers and engage Carnegie Mellon faculty, students and staff members in outreach and mentorship. 

Carnegie Mellon will also launch a new initiative to be coordinated by the Gelfand Center for Service Learning and 

Outreach. Partnering with a targeted set of Pennsylvania schools serving underrepresented populations, this initiative will 

provide a comprehensive portfolio of experiential learning workshops to introduce K-12 students and educators to cutting 
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edge research and post-secondary opportunities. 

Carnegie Mellon is also committing to a campus-wide program to perpetually achieve the goal of having all Pell-eligible 

students retained and graduated at the same levels as all CMU students. This collaborative initiative will be a catalyst for 

expanding transition programs and support services that have been developed across campus.

In addition, the Associate Director of Admissions for Ethnic/Minority Recruitment will be charged with implementing 

activities for CMU’s expanded focus on engaging and recruiting low-income students. These responsibilities include 

organizing “Celebration of Diversity Weekends,” coordinating CMU’s Building Our Network of Diversity, and providing 

leadership for College Success 101, a program that acquaints underrepresented students in Pittsburgh with the collegeadmission process. 

Lastly, Carnegie Mellon is eager to join with other partners to convene a College Bound Organization (CBO)/University 

summit. In addition to helping to strengthen overall opportunities for collaboration, one goal of this summit would be to 

explore ways to accelerate the formation of partnerships among institutions and CBOs that can underpin successful new 

recruitment initiatives. 

Building on Existing Efforts: Consistent with Carnegie Mellon’s origins as a technical trade school for the sons and 

daughters of steelworkers, Carnegie Mellon has developed a series of initiatives aimed at increasing recruitment of 

students from underrepresented populations. Through these efforts, we have seen the percentage of Pell-eligible students 

steadily increase. The number of Pell-eligible students now approaches 20 percent of CMU’s relevant undergraduate 

population.

Centre College (Danville, KY)

As a part of a larger strategic plan (scheduled to be adopted by the campus community and the trustees in spring of 2014), 

Centre College will explore the prospect of adding a second Posse Program focused on veterans, in partnership with the 

Posse Foundation. The Commonwealth of Kentucky is home to two significant military installations (Fort Knox and Fort 

Campbell), and plans to give serious consideration to partnering again with Posse to establish a Centre Veterans Program 

that supplements GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon funding.

Centre's strategic plan calls for exploring how it can best serve under-represented groups of Americans who will need to 

be invited to pursue private higher education. In particular, Centre intends to take action to improve its recruitment of 

Hispanic-Americans, the fastest growing minority group in its region and across the nation.

Building on Existing Efforts: Centre College has a longstanding commitment as a place of high achievement and high 

opportunity – over 50 percent of its first-year students graduate in the top 10 percent of their classes and present ACT / 

SAT averages of 28 and 1275, respectively and come from a wide-range of socioeconomic backgrounds. In fact, twothirds of students qualify for need-based aid and nearly 20 percent are Pell-grant eligible.

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania (Cheyney, PA)

Cheyney University commits to redesign new learning communities to support students’ academic and social engagement, 

academic success, retention, and completion rates. Cheyney will extend the concept of learning communities to the entire 

University campus by supporting professional development for faculty and staff and reporting on the activities, 

assessments, and successes of the learning communities. In addition, as Cheyney’s current benchmarks and assessments 

to measure the effectiveness of these communities are limited, Cheyney will establish a plan for assessing and evaluating 

learning communities by fall 2014, establish assessment metrics, communicate these metrics to campus community, and 

release information on how learning communities are meeting metrics yearly.

Building on Existing Efforts: Cheyney’s new commitment builds on the development of the University College focused 

on Residential Learning Communities which is less than four years old. A new director has been hired to lead this unit, 

and the specificity needed for the establishment, development of meaningful activities, and the assessment of learning 

communities will enhance the effectiveness of University College and the institution.

Claremont McKenna College (Claremont, CA)

Building on a long-standing commitment to attracting, supporting, and educating talented students regardless of need or 
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background, Claremont McKenna College (CMC) has recently reaffirmed its commitment to access and affordability. 

Under a new initiative known as The Student Imperative, CMC will meet three inter-related challenges in higher 

education: the reduction of cost, including for low- and moderate-income families, the enhancement of value, and the 

development of thoughtful, productive, and responsible leaders. The Student Imperative builds on CMC’s track record of 

success in providing generous financial aid, post-graduate opportunities, and expansive leadership education. In particular, 

The Student Imperative seeks to raise another $100 million of endowment (or its financial equivalent) in additional 

budgetary resources for financial aid for a student body of approximately 1300 students.

Key elements of The Student Imperative include: empirical study of the perceptions and behaviors of students from 

families of diverse economic backgrounds; targeted recruiting of cohorts of students with special interests and diverse 

economic circumstances, including low-, moderate-, and middle-income families; increased efforts to inculcate personal 

and professional responsibility in pursuit of the College mission to cultivate thoughtful, productive, and responsible 

leadership; and a preliminary goal of adding the equivalent of $100 million in endowment resources to CMC’s financial

aid resources.

Building on Existing Efforts. The Student Imperative builds on CMC’s pre-existing commitments to need-blind 

admissions and to meet 100 percent of each student’s need once admitted. For a student body of 1300 students, CMC 

currently provides $27 million in combined financial aid resources. The Student Imperative also builds on the 

Interdisciplinary Science Scholars (ISS) program, which provides full-tuition merit and need-based scholarships for lowand moderate-income students pursuing interdisciplinary science studies. 

College of the Holy Cross (Worcester, MA)

Holy Cross commits to expanding its partnerships with community-based agencies that address issues of access for low 

income and underrepresented students both locally and nationally. Holy Cross will also create a new position in the 

financial aid office to better assist low-income families in the financial aid process. 

Holy Cross will work to ensure more low-income students and first generation students succeed on campus by expanding 

its pre-orientation Odyssey program to include incoming low-income and first generation students. Holy Cross will also 

expand the Office of Academic Services and Learning Resources and the writing center to include professionals with 

particular expertise in working with ELL and ESL students. Finally, Holy Cross will dedicate funds from its 

comprehensive fundraising campaign to develop a center for quantitative reasoning and other curricular initiatives to 

support underrepresented populations in science, mathematics and economics.

Building on Existing Efforts: Holy Cross maintains a need-blind admissions policy, meets the full demonstrated need of 

every regularly admitted student, and waives application fees for low-income students. Holy Cross also partners with 

high schools to assist guidance counselors in preparing students to apply to colleges, to provide programing to ensure 

postsecondary access and success for underrepresented urban youth, and to identify and work with prospects and 

applicants proactively throughout the admissions process. Holy Cross also provides under-resourced students with 

mentoring, tutoring, SAT prep assistance, a summer bridge program, admission partnerships to identify high-achieving 

low-income students, and dedicated scholarships to students from Worcester.

Colorado

Colorado commits to fully support the redesign of remedial education at our community colleges and to support and 

actively facilitate the implementation of SAI at all public institutions.

Building on Existing Efforts: The Colorado Community College System, in close collaboration with the Colorado 

Commission on Higher Education (CCHE), recently completed a redesign of its remedial education program toward the 

goal of increasing the number of students who successfully complete remedial education and then enroll and succeed in 

gateway college-level courses. The colleges are now implementing the changes, which include shortening the time it takes 

students to complete remedial courses, offering academic success strategies (e.g., career coaching, goal setting and 

academic planning and supplemental academic instruction) and reworking curriculum.

The Colorado legislature passed legislation and the CCHE implemented policy in 2013 to allow institutions to offer 

Supplemental Academic Instruction (SAI, also known as co-requisite instruction) to students with limited academic 
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deficiencies. SAI allows such students to enter college-level, credit-bearing courses with SAI support, rather than having 

to attend remedial courses at a community college. Two institutions have already implemented SAI; the CCHE and 

Department of Higher Education are committed to facilitating implementation at all public institutions.

Colorado Community College System

The Colorado Community College System (CCCS) commits to reducing the time to completion and the cost of the 

education for low income, at risk students needing remedial coursework. The CCCS redesign of developmental education 

integrates reading and writing instruction, aligns career pathways with math courses, contextualizes skills into content 

courses, and mainstreams students into college level courses whenever possible. These practices reduce the amount of 

time required for most students to complete developmental education requirements to one semester, dramatically reducing 

the dollar cost and the time needed to complete a certificate or degree. 

CCCS commits to enabling disadvantaged, at risk students in choosing a career pathway and program of study no later 

than their first semester of their college experience. A key component of the CCCS redesign for developmental education 

is providing students resources so that they can explore career options and then choose a career path. CCCS also commits 

to align the developmental education curriculum both to college level courses and to programs of study so that students 

are learning what they need to learn to be successful in the certificate or degree they are pursuing. 

CCCS commits to increasing the number of disadvantaged, at risk students who enroll in and complete college level 

courses. CCCS redesign of developmental education eliminates the many exit points for students enrolled in 

developmental courses. Since most students can complete their developmental education requirement in one semester, 

they are more likely then to enroll in and successfully complete the college level course. In addition the redesign, 

whenever possible, allows students to enroll directly into the college level course with supplemental instruction. 

CCCS commits to increasing the number of disadvantaged, at risk students who are prepared for and then choose the 

STEM pathway. A fundamental principle of the CCCS developmental education redesign is that students can learn math 

if math is taught in context and if the math instruction focuses on those skills needed to prepare for the college level 

course. This strategy promotes student success, building the mindset that they can do math. Success in one math course 

encourages students to try even more advanced math courses and to the STEM path.

Columbia University in the City of New York (New York, NY)

Columbia’s new low-income initiatives build upon a continued commitment to existing outreach, including extensive and 

expanding communication about financial aid, growing partnerships with Community Based Organizations and additional 

funding for low-income admitted students’ travel to campus. Additional print, e-mail and web resources (including

virtual chats and webinars) directed towards low-income students, families, counselors and Community Based 

Organizations are currently being developed. 

For fall 2014, Columbia will fund a select cohort of current undergraduates to travel to their home communities to 

conduct outreach at local high schools and community organizations in areas with high proportions of low-income and 

first-generation college students. Additionally, Columbia will increase the travel conducted by admissions officers to 

these identified geographic areas.

Building on Existing Efforts: Columbia has a host of efforts to provide access and affordability, including a need-blind 

admissions process for US citizens and permanent residents, meeting 100 percent of demonstrated need for admitted firstyears for all four years of college. These financial aid packages contain no loans. Economically disadvantaged students 

with strong potential to succeed receive special consideration for our Opportunity Programs, where admitted students 

have an extra year of financial aid eligibility, enhanced advising and tutoring, and access to a summer bridge program. 

Columbia is also directly engaged with students and staff from nearly 500 Community Based Organizations, working 

together through outreach and on-campus events to cultivate the college aspirations of low-income students across the 

country. Columbia’s Double Discovery Center works with low-income and first-generation college-bound Manhattan area 

youth to ensure high school graduation, college enrollment and completion, and responsible adulthood. 90 percent of 

DDC participants graduate on time and enter college the following fall.
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Community College of Baltimore County (Baltimore, MD)

CCBC commits to continuing to scale work in developmental course redesign and completion, provide professional 

development and training to the college’s full-time and part-time faculty in the innovative and academically challenging

pedagogy that characterizes the acceleration model, provide support for participating colleges across the country that 

choose to adopt some version of CCBC’s Accelerated Learning program, Accelerated Math Program, or Academic 

Literacy Program, and expand CCBC’s Culturally Responsive Teaching training program to encompass all CCBC faculty 

and staff. 

Building on Existing Efforts: In addition to continuing to expand CCBC’s program of developmental acceleration, the 

college has embarked on a campaign to improve the success rates of low-income students, which total over half of our 

entire student credit population of 34,000 students. These efforts also include an extensive, award winning Financial 

Literacy Program delivered to over 6,000 students a year; a required Academic Support Course also serving 6000 students 

a year; a significantly enhanced Advising Support Program with mandatory touch points for all students; and a training 

program in Culturally Responsive Teaching.

Connecticut

Connecticut commits to planning an evaluation of pilot data to assess and improve upon efforts to implement remediation 

redesign throughout postsecondary institutions in the state. Efforts will support improvements to remediation curriculum 

and practices on campus. 

The state will host two upcoming events, the Multiple Measures Summit, which will offer information and applicability of 

various methods of placement assessment for consideration of state community colleges and universities and the 

Remediation Conference, which will serve as an opportunity for state-wide collaboration outlining best practices of the 

piloting of intensive, embedded and transitional remedial education initiatives. Data results will be shared along with 

ideas for scalability. 

Building on Existing Efforts: The Board of Regents is currently conducting 139 pilots consisting of both math and 

English, intensive and embedded programming across 17 of the ConnSCU institutions. The pilot models were developed 

for embedded supplemental support within college-level math and English courses, a delivery model for an intensive 

college-readiness experience no more than one semester long, and a transitional strategy to provide educational avenues 

and support to students who would likely not find success in either of these educational pathways. Furthermore, the 

models also identified the placement process for students using multiple measures. Data are anticipated at the end of each 

semester and will be analyzed by institution and system faculty/administration to highlight challenges for adaptation and 

strengths for duplication.

Cuyahoga Community College (Cuyahoga County, Ohio)

Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) commits to implementing a required First Year Experience for all new degree 

seeking students in the fall of 2014. The goals of the first year experience are to connect students with the college 

community; help them identify a career path and create an educational plan; and equip them with the necessary academic 

and social skills to be successful in college. This initiative will better acclimate the large number of first generation 

college students to success oriented behaviors and outcomes.

Cuyahoga Community College commits to adapting to a new model for allocating State subsidy dollars to Ohio’s 

community colleges which has converted from one based nearly 100 percent on enrollment to one based 100 percent on 

student progress and completion. Recognizing the populations at urban community colleges and students’ risk in 

achieving the performance metrics, the model’s formula applies a factor to the subsidy components, thus allocating 

additional dollars for students in three “access” categories, one of which is Low-Income, defined as being Pell-eligible.

Building on Existing Efforts: Cuyahoga Community College’s new mandatory Test Prep refresher has increased 

placement of students directly into college level coursework, saving them time and money toward degree completion. 

Started in 2012, the faculty-led initiative has achieved a 38 percent increase in College level English placement from preintervention levels and a shift from 52 percent students needing three levels of developmental math before test-prep to 29 

percent currently.

Tri-C’s “Fast Forward to Success” policy accelerates students’ progress toward a college degree by ensuring that they 
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begin developmental English and/or Math courses immediately upon placement and remain in the course sequences 

through entry into the first college level course. This accelerated process will save students time and money toward degree 

completion. The Pre-Algebra MOOC at Tri-C targeted a critical need among community college students -

developmental mathematics education. The MOOC was designed and developed as collaboration between a cohort of 

five full-time mathematics faculty and the Office of eLearning and Innovation, first opened for students on March 4, 

2013. Tri-C also works to focus on getting students across the finish line, targeting students with more than 45 credits in 

the largest degree majors to assist them with “exit services” that facilitate success and completion, including: early 

registration, priority registration, reverse transfer, and the recent addition of a fall commencement ceremony. 

Tri-C also provides supports for students to access critical benefits through its Project GO!, a program designed to connect 

students to, and assist in the application process for, public benefits and college resources. The program provides on-going 

connections to childcare and healthcare, in addition to utility and food assistance, giving students the ability to focus on 

their academic course work.

Finally, Tri-C has enhanced its mandatory New Student Orientation with an improved infrastructure that assures students 

attend and participate through to registration, as well as formally connecting students to both a Student Success Specialist 

as well as a peer mentor to increase student engagement and positively influence retention and success.

Davidson College (Davidson, NC)

With the help of a generous leadership gift to the College Advising Corps (CAC) from The John M. Belk Endowment, 

Davidson College will place up to 20 recent Davidson graduates as college advisers, which, together with college advisers 

recruited by other North Carolina institutions, will help reach over 18,000 rural, underserved North Carolina high school 

students. Davidson also will provide meaningful campus experiences for high-achieving/low-income North Carolina high 

school students identified by CAC advisers.

In addition, Davidson College will partner with The Posse Foundation to improve the pipeline of students from diverse 

backgrounds into STEM fields. For five years, Davidson will recruit and educate a STEM Posse from Miami, totaling 50 

students (10 students per year). Davidson will provide four-year, full-tuition scholarships, offer a two-week STEM 

immersion program, and provide faculty mentors. 

Building on Existing Efforts: Davidson practices need-blind admission and meets demonstrated financial need for all 

admitted students through grants and campus employment. In addition, Davidson’s “Strategies for Success” and 

“Research in Science Experience” programs provide students early research opportunities and a peer-mentoring program 

during the summer and school year. Through faculty taught classes, mock interviews, essay writing practice, and financial 

aid information. Davidson’s July Experience,” a three week “residential summer program, provides talented, low-income 

participants a true understanding of a residential college experience and prepares them for the college search process. 

Delaware

Delaware is committing to scaling up its college access efforts – currently only pilot programs in select schools and 

districts – to every high school in the state. The efforts will greatly expand a campaign called “Getting to Zero”, with the 

explicit goal of bringing to zero the number of college-ready students in the state who do not attend a college or 

university. Through these new efforts, Delaware will support every college-ready student in the state, particularly its lowincome students, throughout the entire application and enrollment process, including getting them to campus for the first 

day of class and beyond.

Specifically, through the expansion of the “Getting to Zero” initiative, Delaware is committing to support every high 

school to do the following: provide all seniors with the time and resources (including technology) to complete college 

applications and write application essays during school hours; help students and their families fill out financial aid and 

scholarship forms; celebrate students as they are admitted to college and help them decide what choice is right for them; 

and follow up with students until they enroll and actually begin attending college. We will also step up our efforts to 

ensure that our institutions of higher education are offering low-income and first-time college students the supports they 

need to be successful and remain in school once they arrive.
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Delaware’s new commitments, and its “Getting to Zero” campaign, build on an initiative launched with the College Board 

to send information on college affordability and financial aid, as well as materials to help with choosing colleges, to all 

seniors whose high-school work demonstrates that they are ready for college. Low-income students also received eight 

fee waivers and a special invitation to apply from the Ivy League institutions. This initiative was possible because 

Delaware pays for every high school student in the state to take the PSAT and SAT, so it can identify our college-ready 

students at the state level. Delaware also has a first-in-class data system that allows us to identify which of our students 

need the most support, and collaborate with the College Board to find out where our kids apply to college based on where 

they send their test scores.

District of Columbia

The District of Columbia (DC) commits to implementation of new STEM programs requiring no more than 60 credit 

hours (fully implemented by fall 2015). To ensure these efforts are meeting the needs of employers, DC will also 

establish employer advisory boards. To accelerate time-to-completion DC will also implement new models that that 

support student success including pre- and co-requisite courses and enhance career and technical education opportunities 

from high school to college.

Building on Existing Efforts: There are several initiatives underway by the University of the District of Columbia, which 

also includes support from the state education agency (Office of the State Superintendent for Education. They include 

redesign of developmental education (accelerated learning, student cohorts); scaling of ACCUPLACER prep in the high 

schools to help newly admitted students bypass developmental education courses, thus decreasing time to completion; 

enhancement/scaling of dual enrollment for high school students to decrease time to college completion; early alerts and 

intrusive advising for first year students; and implementation of an eAdvising and tracking system, including academic 

mapping.

Drake University (Des Moines, IA)

Drake University, the Principal Financial Group (PFG), the Des Moines Public Schools, and the Community Foundation 

of Greater Des Moines will implement a pilot STEM program serving low-income high school students. An initial cohort 

of up to 20 ninth graders will be selected and paired with Drake student mentors and professional mentors at PFG while in 

high school. Qualified students will be admitted to Drake with the necessary financial support, participate in internships 

while in college, and upon graduation and fulfillment of program requirements, be offered employment at PFG. 

Building on Existing Efforts: Drake University has prioritized endowment for financial aid as part of its distinctly Drake 

fundraising campaign (slated to end in 2015) to increase financial accessibility for low-income students. The University 

currently spends $25 million a year to address demonstrated need; 60 percent of this fall’s first-year students received aid 

based on demonstrated financial need. Drake is also home to the Des Moines “I Have a Dream” Foundation. This 

partnership with schools, corporate donors, educators, parents, and volunteers has a 95 percent high school graduation 

rate. Drake was also selected by the Iowa governor’s STEM Task Force, as one of six regional STEM Hubs that works 

with middle and high schools in the region to fund scalable initiatives that improve the quality of teaching and learning in 

STEM fields.

El Paso Community College (El Paso, TX)

El Paso Community College (EPCC) commits to becoming a co-development partner for the Texas New Mathways 

Project (NMP) in collaboration with the Charles A. Dana Center of the University of Texas at Austin. This project will 

accelerate students through their developmental math sequence by pairing a developmental course with a transfer level 

math course. EPCC’s commitment includes fiscal support, administrative support, release time for faculty, travel, and 

various in-kind support. EPCC representatives will serve on a state implementation team, co-develop instructional 

modules, pilot and implement at least two of the three mathematics pathways and EPCC will serve as a mentor institution 

to other Texas community colleges.

Building on Existing Efforts: EPCC developed experience in offering new pathways for students by participating in the 

Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching’s Statway during 2010 – 2012. Broad engagement of faculty, 

staff, administrators, and support service providers in Achieving the Dream activities provided pathways to accelerate the 

experience of students in developmental courses and have proven effective in implementing the New Mathways Project.
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EPCC has focused its efforts via Achieving the Dream and other student success initiatives to help El Paso area students 

be college-ready by working with the twelve local school districts and the University of Texas at El Paso through its 

College Readiness Consortium. For those students who come to the college still needing remediation, EPCC has 

implemented several interventions/initiatives such as the PREP Program and Math Emporiums to enable students to 

progress more rapidly through the developmental sequence. 

Florida International University (Miami, FL)

Florida International University (FIU) will partner with Booker T. Washington High School (BTW) and the Lennar 

Foundation to accelerate BTW’s movement toward a high performance school through a series of in-school and 

community actions to build a college going culture, and solid employer engagement within high-demand STEM 

industries. Leadership from FIU will be fully integrated at BTW, working daily with administration and teachers. The 

partnership will be led by FIU’s Office of Engagement and guided by the existing faculty director of the Education Effect,

a university-community school partnership in Liberty City, Miami that embraces a collective model to support 100

percent graduation from high school and ensure every student be college and career ready. A key component of the 

Education Effect at BTW will be strengthening the school’s existing Engineering Academy through employer partnerships 

with high-demand STEM industries. Additionally, the initiative will refurbish an on-site planetarium and the development

of a new Astronomy Academy, offering college-credit Astronomy courses.

FIU will also redouble its efforts towards low-income student populations, incorporating key strategies including dual

enrollment, and foster-youth success. Through FIU’s strategic partnership with Miami-Dade County Public Schools, FIU 

expects to increase dual enrollment offerings, building upon the impressive growth over the last four years. Additionally, 

FIU has launched a new program specifically focused on holistic support for former homeless and foster youth.

FIU, in collaboration with MDCPS, will also recruit, prepare and retain 20 STEM Teaching Fellows who will transform

STEM teaching and learning in 66 of Miami-Dade County’s low performing schools, overseen by the MDCPS

Educational Transformation Office (ETO). This new commitment, Teach STEM Miami, recognizes that recruitment and

retention of teachers with substantial STEM preparation is a pivotal factor of improving students' academic performance 

through data-driven methods and learning communities. FIU graduates will be hired as teachers in MDCPS ETO schools 

and commit to work in these schools for a period of four years, upon completion of their degrees.

Building on Existing Efforts: In 2010, FIU established “ACCESS,” an innovative partnership with MDCPS, our nation’s 

fourth largest school district. Chaired by the Superintendent of MDCPS and the President of FIU, ACCESS is now made 

up of 20 strategic workgroups, each with its own unique vision and goals, which are overseen by leadership from MDCPS

and FIU. FIU and MDCPS, with $1 million in funding support from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation, have also 

established The Education Effect. FIU’s Office of Engagement has also launched the Fostering Panther Pride Initiative.

This initiative will assist in creating a framework of support for the physical, emotional, social and academic needs of

current and former foster care and homeless youth attending FIU. Finally, FIU leads the nation in the number of STEM

degrees awarded to minorities and currently has well over $20 million in active STEM Education-related grants. The 

university has reformed introductory courses in STEM from traditional lecture style to active learning environments 

which have shown greater success for our minority-majority population.

Franklin & Marshall College (Lancaster, PA)

Franklin & Marshall College commits to expanding its financial support for low-income students by increasing its 

financial aid budget for 2014-2015 by 10 percent and will seek to sustain that increased level of aid in subsequent years 

through philanthropy. This additional need-based aid will enable Franklin & Marshall to increase the number of Pell 

Grant recipients in its student body and builds on the significant work the College has done to provide more aid for lowincome students.

Franklin & Marshall – which in 2011 became the first liberal arts college to agree to host a STEM Posse– commits to 

sustaining its cohort of Posse Foundation students interested in STEM fields from Miami for at least the next five years, 

and currently has two cohorts of 10 students each currently enrolled. The College’s first STEM Posse, with science-heavy 

schedules, earned first-year GPAs substantially higher than the average for their class as a whole.
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To increase the proportion of low-income, high-achieving students, Franklin & Marshall plans to seek philanthropic 

support to sustain its pilot Next Generation Initiative. Through this Initiative, Franklin & Marshall has sustained 17 

percent Pell Grant recipients in the last three entering classes, up from a 3-year average of 7 percent five years ago, with 

increased retention rates, strong academic performance, and lower student indebtedness.

Franklin & Marshall will invest for at least two more years in its pilot F&M College Prep program, a three-week summer 

program that has served 71 talented, low-income, rising high-school seniors from 13 urban areas and rural Pennsylvania 

communities served by the National College Advising Corps. Through this program, these students take courses taught by 

college faculty and attend workshops that help them navigate the college admission process while promoting personal 

development. 93 perecnt of 2011 and 2012 participants enrolled in 4-year colleges.

Lastly, Franklin & Marshall will seek to further reduce the average indebtedness of its students on graduation, which has 

declined by 17 percent over the past two years.

Building on Existing Efforts: Over the past six years, the financial aid F&M has provided to its first-year class has 

increased by 95 percent, from $5.8 million for the Class of 2012 to $11.3 million for the Class of 2017. F&M made its 

first commitment to the Posse program in 2005, and more than 90 students have now enrolled at F&M through the New 

York Posse program. The F&M College Prep program has served more than 150 students in the past three years, and in 

the summer of 2013 served 71 students from leading school networks and partner organizations. Finally, in 2012, Franklin 

and Marshall recruited a national expert in student success, Donnell Butler, Ph.D., to catalyze the College’s efforts to 

smooth all students’ transition to college and develop effective assessment measures for student progress and 

achievement. F&M also replaced its traditional career services with a new Office of Student and Post-Graduate 

Development to create a more holistic approach to preparing students for career and personal success beyond college.

Georgetown University (Washington, DC)

Georgetown will partner with the Posse Foundation to implement a new program at Georgetown that will focus on 

recruiting students to major in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. These students will 

have demonstrated both interest and ability in the STEM fields as well as leadership abilities relevant to their success and 

will benefit by participating in other opportunities available through Georgetown’s existing programs and resources. 

Students recruited through this partnership will enroll for 2015.

Building on Existing Efforts: Georgetown is one of a small number of colleges and universities that couples a need blind 

admissions policy with a policy to meet the full financial need of all admitted students who enroll. For over two decades, 

Georgetown’s Institute for College Preparation has provided comprehensive academic and counseling support to middle 

and high school students in the District of Columbia. Since 2004, the Georgetown Scholarship Program has provided both 

financial aid and programmatic support to hundreds of students, many of whom are first-generation college students, to 

enhance their integration into the campus community. For decades, Georgetown’s Community Scholars Program has led 

Georgetown's efforts to promote social justice by enrolling a more racially and socioeconomically diverse student body; 

the program provides approximately 60 incoming students an intensive five-week summer session to help them begin 

their Georgetown careers in the strongest possible fashion. In addition, Preparing to Excel is a free pre-orientation 

program designed for first year and transfer students who are concerned about coming to a new place and adapting to the 

challenges of campus life. Georgetown continues to work successfully with a number of national partners - including the 

Cristo Rey Network and KIPP – to enhance access to and preparation for college.

George Washington University (Washington, DC)

The George Washington University will launch new efforts to increase access to higher education for low-income 

students in the District of Columbia by intensifying direct support to local students, their parents, and the teachers and 

counselors who serve them, thereby increasing the number of students who enter the college pipeline. These efforts will 

include workshops to provide assistance completing college applications and essays, shadow days on campus for high 

school and middle school age students and workshops to demystify the college process held in local libraries and with 

community partners. 

Building on Existing Efforts: GW’s commitment builds on extensive efforts to increase access to higher education for DC 

students, including the Stephen Joel Trachtenberg Scholarship celebrating 25thyears of offering full scholarships for top 

DC students, our Early College Program with DC’s School Without Walls and partnerships with community based 
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organizations to provide campus visit and mentoring opportunities.

Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA)

Georgia Tech is committing to deliver technology assisted, college level calculus courses to low-income high school 

students. These efforts are designed to make participating students better prepared for STEM study at any college, earn 

college credits while in high school, and be more competitive for acceptance and access to college. In collaboration with 

guidance counselors and graduation coaches, Georgia Tech will also offer family financial planning to the participating 

students.

Georgia Tech also commits to provide incremental opportunities for first-generation students at all levels to participate in 

off campus programs of travel, education, and research by awarding supplemental scholarships ranging in value from 

$500 to $4,000. This assistance and the programmatic experiences will help participants develop the necessary skills and 

networks to succeed professionally in STEM fields.

Finally, Georgia Tech will expand participation in its G. Wayne Clough Georgia Tech Promise program by 10 percent. 

Tech Promise offers a Georgia Tech education to academically qualified Georgia residents from low-income families. 

More than 200 students with an average family income of $21,500 per year are enrolled in the program, and almost 600 

students have participated to date. The program provides a full scholarship—tuition, fees, books, room, and board—and 

allows students to graduate debt free.

Through the support of community partners and an investment from the university, Georgia Tech intends to underwrite 

the full cost of attendance for students from the most underserved regions of the State. Participants will be expected to 

work on campus for 10 hours per week. Mentoring and financial counseling will also be available. The university expects 

participants to perform and graduate at higher rates than their fellow students due in part to closer monitoring and 

intervention as needed.

Building on Existing Efforts: Through Georgia Tech’s Center for Education Integrating Science, Math and Computing, or 

CEISMC, the Institute is a leader in expanding K-12 STEM education, offering almost 30 different programs for 

thousands of students and teachers. CEISMC summer camp scholarships are offered to high-risk, high-need students. 

Georgia Tech also works to impact the Hispanic STEM educational pipeline in metro-Atlanta through 

a philanthropic partnership and outreach to local schools, provides high school students throughout the state, including 

inner city youth, with the opportunity to participate in experiments remotely using its high tech videoconferencing system, 

and provides mentors to students.

Georgia State University (Atlanta, GA)

Georgia State University commits to implementing a first-of-its-kind “Early Alert System for Financial Risk" that will 

utilize big data, predictive analytics and timely interventions to mitigate student attrition due to financial factors and to 

give low-income students the maximum opportunity to succeed. The early alert platform that Georgia State University is 

developing will use multiple data sources to alert central offices of events such as a student running out of eligibility for 

aid, losing scholarship funds, failing to pay a bill on time and other actions that, according to the predictive analytics that 

the University is establishing using millions of data points from Georgia State historical records, put them at a 

significantly increased risk of not completing college. In tandem with this effort, Georgia State is establishing a Student 

Financial Counseling Center to assist students who are identified to be at risk through the alert system, or otherwise, in 

mapping out sound financial plans for completing their educations.

Building on Existing Efforts: Georgia State’s financial risk early alert system will build on its success in using historical 

data and predictive analytics to redesign and support academic advising, and on its pioneering work in designing and 

implementing proactive financial interventions, like its Panther Retention Grant and Keep HOPE Alive programs, that are 

keeping students enrolled and on the path to academic success. Combined with innovative curricular redesign, the use of 

adaptive learning, and its large-scale peer tutoring programs that touch 10,000 undergraduates a year, Georgia State 

University has raised its graduation rate 22 percentage points and increased the number of degree conferrals by more than 

2,000 annually over the past decade, while at the same time doubling the number of Pell-eligible and underrepresented 

students enrolled.
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Goucher College (Baltimore, MD)

Beginning with this year’s admissions cycle, Goucher will meet a higher level of financial need through scholarships and 

grants for appropriately qualified students. High-achieving, low-income students will have 78 percent of their need met

through this program, and low-income students with more modest credentials will have 60 percent of their need met. 

Through its partnership with the Greater Baltimore Urban League, the college will host a Saturday Leadership Program on 

March 8, 2014 -- a citywide initiative to help students from underrepresented groups in Baltimore learn essential skills 

necessary to thrive in higher education -- literacy training, academic support, and self-esteem cultivation. Goucher 

commits to working to turn this program into an annual event.

Building on Existing Efforts: Goucher’s Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) provides financial aid packages without 

loans to first-generation Maryland college students from underserved socioeconomic backgrounds who exhibit intellectual

promise, motivation, and high achievement in high school. The Goucher Prison Education Partnership, which began in 

2012, provides men and women incarcerated in Maryland the opportunity to pursue a liberal arts degree, with the 

guidance of Goucher faculty and students. There are currently 60 inmates in two institutions enrolled in the program. In 

addition to college-level courses, remedial classes are offered for those in the prisons who need further preparation. Oncampus remediation efforts include assistance with general academic and study skills.

Hamilton College (Clinton, NY)

Hamilton College will raise $1.5 million to endow and make permanent “First-Year Forward,” a pilot program designed 

to help new students, with exceptional potential and who demonstrate financial need, obtain meaningful and exploratory 

career-related experiences. Students who are the first in their family to attend college are given special consideration for 

this program. Those who commit to and meet with the expectations of the program and obtain an approved career-related 

experience the summer between their first and second years will receive a $2,000 stipend to compensate for lost summer 

earnings.

Hamilton will also expand, as appropriate, its Student Emergency Aid Society (SEAS) to provide all students with an 

equivalent educational experience. Thanks to a grant from the Hearst Foundation and other gifts, SEAS was established to 

support emergency or exceptional needs (e.g., a flight home to be with a sick parent, medical expenses, clothes 

appropriate for job interviews or travel to a career-related activity) for students whose financial barriers are significant. 

SEAS can accommodate annual requests totaling $25,000, but the College recognizes that as it enrolls more students from 

low-income families, the fund will have to grow. 

Building on Existing Efforts: Hamilton’s commitments address gaps in experience and opportunities available to students 

from different socioeconomic backgrounds, and build on a series of concrete steps taken in recent years to expand the 

College’s reputation as a “school of opportunity.” In 2007, Hamilton reallocated all merit aid to need-based aid. Three 

years later, the College became need-blind in admission and added a second Posse. The College meets 100 percent of 

students’ demonstrated need by allocating more than $32 million in institutional aid to need-based scholarships, an 

increase of 85 percent in the past decade.

Harper College (Palatine, IL)

Harper College commits to improving the rate of recent high school graduates placing into credit math courses by another 

5 percent, for a total of a 17 percent increase over 4 years, improving the graduation rate for the College for the IPEDS 

2010 cohort by another 1 percent, for a total of a 5 percent increase in four years, and a completion rate for our Pell 

Students that is relatively equal to the completion rate of all of our students.

Harper College in partnership with its three feeder school districts (211, 214, and 220) has created a separate organization 

to improve regional student success, Northwest Educational Council for Student Success. One focus of this organization 

has been to improve college readiness in math over the past four years. These efforts include administering college 

placement exams to high school juniors, increasing the number of high school seniors who take math and offering 

developmental college math for high school credit in the high schools. This developmental course is aligned with the high 

school Algebra III course. These efforts to date have resulted in a 12% increase in the number of recent high school 

graduates entering Harper College ready in math. In order to reach the 17% improvement target, the college and its 

partner high schools will refine and expand the current initiatives as well as offer additional dual credit math offerings. 
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Harvard College (Boston, MA)

In order to make more students aware of programs like Harvard College’s commitment to no loans and no parental 

contributions for families with incomes below $65,000, Harvard will enhance its social media approaches to reach lowincome high school students. Specifically, Harvard College is adding significant, new, dedicated staff resources to 

reaching out to low-income students, particularly through social media, to better connect them to college opportunities 

appropriate to their strong qualifications, including other schools as well as Harvard. This research-based approach has 

been successful in improving the match between institutions and low-income students.

Building on Existing Efforts: Harvard College’s extensive access initiatives include a commitment to meet need with 

grants, no loans, with families with income below $65,000 paying nothing and up to $150,000 paying no more than 10 

percent of their incomes; a simple net price calculator; the Crimson Academy to bring promising, low-income, local high 

school students to campus; extensive recruitment of low-income students with travel and new tools, including the newly 

announced Harvard College Connection; and a graduation rate of 98 percent, including for students on aid. 

Harvey Mudd College (Claremont, CA)

As part of its current campaign planning efforts, Harvey Mudd is exploring ways to guarantee every student one summer 

of experiential learning, such as research with a faculty member, an internship, or an appropriate service 

opportunity. Research shows that such programs help with student persistence and retention, as well as with encouraging 

students to go on to STEM graduate programs. 

Building on Existing Efforts: Harvey Mudd College has a long tradition of supporting women, underrepresented 

minorities, and first-generation college students. The college’s financial aid policies ensure that tuition is not an obstacle

for low-income students and 14 percent of each incoming class are Pell grant recipients. Harvey Mudd’s curricular 

initiatives—a bridge program, academic excellence tutoring, auxiliary courses, and many others—help it to retain and 

graduate students. Harvey Mudd provides mentoring to help underrepresented students navigate their passage into 

college. Increasingly the college is working to build K-12 STEM awareness through programs such as Homework 

Hotline, Science Bus, and My CS.

Hawai‘i

Hawai‘i commits to intensifying support for the participation and success of low-income and under-represented students 

by working with K-12 partners to provide early college programs, a free college access portal, and multiple measures of 

college level course placement for students. Within the public higher education system, the University of Hawai‘i 

commits to eliminating the STEM participation gap for low-income and under-represented students, providing pathways 

and a shift in focus from courses to programs, and early intervention advising. Hawai’i will utilize a contextualized 

approach to support academically underprepared students’ college success, use data analytics to obtain better information 

on how to match students’ remedial needs with the various interventions available, and continue research into pedagogy 

and academic support improvements.

Building on Existing Efforts: Hawai‘i has adopted multi-measures of placement using Compass and ACT scores, high 

school transcripts, and common core assessment results. Supplemental instruction and learning community models are 

available for students nearly ready for college level work, and for students needing more remediation. Hawai‘i also 

employs pedagogical changes such as the emporium model for teaching mathematics and summer bridge programs. 

Finally, Hawai‘i has adopted improved and technology-enhanced advising and tracking of students through various 

academic support/counseling services.

Hiram College (Hiram, OH)

Hiram College will commit to pursue a “cohort based model” to identify, recruit, prepare, and enroll groups of lowincome students together and commits to work with these students as a group to help them persist and succeed through 

graduation. Hiram will accomplish this by expanding the college’s preexisting relationship with the Cleveland Compact 

which focuses on students enrolled in the Cleveland Municipal School District. Hiram is also looking to partner with 

other school districts in the region as part of these efforts. 

Building On Existing Efforts: For the 2013-2014 academic year, 45 percent of Hiram’s student body are first generation 

students. Hiram awarded in excess of $12 million in need based aid for the 2012-2013 school year. Hiram is also 

continuing a policy of freezing the tuition paid by entering freshman students for their sophomore, junior, and senior 
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years. Hiram College has also entered into partnerships with three Ohio Community Colleges to offer completion degrees 

to associate degree holders at the Community College campuses. Hiram also has a STEM high school bridge program and 

has a number of endowed funds that assist low-income students with student life expenses, such as participating in offcampus cultural activities, and help them participate in the college’s study-abroad program.

Hobart and William Smith Colleges (Geneva, NY)

Hobart and William Smith Colleges (HWS) pledge to boost college attendance by addressing three foundational issues 

identified by the Geneva City School District as being critical to the future of our children: literacy, graduation rate, and

career/college readiness as part of “Geneva 2020”. This effort has boosted the local high school graduation rate from 70 

percent to 82 percent in the past three years. HWS commits to further increasing the graduation rate to 90 percent in 

2020, funneling its community engagement efforts toward initiatives that support, mentor and guide young men and 

women on tracks that lead to higher education, and seeking committed partnerships from non-profits, businesses, the faith 

community, the local community college and individuals. 

HWS also pledges to work with the philanthropic community to identify funding sources that will allow Geneva 2020 to 

secure the organizational backbone and resources necessary to effectively manage volunteer and charitable engagement as 

well as to consistently monitor progress against quantitative goals for literacy, graduation rate, and career/college 

readiness.

HWS further pledges to expand its programs that have already shown to be effective in encouraging college attendance. 

These programs include the HWS Summer Academy which brings low-income students of color from Geneva High 

School to campus to attend college-level courses taught by faculty members. Similarly, HWS will enhance its 

collaboration with local partners, specifically the African American Men’s Association of Geneva and the local NAACP 

Chapter, to give high school students the necessary tools to apply to college and to navigate the financial aid process. 

Building on Existing Efforts: Over the past few years, HWS has increased the share of Pell-eligible students (17 percent 

of their students are Pell recipients), participated in cohort-based models such as Posse, engaged more students in bridge 

programs that improve the transition from high school to college, and expanded financial aid in the past five years from 

$27 million to $43 million, making financial aid 30 percent of the Colleges’ operating budget. In addition, HWS piloted a 

unique program rooted in the collective impact model aimed directly at ensuring that low-income high school students in 

their community have the skills necessary to graduate from high school and to effectively pursue college. The program 

has already helped move the local high school graduation rate from 70 percent in 2010 to 82 percent in 2013, and to 

increase the number of local high school students entering college from 74 percent in 2009 to 76 percent in 2013.

Howard University (Washington, D.C.)

Beginning Fall 2014, Howard University commits to launch a program within its new Center for Academic Excellence 

(CAE) to specifically focus on success of selected low-income students in the STEM fields to increase the retention and 

graduation rate of low-income STEM students and improve the rate and cadre of low-income minority students entering 

graduate/professional programs and/or the workforce. These programs will include academic, co-curricular, and financial 

literacy modules designed to provide participants with experiences to enrich their degree program. Students will be tasked 

with STEM research and partner with a faculty and graduate student mentor. The CAE will also be responsible for 

assisting each student identify intern/externship opportunities and job placement. 

Building on Existing Efforts: Howard University continues to provide 100 percent match to the Federal Pell Grant for 

students who have a zero Expected Family Contribution as a based on FAFSA data. As of the 2012-2013 completed 

academic year, the program has provided over $33M in grant assistance from University funds since its inception, 

benefitting 1,700 students per academic year who benefit from this program. Almost 60 percent of the University’s 

undergraduate population are low-income, Federal Pell Grant-Eligible students. The University maintains a ‘need-blind’ 

admission policy and targets low-income students with high academic potential, particularly in low income areas. 

Idaho

Idaho commits to expanding its efforts to transform remediation in the state Faculty representatives from all public higher 

education institutions, the State Department of Education (K-12), and Adult Basic Education teachers and staff evaluated 

current delivery models and placement methods. A statewide Remediation Summit was held in 2013 to launch 

transformation efforts. The remediation team is also working in conjunction with Idaho’s General Education Math and 
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English teams to align learning expectations and establish statewide cut scores for consistent placement across all 

institutions by spring 2014. Idaho colleges and universities will work to plan, pilot, and implementnew delivery models 

that expedite student preparation for college-level coursework and move students more quickly into gateway Math and 

English courses. Educational stakeholders at all levels are committed to innovative transformative efforts to place students 

accurately, facilitate college-readiness, provide support services, move students more quickly into gateway courses, and 

reduce time to degree for Idahoans by Fall 2015.

Building on Existing Efforts: As part of its Complete College Idaho Plan, the Idaho State Board of Education identified 

Transforming Remediation as one of its five key strategies. The Board has adopted three statewide initiatives to transform 

remediation: clarify and implement college and career readiness education and assessment; develop a statewide model for 

remedial placement and support; and implement co-requisite, accelerated, or emporium delivery models of remedial 

education at the postsecondary level. All public, higher education institutions in Idaho (three universities, one liberal arts 

college, three community colleges, and one technical college) are working collaboratively with K-12 and Adult Basic 

Education to implement these student success initiatives.

Illinois

IBHE, ICCB and ISBE commit to working in partnership on the new teaching and learning standards and assessments that 

are fundamentally changing the P-20 education system, for PK12 and postsecondary institutions that prepare teachers and 

provide graduate and in-service professional learning opportunities for Illinois educators. Starting in 2014, students in 

grades 3-11 in the State of Illinois will be evaluated through the new PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness 

for College and Careers) assessment system, which is aligned with the Common Core State Standards for math and 

English language arts. As a result, students and their parents will be getting PARCC results that will include specific 

information about how they are progressing toward college and career readiness, culminating in grade 11 results that will 

include a college and career readiness determination. Students who are prepared to succeed in credit-bearing general 

education math and English courses will be deemed to be college-ready and should not need remedial course work in 

those subject areas.

A technical assistance grant from Complete College America has been awarded to Illinois to assist three campuses and the 

State to implement GPS in STEM careers strategies. The City Colleges of Chicago, Southern Illinois University at 

Carbondale, and the University of Illinois at Chicago, are joining with IBHE to develop and implement program 

enhancements for STEM degrees through the establishing state and campus STEM degree completions goals, using 

program-level metrics and analysis of state labor market projections. These programs are expected to be fully 

implemented no later than the 2015-16 school year.

Together with the State’s educational agencies and advocacy groups, ISAC will begin a targeted effort to educate students 

and parents about the importance of taking rigorous courses in high school, and about the availability of dual enrollment 

programs whereby students may earn college credit while still in high school. The two primary methods of information 

dissemination will be providing training for high school counselors and other college access professionals via ISAC's 

existing statewide professional development program and via the 100+ ISACorps members (near-peer mentors deployed 

statewide who are employed by ISAC via the Federal College Access Challenge Grant). ISACorps members interact with 

more than 100,000 students and parents each year, and have established a goal of impacting 1,200 students.

Illinois Community College Board

The Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) commits to expanding the implementation of the Illinois Career and 

Academic Pathways (ICAPS) approach to all 48 community colleges in the state. The ICCB will revise and expand the 

implementation of the ICAPS model to meet the growing remedial needs of entering traditional students.

ICCB will continue to engage in curriculum alignment efforts in an effort to meet college and career ready benchmarks, 

and will expand these efforts across the Illinois Community College System. 

ICCB commits to implementing effective practices in student services, high school interventions and summer bridge 

programs as demonstrated through the Race to the Top STEM College and Career Readiness program and an existing 

CCR initiative previously piloted in Illinois. Illinois will also expand the use of bridge programs for low-skilled adults in 

adult education and remedial education. 
29

The ICCB is examining barriers and removing impediments to the delivery of dual credit. Illinois is the third largest 

community college system in the nation, serving nearly one million students. As part of this, nearly 9,000 dual credit 

courses are offered throughout the system with enrollments reaching 88,000 in fiscal year 2012.

ICCB is developing a workforce strategic plan, which will assist the system in the alignment of activities with the 

changing economy while connecting low skilled adults to high wage career pathways.

Building on Existing Efforts: The mission of the Illinois Community College Board is to meet the needs of students 

seeking to transfer to other colleges or universities or preparing for good paying jobs that demand high skills, including by

encouraging high impact practices that meet the needs of all students. An example of this was the development of a 

Strategic Plan for Adult Education titled “Creating Pathways for Adult Learners” which lays out the priorities for ensuring 

that low skilled adult learners are prepared for postsecondary education and the workforce.

The agency works directly with multiple local, state, and national partners to meet the needs of low-skilled and lowincome students. The ICCB is an essential partner in Team Illinois, a Complete College America initiative, which 

primarily works to ensure that students are successful in the completion of their education.

Beginning in 2013, the Illinois Community College System implemented performance based funding in response to state 

legislation. The metric for the funding formula include degree and certificate completion for at-risk students, 

developmental advancement, and momentum points for adult education students.

The ICCB has been engaged in many complementary efforts to enhance student success and to ensure students gain the 

credentials necessary to meet Illinois Completion Agenda, as established by Governor Pat Quinn, supported by Lieutenant 

Governor Sheila Simon, and adopted by the Illinois P-20 Council. The Illinois Public Agenda for College and Career 

Success includes a goal to increase educational attainment by eliminating achievement gaps by race, ethnicity, 

socioeconomic status, gender, and disability. The P-20 Council also includes the recommendation in their April, 2013 

report to improve educational attainment through attention to prevention, intervention, and reengagement.

Indiana

Indiana commits to continue building support to sustain and expand performance-based funding that includes a financial 

incentive for increasing remediation success, the Indiana Commission for Higher Education is also producing a new 

annual College Completion Report beginning in 2014 that will increase transparency and accountability in increasing ontime college completion and degree attainment.

Building on Existing Efforts: Indiana's community college system is on track to transition its developmental education 

programs to the co-requisite model in 2014. The Indiana Commission for Higher Education also publicly endorsed the corequisite model as the state’s primary postsecondary remediation strategy through the adoption of a resolution that called 

for Indiana’s community college to scale the co-requisite model statewide by 2014. Further, Indiana has integrated a 

"remediation success" metric in the state's higher education performance funding formula for remedial students who 

successfully complete the corresponding credit-bearing, gateway course.

Iowa State University, (Ames, IA)

To increase financial aid opportunities for low-income students, Iowa State University (ISU) commits to raising an 

additional $85 million over the next three years specifically for financial aid. Doing so, would enable the institution to 

accomplish the 5-year goal fundraising goal $150 million which was established by President Leath in 2012. Funding 

raised through this effort will be invested in new grants and scholarships for students, with a significant portion going to 

serve low-income students. An additional staff member will also be hired to assist in the recruitment of low income 

students and to support them through the financial aid application process. 

To improve STEM exposure and outcomes for low-income students, ISU will invest in STEM programming for in school, 

afterschool and summer learning experiences run through ISU Extension and Outreach (EO) programming, including 4-H 

programming, college-based outreach, and community college partners. Pilot programs in five school districts that serve a 

high percentage of low-income students will be used as a model to improve ISU K-12 outreach for low-income youth in 

both the urban and rural settings. 
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ISU will also grow K-12 enrichment programs by expanding Science Bound into new areas of the state, providing more 

comprehensive programming in the districts it currently serves, and increasing transitional support at the college level. 

Science Bound is ISU’s premier pre-college program to increase the number of ethnically diverse Iowa students (also 

primarily low-income) who pursue STEM degrees. Students who successfully complete the four year high school program 

receive a four year tuition scholarship to ISU if they pursue a STEM degree. In 2012 the nearly 400 students participating 

were retained at an average rate of 90% in the five year program, students who graduated from the program and attended 

Iowa State were retained at a rate of 98%, and Science Bound graduates attending ISU graduated at a rate exceeding that 

of the general university student body.

Building on Existing Efforts: ISU has numerous agreements with Iowa Community Colleges to make the transition for 

students to campus more seamless – such efforts make college more affordable and enable students to graduate on 

time. ISU is planning to expand upon these agreements to even further improve access to low-income students across the 

state. Additionally, ISU sponsored programs that help to provide access and assistance to low-income students through 

the Hixon Opportunity Awards, Upward Bound, Educational Talent Search, College Bound, Science Bound, and 

partnerships with local school districts, such as the King and Moulton elementary schools in Des Moines. To improve 

retention, Iowa State currently provides a variety of programs such as learning communities, a new writing and media 

center, the MapWorks program, Student Support Services, and APEX Programs.

Kentucky

The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education is committed to working with our Department of Education and 

Education Professional Standards Board partners to increase the number of students graduating from high school who 

meet readiness benchmarks. Further, Kentucky is committed to achieving a significant increase in the number of college 

students assigned to remediation who complete college-level math and English their first year, recognizing that most of 

these students will need additional academic support, such as additional class time, labs, tutoring, mentoring, and 

academic advising. Completion of these gateway courses will lead to many more students completing their degrees.

Building on Existing Efforts: Kentucky has created great P-12 and postsecondary partnerships for working with middle 

and high school students to ensure more students come to our campuses ready for credit-bearing coursework. Working 

together middle and high school course frameworks with learning outcomes were created that included a guarantee of 

readiness through placement testing. Together we created college and career readiness advising tool kits and programs for 

middle and high school students. Kentucky has moved the needle on college and career readiness from 34 percent of high 

school graduates college and career ready to 54.1 percent from 2010 to 2013.

Free online placement testing on both the state supported KYOTE exams for writing, mathematics (college readiness, 

college algebra, and calculus) and reading and COMPASS exams are available to high school students to use at the end of 

intervention programming to determine readiness without need of remediation.

The state has held statewide meetings with national experts on the need for developmental education program redesign 

and institutional meetings campuses to promote accelerated learning opportunities for students using the co-requisite 

course model and compressed coursework. Kentucky is in the process of gathering information from institutions on 

statewide models being used and will conduct a statewide study of student progress based on accelerated programming 

models.

We are seeking state funding in the next budget cycle (2014-16) to support the redesign of developmental education 

programs and to promote P-12 and postsecondary collaborations promoting readiness.

Kentucky's college admission regulation that stipulates that institutions must provide support for admitted students not 

meeting benchmark scores allows institutions to use credit-bearing courses with academic supports (mentoring, tutoring, 

additional class periods, advising, etc.) in providing remediation. This has been in place since 2001 but more institutions 

are using supplemented (co-requisite) models in providing services to students not optimally prepared for credit-bearing 

courses.

Kenyon College (Gambier, OH)

Kenyon College will develop mentorship teams to better engage students across three of its programs that serve and 

recruit low-income high-school students. These programs include an AP program providing college credit called the 
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Kenyon Academic Partnership (KAP), the Kenyon Review’s Young Writers program, and a summer learning program 

called Camp Four. The mentorship teams’ goals are to increase matriculation of admitted students from these three 

programs and to increase the rate of college enrollment of Camp Four participants – whether at Kenyon or another fouryear institution – from about 70 percent to 95 percent.

Kenyon will also boost retention by increasing participation of minority and first-generation students from one-third to 

one-half of eligible students in Recognizing Each Other's Ability to Conquer the Hill (REACH), one of Kenyon’s 

academic success programs to assist first-year and second-year minority and first-generation students in adjusting to 

college. Kenyon commits to increasing the participation in study abroad among underrepresented students by 30 percent 

through a peer mentorship program that pairs economically disadvantaged seniors who studied abroad with those students 

who would like to travel but need guidance. In addition to REACH mentors, Kenyon will also create a new mentorship 

model to connect alumni cohorts and current students by job sector. The alumni mentors will keep at-risk students 

engaged in college, ensuring Kenyon achieves a graduation rate for economically disadvantaged students matching 

Kenyon’s overall graduation rate – 89 percent.

In addition, Kenyon is initiating in 2014 a new Summer Internship Stipend Fund that provides stipends from the college to 

students receiving financial aid with unpaid internships. In its first year, the fund will cover living expenses for 

approximately 5 – 10 Kenyon students; a goal is to increase the fund to enable more students receiving financial aid to 

participate in internships, with support for internship placement through Kenyon’s Career Development Office.

Building on Existing Efforts: Kenyon meets 100 percent of demonstrated financial need for all accepted students with low 

or no loans. The college’s KEEP program offers selected at-risk students courses in two, three-week intensive summer 

sessions before the student’s first year and works with the student throughout their time at Kenyon.

Kalamazoo College (Kalamazoo, MI)

Kalamazoo College will increase its efforts to enroll students from community colleges. This will involve redirecting the 

efforts of an admission professional to work more closely with community colleges, encouraging the Provost to work with 

faculty and the Registrar's Office to develop advising guides that can be used by community college staff when working 

with prospective transfer students, and setting aside a component of the financial-aid budget for this cohort of students.

Kalamazoo College will also work to improve the four-year graduation rate among first generation college students. The 

college will work to ensure that there are no significant differences in the graduation rates of first generation and Pell 

eligible students when compared to the other student cohorts. Kalamazoo College’s first step in this effort will be to 

perform a critical analysis of the factors that are impeding graduation. Kalamazoo may subsequently increase the cohort 

work they are currently providing.

Building on Existing Efforts: Kalamazoo College’s existing efforts to support first-generation college students at 

Kalamazoo College include a student and family welcome, skill/competence building, and connection with other 

successful first-gen students. Kalamazoo College has also developed a summer internship program that provides financial 

subsidies for students who might not be able to take advantage of unpaid internships. To support STEM students, 

Kalamazoo College’s efforts include peer support for students in STEM fields, as well as supplemental instruction 

opportunities. Additionally, Kalamazoo College and the Kalamazoo Public Schools have had a partnership to foster 

academic success for over 11 years. Finally, in 2008, Kalamazoo College received a grant to support five years of 

participation with the Posse Foundation; that funding ended in June 2013 and the Board of Trustees voted to sustain 

participation in the Posse program for five more years in the absence of additional funding.

Kingsborough Community College - CUNY (Brooklyn, NY)

Kingsborough Community College (Kingsborough) commits to increasing the number of students who complete a 

college-level math course by the time they achieve 30 credits from 20 percent to 50 percent. Approximately 80 percent of 

the students enrolled at Kingsborough Community College place into a developmental math course. Meeting their degree 

requirements and following the developmental sequence slows progress toward meeting math competency requirements. 

Instituting a structured program of pre-enrollment academic services, prescribed course scheduling, academic advisement 

and tutoring, and required enrollment in all four modules of the college’s unique academic calendar, will increase success 

rates from 20 to 50 percent.
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The college commits to building the Learning Community Program by applying lessons learned in the language arts by 

designing a new Learning Community focusing on quantitative reasoning. Among the documented reasons for the success 

of the Learning Communities initiative is the integrated and contextualized approach to teaching and learning. This 

approach, however, has not been extended to developmental math. Implementing a Learning Community model that 

integrates quantitative reasoning and contextualized math skills will improve student retention and rate of progress by 20 

percent.

Finally, Kingsborough commits to raising the pass rates of students who repeat a developmental math course two or more 

times from the current level of 10 percent to 50 percent. Data show that students who repeat a math course are highly 

likely to fail again and subsequently drop out of the college. Recognizing that all students do not respond to the same form 

of instruction, Kingsborough intends to implement a series of targeted interventions (i.e. blended instruction, 

supplemental tutoring, 6-week math boot camp, etc.) and scaffolded instruction with the goal of increasing the passing 

rate to 50 percent.

Building on Existing Efforts: Over 75 percent of Kingsborough students are considered low-income receiving either full 

or partial financial aid. A wide range of services are provided to students including free tutoring in all subjects, a free 

Math Lab and Workshop, counseling (personal and academic), a Single Stop Center where students receive help with 

everything from securing food stamps to income tax preparation, and our nationally recognized Learning Communities.

Knox College (Galesburg, IL)

Knox College commits to a regional admission representative based in Chicago primarily dedicated to serving students 

from the Chicago Public School System to improve outreach and recruiting efforts for low-income students. This 

individual will assist students with completing applications, understanding financial aid, and developing interviewing 

skills to increase application completion and admit rates among prospective students.

Knox also commits to doubling the number of transfer students from community colleges within 4 years – efforts that will 

be supported by joining the Illinois Articulation Initiative and setting up a task force to strengthen and revise the existing 

articulation agreements with Carl Sandburg College, the local community college with which Knox currently has a 2+2 

agreement.

Knox commits to an expansion of its existing TRIO Achievement program, which currently serves less than 30 percent of 

eligible students, and to continued progress in graduation and retention rates for low-income and first generation college 

students.

To expand the pool of low-income college-going students, Knox College commits to growing College 4 Kids, the 

College’s current summer enrichment program for local students in grades 3-6, by one-third over the next 3 years. half of 

participating students qualify for free or reduced-price school lunches. Knox College will also strengthen and improve an 

existing three-way partnership with the local school district and Carl Sandburg College (CSC). These partners annually 

identify a new cohort of 15 first-generation, low-income 8th graders and provide dedicated counseling, enrichment, 

academic support, and full-tuition scholarships at CSC and Knox for those who complete the 4-year program.

To improve STEM outcomes for low-income students, Knox College commits to a new, innovative cohort-based program 

that offers scholarships, tutoring, seminars with visiting scientists, and other opportunities to help students with financial 

need to prepare for careers or graduate programs in the sciences and to supporting STEM departments in a redesign of 

introductory courses to take into account the broad range of students’ preparation levels and learning styles. In addition, 

Knox College pledges to expand the participation of their faculty, staff and students in after-school enrichment programs 

in Galesburg elementary schools with a high population of low-income students to increase exposure of low-income 

students to STEM fields.

Building on Existing Efforts: Of Knox’s 1,400 students, 26 percent are first-generation college; 29 percent are Pell 

recipients; 27 percent are U.S. students of color and 76 percent receive need-based aid. With an endowment of under $100 

million, Knox provides more than $20 million in institutional aid to needy students. Knox’s efforts include a dedication to 

college affordability and the college’s net price has increased 2.3 percent per year over the past 5 years, essentially 
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mirroring inflation. In addition, while at Knox, first-generation and low-income students are supported by highly-rated 

TRIO programs, including the McNair Program that prepares first-generation and low-income students for graduate 

school.

Lake Washington Institute of Technology (Kirkland, WA)

Lake Washington commits to both shortening the developmental education pathway for students and building multiple 

pathways to accommodate students with different needs. The developmental math sequence for all students currently 

covers a maximum of four courses taken over four quarters, with limited differentiation in those courses between the types 

of math knowledge necessary for success in STEM fields and those for success in non-STEM classes such as statistics, the 

most popular college-level math class on campus. The effort will reduce the maximum length of the developmental 

education sequence for all non-STEM students to two courses taken over two quarters and, through use of the Carnegie 

Foundations’ Quantway program and its applied, contextualized problems, better align math requirements to those critical 

to a student’s field of study. The redesigned system will include added student supports, with which Lake Washington 

believes 70 percent of students entering below college-level in non-STEM fields can complete developmental education in 

one quarter.

Lake Washington also commits to reducing its over-reliance on a single standardized test for college placement in English 

and math. To gain a more comprehensive picture of students at intake, Lake Washington will adopt at least one of three 

alternative methods for determining student placement: use of a diagnostic writing sample, use of recent high school 

transcripts, or use of diagnostic interviewing techniques such as generative inquiry. Using a more comprehensive 

approach to placement will allow Lake Washington to focus on the broader range of elements in a given student’s 

personality or background that are vital for college success.

Lake Washington commits to expanding the Academic I-BEST (integrated basic education and skills training) program, 

which is intended to provide students in upper-level basic education and developmental education with a pathway that 

allows them to gain 20 transferrable college credits within one year of study. The current program pairs a multilevel 

writing class with one of three academic transfer classes each quarter, but the expansion will increase the number of 

paired academic courses from three classes to six. These added classes will allow students to receive necessary support 

into their second year of college study. Lake Washington also plans to submit state applications and gain state approval to 

add two more programs to its current I-BEST inventory. Programs currently under consideration include a writing I-BEST 

for heavy industry programs and a math I-BEST for students in STEM fields such as Engineering Technician, 

Engineering Graphics, and Computer Services and Network Technician.

Building on Existing Efforts: Lake Washington is proud of our current I-BEST and contextualized developmental 

education courses that meet the needs of our working adult students by ensuring that their pre-college academic courses 

are efficiently organized and relevant to their chosen career fields. Currently, Lake Washington offers about 18 I-BEST 

and accelerated pre-college courses, serving over 350 students each quarter, nearly 25 percent of our student population.

Lawrence University (Appleton, WI)

Lawrence University (LU) will enhance their partnerships with community-based organizations (CBOs), such as College 

Possible (with which Lawrence began its CBO outreach program), College Horizons, the Posse Foundation and many 

throughout the Chicago area, to expand enrollment of students well matched for Lawrence. LU estimates the expanded 

partnerships will more than double the number of students from CBOs matriculating at Lawrence, beginning in fall of 

2015.

LU will also increase academic support services—including adding two new staff positions—to provide greater 

individualized assistance to help students overcome obstacles and stay on a path to graduation, and will create and 

implement a summer bridge program focused on equipping at-risk students with the skills and resources they need for 

successful transitions into and throughout their college experience.

In addition, Lawrence University will scale up a pilot peer mentoring program to help first-year students navigate 

academic and personal challenges, build habits for success, and learn to thrive at Lawrence. 

Lawrence will also implement a new retention management system that will provide better early warning of Lawrence 
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students who may be struggling, more effectively delivering services that support student success from enrollment to 

graduation. Lawrence pledges to increase training for faculty advisors to equip them with evidence-based strategies for 

supporting the success of high-need students and to increase academic support services—including adding two new staff 

positions—to provide greater individualized assistance.

Building on Existing Efforts: Lawrence provides need-based financial aid to about two-thirds of its students each year. 

Fully 22 percent of the university’s students have extremely high financial need and qualify for Pell Grants. LU enrolls a 

substantial number of first-generation students, typically 10 to 15 percent of each class of first-time, degree-seeking 

students do not have parents who attended college. In 2006, Lawrence was at the forefront of colleges implementing testoptional admissions helping to level the admissions playing field for low-income students who cannot afford expensive 

test-preparation services. 

Lewis & Clark College (Portland, OR)

Lewis & Clark College is exploring the possibility of increasing transfer student enrollment by 50 percent. This will 

include providing resources for a dedicated transfer counselor and studying policies that could make transfer enrollment 

more attractive to students. The goal will be, in part, to increase transfer enrollments from local community colleges.

Lewis & Clark plans to evaluate and consider extending two pilot programs which started this year. Lewis & Clark 

created an emergency fund pilot to support unanticipated students’ costs due to medical or family emergencies. This fund 

provides assistance to students that may allow them to continue their enrollment, rather than needing to withdraw due to 

unexpected circumstances. Lewis & Clark College also began a pilot program that allows students with high financial 

need to receive advances on work study allotments in order to purchase books and other necessities at the start of the 

semester. This “helps level the playing field,” by assuring that high-need students are not behind at the start of the 

semester due to a lack of resources.

Building on Existing Efforts: The Office of Admissions works with many CBOs like YES Prep, Bright Prospect, Black 

United Fund, etc. to identify appropriate under-served students to apply for admission and enroll at the College. Lewis & 

Clark provides funding to attract, enroll, and financially support low income students interested in STEM fields. As part 

of a grant project supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), faculty members in the STEM fields are 

developing ways to provide more effective support to under-represented students in their classrooms and labs.

Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge, LA)

Louisiana State University has a long and rich history of educating and supporting low-income students through our 

teaching, research and service. With this new commitment LSU will actively expand its already significant outreach and 

support efforts to aid low-income students’ access to college education and success in their academic pursuits through 

initiating the Pelican Promise Project. This project will enact several new initiatives while strengthening many of our 

already successful programs. One of the primary commitments initiated will assign specific academic advisors to identify 

and closely monitor the progress of low-income, under-represented, and first-generation students in order to flag warning 

signs and intervene before problems become too overwhelming. 

LSU will build bigger and stronger partnerships with community colleges, targeting first-generation, under-represented, 

and low-income students to directly inform them about dual-enrollment opportunities. LSU will support these students by 

housing them on campus whenever possible and allowing them access to all the existing support mechanisms available at 

a top-tier, flagship institution. 

LSU will develop additional online technologies that target and aid low-income, under-represented, and first-generation 

students before high school graduation, opening the doors of communication and opportunity early in their education 

experiences and lessening the chances of them falling through the cracks or remaining unaware of pathways to higher 

education. 

LSU will engage our widely distributed agricultural extension offices and research centers to actively recruit rural and 

low-income students to all campuses of LSU and other higher education opportunities, thereby increasing access to higher 

education and increasing rural K-12 students’ knowledge about opportunities for a college degree in their home state. 
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LSU also commits to expand our existing online educational opportunities to directly target active duty military personnel 

and veterans around the world, ensuring that they have access to a college education during and/or after their military 

service, and are aware of the various pathways in which they can earn a degree. Finally, LSU pledges to directly reach out 

to low-income and under-represented populations to inform potential students about college preparation and various 

pathways to higher education by distributing information and sharing opportunities in local gathering areas.

Building on Existing Efforts: LSU’s existing efforts to support low-income, under-represented, and first generation 

students before they are college age include LSYOU, a program that functions as community outreach, where LSU 

faculty, staff, and students can learn effective teaching techniques while making an impact on the lives of at-risk youth in 

low-income areas. LSU’s GEAR UP program works with more than 1,200 students from five academically challenged 

schools in both the East Baton Rouge Parish and City of Baker School Systems. The program is designed to ensure that 

the students, their families and their teachers receive services to increase college-readiness and access. We also offer 

several financial incentives, including Pelican Promise, a tuition and fee exemption for Louisiana resident students whose 

family income is less than or equal to 150 percent of the poverty level, and TOPS, a state financial aid award available to 

virtually all Louisiana residents admitted to LSU. In 2012-13, the base TOPS award to LSU students was $5,183, leaving 

students and their families responsible for only $883 per semester. LSU also supports students facing significant financial 

need with $11.5 million in institutionally-provided aid. In fact, approximately 95 percent of Louisiana’s post-secondary 

hardship waivers are provided through LSU.

Maryland

Maryland is committed to achieving significant increases in the proportion of college students who successfully complete 

developmental courses and go on to successfully complete college-level math and English courses during their first year 

of college. Maryland is also currently developing transition courses to support students in meeting college and career 

readiness standards while still enrolled in high school. Transition courses will be in place in Maryland public high 

schools by the 2016-2017 school year.

Building on Existing Efforts: Over the past several years, Maryland's two-year and four-year postsecondary education 

institutions have redesigned developmental math, developmental reading and writing, and large-enrollment gateway 

courses for improved student progression. For example, the University System of Maryland (USM) launched a systemwide course redesign initiative in 2006, and subsequently received support from the Lumina Foundation for Education for 

additional course redesign work. The Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC), with support from Complete 

College America (CCA), has provided funds to several institutions for developmental math course redesign. Redesigns 

have included accelerated learning programs (e.g. Community College of Baltimore County), modular components, 

learning labs and studios, concurrent enrollment models, and technology-enhanced hybrid courses. These redesigns are 

sustainable solutions for expediting student progression through developmental course work to credit-bearing course 

work.

In 2013, Maryland enacted the College and Career Readiness and College Completion Act (SB 740), a sweeping 

education reform bill. Specific to developmental education, the Act mandates the implementation of transition courses for 

high school students who do not meet college and career readiness standards by the end of the 11th grade. In addition, it 

requires that Maryland college students enrolled in developmental courses must be either concurrently enrolled in the 

credit-bearing course or enrolled in the credit-bearing course the following semester. Another significant aspect is the 

requirement that Maryland high school students must now complete four years of math. This is expected to help reduce 

developmental math needs among students moving directly from high school into college. Maryland is also a Common 

Core Standards state and a governing member of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers 

(PARCC), both of which should help strengthen alignment between high school graduation requirements and college 

admissions requirements. 

Massachusetts

In October 2013, the Board of Higher Education voted to allow campuses to use high school GPA as a measure of 

student’s readiness for college-level math. Beginning in 2014-15, as limited variations in the GPA placement standard 

criteria are being piloted, the Board is strongly encouraging campuses to design and implement general academic 

pathways within their credit bearing programs appropriate for all students, which will include varying sequences in 

mathematics consistent with the requirements of continuing studies within the academic areas associated with each 
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pathway. The Board also strongly encourages campuses to revise the content, sequencing, and timeframe of their 

developmental math education offerings consistent with the varying math requirements of these general academic 

pathways. The Board sets an intermediate goal of increasing by 20 percent the rate of students completing a first gateway 

college-level math course within two years of enrollment by fall 2018. 

The Board will also encourage campuses to develop general academic pathways for all students, including math 

sequences consistent with the academic requirements of each pathway, and convene an implementation team to promote 

best practices with respect to developmental coursework during this year of experimentation.

Building on Existing Efforts: In 2010 the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education (BHE) approved the Vision Project, a 

strategic agenda for public higher education that calls for the Commonwealth’s public colleges and universities to produce 

“the best-educated citizenry and workforce in the nation.” Since the Vision Project’s inception, increasing the success of 

under-prepared students who are assigned to remediation has been a key strategy to close achievement gaps and improve 

college completion rates. Innovative approaches to remedial education have included breaking semester-long courses into 

modules or providing them at an accelerated pace, creating contextualized curricula based on a student’s career path, 

providing developmental education as a co-requisite, working with local high schools to pre-test students, and offering 

summer bridge programs. The board has also provided grants to innovative developmental education initiatives and 

convened a task force and hosted a conference to research best practices in developmental education.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)

MIT will develop a new initiative focused on outreach to high achieving, low-income students, expanding on a pilot 

program from the fall of 2013. MIT has created new, targeted communications to highlight the school’s guarantee to 

provide full tuition scholarships to low-income students, their first-generation-to-college student support network, and 

their existing strong community of low-income and working class students. MIT piloted a small test of these new 

materials the past semester and plans to launch the new initiative this spring, incorporating the results of the pilot test.

We have also joined a number of new consortium outreach efforts, most notably the College Board’s new “Realize Your 

College Potential” initiative, an initiative that reaches out to high achieving low-income students with information on 

universities which are a good match for them; as part of this effort, MIT will offer automatic application fee waivers.

MIT, in collaboration with edX, will offer new blended online experiences that introduce students from underserved 

schools to STEM subjects and enhance their preparation for college entry. Subjects will be offered during the summer in 

selected cities, including Chicago, Boston, and Cambridge and possibly others. Students will convene as a cohort in 

designated areas to listen to online lectures from MIT faculty, and to work on problems and projects. MIT will solicit 

alumni to serve as teaching assistants and to provide mentorship. For students in isolated settings, MIT may assemble a 

virtual cohort using online forums.

Building on Existing Efforts: MIT, in partnership with Harvard University, has invested significant resources, both 

financial and faculty effort, in launching edX – a not-for-profit entity that provides access to high quality, interactive, 

educational material to learners anywhere, anytime. MIT is currently exploring initiatives which encourage interest in 

STEM subjects. Initial efforts will likely be around inspirational activities such as FIRST Robotics. The idea will be to use

the online medium to engage students in a variety of topics ranging from robotics to racecars. Over time, MIT hopes to 

engage more directly with K12 curricula, working in close coordination with K12 experts.

Miami Dade College (Miami, FL)

Miami Dade College (Miami Dade) commits to reduce the number of students enrolling in developmental education 

coursework through pre-enrollment basic skills boot camps. The basic skills boot camps provide a 1-week intensive 

course to help students bridge specific academic gaps prior to enrollment in developmental education courses. It consists 

of modularized, self-paced instruction. For Fall 2014, the boot camps will be an integral part of the new developmental 

education pathways.

Miami Dade commits to provide mandatory advising for all first-time-in-college (FTIC) students with demonstrated basic 

skills gaps. All FTIC students will participate in a mandatory orientation. During the orientation, students will meet with 

an advisor who will advise the students with basic skills gaps of the developmental education options available to them. 
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Advisors will assist the students in selecting the best options based on students’ academic skill gaps, degree program, 

life/work circumstances, and non-cognitive characteristics (e.g., time management and study skills). 

Finally, Miami Dade commits to offer all developmental education courses in redesigned modalities that have been shown 

to be effective in remediating basic skills gaps. Expanding on pilot programs from previous years, all developmental 

education courses at Miami Dade College will be offered in one of three redesigned formats: modular, accelerated and 

co-requisite developmental education. All of the developmental education pathways have been designed so that students 

can complete the developmental education sequence in two semesters or less. 

Building on Existing Efforts: The previously described interventions that will be implemented at-scale in Fall of 2014 

have been developed over the course of more than eight years. Pilot and grant programs supported through the Gates 

Foundation, Lumina, Kresge, NCAT, Carnegie and others have provided the baseline data for success and starting point 

for development of these strategies. 

Middlebury College (Middlebury, VT)

Middlebury College will expand its participation in the Posse Foundation Leadership Program to include a third student 

“Posse,” with a specialization in STEM subjects. This initiative will work to increase access for underrepresented 

students in the important fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Within the next five years, 

Middlebury College plans to have 120 Posse Scholars on their campus, doubling the size of its Posse program. 

Building on Existing Efforts: Middlebury has an annual financial aid commitment of $37 million for undergraduate 

students and nearly half of their first-year class receives financial aid. Middlebury College along with Connecticut College 

and Williams College are leading a group of 25 private liberal arts colleges working with the University of California, 

Berkeley and Columbia University to connect promising underrepresented graduate students with teaching and scholarly 

opportunities at liberal arts colleges through the Creating Connections Consortium (C3). Middlebury also has a community 

college initiative that intentionally targets cohorts of community college students for 10 to 15 transfer slots as of 2014, 

an effort that should improve access to selective liberal arts colleges and add diversity to the student body.

Minnesota

Minnesota plans to implement new college readiness assessment policies, produce reports on shared learner outcome 

work groups, and host a developmental faculty institute to showcase state and national research.

Building on Existing Efforts: Minnesota State Colleges and Universities worked collaboratively with the Department of 

K-12 Education to create hallmark legislation passed in May of 2013 to improve the transition between secondary and 

postsecondary education in four ways: alignment of assessments of college readiness between high schools and college; 

expansion of early college options for students identified to be college ready; targeted interventions for students not be on

track for college while still in high school; and required postsecondary/career plan beginning no later than grade 9.

Developmental shared learner outcome work groups have been convened by content to develop college readiness 

standards in each discipline, suggest reforms to improve the transferability of developmental education across our system, 

and provide guidance on developing targeted interventions for developmental education that can be conducted in 

secondary and ABE to waive placement testing.

The state created a performance dashboard for each institution that sets expected outcomes and tracks progress on 26 

measures including retention, transfer, and completion (disaggregated for underrepresented populations). The data is a key 

part of each president’s evaluation.

Missouri

Missouri commits to continue developing collaborative programs for students who need additional academic instruction 

and support to be college-content ready. Institutions of higher education and local school districts from both urban and 

rural settings will collaborate to develop these programs. The Missouri Department of Higher Education partnered with 

Complete College America to host a state-level Completion Academy to provide national expertise to college and 

universities leadership teams that want to improve college completion rates. Nine institutions successfully competed to 

participate in the Academy, which was held in St. Louis in September, 2013. A majority of the nine institutions have 

selected developmental education programs as a priority initiative for targeted improvement during the next year for 
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which the Missouri Department of Education will provide encouragement and assistance as the institutions move toward 

implementation of models.. 

Building on Existing Efforts: HB 1042, which was adopted by the Missouri General Assembly in 2012, directed all public 

institutions of higher education to “replicate best practices in remedial education.” In response, Missouri is implementing 

“Principles of Best Practice for Remedial Education,” which is designed to enhance student learning, increase student 

persistence, decrease the time it takes for students to complete academic programs, make more efficient use of state 

resources, and hold institutions accountable for policy compliance. The Coordinating Board for Higher Education

approved the report for adoption and dissemination in September 2013. Several key practices contained in the “Principles” 

will help the state meet its commitment to helping more students complete postsecondary degrees: aligned curriculum 

between high school and college; consistent, statewide definitions of “college content ready” and “remedial 

education;” IHEs must use multiple measures—based on consistent, statewide standards—for the accurate assessment 

and placement of students in credit-bearing courses; remedial coursework must be designed and offered to get students 

into gateway courses quickly; content in gateway courses must be aligned with students’ course of study, particularly in 

mathematics; and adequate financial support will be sought from the state. The MDHE will continue to provide additional 

support to participating colleges and universities to insure that the state’s momentum toward fundamental change in the 

area of remedial education is achieved.

Montgomery County Community College (Montgomery County, PA)

Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) commits to ensuring no student falls through the cracks, by 

redesigning student entry and advising processes to combine human capital with new technological tools to allow for 

intrusive academic planning. Integrated Planning and Advising Services (IPAS) is an innovative, cost-effective program 

where analytical and communication tools allow advisors, faculty and students to investigate course selection, monitor 

individual progress and coordinate academic intervention strategies, thereby increasing ownership of student success 

among all stakeholders. 

MCCC commits to creating a new model for student engagement prototyped by the College to co-design a set of engaging 

experiences, available through a variety of platforms that improves financial literacy, civic literacy and digital literacy for 

first-generation and low-income students. The tool will build continuous enrollment with the institution, supports 

completion efforts and adds a lifetime of value for all students.

MCCC commits to expand the Minority Student Mentoring Initiative (MSMI) include low-income African-American and 

Hispanic/Latina females. Mentees connect with caring mentors for guidance and support while at the College. They are 

exposed to civic engagement, academic advisement, personal development workshops, student conferences and leadership 

development. Ultimately, students are challenged to develop the mental toughness, academic discipline and organizational 

skills necessary to achieve success.

Building on Existing Efforts: The MSMI expands upon the Minority Male Mentoring Program (MMMP) created in 2009. 

The goal of MSMI is to extend the reach of the MMMP in order to increase persistence and completion rates of AfricanAmerican or Hispanic/Latina female students. In 2011, the College was named an Achieving the Dream Leader College 

due in part to student success programs, including the MMMP.

Montana

Montana commits to working with K-12 schools to develop common college readiness goals and strategies; create a 

common placement system using multiple measures; create Developmental Education/Gateway Discipline Councils 

(reading, writing and math) with the goal to increase communication and scalability of best practices and course redesign 

pilots; create consistency across the system by requiring that all developmental education be taught by college faculty or 

part-time faculty whose supervision is integrated into the academic structure; create a requirement for campus long-term 

tracking of students enrolled in developmental courses to gateway courses and on to completion using multiple indicators 

of success; create policy strongly recommending all entering students who are placed into a developmental math or 

writing course register for those courses during their first semester and require they complete those initial courses by the 

end of the second semester; and allocate a portion of the performance based funding resources to support developmental 

education reformation recommendations.
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Morehouse College (Atlanta, GA)

Beginning in 2014, the College will join a “pioneer” (pilot) group of institutions that that will be utilizing an innovative 

predictive analytics tool that enables faculty, academic advisors and students to better understand the determinants of 

academic success, avoid academic pitfalls and reveal ways and means to enable students to persist toward graduation.

The College also plans to pilot a new pre-collegiate assessment model designed to identify promising high school students 

via enhanced assessment instruments and methodologies. In contrast to the SAT, this model assesses basic STEM-related 

competencies in addition to equally important, non-cognitive assets such as persistence (grit), intellectual curiosity, ability 

to collaborate with others and communication skills. This model is emerging as an alternative and (in many cases, 

superior) predictor of college and life success. This model will be field-tested in 2014 in collaboration with local high 

schools.

Building on Existing Efforts: The College currently hosts a broad range of well-known pre-collegiate and collegiate 

STEM-oriented programs including but not limited to: the Hopps Research Scholars Program, MARC and MBRS RISE. 

In addition, the College hosts “Project Identity” a program that targets students from grades 4-12 and reinforces their 

academic skills and college aspirations. Also, the College is exploring an exclusive partnership in with a highly successful 

on-line provider of STEM (and other) courses. This partnership will dramatically improve student access to a broad range 

of STEM programming at highly affordable rates. The College commits to provide more need-based and merit-based 

scholarship for low income students along with financial literacy programming for students and parents regarding 

financial aid options and opportunities. The College’s enrollment is 97% African American males. Over 90% of these 

students receive some form of financial aid. Thus, the College has established the need for additional student scholarships 

as a high institutional priority. In addition, its Office of Institutional Advancement is currently being reorganized and 

expanded in order to maintain a steady focus on the acquisition of both current-use and endowed scholarship funds.

Morgan State University (Baltimore, MD)

Morgan State University (Morgan) commits to expand the Network for Excellence and Undergraduate Success (NEXUS) 

program with the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) from 53 students to 150 students and to developing

similar programs with other community college partners. NEXUS allows students, who were inadmissible to be enrolled 

at Morgan, to follow the Community College of Baltimore County’s (CCBC) developmental curriculum while taking their 

classes at and living on Morgan’s campus, to seamlessly transfer to Morgan after completing the NEXUS curriculum.

Morgan commits to make the Reclamation Project permanent. Originally a pilot in spring 2012, Morgan will continue to 

invest financially and programmatically to help students who have “stopped out” of the university. The program focuses 

attention and financial resources on students who had left the university in good academic standing to assist them in 

returning to complete their degrees. This initiative is now part of a statewide effort coordinated by the Maryland Higher 

Education Commission (the One Step Away Program).

The University commits to strengthening its efforts to seek greater external funding for the Pre-Freshman Accelerated 

Curriculum in Engineering (PACE) program, a summer transitional program for incoming engineering freshmen. The 

University has committed approximately $65,000 per year since 2009 supplemented with external funding from NASA 

and other entities. PACE students experience a 90 percent second year retention rate, compared with a 72 percent

retention rate for the overall freshman population, and 65 percent of the PACE scholars graduate in 4 years.

Morgan’s School of Engineering commits to establish partnerships with local urban school districts on a dual pre-college 

to higher education enrollment program directed at improving the transition of low-income high school students to 

Morgan. The program will leverage Morgan’s expertise and technology to offer "flipped" credit bearing courses to high 

school students in a blended learning format, where students will engage in problem-solving and active, hands-on learning 

in the classroom, and listen to video-based and on-line lectures at home. This approach has been successful in imbuing 

high school students with appropriate developmental foundation to enable them to be successful in engineering and other 

STEM disciplines.

Building on Existing Efforts: Morgan dedicates over 20 percent of its tuition revenue to providing institutional financial 

aid, and is a national leader in the number of African American undergraduates who receive electrical engineering and 

civil engineering degrees. Currently, one-third of Morgan State undergraduate students come from families in the lowest 

quartile of annual family income. Morgan’s CASA Academy provides a six-week summer bridge experience to students 
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in need of additional preparation for college-level work.

Mount Holyoke College (South Hadley, MA) 

Mount Holyoke will begin providing a full tuition scholarship to non-traditional age, low- income students that come 

through Mount Holyoke’s Frances Perkins Scholars Program. Each year, Mount Holyoke College admits approximately 

25 non-traditional age, low income students, with most coming from community colleges across the country. The new 

scholarship program will involve a commitment of up to $3 million per year. 

Mount Holyoke will also expand its work with the Posse Foundation. Mount Holyoke is now in its fourth year of 

supporting the work of the Posse Foundation by sponsoring a cohort of young women each year from the Miami area. 

Mount Holyoke is working to develop a new Veterans Posse that will allow a cohort of armed services veterans to attend 

Mount Holyoke on full scholarship. 

Mount Holyoke has also launched an innovative curriculum-to-career initiative, called The Lynk. The Lynk aligns the 

College’s curricular and co-curricular offerings with preparation for life and career through four key elements: goal 

setting, practical experience, professional development through internships, and transition/launch from college. Mount 

Holyoke will provide every student with a paid internship opportunity and pre-internship guidance. This represents a new 

annual expenditure of up to $2 million per year, serving up to 600 students.

Finally, Mount Holyoke is expanding efforts to engage with the local community and help more students become college 

ready. The College is expanding and developing data-driven outcomes partnerships with K-12 tutoring and mentoring 

programs especially with low-income populations in Holyoke, Springfield, and South Hadley, Massachusetts. More than 

100 students currently work with youth and families now through America Reads and America Counts work-study, 

course-based service learning, and volunteer service, and we are prioritizing growth and demonstrable outcomes in this 

work including positive impacts on student performance, graduation and engagement indicators.

Building on Existing Efforts: Mount Holyoke’s new commitments build on existing efforts to provide access to students 

and support their success. Mount Holyoke was recently reported as an “overperformer” by US News & World report for 

graduating students with Pell Grants at a higher rate than the overall student body. 10 percent of matriculated domestic 

students come from families with incomes under $25,000 and another 20 percent come from families with incomes less 

than $50,000. Mount Holyoke provides advising to help retain students, and retention rates for students from families with 

incomes less than $50,000 have risen from 88 percent in 2010 to 100 percent in 2013. Mount Holyoke has a number of 

initiatives to develop early college awareness among students and families in urban districts and communities including a 

multi-year partnership focusing on improving mathematics teaching and learning in kindergarten through college.

Navajo Technical University (Crownpoint, NM)

Navajo Technical University commits to broadening STEM participation by increasing STEM recruitment and enrollment 

by 25 percent each year, increasing the retention and graduation rates of those in STEM majors to 70 percent or higher, 

and creating education programs that combine experiential education with academic rigor. 

Building on Existing Efforts: Navajo Technical University was ranked two years in a row as one of the top 120 

community colleges in the United States by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program, which works with the United 

States Department of Education to recognize community college excellence. Navajo Tech has some of the highest 

retention and graduation rates of any minority serving institutions of higher learning in the United States and is recognized

for its academic rigor. 

Nebraska Wesleyan University (Lincoln, NE)

Nebraska Wesleyan pledges to partner with local schools and community college campuses to provide a 2-2-2 program, 

including the last two years of high school, two years in an associate degree program, two years in a bachelor’s degree 

program that guides low-income students into fully-credentialed teaching careers back in the schools. The partner 

institutions hope to establish a pipeline of students from diverse backgrounds to the teaching profession. The 2-2-2 

program will offer early identification of and their preparation for college-level study; a pathway to degree completion 

that balances rigor, strong support, and affordability; and a clear pathway to a career upon graduation.
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Building on Existing Efforts: Nebraska Wesleyan University has ongoing partnerships with neighboring elementary and 

middle schools and maintains strong links with African-American-serving and Hispanic-serving community centers 

through a Guidance to Success Youth Club, a Good Neighbor Center, and the Hispanic Youth Leadership Academy, a 

summer initiative in Nebraska of the United Methodist Church.

Nevada

Nevada is working on scaling the co-requisite remedial models that have proven successful on some campuses. The

Chancellor's Office will convene a summit on remediation in the spring - bringing the campuses together to review their 

own data and begin discussion to expand the co-requisite model.

Building on Existing Efforts: Nevada concluded its remedial transformation project in 2012. As a result of the project, the 

state is employing the following approaches: course redesign to enable students to complete remedial instruction and an 

entry-level course within two semesters; curricular alignment between remedial courses and entry-level courses; inclusion 

of reading instruction for students for whom reading is a barrier in mathematics and English; more accurate student 

placement through multiple criteria; different pathways defined for students based on their level of deficiency and major 

or course of study; conversion of remedial courses at the lowest levels to self-funded skills-based laboratories; and 

partnerships with school districts to offer early testing and to improve college readiness of high school graduates.

North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC)

North Carolina State University (NC State) is working to scale the efforts of National College Advising Corps (NCAC) in 

North Carolina. Recent graduates will be assigned to work with high schools in underserved communities to find colleges 

and universities that best meet the academic and social needs of their students. These advisors will also help students 

understand their options, encourage student success and assist in the application process for both admission and financial 

aid.

In addition, NC State will launch the ASPIRE program, which is designed to bridge the gap in rural high schools’ 

performance on the ACT and SAT. Aspire is a cooperative initiative between NC State and the NC Cooperative 

Extension Service with offices located in all 100 counties of North Carolina. 

Finally, North Carolina State University is committing to a strategic goal of improving the four and six year graduation 

rate, and is particularly focused on students from low-income families, first-generation college students, and 

underrepresented groups. This effort includes intrusive advising, living and learning villages, and enhanced experiential 

learning.

Building on Existing Efforts: In 2012, 48.6 percent of North Carolina State’s students received need-based financial 

assistance and 30 percent qualified for Pell Grants. Through the “Pack Promise” program, NC State has committed to 

meet 100 percent of the demonstrated financial need of all qualifying North Carolina students. NC State also offers the 

summer START program aimed at helping a diverse group of students prepare for the rigors of a freshman college 

experience by offering students the opportunity to complete up to 8 credit hours of summer courses while living on 

campus. NC State is also the lead institution in the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation supported Raleigh College and 

Community Collaborative, which works to provide mentoring and educational support to low income students in districts 

with low college-going rates. 

Northeastern University (Boston, MA)

To increase college access, Northeastern University will offer 150 full-tuition need-based scholarships to Boston Public 

Schools (BPS) graduates in 2014, including 30 new scholarships covering 100 percent of demonstrated need for lowincome BPS students who live in neighborhoods surrounding its main campus. Working with BPS guidance counselors, 

Northeastern will also host multiple College Readiness events on campus for BPS students and their families, aimed at 

helping them prepare and apply for college and financial aid.

Northeastern will initiate a comprehensive, 360-degree financial literacy program focused on ensuring that all students 

obtain the skills and knowledge to make informed and effective financial decisions – not just regarding how to pay for 

college, but throughout their lives. The focus of Northeastern’s program will be to teach students how to manage their 

education financing such that they can pursue and successfully manage the major financial and life commitments they will 
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encounter after graduation. A key emphasis will be to help students lower their education debt by limiting and 

eliminating convenience borrowing. Counseling will include issues such as managing personal credit, loan repayment 

(including Pay as You Earn), and auto and home purchases.

Building on Existing Efforts: Northeastern’s comprehensive strategy to increase college access, affordability, and success 

among low-income and first-generation college students consists of (1) an unprecedented institutional commitment to 

student aid, backed by a student aid guarantee called the “Northeastern Promise”; (2) a nuanced and multifaceted 

approach to identifying and supporting low-income and first-generation students, including “undermatched” students, 

talented and college-ready students who underperform on some traditional admissions metrics (i.e., the SAT), and highpotential students who can achieve college readiness quickly with intensive and focused supports; and (3) targeted and 

sustained investments in student support, including freshman retention efforts, early warning systems, and counseling. In 

addition, Pell grant recipients at Northeastern have 94 percent of their tuition costs covered by grants—79 percent of 

which is funded by the university. Northeastern expects to meet full need for all students receiving need-based aid by 

2015-2016.

Northern Virginia Community College (Annandale, VA)

Through Northern Virginia Community College’s (NOVA) Achieving the Dream initiative, its developmental education 

redesign efforts, and its Pathway Connection program, NOVA will enhance college readiness and student success among 

first generation and low-income college students to reduce the percentage of recent high school graduates requiring 

remediation from 54 percent to 40 percent; increase by 30 percent the percentage of students who complete their 

developmental course requirements in one year or less; and increase the retention rate of fall to fall first-time full-time 

students from 62 percent to 70 percent.

Through its Pathway to the Baccalaureate partnership with the region’s public schools, NOVA will increase to and assist 

over 3,000 low-income high school students annually to prepare for college attendance with a goal of 90 percent college 

attendance and a 65 percent graduation or transfer rate from NOVA within four years.

Through partnerships with the region’s public schools and local businesses, by 2015 NOVA will increase to more than 

20,000 the number of low-income students who are in a STEM studies pipeline.

Through collective impact partnerships with community-based organizations such as Year Up, Training Futures, and 

Goodwill Industries, NOVA will increase to 1,000 the number of low-income students annually who will earn 

postsecondary credentials and who will be placed in jobs with average wages of $14 per hour within one year of 

completion.

Building on Existing Efforts: NOVA has made significant, multi-year commitments to improve college access and success 

for low-income, minority and immigrant students through programs and initiatives such as Achieving the Dream, Pathway 

to the Baccalaureate, Pathway Connection, developmental education redesign, GPS for Success, SySTEMic Solutions, 

and its Community-Based Organizations Initiative. The commitments to action made in this document are growth 

extensions of those programs and initiatives.

Northwestern University (Evanston, IL)

In the past decade, Northwestern University has significantly increased its partnerships with Chicago Public Schools 

while simultaneously stepping up the University's efforts to attract, admit and enroll CPS grads. From fewer than a dozen 

CPS students in the freshman class seven years ago, Northwestern this fall enrolled 75 CPS graduates as first-year 

students; the University's goal is to increase that number to 100 in the near future. Consistent with this effort, 

Northwestern University recently announced a new program to help Chicago Public School (CPS) students prepare for 

and gain admittance to selective colleges and universities. The Northwestern Academy is designed to help low- and 

moderate-income CPS high school students who are academically talented with supplemental educational opportunities 

and support services to prepare them for highly selective colleges and universities. The Academy will target students who 

qualified for but are not enrolled in a CPS selective enrollment school and are also enrolled in the free or reduced lunch 

program, a pool of about 1,250 students. There will be no cost for participants. Estimated annual cost of the program 

when fully operating will be approximately $1 million with a total enrollment of around 200 students. Northwestern will 
43

seek private donations to help defray that cost.

Building on Existing Effort: Northwestern’s Good Neighbor, Great University program scholarship provides special 

financial aid packages for qualifying low- and middle-income students from Chicago and Evanston who enroll at 

Northwestern, eliminating requirements to do work-study, take out student loans and engage in summer earning jobs. In 

2012-13 alone, Northwestern provided some $9.72 million in financial aid for students who live in Chicago. This included 

$1.2 million for the 178 Good Neighbor, Great University scholarship recipients. Northwestern has also expanded its 

longstanding academic partnerships with CPS through which Northwestern has directly or indirectly impacted the 

education of some 30,000 CPS students. 

Oberlin College (Oberlin, OH)

Oberlin will partner with a national organization to initiate a micro-scholarship program for 9th through 12th grade high 

school students from disadvantaged, predominately low-income neighborhoods across the country. Students will earn 

financial awards throughout high school for getting good grades, community service, actively participating in the college 

search process, and other extracurricular activities.

Building on Existing Efforts: Oberlin meets 100 percent of the demonstrated financial need of any student admitted to

the college or conservatory of music. Approximately three-quarters of the 2,900 undergraduates receive some form of

financial aid, a relatively high percentage. Since 2000, Oberlin College has provided full-tuition scholarships to Oberlin 

High School graduates admitted to the school. Additionally, academically qualified Oberlin High School students are 

eligible to take up to four Oberlin College classes at no cost. Oberlin has partnered with Posse, QuestBridge, YES Prep, 

and has an informal relationship with KIPP that began in the fall of 2012. Oberlin also hosts approximately seven regional 

fly-in programs each fall.

Ohio

The Ohio Board of Regents commits to engaging colleges and universities in the implementation of Ohio’s remediationfree standards and the establishment of consistent processes for the assessment, placement and remediation of students 

who do not meet the remediation-free benchmarks. The goals of this effort are to a) decrease the number of students 

leaving high school in need of remedial coursework; b) increase the number of students who are placed directly into credit 

bearing courses; and, ultimately c) increase the number of Ohio’s citizens with degrees and certificates with workforce 

value.

Ohio has had a series of policy changes in the recent years that are changing the way in which campuses address 

remediation. Future work will build on these efforts. As a first step, public college and university presidents established 

uniform remediation-free benchmarks. All students who meet these benchmarks are eligible for placement into credit 

bearing coursework. Next, the Board of Regents has committed to convening representatives from its public colleges and 

universities to determine improved and consistent processes for the assessment, placement and remediation of students. 

This work is supported by Ohio’s shift to performance-based funding, which places a premium on improving 

developmental outcomes. These funding incentives are accelerating the creation of co-requisite models for remedial 

education and other remediation reforms. The work is also supported by legislation that requires each college and 

university to develop a campus completion plan approved by its board of trustees.

Two other efforts aimed at reducing the need for remediation and improving completion at our colleges and universities 

are worthy of mention. The Ohio Mathematics Initiative is underway with the goal of establishing transferable, rigorous 

mathematics pathways aligned to a student’s academic program of study. The Ohio Board of Regents is also collaborating 

with the Ohio Department of Education to better communicate standards of college readiness and to better address the 

needs of at risk students while they are still in high school. These efforts are expected to decrease remediation rates for 

students entering college immediately after high school.

Oklahoma

Improving college readiness and reforming remediation are two of the primary elements of Oklahoma’s College 

Completion agenda. The state is working with national partners and K-12 partners in the state to better align curriculum 

and avoid remediation all together. For those students already in the pipeline, the state has developed new courses to 

accelerate remediation and move students on to college level math and English courses more quickly. Oklahoma have a 
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system wide "math success group" that will soon report additional reforms to change placement in remedial courses, 

develop co-requisite courses, and create new quantitative pathways besides college algebra. Additionally, the state’s new 

performance funding provides no incentives for developmental courses work and greatly incentivizes the completion of 

students that are more likely to need assistance moving to college level work in way that will increase completion in two 

or four years.

Oregon

The Oregon Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development (CCWD) is facilitating a statewide, faculty 

led Developmental Education Redesign Workgroup - a strategy that is creating recommendations for the Higher 

Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) regarding the way developmental education is delivered in our community 

colleges. In addition, ten of Oregon’s 17 community colleges are involved in Achieving the Dream, with financial and 

other support from CCWD, which has them focusing on underrepresented and low-income students as well as policies and 

practices surrounding the delivery of developmental education on their campuses. The HECC is forming a sub-committee 

that will be specifically focused on student success.

Building on Existing Efforts: Currently, HECC has a subcommittee tasked with studying the Oregon Opportunity Grant 

(OOG) and making recommendations to the HECC and the Oregon Legislature. The OOG is the Oregon grant that is 

based on student need as indicated by completion of the FAFSA. The Oregon Education Investment Board (OEIB) also 

has a subcommittee, Equity and Partnerships, which has developed an Equity Statement that guides the formation of 

policy and practice across the PK-20 education spectrum in Oregon.

Oregon Institute of Technology (Klamath Falls, OR)

Oregon Tech is working with the South Metro-Salem STEM Partnership to reach students in 14 school districts with 

hands-on, applied-science experiences by 2025. By 2025, Oregon Tech hopes to increase the percentage of the region’s 

students that are “proficient” and “advanced” as measured by the Smarter Balanced Assessment as well as increase the 

number of STEM college graduates that matriculate from partner schools. This commitment will help improve Oregon’s 

business and industry access to an Oregon-educated STEM talent pool that is highly skilled, motivated and globally 

competitive.

Oregon Tech is working with Benson Polytechnic High School in Portland, a non-traditional high school employing a 

hands-on curriculum of instruction in much the same style as Oregon Tech. As of the 2012-2013 school year students at 

Benson have a 92 percent completion rate while the Oregon average is 73 percent. Oregon Tech will provide mentoring 

and college advising workshops as well as tuition assistance for dual-credit courses. This will include working with 

Benson to secure funding to purchase textbooks and scholarships to attend Oregon Tech.

Oregon Tech is exploring a personalized, text messaging campaign to increase STEM course-taking and achievement 

among underrepresented minorities and disadvantaged students. Students will receive text messages conveying the 

benefits of pursuing STEM fields; encouraging students with strong math/science performance in high school to pursue 

STEM majors; and increasing students’ awareness of campus-based supports to help them with STEM courses. This 

messaging campaign, designed in collaboration with researchers Ben Castleman and Lindsay Page, builds directly on 

similar work encouraging urban high school graduates to enroll in college.

Building on Existing Efforts. These commitments build off existing efforts by Oregon Tech. The OWLS Scholarship 

provides $1000 in return for completing 9 hours of college-credit STEM courses. Oregon Tech also provides high school 

students college-level courses at a low cost. Over the past 7 years, Oregon Tech has provided discounted college courses 

to 8,000 students, helping them saving more than $3 million in tuition.

Patrick Henry Community College (Martinsville, VA)

Patrick Henry commits to the following strategies: modularize math from a maximum of 16 credits down to a maximum 

of 9 credits, alignment of developmental math pre-requisites with on-level requirements, laser-like remediation for 

modular math, applied degree require only three modules which can be completed in 8 weeks, non-STEM transfer degree 

require 5 modules which can be completed in 1 semester, STEM-degrees required 9 modules which can be completed in 2 

semesters, co-enrolled courses (ALP) where students are enrolled in both the developmental course and on-level creditbearing course simultaneously for both Math and English.
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Pitzer College (Claremont, CA)

Pitzer commits to partnering with new community based organizations (CBO’s) nationally that serve disadvantaged 

students. The Office of Admission has traveled to communities across the country and has worked to provide college

admission workshops, interviews, and essay writing training. Beginning in the spring of 2014 all admission counselors 

will visit new CBO’s in each of their recruitment territories and CBO counselors will be invited to participate in a 

counselor education tour to campus each year. The goal is to assist these organizations in helping low-income students 

aspire to some of America’s best institutions of higher learning. In the summer of 2013 Pitzer put a plan in place to attract

more first generation students. As a result, Pitzer currently had a 40 percent increase in applications from these students.

Building on Existing Efforts: Pitzer meets 100 percent of demonstrated financial need to all students admitted to the 

College, and has also paid for low-income students to visit its campus and decide whether or not they will apply. Pitzer 

has also participated in the Native American Pipeline Program, which brings Native American students to campus from 

local communities to experience college, interact with students, and learn about the college admissions process. Finally, 

in the fall of 2014, Pitzer College will begin a comprehensive fall orientation series with speakers, social and networking 

events for first-generation students in an effort to help them transition to college.

Pomona College (Claremont, CA)

Pomona College plans to increase the percentage of its students receiving Pell grants from the current 17 percent to 20 

percent or higher. Pomona College currently has 276 students receiving Pell grants. Because the College is committed to 

meeting 100 percent of students’ demonstrated financial need, each additional Pell-eligible student will receive significant 

additional financial support from institutional funds. 

Pomona College will partner with the Posse Foundation to add a second Posse to its student body of 1600, beginning in 

fall 2015. This will build on its successful Posse program, which has seen the graduation of 5 cohort groups, with a 

nearly-100 percent completion rate. With two Posses, the College will focus one in the STEM fields. This will help with 

the College’s goal to graduate more first-generation and underrepresented students in STEM fields, and will complement 

and add to other initiatives on campus.

Finally, Pomona College will increase the number of transfer students from community colleges, with a focus on lowincome and first-generation students. This is a challenge for small California liberal arts colleges because there are already 

clear articulation agreements between community colleges and the many University of California and California State 

University campuses. Pomona typically enrolls 1-4 community college students per year and proposes to increase our 

community college transfer numbers to 7-10 per year, over the next 5 years, by building relationships with targeted 

community colleges.

Building on Existing Efforts: In 2007, Pomona College’s Trustees approved the elimination of loans in financial aid 

packages, making Pomona one of only a handful of colleges with need-blind admissions that meets the full financial aid 

need of every admitted student without loans. A partner with the Posse Foundation since 2004 and the QuestBridge 

Foundation since 2005, Pomona College identifies and recruits talented low-income, first-generation, and 

underrepresented students each year. In addition to a number of programs that support student success, Pomona offers a 

free, summer college-prep program for underrepresented high schools students.

Portland State University (Portland, OR) 

In order to recruit more low-income students, Portland State University (PSU) will expand admissions outreach to Oregon 

High Schools with large numbers of low-income students. PSU Currently recruits at 22 high schools and will expand this 

outreach to additional eight Oregon high schools with diverse and low income student populations. In addition, PSU will 

develop new web and print materials that overview ‘strategies for paying for college’. Portland State will also expand 

articulation agreements with Community Colleges to help reduce the time to degree for transfer students and their overall 

cost to obtain a degree. Finally, PSU will also expand ‘paying for college’ workshops available during PSU’s required 

new student orientation, giving students and families more opportunities to attend this presentation and receive personal 

assistance. Portland State will send personalized electronic messages to students with low expected family contribution 

and/or high financial concern, offering resources, scholarship information, and personal assistance.

Portland State will also take several steps to support current students and improve completion rates. Portland State will 
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expand need based remission and private scholarships for case managed students within the PSU Diversity Scholars 

Program. Portland State is also increasing the availability of student data, including financial data, to academic leadership 

and academic advisers through a partnership with the Educational Advisory Board. These data will help academic 

advisers provide personal outreach to students at risk. PSU will develop a new learning module on financial literacy by 

Fall 2014 and require incoming students to complete the module. Finally, Portland State has committed to help students 

graduate in four years through the PSU Four Year Degree Guarantee, saving them thousands of dollars in tuition and 

college costs. 

PSU will vigorously support the new goals established by the Oregon Education Investment Board for the Oregon 

Achievement Compacts, which are focused on serving a greater number of Pell eligible students. Not only will PSU place 

a primary focus on completion of bachelor’s and advanced degrees, but will participate we will participate in regional 

compacts that will develop joint strategies to assist high schools and community colleges in achieving their goals. 

Building on Existing Efforts: PSU defers application fees for all students on free and reduced lunch and sends out college 

cost sheets to all families of prospective students and verbally walks families through the cost of attendance. This past fall 

term, over 600 students attended Bridges, a prospective student event for student from diverse and low-income 

backgrounds at PSU. Portland State is also host to several programs including Upward Bound, TRIO, the McNair 

Scholars Program, and the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program. PSU’s transfer student services 

include regular outreach to Community Colleges, and PSU opened a new Veterans Resource Center to help support 

enrollment and success of student Veterans.

Princeton University (Princeton, NJ)

Princeton University is seeking to expand significantly its partnership with the Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse 

America (LEDA), a program that brings talented, low-income high school seniors to Princeton for summer courses and 

college counseling and supports them throughout their college experience. Princeton enrolls a higher number of LEDA 

alumni than any other institution and is hoping to grow the number of students who benefit from the summer program by 

at least 50 percent.

Princeton University is also increasing its efforts to identify and recruit students from low-income families across the 

country. It has put in place a new admission officer to lead these efforts and provide outreach and support for these 

students during the admission process. Princeton waives application fees for low-income students and has joined a 

College Board program that emerged from the Expanding College Opportunities initiative.

Princeton University is raising funds to develop a summer scholars institute for disadvantaged Princeton freshmen 

interested in the STEM fields. Princeton's Fred Hughson, a professor in the Department of Molecular Biology, has 

developed a proposal for a new Freshman Scholars Institute (FSI) module targeted specifically at students interested in 

STEM fields, with the goal of reducing attrition from those fields. The Freshman Scholars Institute helps eligible 

students, including talented students from low-income families, make the transition to the rigor of a Princeton education.

Building on Existing Efforts: Princeton recently expanded its undergraduate student body, allowing it to educate more 

students, including more low-income students. Princeton was the first university to replace loans with grant aid allowing 

it to offer each student the opportunity to graduate without debt. The percentage of Princeton undergraduates receiving 

aid has risen from around 38 percent a decade ago to around 60 percent. Ninety-six percent of all Princeton students 

graduate within six years of matriculation and Pell-eligible students have a six-year graduation rate of 93 

percent. Princeton sponsors multiple programs designed specifically for lower-income students including LEDA, 

Princeton's Freshman Scholars Institute, and the Princeton University Preparatory Program (PUPP), which successfully 

prepares disadvantaged New Jersey students for admission to selective colleges.

Scripps College (Claremont, CA) 

Scripps College commits to expanding recruitment of low income underrepresented and first generation students through 

new collaborations with community-based organizations (CBOs). In addition, Scripps’ campaign calls for the expansion 

of financial aid and scholarship endowment by $35 million over the next five years so that the College can provide access 

to a Scripps education to any deserving student, regardless of her ability to pay. Through this goal, Scripps hopes to 

expand Quest Scholars from 8 on campus each year to 10-15, and to increase the percentage of first generation and low-
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income students overall. 

Building on Existing Efforts: These new commitments build on Scripps College’s current commitment to access and 

retention, through broad recruitment efforts and by meeting the full documented financial need of our students while 

capping the amount of loans in financial aid packages (average debt at graduation is under $18,000). Scripps’ 6-year 

graduation rate for underrepresented students is greater than 90 percent. Through its nationally recognized Scripps 

College Academy, Scripps provides mentoring and academic support to local area girls at under resourced schools 

through on and off campus programming. Scripps also provides support and mentoring for first generation students, and 

through its SCORE program for current students, developing the confidence and skills needed in a highly competitive 

environment. 

Shawnee State University

Shawnee State commits to implementing a new intrusive, research-based, program for all entering “underprepared” 

students includes individualized tutoring and advising and programming in study and life skills, financial literacy and 

career assessment and planning.

Shawnee State commits to working with a cohort of individuals who have achieved senior status but have dropped out and 

not graduated because their opportunities for aid have ended. Those individuals in good standing are being offered 

scholarships funded by the University’s Development Foundation to enable them to complete their programs and 

graduate.

Shawnee State reaffirms its commitment to its mission as an open admission institution and revised admission standards 

and categories to ensure appropriate success pathways for students that reduce time-to-graduation and final costs.

Skidmore College (Saratoga Springs, NY)

Skidmore is working to double the size of their SEE-Beyond (Summer Educational Experiences-Beyond the Campus) 

program from 20 to 40 students over the next 3-5 years. The program provides a $4,000 stipend that helps students link 

academic interests with post-graduate goals by way of an applied summer experience. Many low-income and

international students must secure paying jobs during the summer and are not able to take advantage of such opportunities 

without such financial support. Skidmore’s goal is for every low-income student who wishes to participate in the SEEBeyond program to be able to do so.

Building on Existing Efforts: Skidmore's Opportunity Program, which enrolls roughly 160 students across all four class 

years, is utilizing its bridge program and support services to ensure that students from academically and 

economically disadvantaged backgrounds graduate in numbers, and at achievement levels, that virtually equal, and 

occasionally exceed, those of regularly-admitted students. All of these students receive significant financial assistance and 

in many cases this aid equals 100 percent of their college expenses. Moreover, Skidmore has taken steps to ensure that 

important aspects of their academic and co-curricular program are accessible to all students, including by applying 

students' financial aid to study-abroad programs, allowing students receiving aid to participate in these crucial 

experiences.

Smith College (Northampton, MA)

Smith College is joining the STEM Posse initiative to recruit and support low-income students in science, technology, 

engineering and math. Beginning in fall 2015, Smith will provide full scholarships for 10 Posse students from New York, 

as well as faculty mentoring and a summer enrichment program.

Building on Existing Efforts: Sixty-four percent of Smith students receive financial aid, an investment totaling $60 million 

per year. Twenty-two percent of Smith students receive federal Pell grants; 17 percent are the first in their families to go 

to college; 30 percent of the college’s students major in the sciences and engineering. In addition, the centerpiece of the 

college’s current $450M fundraising campaign is a $200 million goal for financial aid. Smith’s entry into the Posse 

Program builds upon the college’s successful history with a program its faculty developed called AEMES (Achieving 

Excellence in Mathematics, Engineering and Sciences).
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Spelman College (Atlanta, GA)

Spelman will seek new gifts to endow the “President’s Safety Net” (PSN) initiative in perpetuity with an initial drive to 

secure $1 million in funding, of which an initial $200,000 commitment has been made. In 2008, the College launched the 

PSN initiative to ensure students affected by the economic downturn – seniors and juniors specifically – would have 

access to the funds needed to graduate. Since 2008, Spelman has successfully raised more than $4 million toward this 

effort, making it possible for more than 1,000 students to complete their education and graduate. Fundraising for this 

initiative continues and currently provides annual support to an average of 150 students in need of financial support. What 

was an emergency in 2008 is now a chronic funding issue for Spelman women – 50 percent of whom are Pell Granteligible – and a permanent, reliable funding stream is necessary. 

Building on Existing Efforts: Spelman has made increasing scholarship support as a means to ensure the successful 

matriculation and graduation of students a top strategic priority. Spelman’s institutional scholarship aid has tripled over 

the last 10 years, going from approximately $5 million to more than $15 million annually. In addition, nearly $50M in 

new scholarship dollars have been raised as part of the College’s current comprehensive fundraising campaign. Most of 

Spelman’s students come from families with very limited economic resources, with 93 percent receiving financial aid in 

some form and at least 50 percent being Pell Grant-eligible, with an average family income of under $40,000.

State University of New York System

The State University of New York (SUNY) is committing to launch a new outreach program to low-income and underserved students through partnerships with community based organizations. Given the changing demographics of New 

York students, traditional marketing efforts will not be sufficient to ensure that all students and their families understand 

the affordable opportunity that is SUNY. 

SUNY is committing to creating a one-stop learning center for financial literacy. With information on budgeting, 

borrowing, financial aid and loan repayment strategies, the center will be supported by a comprehensive student 

engagement/communications plan. We know that far too many low-income students do not believe that college is an 

option for them. SUNY is committed to a multi-faceted communications approach to get the vital message across that 

college is possible.

To better place students and provide support to students who enter college needing remediation in English and math, 

SUNY is developing a model called The SUNY Pathways to Success which will: 1) develop a common definition of 

SUNY Ready for our open access institutions. We will work with our campus leaders to come to a common understanding 

of the academic skills a student needs to demonstrate in order to enter college-level courses in Math and English; and 2) 

accelerate student success by incorporating remedial instruction into the beginning of college-level programs, either as 

pre-matriculation non-credit introductory courses or integrated into initial college-level courses. Providing accelerated, 

targeted remediation for students prior to them beginning college-level work reduces the likelihood of them not 

progressing to the next course and improves their likelihood of success. 

 

Finally, each year, SUNY's Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) expands access to thousands of students each year to 

those who might not have otherwise had an opportunity to attend college. However, thousands of students are turned 

away from the program due to resource constraints. As a System, SUNY recognizes the demonstrated success of the EOP 

program on academically and economically disadvantaged students and wants to assist campuses in identifying and 

implementing those supports provided by EOP that can be brought to scale 

Building on Existing Efforts. These new commitments are in addition to the major announcement made by SUNY earlier 

this week to greatly expand the number of courses and degree programs it will offer online-increasing the accessibility of 

high quality education for all students. This expansion, known as Open SUNY, is supported by new student and faculty 

resources such as 24/7 technology support, student concierge services to help students navigate the online environment 

and the creation of a new Center for Online Teaching Excellence. SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher also this week recommitted to SUNY's Smart Scholars/Early College High Schools--where on average 90 percent of participating high 

school students are passing offered credits and 98 percent on track to graduate; as well as to Cradle-to-Career 

Networks, in which SUNY is helping communities build frameworks for civic infrastructure to support student success.
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Stony Brook University - SUNY (Stony Brook, NY)

Stony Brook University (SBU) commits to increasing its 4-year graduation rate to 60 percent by 2018. In order to 

accomplish this goal, SBU will expand academic intervention and support, tutoring, experiential learning, and academic 

advising, including an increase in support for the EOP/AIM program, which serves low-income students. SBU will also 

hold low-income students harmless from future tuition increases. We will greatly expand the use of evidence-based 

approaches to learning and teaching, and enhance SBU’s leadership role in increasing the participation of 

underrepresented minorities, economically disadvantaged students, and women students in STEM education and the 

workforce. SBU will strategically schedule courses and expand customized learning opportunities for students to 

maximize flexibility and increase graduation rates.

Building on Existing Efforts: Over a third (37 percent) of SBU’s undergraduate students qualify for Pell Grants, and Pell 

recipients graduate at a rate 3-4 percent higher than the overall student body. SBU will invest $5 million dollars over the 

next five years in additional academic support, advising, and tutoring for undergraduates as well as expand experiential 

learning, internship, STEM education, and research opportunities, increasing the annual number of research placements 

by 400 students by 2019. To maximize the impact of SBU's EOP/AIM program, which graduates students at a 

significantly higher rate than the general student population, SBU will also be investing an additional $1 million dollars 

over the next four years. SBU will also hold low-income students harmless from future tuition increases by investing 

more than $2.2 million dollars in financial aid over the next two years. SBU will also rebuild and expand its focus on data 

analysis to support student success, and will invest $600,000 over the next five years in the tracking software for early 

intervention.

Tacoma Community College (Tacoma, WA)

Tacoma Community College (TCC) commits to further alignment of precollege pathways in composition and 

mathematics using two strategies: acceleration and contextualization. Acceleration examines course outcomes and 

sequencing to identify methods to reduce the number of terms, classes, and credits needed to establish readiness for 

college level work. Contextualization creates relevant and comprehensive theme-based coursework through college level 

composition that allows students to identify issues, activities, and problem solving that are relevant to their interests and

experiences. Both strategies aimed to ensure more timely and successful outcomes for academically underprepared 

students.

TCC and Tacoma Housing Authority are teaming up on a project to end homelessness by supporting housing vouchers for 

qualified low-income college students. In addition to housing vouchers this program will offer Financial Literacy training 

as well as active case management to ensure student success and completion. Participants will have leveraged grant 

support through Worker Retraining, the Basic Food Education and Training Opportunity Grant and other sources to 

ensure that tuition costs are not a barrier to college completion. This innovative initiative is possible because Tacoma 

Housing Authority participates in HUD’s “Moving to Work” program.

Finally, TCC will work through its Core to College Initiative, a collaborative effort between TCC and its feeder high 

schools for 1) assessment and analysis of the gaps between secondary and post-secondary curricula in mathematics and 

English; and 2) an alignment of curriculum between TCC and high school to close gaps in knowledge, skills and 

standards. The goal of the project is to 1) reduce learning gaps in the transition from high school to college (specifically 

in math and English) and 2) better prepare students for entry to college, reducing the need for remediation at the college 

level.

Building on Existing Efforts: TCC’s new commitments build on currently existing efforts to support low-income student 

success, which include universal instructional materials and curricula that are adaptable for students with individual 

learning differences, peer-assisted study sessions, aligned curricula for easy transition to new courses, a program in 

statistics and data analysis for students, retention programs for underprepared students, a partnership with the State Board 

for measuring achievement towards degree completion, a software application to provide pro-active advising services, and 

interactive dashboards for college stakeholders to access and analyze data.

Tennessee

Tennessee plans to scale all math courses at four-year campuses to co-requisite by fall 2014 and at two-year campuses by 

fall 2015. Tennessee plans to scale all reading courses at two-year campuses to co-requisite by fall 2014 and all four-year 
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campuses by fall 2015.

Building on Existing Efforts: Beginning in 2006, the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) embarked on a remedial and 

developmental course redesign process, supported by a US Department of Education FIPSE grant focused on customized 

learning, integrating modularization or eliminating the developmental course entirely by providing extra support within a 

credit-bearing course. The pilot projects resulted in increased student and faculty engagement, more flexible scheduling, 

improved attitudes among students and faculty, and a greater focus on individual needs of students.

Now, both higher education systems in Tennessee (the University of Tennessee system and the Tennessee Board of 

Regents system) have fully committed to scale co-requisite mathematics, English, and reading courses at Tennessee’s 

public two-year and four-year campuses by fall 2015. This was kicked off with two statewide co-requisite remediation 

academies for math and English held in November 2013. At each meeting, two faculty members and an academic 

administrator were in attendance to hear the case for the co-requisite model. Moving forward, the two systems will be 

working on developing teams on each campus to begin planning, studying, and developing new co-requisite 

models. These will result in drafts of new guidelines and policies for the systems.

Tennessee is currently expanding the Seamless Alignment and Integration of Learning Support (SAILS) program to all 13 

community colleges. With SAILS, community colleges partner with their local K-12 school districts, providing remedial 

math instruction to students that score below college-ready prior to graduating from high school. In a limited pilot 

conducted in 2012-13, success rates were as high as 80 percent at some community colleges, fundamentally altering the 

academic trajectory of these students.

Texas Association of Community Colleges (TACC)

Texas community colleges commit to measuring and funding success through further refinement of a system of 

performance-based funding. The initial accountability measures were put in place in 2013, but additional work on the 

system is required to provide a complete set of measures for the work of the colleges. TACC is committed to maintaining 

performance funding as a key component of community college funding. Texas community colleges also commit to 

development and refinement of measures of internal accountability, and Texas community colleges commit to developing 

the capacity of all colleges to collect and analyze data to improve student outcomes. 

Texas community colleges are committed to improving college readiness and accelerating the developmental education 

sequence and developing program appropriate mathematics pathways for students in statistics, quantitative reasoning, and 

STEM through the New Mathways Project (a partnership between TACC and the University of Texas at Austin). Texas 

community colleges are also committed to reducing the number of high school graduates requiring developmental 

education by enhancing the alignment between high school curriculum and college readiness standards. TACC is 

committed to accelerating the ability of returning adults or students testing below an ability to benefit from developmental 

education and achieve college readiness through the use of innovative technology and strategic partnership with providers 

like the Khan Academy.

TACC is committed to creating seamless pathways for community college students who transfer to universities and the 

universal use of the Texas Common Course Numbering System among all public institutions of higher education in the 

state. Texas community colleges are also committed to development of field of study curricula in the most common areas 

of study to minimize loss of credit in the transfer process, and we are committed to performance funding and 

accountability measures that reward sending and receiving institutions in the transfer process.

Texas community colleges are committed to providing professional development of trustees, administrators and faculty to 

accelerate our student success work through utilizing our resources to provide professional development programming 

using our professional development network in key areas of institutional reform. Additionally, TACC is committed to 

engaging all levels of our institutions in the student success conversation through meaningful conferences that result in 

institutional commitments to action.

Tufts University (Medford, MA) 

Tufts will launch a 1+4 program which will provide students, regardless of financial need, with an opportunity to spend a 

year engaged in full-time national or international service and community engagement before beginning their traditional 

four-year undergraduate experience. By ensuring that students who wish to apply to this program will have the financial 
51

support required to do so, the Tufts 1+4 program will democratize the gap year, allowing a more diverse group of students 

to increase their direct experience with innovative approaches to local and global challenges.

Tufts will identify and appoint a Chief Diversity Officer for the university. The officer will be a partner with identified 

leaders in all Tufts units to develop diversity and inclusion goals that will require significant effort, deep partnerships, and 

resiliency. Tufts is committed to sharing data relevant to its diversity and inclusion goals, regularly updating the 

community on initiatives, and continuing to work with the community in identifying and pursing key success indicators.

Additionally, Tufts, through its newly-announced Teaching and Learning Engagements program will add a new 

dimension to the development of a cohort of faculty leaders who are skilled at building inclusive learning environments 

through Faculty Learning Communities, which have been proven to be an effective faculty development mechanism.

Building on Existing Efforts: In an effort to continue to address the issues of affordability and accessibility, a two-year 

financial aid initiative was launched in 2012 to raise $25 million in endowed scholarships. This initiative included an 

incentive that Tufts would match any newly-established endowed scholarships of $100,000 or more. To date, more than 

$22 million has been raised toward this goal. In addition, Tufts’ Bridge to Liberal Arts Success at Tufts (BLAST) and the 

Bridge to Engineering Success at Tufts (BEST) programs help first-generation and low-income students prepare for a 

rigorous college curriculum and provide an orientation to Tufts’ culture and transition resources.

Tulane University (New Orleans, LA)

The Cowen Institute at Tulane will introduce “freshman on-track” indicators at a set of 10 non-selective high schools in 

New Orleans in an effort to reduce the dropout rate and increase college success. The freshman year is the most predictive 

year of high school and early warning indicators, if coupled with high impact interventions, have been demonstrated to 

consistently and significantly improve graduation rates and postsecondary outcomes for young people. New Orleans high 

schools will learn from and customize best practices to re-engage struggling youth.

Building on Existing Efforts: Tulane partners with the Posse Foundation to provide scholarships for two cohorts each 

year. By Fall 2014, Tulane will have 7 Posse cohorts of 10 students each enrolled. The University also instituted the No 

Loan Assistance (NOLA) Scholarship, and the Cowen Institute operates two college readiness programs for underserved 

and low-income high school students. To date, Upward Bound has served over 700 high school students. AdvanceNOLA 

is contributing to college-going cultures in 8 high schools in New Orleans. Tulane also partners with the Urban League of 

Greater New Orleans, College Track, and the micro-scholarship service Raise to support under-resourced and 

underrepresented students.

University of Arkansas (Fayetteville, AR)

The University of Arkansas is committed to establishing a six week summer bridge program that will allow transitioning 

low-income freshmen to take two credit-bearing classes and experience an in-depth introduction to college life and 

learning. Selected students will live in learning communities and have special opportunities to more speedily acclimate to 

campus life.

The University of Arkansas will also enhance the educational experiences of first generation/low income Arkansas 

students and to better ensure their successful matriculation with a recently received a 2.1 million dollar gift from the 

Walton Family Foundation. Selected students will participate in an academic enrichment program, receive peer and 

faculty mentoring, and have access to financial resources designed to afford them opportunities to Study Abroad and to 

close the financial gap related to their costs of attendance.

The University of Arkansas is committed to establishing a first-year experience course that will focus on the special 

concerns of first generation/low income students. The course will be replete with a curriculum that utilizes intensive 

advising and career coaching. It will also address topics such as financial aid literacy and cultural sensitivity. In addition, 

students will be able to receive enhanced tutoring support for select academic areas. 

Building on Existing Efforts: ACT Academy serves low-income, underrepresented students with a five-day residential 

summer program that provides participants with the opportunity to improve their readiness for the ACT and the college 

admissions process and to experience a college-like experience on the UA campus. iBridge is a two week academic 
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program designed to ease the transition to college for low-income and underrepresented incoming freshmen who 

experience an intensive orientation to college-level literacy and STEM courses. The Academic Enrichment Program in the 

Center for Multicultural and Diversity Education is designed to support the academic experience of low-income and 

underrepresented UA students through tutoring, workshops, early intervention advising, peer and faculty mentoring and 

experiential learning opportunities. 

University of California, Berkeley (Berkeley, CA)

University of California, Berkeley Chancellor Dirks has committed to visit 10 middle or high schools with elected 

officials in 2014 to encourage early college awareness. This is an expansion of Achieve UC, a University of California 

system wide program aimed to help low-income, first-generation-college students understand how to prepare for higher 

education and to encourage them to get on and stay on a path to college. In 2012, more than 10,000 students were reached 

through this event and there was a more than 10 percent increase in applications to the University of California from 

participating schools. 

Additionally, UC Berkeley will contribute $500,000 to support Destination College Advising Corps and Transfer Alliance 

Project services for low-income, first-generation-college and underrepresented students. Destination College, part of the 

nationwide College Advising Corps since its inception, places highly trained recent college graduates in under resourced 

high schools to provide college advising and foster college-going culture. The Transfer Alliance Project provides 

intensive one-on-one advising, academic enrichment opportunities and application assistance to prospective transfer 

students at community colleges throughout California. 

Building on Existing Efforts: Berkeley has a higher percentage of undergraduate students (33 percent) receiving Pell 

Grants than the combined Ivy League (17 percent) and nearly the same number of Pell Grant recipients as the eight Ivy 

League schools combined. Eighty-four percent of these Pell recipients graduate in six years (Fall 2006 cohort). More than 

25 percent (Fall 2010) of Berkeley students are first in their family to go to college and 66 percent (2009) have one parent 

born outside the U.S. Overall, 40 percent of Berkeley students receive grants and scholarships in excess of UC systemwide tuition and fees thus effectively pay no tuition. Berkeley graduates students with among the lowest debt levels of 

public AAU universities. In 2012 only 40 percent of Berkeley undergraduates graduated with any loan debt and the 

average for those who borrowed was just under $18,000 – well below the average of four year public universities 

nationally where 57 percent of students borrowed with an average of $25,000. One-third of Berkeley’s students transfer 

into UCB, and have a 90 percent four-year graduation rate. Since the 1970’s UCB has implemented a variety of 

approaches to increase college access and success for low-income, first generation college students. Berkeley’s primary 

college access unit, the Center for Educational Partnerships (CEP), administers more than a dozen major programs that 

provide services free-of-charge to well over 60,000 students in CA annually including intensive cohort programs, 

academic classes and summer enrichment opportunities on campus. CEP alone works with more than 125 K-12 and 68 

Community Colleges, as well as more than 8,000 educators throughout California.

University of California, Davis (Davis, California)

University of California, Davis is expanding its six week Special Transitional Enrichment Program (STEP), which 

provides first-generation, low-income freshman students with transitional classes and skills development activities to 

enhance their capacity in meeting academic goals. This year, 50 additional students will participate and ultimately there 

will be capacity for every eligible student to participate. STEP begins with a four-week summer residential program and 

continues through students’ first two years on campus. This program helps strengthen students’ learning skills and study 

habits and prepares them for university-level academic work. 

UC Davis is also growing its Transfer Opportunity Program (TOP) to 35 community colleges. This program helps 

community college students seamlessly transition into UC Davis academic programs, providing access and ensuring 

success of first-generation and low-income students. 

Building on Existing Efforts: University of California, Davis distributes more than $260 million in scholarships and grants 

to undergraduate students, which allows 53 percent of students to fully cover their base tuition and fees. About three in 10 

new freshmen are from low-income families and would be in the first generation of their family to graduate from a fouryear university. UC Davis has a number of support programs that help recruit, retain and graduate low-income and 

disadvantaged students. The Central Valley Scholars Program is a new four-year scholarship, mentorship and internship 
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program that provides financial assistance and hand-on job training to students, and helps Central Valley businesses draw 

an educated workforce. In addition, former foster youth receive academic advising, life skills training, career counseling 

and mentoring opportunities through the Guardian Scholars program. 

University of California, Merced (Merced, CA) 

UC Merced commits to expand its efforts to improve financial literacy and minimize loan defaults to new counties across 

the San Joaquin Valley by reaching out to students about loan repayment options, working with families to reduce the 

need to take out loans, partnering to implement a website focused on money-management resources, and a collaborative 

effort with the local community college, school district, and County Office to coordinate and leverage financial aid 

outreach events across Merced County. 

UC Merced commits to launching a $150,000 initiative to locate a career development coordinator in the Silicon Valley to 

place 300 low-income, first-generation students interning and working for venture-backed companies in Silicon Valley 

and the San Francisco Bay Area. 

UC Merced will also invite low-income high school seniors from across the San Joaquin Valley to attend a one-day 

College and Career Readiness Conference to help over 100 students make a seamless transition from high school to higher 

education, learn how to read, understand and compare financial aid award letters and make an educated decision about the 

best postsecondary option for themselves.

UC Merced will implement a new program for their almost 100 emancipated foster youth students that will provide these 

students with intensive advising, year-round campus housing, special mentoring, and educational programming. The goal 

is to increase the graduation rate of emancipated foster youth who have one of the lowest rates of college attainment, and 

is a particularly acute problem in the San Joaquin Valley. 

UC Merced will provide $460,000 in new funds to expand assistance to undocumented by funding special career and 

academic advising, increasing employment opportunities on campus, providing additional staff time to assist with 

admissions and academic transitions, and through a new website with links to on and off campus services specifically for 

undocumented students. In 2013-14, UC Merced enrolled 152 undocumented students with an average family income of 

$23,000. 

To enhance academic support to the 49 percent of UC Merced students majoring in STEM fields, UC Merced identified 

more than $100,000 in additional funds for UC Merced’s recently opened STEM Resource Center. The Center 

coordinates tutoring and mentoring, research and internship opportunities, and advising for graduate school and careers 

for undergraduates. 

Building on Existing Efforts: UC Merced serves predominantly low-income students, 60 percent of undergraduates are 

Pell grant recipients and 62 percent are first-generation students. UC Merced has a wide range of programs for lowincome students, including the Fiat Lux Scholars Program which served 368 low-income students in their first two 

years. UC Merced also offers free tutoring, a first-year success course, special academic workshops, and mid-semester 

grades for all first and second-year students. 

University of California, San Diego (San Diego, CA)

UC San Diego commits to expand its efforts in access programs aimed at regional high schools and community 

colleges. Drawing on faculty, students, and community educational partners, UC San Diego will provide both outreach 

services and teacher professional development to improve pathways for underrepresented students to succeed in K-14 

STEM-based courses. UC San Diego will also strengthen and expand the Chancellor’s Associates Scholarship Initiative, 

guaranteeing cost-free access to education to one hundred low-income students from the San Diego region each year. To 

enable low-income community college students to attend UC San Diego, UC San Diego will re-launch a transfer 

guarantee program called UniversityLink with new rules and requirements to target low-income students.

In the next three years, UC San Diego will make significant investments in programs and personnel for two retention and 

placement programs to ensure that all low-income students are guaranteed a meaningful service learning opportunity and 

access to alumni mentors and employers. Service learning and community-based learning are high-impact educational 
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practices that significantly improve retention and shorten time to degree. Alumni are a rich trove of academic and 

professional mentors, internships, and employment opportunities, and they are especially valuable to first-generation 

students.

Building on Existing Efforts: A pilot of the Chancellor’s Associates Scholarship Initiative program this year tripled the 

number of enrolled students from three partner high schools with a high proportion of low-income students by 

guaranteeing financial aid packages comprised entirely of grants and scholarships. 

University of California System

The University of California (UC) is committing to new efforts that enhance the flow of community college students into 

UC, as well as improve the academic success of enrolled transfers. These efforts will include a major overhaul of the 

existing electronic system that provides information on preparation and transfer pathways across all California public 

higher education institutions, as well as increased opportunities in community colleges that enroll large numbers of 

underrepresented and low‐income students but send relatively few on to UC.

As part of a joint effort to rejuvenate the promise of college opportunity expressed in the California Master Plan for 

Higher Education, UC President Janet Napolitano will work jointly with the heads of the California State University and 

California Community College systems to increase college awareness and opportunity. This plan will include enhanced 

public outreach on the value of higher education and the availability of financial aid, a joint communication from the 

heads of the three public higher education systems to every California seventh grader, and expanded outreach throughout 

high school.

A large number of California high school students demonstrate their ability to perform college-level work through their 

outcomes on the PSAT test. And yet, a substantial percentage of these students, particularly minority students, do not then 

take the courses they need to prepare them for college. UC is committing to partnering with the College Board in a 

variety of ways to help address this gap, including through broad‐based mailings, targeted outreach to individual students, 

and concentrated visits to high schools to promote college readiness.

Each of the nine UC undergraduate campuses is committing to expanding outreach to low-income students in high schools 

and community colleges in their communities and to enhancing financial and academic support for these students once 

enrolled, including UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Merced, and UC San Diego, noted elsewhere in this document.

Building on Existing Efforts: The University of California, the nation’s largest public research university, enrolls 185,000 

undergraduates. The vast majority of these are California residents, 46 percent of whom come from families where 

neither parent has a four-year degree and more than 40 percent of whom are low-income. Forty-two percent of all UC 

undergraduates receive Pell Grants. UC commits more than 30 percent of all tuition revenue to financial aid and more 

than half of UC undergraduates have the full amount of their tuition covered by scholarships and grants. Roughly half 

graduate with no student debt and for those who do borrow, average debt is less than $20,000—far less than the national 

average. UC students have high rates of success: 82 percent of all undergraduates (78 percent of low-income students) 

graduate within six years and more than a quarter go on to postgraduate training within four years. UC spends more than 

$12 million annually, plus an equivalent level of state funding, for K-14 outreach, operating

University of Chicago (Chicago, IL)

The University of Chicago is announcing a $10 million gift from a University Trustee to launch the groundbreaking 

College Success Initiative. The initiative will provide proven tools, best-in-class evidence and training to schools and 

policy makers in Chicago and nationwide to improve college readiness and access for underserved students. It will reach 

10,000 schools over the next five years, and aims to dramatically increase the number of students who are well prepared 

for college, gain admission, and graduate ready for success in their careers and lives. 

The initiative will empower educators and parents to improve their schools, monitor students’ college readiness, and track 

students’ success in college. It will also provide college-readiness curricula for grades preK-12. It will identify, codify and 

share the best available evidence to support policy decisions that improve college readiness and access.

Building on Existing Effort: Through its UChicago Promise initiative, the University of Chicago is actively engaged in 

helping students from Chicago prepare for, gain admission to and succeed in college. UChicago Promise eliminates debt 
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for students from Chicago who attend the University. It trains high school students to navigate the financial aid and 

admissions processes, wherever they want to attend college. The University helps even the playing field through programs 

such as the Collegiate Scholars Program, which prepares high-achieving, predominantly low-income students from 

Chicago Public Schools to attend outstanding colleges by providing advanced coursework unavailable to them in their 

high schools. With the support of a $400,000 grant from the BP Foundation, the University will expand the science 

curriculum of the Collegiate Scholars Program over the next two years to include robust lab and research opportunities, 

which will serve as a critical building block for students, encouraging them to pursue college degrees and careers in all 

STEM fields. Finally, the University consistently engages in innovative community-campus collaborations such the 

Neighborhood Schools Program (NSP), which puts 400 University of Chicago students in schools and other sites on the 

South Side of Chicago as teaching assistants and mentors, providing more than 35,000 hours of support each year. The 

university also operates four charter school campuses, which educate and create a college-going culture for 1700 

students. 

University of Colorado, Boulder (Boulder, CO)

University of Colorado Boulder has committed to expand their existing CU Promise program to include all Pell eligible 

students. The University currently provides financial support in the form of grants, scholarships, and work-study to cover 

100 percent of tuition, fees, and books for all CU resident students at or below the federal poverty level. The University 

estimates the expanded eligibility criteria will increase the total number of students impacted by CU Promise to 550-600 

students, an increase of almost 50 percent. CU-Boulder will reach these additional students through increased recruiting 

efforts at high-schools with a high percentage of students receiving free and reduced lunch.

In addition, CU-Boulder will provide support through a grant program piloted last summer to an estimated additional 125 

low-income students during the summer term to help keep them on track for a timely degree completion. The goal of the 

summer grant program is to increase summer enrollment for low-income students who have fallen behind and who have

limited options for paying summer tuition. Students will be awarded a $1,000 grant if they enroll in 3-5 credit hours or 

$2,000 if they enroll for 6 or more credit hours.

Building on Existing Efforts: In the summer of 2013, CU-Boulder initiated a pilot grant program for low-income students 

in its College of Arts and Sciences who are not on track to graduate on time. The program provided less funding per grant 

but initial indications are that it was very successful. Of the students that were eligible for the program, 52 participated 

and 24 entered the fall on track as a junior. CU-Boulder believes that by increasing the award and expanding the program 

to the entire campus there will be more than 100 additional low-income students who get back on track to graduate ontime.

University of Delaware (Newark, DE)

University of Delaware will work to incorporate their pilot program with the Christina School District as a central piece 

for future recruitment of low-income students. In 2013, University of Delaware piloted a partnership with the local 

Christina School District for the College Readiness Scholar's Institute (CRSI) to better reach low-income, first generation 

students to help them see that a college education is actually a goal they can have. Through this program, students have 

attended a residential, two-week program where they learn what college can offer them. After the summer program, 

University of Delaware students are following up with them at their high schools each week, reinforcing what they have 

learned and providing a vital bridge between high school and college.

Building on Existing Efforts: The University of Delaware’s Commitment to Delawareans works to ensure that middle and 

high school students are aware of the courses they need to take to prepare themselves for college, at UD or any school. 

The Commitment also includes a guarantee that no Delaware student will have loans in excess of 25 percent of the cost of 

a four-year education. In Fiscal Year 2013, some 2,424 Delaware students received more than $14.8 million in support 

through this program. In addition, UD’s Associate in Arts Program allows students to complete their first two years closer 

to home before coming to the University of Delaware's main campus. Students benefit from reduced tuition, and the 

curriculum helps them build foundational knowledge and skills for success through intensive tutoring and support, small 

classes and close faculty contact. Of those who started in the program in 2010, 96 percent have transitioned into a 

bachelor's degree program on UD's Newark campus.
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University of Houston (Houston, TX)

The University of Houston is developing a partnership with Complete College America and Houston area community 

college districts, creating Guided Pathways to Success. Elements of this model are designed to help students make more 

informed and deliberate decisions that align with their educational goals. Students will be provided with academic maps 

outlining courses needed for timely graduation and transfer specialists will work directly with community college students 

to help them successfully transfer and graduate on time. 

Toward the goal of enhancing retention, promoting timely college completion, and reducing educational costs, the 

University of Houston will launch “UH in Four” which focuses on creating a campus-wide culture and expectations 

supportive of four year graduation along with the development and utilization of tools that enable students to graduate in 

four years. The initiative is aimed at helping students more quickly enter careers resulting in substantial financial savings 

and includes setting four-year graduation goals, four-year fixed tuition, academic maps for every major, early alert 

systems, outcomes-based advising, and degree progress monitoring tools.

The University of Kansas (Lawrence, KS)

The University of Kansas commits to developing a new cohort-model program specifically focused on Pell-eligible 

students who meet certain academic standards. In addition to KU’s extensive retention programs, this program will add 

orientation and cohort-building annual events, a staff position to support these students, and an opportunity fund for 

experiential learning opportunities. KU will redesign intermediate and College Algebra to improve the adaptive learning 

elements of the online components. KU will also explore funding to begin a summer bridge program designed to assist 

less well-prepared members of this cohort in their transition to the college environment.

Building on Existing Efforts: KU’s proposed new cohort program will complement existing programs designed to promote 

the success of KU students. Current programs include the Pell Advantage program, which combined with the Pell Grant 

covers the cost of tuition at KU, and cohort programs that provide funding, special advising, and persistence 

programming, such as the Hixson and Kauffmann Scholars programs and Hawk Link. In addition, KU has undertaken 

course redesign efforts, first-year experience initiatives, an early warning system, and data analytics efforts to improve 

retention and graduation rates university-wide. Finally, KU is exploring a partnership with the local school district (USD 

497) to provide college preparation for students who aspire to a two- or four-year college.

University of Maryland of Baltimore County (Baltimore, MD)

In the next three years, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) commits to expanding the lessons learned 

from UMBC’s partnership with four Maryland community colleges on the “Transfer STEM Scholar Pathway,” which lays 

out a clear program of study, from community college to university to graduation. UMBC will disseminate guiding 

principles and best practices to the national higher education community and expand its partnerships with community 

colleges throughout the region. UMBC commits to working with all its community college partners to focus on highimpact, low cost interventions that can be scaled to reach the broadest number of transfer students possible, with the goal 

of ensuring all students have the tools and support needed to succeed. UMBC also commits to better aligning STEM 

curricula, learning outcomes, and competencies to reduce lost credits and the need for students to retake 

courses; improving academic and career advising; heavily utilizing online tools; and creating programs, such as peer 

mentoring and transfer seminars, to better support students during the transition from a two-year to four-year college.

Building on Existing Efforts: UMBC’s guiding principle is inclusive excellence. Our university is racially and 

socioeconomically diverse, and we set high expectations for students of all backgrounds, while giving them the support they 

need to succeed. For example, UMBC has redesigned courses across the curriculum to help more students thrive and 

graduate. Our six-year graduation rates for Pell and non-Pell students are now essentially the same. At UMBC, transfer 

students now account for more than a third of new students in the STEM fields each year.

University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN)

In summer 2014, the University of Minnesota will begin a new initiative, Retaining all Our Students (RaOS), that will 

focus on closing or eliminating the first-year retention gap between Pell-eligible students (86.9 percent), and non-Pell 

eligible students (91.3 percent). This three year $300,000 initiative is designed around four key components, 

including: (1) an enhanced financial literacy program with new materials focusing on the specific financial planning and 

information needs of low-income students and their families; (2) strong incentives for low-income students who are also 
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in the President’s Emerging Scholars (PES) program to participate in a PES summer bridge program; (3) the development 

of better success tracking tools for advisers to monitor academic progress and enhance the advising of Pell recipients 

students, including a targeted communications campaign; and (4) further leveraging the resources of the SMART 

Learning Commons tutoring centers by promoting the available services and connecting low-income students with peer 

tutors.

Building on Existing Efforts: The University of Minnesota Promise Scholarship program, which began in 2007, now 

provides over $30 million annually in scholarships to more than 13,000 low- and middle-income Minnesota resident 

students who enroll on any of the University’s five campuses. Eligible freshman and new transfer students with family 

incomes of up to $100,000 receive a guaranteed, multi-year scholarship. The PES program is designed for students who 

have faced challenges that may have impacted their high school metrics, but whose personal experiences and high school 

records indicate potential for collegiate success. The majority of the 500 PES students in this program are low income, 

students of color, and/or first-generation. PES provides nearly $1.5 million to support services that address the needs of 

PES students.

University of Missouri (Columbia, MO)

University of Missouri plans to expand the Missouri College Advising Corps (MCAC) from the current 25 advisers 

serving in 26 schools to 50 advisers serving 52 schools in the next 2 years. This will double the size of their current Corps

and allow them to serve an additional 7,800 students each year. MCAC College advisers, of whom 72 percent were Pelleligible themselves, focus 100 percent of their time and energy on advising students and families by providing activities, 

individual and group advisement, and opportunities validated by research to increase likelihood of at-risk students 

aspiring to and enrolling in college This fall, MCAC also began a college transition and retention component to continue 

to support its advisees through the first “critical” year of college.

Building on Existing Efforts: Mizzou’s Access to Success (A2S) Initiative works with 22 public higher education systems 

that have pledged to cut the college-going and graduation gaps for low-income and minority students in half by 2015. The 

University of Missouri recently created a partnership with the Missouri Community College Association (MCCA), a 

collection of 12 community colleges and the University of Missouri, to provide internet connectivity access for MCCA 

institutions’ graduates enrolled in Mizzou Online courses and degree programs. The partnership expands the 

comprehensiveness of distance education courses and degree offerings across Missouri so more citizens may earn 

associate and bachelor’s degrees. In October, Mizzou established the Financial Wellness Task Force to reduce the 

number of students who cease to work toward a degree due to correctable financial practices. Mizzou also partners with 

various initiatives that help identify and introduce low income students to Mizzou including an online community of first 

generation college students and the College Board’s program that mails college application waivers to over 25,000 high 

ability, low income students.

University of Nebraska (Kearney, Lincoln and Omaha, NE)

The University of Nebraska is committing to scale its pilot Nebraska Virtual Scholars program which currently offers a 

limited number of full scholarships to high school students to take online classes through the University of Nebraska High 

School for free. The University intends to scale the program, initially through public/private funding partnerships and 

ultimately through the state’s public school funding model, to focus on dual credit, AP and STEM courses, as well as 

foundational offerings to middle school students. The goals of the new initiative are to remedy academic preparation gaps 

that often exist in low-income and rural communities, accelerate completion, and lower the cost of a four-year college 

degree.

To increase college access and preparation, the University of Nebraska will communicate to all Nebraska middle school 

students and their parents, teachers and counselors through new and non-traditional communications that are more 

relevant and more effectively targeted to lower-income, rural, and first generation college students. This will include 

greater reliance on social and digital platforms, outreach to other organizations that work with youth, pairing current 

university students with middle school students in their home towns to serve as role models, bringing groups of 

underrepresented and low-income students to university campuses, and developing materials that can be used in settings 

such as classrooms and after-school programs in addition to being sent home with students. 

Finally, University of Nebraska’s four campuses will significantly increase participation in their summer scholar programs 
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which are intended to expose high school students, particularly low-income and first generation college-going students, to 

post-secondary education opportunities. The University of Nebraska also will expand the reach of summer bridge 

programs which are intended to help students make a successful transition to college and prepare for continued 

participation and graduation. The programs allow prospective first-time freshmen students to experience campus life prior 

to entering the fall term. 

Building on Existing Efforts: The University provides tuition free education to all Pell-grant eligible students and its 

campuses have among the lowest tuition of their peers with debt levels and default rates generally below peer and national 

averages. In partnership with the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, the University began the Buffett/Thompson 

Scholars program which now provides more than 2,500 low-income, first generation students with tuition, fee and book 

scholarships, early advising and a cohort based learning community. More than 6,600 students attend the University 

tuition free through the Collegebound Nebraska program and full scholarships are provided to students selected in the 9th

grade who successfully complete the University’s high school academy preparation programs. Finally, in 2014, Nebraska 

will participate for the first time in the American College Application Campaign, a national effort to increase the number 

of first generation and low-income students pursuing a college degree.

The University of New Hampshire (Durham, NH)

The University of New Hampshire (UNH) will increase its commitment to enrolling low-income students from the 

Community College System of New Hampshire (CCSNH) by implementing a broader baseline articulation agreement and 

by introducing scholarships of up to $5,000 per year (for up to two years) for CCSNH graduates who arrive at UNH with 

the Associates degree completed. 

Following a successful pilot program started in the last academic year, UNH will increase the STEM Connect program 

from the Existing 14 students to 50 students in the next entering class. To improve STEM outcomes for low-income 

students, STEM Connect provides additional academic support to students through an intensive two-week summer 

program, a structured first-year curriculum, and additional academic advising services.

Through the creation of Project SMART Scholarships, UNH will enable more students from low-income households to 

participate in this high impact, pre-college program, exposing students to the world of science through hands on learning 

while simultaneously introducing them to the possibilities of a college education. Working closely with UNH faculty, 

upper-class high school students participate in hands-on projects while also learning basics of STEM disciplines.

Building on Existing Efforts: The University has already piloted a STEM Connect (pre-college) program and community 

college transfer scholarships. More recently, UNH has partnered with the Community College System of New Hampshire 

to introduce a reverse transfer initiative. UNH also has ongoing efforts to assist first generation students and students 

from low-income households through institutional financial aid and myriad academic advising and support programs 

(including four TRIO-funded programs).

University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill, NC) 

In order to improve STEM outcomes for low-income, first-generation, and other underrepresented students, the University 

of North Carolina-Chapel Hill will double the size of the Chancellor’s Science Scholars Program. The size of the entering 

cohort will go from 20 to 40 in each of the next four entering classes, and provide the full benefits of the program –

funded summer study and research; customized advising and mentoring; family involvement & support; opportunities for 

community service – to all students enrolling in the program. The cost of funding all of the students in the expansion from 

initial enrollment through completion of the bachelor’s degree, as well as required new infrastructure for academic and 

personal support, will be $4 million.

The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill commits to launching a University-wide initiative to improve graduation

rates for all undergraduate students, with a focus on low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented students. The 

University will provide approximately $4 million in funding for this initiative over the next four years.

Working closely with the John M. Belk Endowment, the College Advising Corps, and distinguished new college and 

university partners, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill will expand the Carolina College Advising Corps. An 

additional 10 recent graduates of the University of North Carolina -Chapel Hill will serve as college advisers, bringing to 

42 the number of University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill advisers and to 65 the number of low-income high schools 
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they serve.

Building on Existing Efforts: UNC-Chapel Hill already enjoys high graduation rates: 82 percent after four years, 89 

percent after five years, and 90 percent after six years. Expansions of its science scholars partnership with the University 

of Maryland Baltimore County and the National Advising Corps as well as the new program to increase retention all build 

on UNC’s previous record. UNC-Chapel Hill is one of the few remaining public institutions that admits qualified students 

without considering their ability to pay and meets the full financial need of those students. With programs like the 

Carolina Covenant, eligible low-income students who are admitted to Carolina can enroll and graduate debt-free. 

University of Rochester (Rochester, NY)

Rochester will also double at least its work in 2014 and beyond with the Say Yes to College organization. As an inaugural 

partner Rochester had enrolled 14 students from low-income urban schools in nearby Syracuse, and now will sustain the 

same commitment level west to Buffalo City School District, as well as raise the income threshold for guaranteed fulltuition awards from $75,000 to $100,000.

Rochester’s new 2014 local efforts in collaboration with the struggling Rochester City School District (RCSD) will 

include expanding the $100,000 Rochester Promise beyond the first 70 participating students to enroll a first cohort of at 

least ten in 2014 with a four-year, full-tuition guarantee, while adding public charter schools; extending two Upward 

Bound programs to hundreds of RCSD students; two local transfer partnerships; two campus-based college prep centers 

for hundreds of students, funded by local banks; and a new STEM outreach club.

As a collaborative effort with Story to College and the College Bound Initiative/Young Women’s Leadership Academy

schools in New York City, Rochester will expand outreach to 100 low-income and first-generation students in the early 

high school years in both Rochester and New York City, aiming to provide them with in-depth training and counseling. 

Participating students will learn and take advantage of coaching for turning their life stories into effective college essays 

and preparing for college success.

As a partner of the Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection, Rochester will join in the local agency’s expansion from 115 

high school student worker placements to nearly 300 over the next few years. Students pair with youth advocates to 

realize their academic potential, learn work skills, and gain paid experience. 100 percent of Hillside students have 

graduated from high school and enrolled in post-secondary education; 96 percent are attending with full tuition and 

housing scholarships, including several at Rochester.

Building on Existing Efforts: Despite the inherent costs of a research-intensive campus, Rochester annually enrolls >20 

percent Pell Grant recipients through partnerships with numerous organizations and signature annual early outreach: the 

Eastman Community Music School (1,300 students); residential pre-college programs (growing) and millions in high 

school junior awards since the 1920s. They graduate at >=85 percent in part through meeting full need and in part through 

exceptional Achievement program results (e.g. McNair). Rochester has provided data and guidance for development and 

has chosen to partner in 2014 with Raise, pledging “microscholarships” to low-income and first-generation students 

through a brand-new online college progress online platform. Rochester’s commitment is open-ended and should lead to 

hundreds of enrolling students with significant scholarship dollars. Rochester has assisted Raise believing this new model 

will help at-risk students make college-preparation progress through high school. 

University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA)

In 2014, the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) will launch a new outreach initiative to further inform prospective lowand middle-income students, underrepresented student populations, and first-generation college students about Penn’s allgrant, no-loan financial aid program which meets 100 percent of a student’s full demonstrated need. 

Building on Existing Efforts: With more than 10,000 traditional undergraduates, Penn has the largest undergraduate 

student body of any university with an all-grant, no-loan financial aid program. Penn admits students without regard to 

their financial need and meets the full demonstrated need of all traditional undergraduates. As a result of Penn’s all-grant, 

no-loan initiative and its efforts to maximize affordability, the average net cost to attend Penn for an aided freshman has 

declined by approximately 10 percent over the past ten years. Penn students from typical families with incomes less than 

$40,000 do not pay tuition, room, or board, and students from typical families with incomes less than $90,000 do not pay 

tuition. In 2013-14, two-thirds of all Penn aided students received grants of $35,000 or more and one-third received 
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grants of $50,000 or more. First generation college students comprise 12.5 percent of Penn’s Class of 2017. 

University of Puget Sound (Tacoma, WA)

University of Puget Sound commits to increasing its enrollment and retention of students who have participated in its 

Access Programs for youth traditionally underrepresented in higher education, operated in partnership with Tacoma 

Public Schools since 1995. Puget Sound will aim to enroll between five and ten new Access Programs alumni annually, 

for a total of between 20 and 40 students on campus after four years, by increasing need-based grants and merit 

scholarships to meet students’ full financial need and by creating a cohort program providing pre-college programming, 

leadership development, mentoring, and ongoing support.

Building on Existing Efforts: University of Puget Sound Access Programs provide enrichment opportunities ranging from 

Tuesday Night Tutoring to the four-week Summer Academic Challenge science and math program. Since 1995 Access 

Programs has served over 1,000 students in grades 7 – 12. More than 85 percent of the participants in Summer Academic 

Challenge have pursued post-secondary education. Access Programs students also participate in Access to College Day 

hosted by Puget Sound faculty and campus departments providing sessions focused on financial aid, library usage, 

academic support, college admission, study abroad opportunities, and student life. 

University of South Carolina (Columbia, SC)

The University of South Carolina announces the Carolina Completion Initiative: new programs and a new goal for 

improving the graduation rate of USC's low-income students. Nationally, the likelihood that students will graduate 

decreases as their family incomes dwindle, and the completion rate among Pell recipients can fall 25 percent below the 

rate for wealthier students who do not receive need-based aid. USC will tackle this problem with new efforts: Intensive 

pre-preparation in biology and mathematics for entering freshmen will provide curricular and cultural preparation for atrisk students during the week before matriculation, to improve students’ performance in STEM courses. Orientation 

programs will double in duration and content, better preparing freshmen for the demands of college. Discounted housing 

fees for low-income students for summer sessions will improve access to flexible study options through USC’s On Your 

Time initiative: enhanced summer course offerings, “module” courses for STEM and other high-difficulty subjects, and 

bolstered online offerings. New advising models and scheduling technology will improve course planning for all 

USC students. With these programs, USC commits to increase the graduation rate of its Pell recipients by 5 percent over 

the next 5 years.

Building on Existing Efforts: To serve the state and to improve the economic prospects of USC System graduates and of 

the general public in South Carolina, the USC System employs a system-wide, multiple-campus, multiple-action approach 

to recruit low-income students and to ensure their retention, progression, and graduation. The USC System has created 

bridge programs between its campuses and each of the state’s 16 technical colleges to improve college access. Palmetto 

College offers online courses for non-traditional students wanting to complete their degrees. USC-Columbia offers special 

advising services to students applying as transfers; the campus’s Gamecock Guarantee negates tuition and technology fees 

for qualified low-income, first-generation students.

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (Knoxville, TN)

The University of Tennessee (UT) commits to implementing a coaching program for students who face barriers to their 

success at the university. UT has developed a retention index which helps us better understand a student’s potential and 

risk factors that may stand in the way of successful degree completion. Tennessee will carefully examine several factors 

including the student’s academic profile, support systems which are or have been available to the student, and a student’s 

eligibility for Pell Grants. UT also will hire more professional coaches who will work with students to assist in the 

transition to university life and coach them in academic and non-academic success strategies. 

The University of Tennessee will also develop a summer math camp for rising freshmen. The camp will target students 

who are interested in math-intensive majors, but who do not have the ACT sub-score in math necessary for such 

majors. The goal of the camp is to help students transition into these majors or help them identify majors that interest 

them and with less focus on math. The camp will include lectures, directed problem-solving sessions, and math-related 

activities outside of the classroom.

UT also commits to expand our transfer programs with community colleges. These programs will establish a clear path 

for transfer to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The programs will also offer support from both campuses and set 
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clear benchmarks for successful transfer, and UT will also invest in professional staff and support materials to enhance 

recruitment, transition, and retention.

Building on Existing Efforts: UT offers the Tennessee Pledge Scholarships to qualified students with a family adjusted 

gross income $40,000 or less. This four-year scholarship, when combined with other aid, covers a student’s mandatory 

costs without the use of student loans. Also, the Tennessee Promise Scholarship is awarded to students who graduate from 

identified high schools that historically send few students to universities. About one-third of undergraduate students at 

UT are eligible for Pell grants.

University of Texas at Austin (Austin, Texas)

The University of Texas at Austin will expand the University Leadership Network (ULN) to help more than 2,000 lowincome students develop and succeed as leaders and scholars. ULN includes structured training and development in 

academic and leadership skills, as well as meaningful campus and community service. In exchange for participation and 

good standing in the program, students receive financial aid via monthly $500 disbursements throughout the fall and 

spring semesters, up to $20,000 over four years.

UT Austin will also expand the Path to Admission through Co-Enrollment (PACE) program to more than 500 students in 

2014. PACE students take the majority of their classes at Austin Community College, plus one course per semester at the 

University of Texas at Austin, until they complete the statutory core curriculum, when students with satisfactory academic 

performance may automatically transfer into UT Austin. Students save about $4,000 in tuition a year by participating in 

the program. 

In 2014, UT Austin will expand access to high quality college courses by scaling its OnRamps initiative, a suite of 

blended-learning courses designed to be offered for dual credit in high schools or in colleges and universities. The 

courses, in English, Mathematics, Computer Science, and Statistics, incorporate best in class technologies and learning 

analytics to give students and their teachers—especially in traditionally underserved communities—new opportunities to 

engage with rigorous content and practice crucial academic skills.

In 2014, UT Austin will lead statewide efforts to develop and implement modern processes to automate and reduce costs 

of transferring semester credit hours earned at universities to community colleges to help students complete associates 

degrees. UT Austin will work with Austin Community College, Lone Star Community College System, the University of 

Texas System, National Student Clearinghouse, Lumina Foundation, Greater Texas Foundation, Meadows Foundation, 

and others to develop and scale an innovative system for reverse transfer.

Building on Existing Efforts: All incoming UT Austin students in need of academic support are assigned to a Success 

Program to ensure they receive tutoring, mentoring, and small academic community experiences to help ensure their 

success. These programs also offer incentive based scholarships called Academic Excellence Awards. These $1,000 or 

$1,500 scholarships require students to maintain a 3.0/3.5 GPA and complete 30 credit hours in their first year of school. 

The University also committed 2013-14 academic year resources to create the 360 Connection program so that all 

incoming students could be included in small learning communities. These groups meet weekly with a professional 

advisor or program coordinator to support their adjustment to college. UT Austin also recently expanded a number of 

Longhorn Center for Academic Excellence programs to better serve historically underrepresented students including the 

Summer Bridge and Gateway Scholars initiatives designed to prepare and support students through college transitions.

University of Vermont (Burlington, VT)

The University of Vermont’s (UVM) New American Program commits to increasing the enrollment of children from 

immigrant families who have settled in Vermont. UVM will dedicate an experienced staff member to help improve early 

college awareness, demystify the admissions and financial aid processes for students and parents, and guide students 

through the admissions and financial aid processes leading to enrollment. Most of these students are from families who 

have been settled in Vermont through refugee resettlement programs. Virtually all of these students are from low income 

families and they will be the first person from their family to attend college.

Building on Existing Efforts: UVM admissions counselors have close ties with school counselors and prospective students 

throughout the State of Vermont and, in the midst of a sharp decline in high school graduates, the University has 

maintained its focus on access and affordability for Vermonters. The University of Vermont committed several years ago 
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to ensure the costs of tuition is covered for all Vermont Pell-eligible students without loans. In this academic year, one in 

three Vermont undergraduates was a first-generation college student; and one in three was a Pell Grant awardee. In 

addition, the University of Vermont established the Akol Aguek Refugee Scholarship, established in honor of Daniel Akol 

Aguek, ’05, G’11, one of Sudan’s “Lost Boys. This scholarship is awarded to select first-year or transfer students who 

came to Vermont as refugees and have demonstrated academic talent. 

University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA)

The University of Virginia (UVa) has developed a new comprehensive strategy, based on research by UVa faculty 

members Sarah Turner and Ben Castleman, to actively recruit and support high-achieving, low-income high school 

students from Virginia. UVa will identify high-achieving, low-income students who are qualified for admission to UVa 

and send them personalized messages to increase their understanding of college costs, need-based financial aid, and net 

price. UVa will continue to provide practical information and individualized guidance throughout the college application 

and financial aid process, including personalized assistance in filing for financial aid for applicants who have not yet 

submitted aid forms. UVa will strengthen partnerships with high schools in low-income areas of the state, provide 

opportunities for low-income students to visit the University without cost, and provide students with peer and faculty 

mentors.

UVa has begun to implement several elements of the plan described above. High schools, college-access programs, and 

students have received expense vouchers to visit the University in the fall. We have established a communication plan 

targeting applicants who expressed interest in financial aid, reminding these students of deadlines and offering application 

support. 

Building on Existing Efforts: Since enhancing UVa’s financial aid program in 2004-2005 to meet 100 percent of 

demonstrated financial need, the University has increased its financial commitment to students from $11 million to over 

$40 million, an increase of 264 percent. UVa launched the Virginia College Advising Corps in 2005, originally called the 

College Guide Program, to improve college access for low-income, first-generation, and under-represented students. 

These and other efforts have resulted in graduation rates that are among the best in the nation, with a six-year graduation 

rate for all students of 93 percent; 88 percent for students with need; 84 percent for African-American students; and 83

percent for low-income students.

University of Washington (Seattle, WA)

The University of Washington (UW) commits to increasing the six year graduation rate of low income, as defined by

Pell eligibility, and underrepresented minority (URM) students, reducing by one half the gap between the graduation 

rate of low income and URM students and the mean graduation rate by the year 2025. This will result in an increase in 

the six year graduation rate of low income and URM students to 75 percent. The University of Washington will 

improve retention by implementing a new Student Success Initiative that includes research on barriers to graduation 

for low income and URM students and better alignment of student services to enhance progression to and through 

academic majors.

The University of Washington commits to provide 400 additional bachelor degrees via online completion programs 

by2025. UW will expand access to bachelor's degrees to the large number of students who have a significant number 

of college credits but for a variety of reasons cannot, or are unlikely to complete their degree in programs that require 

in-person participation. In the 2013-14 academic year, we began to offer such a degree in early childhood education 

through a “completion” program. 

The University of Washington commits to increase the number of underrepresented minority students with STEM 

degrees from the current 290 to 500 by 2025. UW will increase partnerships with STEM programs at community 

colleges to increase transfer rates of URM students with an interest in STEM and grow its STEM diversity programs.

Building on Existing Efforts: Washington Monthly, which rates schools “based on their contribution to the public good,” 

rated the University of Washington amongst the Top Ten National Universities on Social Mobility, defined as 

“recruiting and graduating low-income students.” The University of Washington intends to maintain its commitment to 

remaining within the top quartile of national universities on social mobility. 
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University of Wisconsin, (Madison, WI)

The University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) will expand its premier pipeline programs, including the 

Pre-college Enrichment Opportunity Program for Learning Excellence (PEOPLE) program that reaches lowincome students across the state of Wisconsin, including several schools on Indian Reservations, and encourages 

more of these students to apply to college. The PEOPLE program provides pre-college programming, including 

career and college advice, and financial aid information, and presently involves nearly 900 pre-college students 

and over 350 matriculated college students. UW-Madison’s goal is to improve college applications among those 

students participating in the PEOPLE program (whether to UW-Madison or another school), to increase 

applications and admissions at UW-Madison among low-income students, and to improve retention and 

graduation rates among these students.

UW-Madison will improve financial aid advising to prospective low-income students and enrolled students, 

through increased staffing and increased financial aid for lower-income students through a new capital campaign. 

With additional resources, UW-Madison plans to begin reaching out directly to families with students in the Posse 

and PEOPLE programs and to current students from lower-income backgrounds or from first-generation college 

backgrounds to offer such assistance. UW-Madison will document the effectiveness of this effort by looking for 

increased frequency and numbers of Pell Grant recipients and improved FAFSA documentation.

The University of Wisconsin will infuse additional funds to establish an Institute for Science Education (ISE), 

which would work with K-12 schools on programming to increase student interest in pursuing STEM degree 

programs, targeting schools serving low-income students. The ISE also would work closely with first and second 

year students to provide mentoring regarding careers in STEM, complementing existing STEM initiatives on 

campus such as the Women in Science and Engineering Learning Community.

Building on Existing Efforts: UW-Madison’s FASTrack and BANNER programs provide aid and support to 

encourage and assist UW-Madison admitted Pell-eligible students from low-income backgrounds with funds and 

financial advising. The FASTrack and BANNER programs are serving 1,415 students in the 2013-14 year with an 

average of $12,900 in institutional need based grants per year for each student. UW-Madison has set a target for 

serving 2,000 Pell grant recipients annually through these programs. In addition to other need based financial aid 

and scholarship programs, UW-Madison also has a number of high school outreach programs serving low-income 

and underrepresented students including, its Engineering Summer Program for soon upcoming high school juniors 

or seniors, and its College Access Program to help high school students improve their writing, math, and science, 

skills and attend workshops on the college applications process, including on financial aid. UW-Madison was 

also the first major public research university to participate in the Posse program.

University System of Maryland 

The University System of Maryland (USM) will seek to expand the Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success (ACES) 

program, created in partnership with Montgomery County (MD) Public Schools and Montgomery College. ACES 

identifies low-income students with college potential in the 10th grade, provides continuous academic coaching and 

support from 11th grade through a community college degree, awards scholarships, and provides pathways through a 

baccalaureate program at a USM institution. The first cohort of 1,000 has been identified in one county with expansion 

planned across the state.

The University System of Maryland (USM) will seek to expand the Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success (ACES) 

program, created in partnership with Montgomery County (MD) Public Schools and Montgomery College. ACES 

identifies low-income students with college potential in the 10th grade, provides continuous academic coaching and 

support from 11th grade through a community college degree, awards scholarships, and provides pathways through a 

baccalaureate program at a USM institution. The first cohort of 1000 has been identified in one county with expansion 

planned across the state.

Utah

Utah commits to continue working towards its state-wide postsecondary performance goal, developed by the Governor’s 

Office and the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE), along with the local business community (specifically, the Salt 

Lake Chamber of Commerce), to have 66 percent of the adult population with a college credential by 2020. In support of 
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this goal, Utah has instituted performance-based funding on a limited basis including a performance measure around 

college math remediation that aims at creating a strong incentive of institutions to realize success in improving remedial 

math. Presidents will report on these initiatives and on their progress in meeting the entire Board of Regents Completion 

resolution in January and July of 2014. 

USHE commits to working towards expansion of its successful remediation pilot programs to the general student 

population in 2014. The state continues to convene an active Complete College Utah working group to accomplish two 

main goals: to inform the Governor's office on progress towards the state goal of 66 percent by 2020 and to spend time 

working in teams (within or across institutions) to implement the Board resolutions and other best practices in improving 

remediation and increasing graduation rates. Finally, USHE is working with K-12 (public education) to support their 

implementation of the Common Core State Standards, particularly in math. Students are encouraged to take college-level 

math through concurrent enrollment (dual credit) courses while still in high school. A high percentage of Utah students 

will take a leave of absence to serve a religious mission, so students are encouraged to take math before they graduate 

from high school to eliminate the 2-year gap between high school math and college. 

Building on Existing Efforts: In July 2013, the Utah State Board of Regents passed a resolution encouraging institutions to 

enroll students needing remediation in English and math into courses in the first year of college and to transition them into

credit-bearing classes within three semesters. This resolution comes on top of a state-wide initiative to transform 

remediation that has resulted in several pilot programs that streamline students through remedial math, offer "refresher" 

courses, and "flip" the classrooms, all delivering increased pass rates. Some institutions are combining courses to allow 

students to learn the remedial information alongside the credit-bearing content; others are using "co-reqs," which enroll 

students in two linked courses, so that the students learn exactly what they need to succeed in credit-bearing math right as 

they need to know it. Another Board resolution requires institutions to create "graduation maps" that clearly outline what 

courses students should take when. Some of our institutions are creating "+1" maps for students needing remediation, so 

that they can see how much time this remediation will add to their degree plan and sense the urgency of their needing to 

pass these classes. Some institutions are working on "pre-majors" and more directed pathways for students interested in a 

general area (e.g., humanities, science) that will require them to move through remediation and general education in a 

timely manner before they are admitted to their majors. This should further incentivize students to complete remediation 

early in their career.

Vassar College (Poughkeepsie, NY)

Vassar will make permanent its current Transitions pilot project, a program that serves low-income and/or first generation 

college students, and expand it to include incoming cohorts of military veterans. Transitions is a pre-orientation program 

which currently brings 40-50 new first year students to campus prior to the start of the standard orientation program, and 

also follows up with them at various points in the freshman year to support their success.

Vassar will also expand its current level of writing skills support for students who are non-native English speakers as well 

as its math skills support for students who enter school with inadequate math preparation for their chosen academic path.

Building on Existing Efforts: Vassar’s need-blind admission policy, major institutional commitment to financial aid, and 

replacement of loans by grants in financial aid awards for students from low-income families have resulted in a significant 

rise in the percentage of the student body receiving need-based financial aid and the percentage of Pell-eligible students 

enrolled in recent years. Vassar also provides no-loan financial aid award packages for any graduates of Poughkeepsie 

High School, a local school primarily serving low-income families. Additionally, Vassar worked with the Posse 

Foundation to create the first national pilot program designed to recruit, enroll, and support annual cohorts of military 

veterans at Vassar.

Virginia Community College System

VCCS commits to developing and implementing strategies to ensure that first-time college going students (with an 

emphasis on students from low-income and underrepresented populations) receive career counseling and academic 

advising prior to their initial college enrollment. College staff will support student success outcomes by intentionally 

aligning student skills and career goals with academic programs and workforce needs. Promising practices from colleges 

coupled with the Virginia Education Wizard, a web-based portal provides the context and technological infrastructure to 
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support these activities. 

VCCS commits to expanding services through the Student Success Coach Initiative. VCCS supports student success by 

providing a select cohort of students with a trained college success coach. The coach is responsible for working with a 

target population of students who are considered underserved as a result of race, ethnicity, Pell grant status, first 

generation, and who have completed 14 or fewer college credits. The coach assists students in developing individualized 

academic plans, applying for financial aid, identifying academic needs and linking students to learning support 

resources. Coaches also provide follow up when student risk factors such as poor attendance or low grades are evident.

VCCS commits to continuous improvement of developmental education redesign. VCCS redesigned its math and English 

developmental education programs to reduce the amount of time and resources required to complete the sequences of 

developmental education courses and to help better prepare students for college level course work. Student progression 

and completion data as well as input from faculty will be used to continuously improve student outcomes. Additionally, 

several pilot projects have begun to better align student supports and academic services. This integration of academic 

supports and student support services will be a VCCS redesign focal point during the 2014-2015 academic year.

Building on Existing Efforts: Virginia's Community Colleges were created over 40 years ago to address Virginia's unmet 

needs in higher education and workforce training. The strategic plan contains five measurable goals in the areas of student 

access, college affordability, student success, workforce training, and resource development. These goals provide the 

foundation for and support the three commitments as listed above.

Washington & Jefferson College (Washington, PA)

Washington Jefferson (W&J) commits to meeting full demonstrated financial need for all students from their seven 

surrounding counties who are eligible for PHEA grants (a low income education assistance program in Pennsylvania) and 

who have a GPA of 3.4 or higher. The program will assist more than 100 students and will increase W&J’s Pell-eligible 

student population by more than 30 percent.

W&J has created a number of fully endowed “Millennial Scholarships” that underwrite all costs for high ability, lowincome students. These students will pay nothing for their tuition, room and board, or ancillary expenses. This support 

ensures that students can afford college and that they can focus on their studies rather than needing to work several jobs in

order to pay tuition. Two scholarships have been awarded and written commitments for an additional 15 scholarships 

have been completed. 

Beginning in 2014-15, all first year W&J students will receive both faculty advising and professional advising, supported 

by a new two-part Orientation program. August Orientation will focus on strategies to succeed in the first year, and a 

January term Orientation will focus on planning the next three years in order to ensure academic success and appropriate 

preparation for the job market or graduate school. The new January First-year Program will include educational planning, 

resume preparation and interviewing skills, study abroad opportunities, and financial literacy.

Building on Existing Efforts: Washington & Jefferson College’s efforts to help low-income students succeed include 

public workshops to lead parents and students through the admission and financial aid process, transition programming in 

the summer, on-campus workshops for local students in STEM, and ensuring that all students have the extra financial aid 

necessary to undertake enriching activities like study abroad, internships, and research fellowships. Currently, more than 

21 percent of W&J students are Pell-eligible, and their graduation rate for a four-year cohort is 73 percent, compared to 74 

percent for the student body as a whole. Ninety-three per cent (93 percent) of W&J’s Pell-eligible students who graduate 

from W&J complete their degrees in four years. Perhaps even more importantly, although research shows that low income 

students rarely study abroad, more than 33 percent of our Pell eligible students have been awarded Magellan Scholarships, 

which fully fund independent travel to compete a challenging research project abroad (10 times the rate at which all W&J 

students earn these prestigious grants).

Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO)

Washington University will assist high school students in the City of St. Louis develop college plans through a 

commitment to join the National College Advising Corps. This program will support students from high schools who do 

not have adequate college counseling and will encourage a commitment from Washington University alumni to pursue 
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efforts to help high school students realize a strong college experience.

This week, Washington University in St. Louis also announced it will grow its financial aid program to support needy 

students that will be funded, in part, through philanthropic gifts. Washington University will raise at least $400 million for 

financial aid as part of its overall fundraising campaign to conclude June 30, 2018, representing a second increase from 

the original goal of $150 million in November of 2009 and $330 million set in October of 2012.

Building on Existing Efforts: Washington University provides students from low-income families with the financial aid to 

fully meet their needs to attend Washington University, as students from families with annual income below $75,000 

receive full need-based scholarships, including “no loan” commitments from the University. Washington University now 

has a graduation rate of 94 percent, with roughly the same graduation rate across the entire student body, including 

students from low-income families and members of minority groups while expanding the absolute number of students 

from low-income families earning degrees from Washington University. Additional efforts Washington University is 

undertaking include partnering with “Say Yes to Education,” launching the Washington University Pre-College Program 

to help talented students from challenging circumstances prepare for success in college, and expanding its sponsorship of 

charter schools in the City of St. Louis, including a planned expansion to five Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) 

Charter Schools over time.

Wellesley College (Wellesley, MA)

Wellesley College is launching a new program designed to attract more low-income students to STEM (Science, 

Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields—and to provide the support and resources that will help lead to their 

success. Building on Wellesley’s signature liberal arts approach, the program will provide a pathway to and through the 

sciences, exposing students to exciting, question-based research in their first semester. These young women will have the 

chance to work side by side with leading scientists who are dedicated and inspirational teachers, participate in ahead-ofthe-curve research, develop innovative applications, and engineer solutions to some of the world’s most pressing issues in 

areas including sustainable energy, healthcare, and food production.

The program will include immersion in a cohort-based, science-focused experience highlighting the career opportunities 

in science; enrollment in specially designed introductory courses that better engage students in high-impact, inquiry-based 

settings; stipends to enable participation in a closely supervised ten-week summer collaborative-research project; early 

and significant engagement with an individual faculty mentor; and related publication and presentation opportunities.

The College will also expand and enhance WellesleyPlus—a program geared toward students who often come from 

disadvantaged backgrounds—so that students are more fully integrated into the academic community and experience a 

greater sense of belonging, as well as ensuring that they are fully aware of the many opportunities available to them, both 

on and off campus. Other enhancements include a paid summer-service internship program following their first year to 

reinforce the practical value of a liberal arts education; a winter session service program that will encourage cohort 

bonding in the course of applying classroom learning to real-world problems; and creating and supporting an active 

networking and mentoring structure.

Finally, Wellesley is stepping forward in committing to increasing the number of low-income students who apply to 

Wellesley (as well as to other colleges) using a proprietary tool developed this past year by Wellesley. This unique tool—

called My inTuition and currently in prototype—offers a simple but accurate college cost estimate based on six 

straightforward questions. Wellesley is looking to promote the use of such an estimator throughout the larger higher 

education community. In addition, Wellesley will refine the estimator to optimize its use by the lowest-income families, 

and disseminate information on the value of using it through advertising and outreach to high schools and guidance 

counselors. By the next application season, Wellesley intends to add a crucial measure to the calculator: the ability to 

forecast the loan burden that students might expect to face based on their financial circumstances.

Building on Existing Efforts: Wellesley College makes college affordable for low-income students who are U.S. citizens 

and permanent residents through need-blind admission, admitting students regardless of their ability to pay; a need-based 

financial aid policy, meeting 100 percent of a student’s demonstrated need; and eliminating loans for low-income 

students. Wellesley has also established a partnership with the Questbridge Program to identify low-income, highachieving students and facilitate their application to Wellesley College; established fly-in programs for prospective 
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students from low-income backgrounds, as well as guidance counselors from high schools serving these students; and 

developed specific print- and web-based communication to clearly articulate policies and opportunities for low-income 

students. These ongoing efforts have resulted collectively in an increase in the percentage of Pell-eligible students 

enrolled at Wellesley from 14 percent in 2005 to 20 percent in 2013.

Wesleyan University (Middletown, CT)

Wesleyan plans to expand its effort to enroll first generation students. As part of this effort, they will bring in larger 

cohorts of QuestBridge scholars in the coming years, more than doubling its earlier numbers. These are low-income 

students, often from under-represented groups. They receive full scholarships, often with no loans at all. They will also 

set targets to increase the number of first generation students more generally on campus.

Wesleyan will expand effort to retain students from under-represented groups in STEM fields. Wesleyan has revamped 

the teaching of introductory biology so as to retain more students from under-represented groups, and they will be 

applying the same principles and techniques in other sciences with the same goal in mind. In the life sciences, Wesleyan 

has seen improvements in learning for all students, with those from under-represented groups improving the most. 

Wesleyan is developing a new summer bridge program to increase the capacities of students from under-represented 

groups to be successful in STEM fields. Wesleyan expects dozens of students to benefit from bridge programs each year.

Building on Existing Efforts: Wesleyan has worked with QuestBridge for the last five years to bring in low-income 

students. They have also successfully revamped their teaching of introductory biology to increase retention rates for 

under-represented groups in STEM fields. Wesleyan has been raising funds in order to offer students paid internships, 

which should improve their abilities to translate their liberal arts education into productive work after graduation. They 

are also funding research internships, increasing the likelihood that students from under-represented groups will go on to 

do graduate work, especially in the sciences. They are also working with the Posse Foundation to recruit a cohort of 

veterans to the university on scholarship, beginning in the fall of 2014. Wesleyan has a robust financial aid program and 

has made a commitment to raise tuition in sync with inflation.

West Virginia

The West Virginia Community and Technical College System and the Higher Education Policy Commission have 

committed to work in conjunction with the state legislature to enact a resolution which provides a clear state-wide 

framework for scaling developmental education reform. This framework includes adoption of co-curricular courses, 

alignment of math content with degree requirements, and regular progress reports to the legislature. In order to support 

these efforts, West Virginia has engaged with faculty through regular professional development meetings to ensure that 

reforms are implemented effectively and efficiently, supported by technical assistance provided by Complete College 

America. West Virginia’s efforts continue this month by hosting an In-State Completion Academy where institutions 

established their plans for scaling reform efforts for fall 2014.

Building on Existing Efforts: In February 2011, Chancellor James Skidmore created a Developmental Education Task 

Force charged with addressing the poor graduation rates of students requiring remediation in West Virginia. To date, 

faculty have standardized competencies for developmental English and math across the state; adopted accelerated and cocurricular course formats; and used data to evaluate the progress of their reform efforts. Their work was significantly 

aided by a $1 million grant awarded by Complete College America. Grant funds have been used to build lasting resources 

for the state in four key ways: in-state experts have been developed through professional development opportunities, 

which have been widely attended by faculty from all institutions; these professional development opportunities have 

allowed West Virginia to establish a network of developmental educators who regularly communicate to strategize about 

implementation challenges and successes; a website for developmental education instructors was created that connects 

faculty to a variety of local and national developmental education resources; and sub-grants were awarded to institutions 

in order to build the infrastructure necessary to support their reform efforts.

West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission

The Commission will work with West Virginia's public two-year and four-year colleges and universities to increase the 

number of institutions participating in a three-year pilot project to provide intensive, personalized college counseling by 

text message. This project, designed in collaboration with University of Virginia professor Ben Castleman, and with 
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funding support from the Kresge Foundation, will begin serving approximately 1,000 students in January and West 

Virginia has committed to adding at least 1,000 students annually over a three-year period. Graduating high school seniors 

will receive text messages to guide them through the financial aid application and college-planning processes. In March, 

these students also will begin receiving personalized messages from the participating college or university they plan to 

attend. Students who have not selected one of the partner institutions will continue receiving general college counseling 

text messages from the state higher education agency. Currently, Bluefield State College, Concord University, Marshall 

University, and Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College are partners in this effort. The Commission 

will commit to expanding this project to include at least one additional postsecondary institution by the end of 2014.

The Commission is also partnering with the West Virginia GEAR UP program, a federally funded program aimed at 

increasing the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. The 

first group of students who will receive the text messages are GEAR Up participants and the Commission has engaged 

GEAR UP partners at both the high school, college, and state level to provide counseling and guidance and connect 

students with in-school or on-campus supports. 

Building on Existing Efforts: West Virginia’s higher education system has launched a new five-year plan that focuses on 

three key goals including increasing access to postsecondary opportunities, ensuring that a greater number of students are 

successful in earning credentials, and maximizing the impact of the state's higher education system and outputs to promote 

economic growth. West Virginia also works to provide training on state and federal financial aid, provide “CollegeReady” 

English and math classes to high school seniors who are identified early-on as having deficiencies, promote adult 

enrollment, and build the pipeline of students interested in entering STEM degree programs.

Whittier College (Whittier, CA) 

Whittier will partner with American Honors and a California community college to develop an honors-level general 

education program that, when combined with existing community college courses, will prepare 300 associate degree 

graduates annually to transfer successfully to elite colleges and universities. The annual cost of this two-year honors 

degree program is less than $10,000, and it will heighten students’ aspirations, broaden their horizons, effectively prepare 

them for transfer, and help secure strong aid packages for their final two years of study.

Whittier, in partnership with the new Gilbert and Jacki Cisneros Foundation, will offer tuition-free advanced calculus 

courses and a summer intensive, college writing seminar to college-aspiring students from El Rancho High School, in 

Pico Rivera, California, a city with a 12 percent college graduation rate. The majority of students at El Rancho are Latino 

(97 percent), and 58 percent qualify for free or reduced lunch. This project aids the Hispanic Scholarship Fund’s 

Generation 1st Degree initiative to increase the rate of Latino college graduates to 60 percent by 2025, with a college 

degree in each household.

Building on Existing Efforts: Whittier has been designated as an HSI since the 1990s, a distinction among the national 

liberal arts colleges; currently 33 percent of students are Latino. For the last four years Whittier has enrolled a majorityminority student body. One third of Whittier’s students are the first in their families to attend college, 35 percent of the 

student body receives Pell Grants, and over 80 percent warrant college-funded financial aid. To help students reduce the 

cost of their education, Whittier recruits 15 percent of its students from those attending community colleges and is 

establishing a set of 2+2 programs. Whittier supports two local high schools by enrolling talented students in advanced 

calculus courses, with El Rancho becoming the third. Whittier already provides other support to El Rancho High School 

including student mentors, a Saturday series with the Be A Leader Foundation to help 100 seniors navigate the college 

application process, and critiques of draft application essays by college admissions counselors.

Wilkes University (Wilkes-Barre, PA)

Wilkes University commits to launch the first-ever Founder’s Gala this spring to raise funds from to help financially 

needy, first-generation students complete college. The annual gala will grow over time and raise significant funds 

dedicated to enrolling, supporting, and graduating a larger population of financially disadvantaged students. The funds 

raised from this event will be distributed via a need/merit-based model and used to expand and improve current programs.

Building on Existing Efforts: Wilkes’ heritage focuses on building a mentoring culture, where forming close personal 

relationships between faculty and students is one of the cornerstones of academic success, especially for first-generation 

and economically disadvantaged students. At any given time, between 30 and 50 percent of Wilkes students are 
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considered first-generation, and a very large portion qualifies for Pell grants. Wilkes has partnered with Upward bound 

since 1967 and its E-mentoring program pairs all first-year students with an upperclassman in the same field of study to 

aid the transition to college and provide an extraordinary support environment for academic achievement and personal 

growth.

Wisconsin

Wisconsin commits to implementing a 30 credit general education transfer core by fall 2014, and an evaluation of 

remedial education and identification of best practices is to be completed by the end of June 2014. Wisconsin commits to 

help colleges implement lessons learned through its evaluation to scale and implement changes for 2015-2016 academic 

year. Several institutions have already identified needed changes that will take place by fall 2014. The UW System is 

undertaking a statewide evaluation of the engineering needs in the state by region and an evaluation of the state’s capacity 

to educate engineers. The state intends to use this information to inform decisions regarding the creation of new 

engineering programs throughout the state. 

Building on Existing Efforts: The University of Wisconsin System implemented the Growth Agenda for Wisconsin in 

2008, with the goal of producing 80,000 more graduates than 2008-09 levels. As markers or progress, the state identified 

targets for student success in graduation rates, retention rates, and achievement gaps between underrepresented minority 

(URM) and non-URM students and between Pell eligible and non-Pell eligible. The state has employed the Campus 

Climate survey and the Equity Scorecard as mechanisms to identify key areas for improvement. Wisconsin is also 

working closely with US-Educational Delivery Institute to develop a process for meeting our goals and begun a review of 

all Board of Regents policy to identify policies that need to be updated to allow institutions to better serve their students. 

Additionally, the state has undertaken evaluation of remedial education throughout the System. The University of 

Wisconsin System is also working closely with the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) to develop a 30 credit 

general education transfer core that will transfer between and among all Wisconsin public higher education institutions.

Wyoming

In Wyoming, a performance-based funding component will be incorporated in the FY2015 funding process that ties 

completion to the appropriation to each college. Fifteen percent of the variable cost component of the funding allocation 

to the college will be based on course completion. Complete College Wyoming has adopted a goal of increasing the 

completion of degrees and high-value certificates by 5 percent per year for each of the next ten years. Additionally, there 

is a goal of implementing strategies that encourage the completion of gateway courses within the first 30 credits, as well 

as individual college efforts to enhance the success of remedial courses and work with K-12 to reduce the need for such 

courses.

Yale University (New Haven, CT) 

Yale University commits to increasing the number of QuestBridge Finalists it enrolls in its freshman class by 50 percent. 

Yale has traditionally enrolled 50-60 students per year, and is now committing to enrolling 75-80 students who apply 

through this program for entry in fall 2014 and fall 2015. Yale also commits to sign on to Say Yes to Education’s College 

Compact and pay the tuition and fees for any admitted student from the program whose family makes less than $75,000 

per year.

Yale will provide a cohort of incoming low-income and first-generation students an early Yale experience by living and 

studying on campus for five weeks in the summer in our Freshman Scholars at Yale (FSY) program. In 2013, Yale piloted 

this program for 33 students, and, at no cost to them, Freshman Scholars participated in activities, coursework, seminars, 

and trips designed to facilitate and enhance their transition to Yale. Yale commits to running the program in both the 

summers of 2014 and 2015 at the same scale or slightly larger. The university will also institute a thorough assessment 

and evaluation protocol of those who participate in this program in order to best understand its effect on academic 

achievement and retention.

Yale will develop online course modules in pre-calculus to test in summer 2014. The goal will be to evaluate the 

effectiveness of the modules, make changes based on the assessment, and build additional modules to develop a complete, 

freestanding offering in summer 2015 that could be available to a wider set of students. This course would build on the 

experiences gained through Yale’s success in offering different models for online courses – full online Yale College 

seminars as well as hybrid models that combine online coursework with in-person activities.
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Yale will take several steps to expand its recruitment of low-income students. Beginning in fall 2014, Yale will conduct 

joint outreach sessions with Harvard, Princeton, and the University of Virginia in 18 cities. These sessions will focus on a 

message of access, typically draw a large and diverse audience, and will be held in parts of the country (like West 

Virginia, South Texas or Arkansas) where families do not typically apply to Ivy League institutions in large numbers. 

Yale will also send over 300 “Student Ambassadors” (current students from minority and low- income backgrounds) to 

return to their home cities and states over term breaks and make presentations about Yale admissions and financial aid, 

reaching over 600 schools in 2014-2015. Yale will send three distinct outreach mailings directed toward 20,000 highachieving low- income students that have been identified by a national testing service. These mailings will raise 

awareness on aid policies, provide counseling, and encourage fee waivers.

Building on Existing Efforts: To attract more low- and middle-income students, Yale has designed a need-based financial 

aid program where the average annual grant from Yale to students receiving financial aid is approximately $40,000, or 

about two-thirds of the cost of attendance. Over the last ten years, the percentage of undergraduate students qualifying for 

need-based financial aid from Yale has risen from 37 percent to 57 percent. Yale eliminates the expected parental 

contribution for families earning below $65,000 per year and significantly reduces it for those with annual incomes 

between $65,000 and $130,000. In 2013-2014, Yale expects to spend about $118 million in undergraduate financial aid, 

distributed to 2,884 students, with an average grant of $40,800. Yale also provides an assortment of programs that target 

low-income students including the New Haven Promise, Bulldog Days Fly-In, College Summit, and Y-Apply.

Zane State College

Zane State College (ZSC) commits to implementing a placement program that relies upon placement scores, high school 

and college transcripts, the Noel Levitz College Student Inventory and faculty or advisor assessment in an effort to place 

students where they have the best effort for success. Holistic advising allows faculty and staff to individualize placement 

based on a myriad of data points. Metric: Increase enrollment by developmental students in gateway math and English in 

first year by 10 percent.

ZSC commits to reorganizing its Student Services from four front end-offices to two, with a focus on cross training. 

Students will be able to enter the College One Stop and talk to one advisor about all facets of their educational path from 

admissions, to financial aid to class choices and individual needs. The system provides students a clearer roadmap to 

success. Metric: Increase application to first-semester enrollment rate by 10 percent.

ZSC commits to integrating developmental and college level coursework throughout the first year. Courses of study that 

link developmental and college course outcomes will be developed providing students an opportunity to enroll 

simultaneously in both types of courses, helping students conceptualize the importance of developmental education. 

Metric: Increase the average first-year college-level credit accumulation for integrated developmental students to 20 

hours.

ZSC commits to addressing technological limitations that allow students to circumvent interventions designed to insure 

they are adequately progressing. By addressing limitations, ZSC will extend mandatory advising policies to students based 

on credits, program of study, sequenced courses and other thresholds that allow for analytics of progress. Metric: Increase 

the percentage of students completing 24 college-level credit hours within the first academic year.
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Nonprofits, Organizations, Foundations and Businesses 

100Kin10

Today, 100Kin10 is announcing the launch of Fund III with $5 million, with leadership from JP Morgan Chase, the 

Overdeck Family Foundation, and the Hewlett Foundation. In addition, the New York State Attorney General has 

directed $7.5 million from a settlement with Pearson Foundation to support 100Kin10 and its partners; 100Kin10 will be 

channeling the vast majority of those funds to directly support partner organizations as part of Fund III.

Responding to the President’s call to action to prepare 100,000 excellent STEM teachers over the next ten years, more 

than 150 organizations have now come together in a network called 100Kin10. These organizations have made over 150 

measurable commitments to increasing the supply of excellent STEM teachers; hiring, developing, and retaining excellent 

STEM teachers; and building the 100Kin10 movement, which 100Kin10 estimates will help directly recruit and prepare 

over 37,000 STEM teachers and support tens of thousands more over the first five years of the initiative. 100Kin10 has 

raised over $52 million – in its first two Funds – from a broad range of foundations and philanthropists under a unique 

“funding marketplace” through which funders have access to a registry of high-quality projects and choose to support one 

or more partner organizations for their 100Kin10 work. With a $9 million grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York 

and additional support from the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation and NewSchools Venture Fund, earlier this month 100Kin10 

spun out of Carnegie to be incubated at the National Center for Civic Innovation. Later this month, the effort will 

announce its newest class of partners, culled from nominations of 100 organizations from around the 

country. Meanwhile, 100Kin10’s growing research and learning effort is providing pathways for partners to share data, 

learn from one another’s practices, strategies, and results and work together to address and overcome shared challenges.

Achieving the Dream

Two–thirds of students enrolling for the first time at Achieving the Dream colleges are not college ready and one-third 

need substantive support to succeed academically. On February 26, 2014, Achieving the Dream will host its first College 

Readiness Day at DREAM 2014, our annual convening of 1,600 practitioners, to provide hands-on workshops that focus 

on evidence-based strategies that support students’ progress to and through credit-bearing courses. College Readiness Day 

participants will be asked to commit to adopting policies and practices that support the students who are least prepared for 

college-level coursework.

In early 2014, Achieving the Dream will publish and nationally disseminate over 1,600 copies of Practitioner Briefs for 

Developmental Education. The series will examine successful developmental education reforms at seven community 

colleges. The briefs provide insight that can inform adoption and adaptation of contextualization, modularization, and 

compression strategies to accelerate students through developmental education. 

In early 2014, Achieving the Dream --with its expertise in institutional change, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement 

of Teaching -- with its expertise in faculty engagement and curriculum reform, and Jobs for the Future -- with its expertise 

in policy development will jointly explore with community colleges, higher education organizations, philanthropy and 

other stakeholders the feasibility of creating a "Breakthrough Collaborative" among colleges willing to collect common 

data and progress markers to learn together as they implement and improve promising practices that accelerate 

progression through remediation and gateway courses, including students least ready for college.

Achieving the Dream in partnership with the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and 7 community 

colleges will form a ‘Northeast Resiliency Consortium’ to create and disseminate nationally, a contextualized alternative 

math curriculum that accelerates students’ progress through developmental education into pathways that lead to jobs with 

family-sustaining wages in the fields of healthcare, information technology, and environmental technology.

Every participating Achieving the Dream institution has focused on improving developmental education at their 

institution. In particular, fifteen colleges have participated in a Gates and Lumina Foundation funded developmental 

education initiative to scale effective developmental education practices.
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American Council on Education (ACE)

The American Council on Education (ACE) will seek to develop a broad-based public service advertising campaign with 

the Ad Council designed to encourage low-income students to prepare for and enroll in postsecondary education. This 

effort will build on the highly successful “KnowHow2GO” campaign that ACE developed with Lumina Foundation and 

the Ad Council in 2007. In this new campaign, ACE will work closely with the US Department of Education, Obama 

Administration, the higher education community and other local and statewide groups to develop the most effective 

messaging and outreach strategy.

ACE is committed to extending its successful American College Application Campaign to all 50 states by fall 2014 and to 

grow the number of high schools that are currently participating. The American College Application Campaign is a 

national effort to increase the number of first-generation and low-income students who pursue a postsecondary education 

by helping them navigate the college admissions process and submit an admissions application. In 2012, approximately 

1,600 high schools participated and more than 129,000 students submitted nearly 195,000 applications. Currently, 39 

states plus the District of Columbia have participated and four of the remaining 11 states have already committed to join 

in fall 2014.

In addition to these commitments, ACE will continue to invest its time, energy and resources into existing efforts that 

support access and success for low-income students. In collaboration with its partners, ACE launched a comprehensive 

overhaul of the GED® Program in 2014 to strengthen the pipeline of students prepared to undertake college-level 

work. In addition, ACE will continue its proud history of serving our nation’s veterans and the recent development of an 

online Toolkit for Veteran-Friendly Institutions is but one example of the Council’s efforts to support these students in 

achieving their higher education goals. Finally, ACE last year produced Diversity Matters, an issue brief series intended 

to provide campus leaders with timely, cutting-edge, and actionable information used to boost diversity and inclusion in 

U.S. higher education.

American Association of Community Colleges (AACC)

The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), which represents the nation’s community colleges, commits 

to creating the Virtual 21st Century Center. The Center will serve as a repository of promising practices and provide 

technical support resources for institutions. The Virtual 21st Century Center is part of AACC’s three-phase 21st Century 

Initiative, which sets forth seven recommendations and 22 strategies grounded in the three “Rs” – redesigning students’ 

educational experiences, reinventing institutional roles, and resetting the system. Over the last year, 112 community 

college CEOs, faculty, and sectorial thought leaders have been developing guidelines to support colleges in implementing 

a robust student success agenda. 

AACC also commits to leveraging the work of the nine implementation teams under AACC’s 21st Century Initiative 

charged with designing strategies that increase student success and completion, while preserving access. Specifically, 

AACC will consolidate the action plans into an Implementation Guide to be released at AACC’s 94th Annual Convention, 

April 5 – 8, 2014 in Washington, DC.

After the release of the Implementation Guide, AACC will embark upon a dissemination strategy in several regions of the 

country to support the efforts of community colleges interested in pursuing reforms designed to improve the outcome of 

academically underprepared students. In addition, AACC will work to establish, showcase, and sustain the AACC 21stCentury Center to benefit community colleges nationally and work to identify strong examples of community college/K12 collaboration for strengthened college readiness, that is outcome-oriented. This work includes efforts to redesign 

developmental education fundamentally, creating new evidence-based pathways that accelerate students’ progress toward 

successful college-level work by incorporating design principles emerging from community college research and practice 

such as acceleration, contextualization, collaborative learning, and integrated student and academic support.

Finally, AACC commits to sporting the construction of coherent, structured pathways to certificate and degree completion 

and efforts to incorporate high-impact, evidence-based educational practices; integrate student support with instruction; 

promote implementation at scale; rigorously evaluate the effectiveness of programs and services for students; and end 

ineffective practices. 
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Blue Engine

Blue Engine has committed to providing an additional 10,000 students with rigorous, small-group instruction over the 

next 5 years. Blue Engine partners with high school teachers to accelerate academic achievement in college gateway 

skills, including math competency, and uses an innovative human capital model that helps to elevate levels of college 

readiness in low-income communities while training a new wave of educators to enter the profession.

Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching 

In early 2014, Achieving the Dream, with its expertise in institutional change; Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement 

of Teaching, with its expertise in faculty engagement and curriculum reform; and Jobs for the Future, with its expertise in 

policy development and implementation, will jointly explore with community colleges, higher education organizations, 

philanthropy and other stakeholders the feasibility of creating a "Breakthrough Collaborative." This initiative would be 

among colleges willing to collect common data and progress markers to learn together as they implement and improve 

promising practices that accelerate progression of students least ready for college through remediation and gateway 

courses. This strategy has proven to be a powerful institutional structure for broad scale quality improvement in healthcare 

and has the potential, with appropriate modifications, for turning the same power loose for educational improvement.

Carnegie formed a network of community colleges, professional associations, and educational researchers to develop and 

implement the Community College Pathways Program, organized around two structured pathways, known as Statway®

and Quantway®. Students and faculty are now joined in a common, intensive year-long experience toward a shared 

goal—to achieve college math credit in one year. In each of our first two years, we have tripled the success rate of 

students in half the time.

Chegg

Chegg puts students first and is proud to have saved students and their families more than $450 million in 2013 alone. As 

the leading connected learning platform, Chegg’s Student Hub makes higher education more affordable and more 

accessible, all while improving student outcomes.

Chegg commits to creating, managing and distributing a free content series (videos, webinars, articles) that inspires high 

school students to advanced academic achievement; guides them through the steps they’ll need to take, and highlights the 

resources already available nationally and in their communities.

In 2014, Chegg will launch a free resource for community college students that matches them with the schools best suited 

to their individual needs and aspirations, while guiding them through all of the steps necessary to successfully matriculate 

into a four year program.

Chegg currently helps students navigate more than $1 billion in available scholarships by matching a student with the 

subset of scholarships that they are most likely to be awarded. In 2014, Chegg will introduce a similar service for aid 

awarded by colleges and universities, making it easy for students to discover additional resources – by school - that they 

may be eligible for, improving the aspirations and outcomes for student recipient

Chegg is launching a free service to match students with internship opportunities. Using their resume builder and what 

we know about students’ school, location, curriculum and major, Chegg will match students with thousands of employers 

and the internship opportunities they offer. Chegg is calling on employers to offer more and better internships and calling 

on lawmakers to find the balance between the need to protect students’ workplace rights with the need to lower any 

barriers that prevent businesses from taking on more interns. 

Finally, Chegg will make its eReader software available for free, such that any open source materials professors and 

colleges choose to publish and or add to their curriculum, can be freely accessed on any device, by any student, anywhere. 

College Board

With the help of our member higher education institutions, the College Board is announcing that every income-eligible 

student who takes the SAT will receive four fee waivers to apply to college for free. The College Board is committed to 

helping low-income students access the postsecondary education opportunities they have earned through hard work. Its 

research shows that low-income students submit fewer college applications on average than high-income peers and this 

has a negative impact on their enrollment behavior and ability to attend an institution that matches their academic 
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qualifications. 

The College Board invests significantly in expanding educational opportunities for low-income students by providing fee 

waivers for AP and SAT assessments. In 2013, the College Board provided a total of $68.7 million in fee waivers to lowincome students. The College Board is also partnering with member institutions on the Access to Opportunity (A2O)

Campaign. Launched in fall 2013, the campaign identifies high-achieving, low-income students and provides customized 

packets that include application fee waivers to eight colleges of the student’s choice, admissions information, financial aid

and graduation rates, and advice about applying to college. In addition, the Apply to 4 or More Campaign 

encourages college-ready, low-income students to expand their college search and consider a range of institutions to 

ensure a strong academic match and increase the likelihood of enrollment and completion. In October, approximately 

70,000 students received packets modeled on the A20 campaign and 200,000 received electronic college planning 

information.

College Possible 

College Possible commits to expanding the number of low-income students who are supported as they seek access to 

college, and once enrolled, work to earn their college degrees. This will be accomplished by expanding existing services 

in current operational sites, adding new sites, and building partnerships with colleges to significantly increase graduation 

rates.

In expanding services, College Possible will increase the number of students served in each of its four current sites by at 

least 10 percent, and will add services in Philadelphia, PA to serve at least 350 new students. In total, College Possible 

will expand services by approximately 15 percent, growing from serving 15,000 to 17,000 high school and college 

students across the country. This commitment is aligned with the organization’s strategic plan for growth, to reach at least 

20,000 students in 10 metro areas by 2020.

College Possible will also expand the number of colleges with formal partnerships, focusing on increasing college access 

and success rates for students at those schools. College Possible currently has partnership agreements with five colleges 

in the Midwest; College Possible will create at least four additional partnership agreements with colleges around the 

country to expand joint efforts to support college success for low-income students. These partnership agreements are 

focused on expanding access for low-income students at partner colleges, and joint efforts to boost retention and 

graduation rates for those students once enrolled.

College Possible currently serves 15,000 high school and college students in four metro areas (Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN; 

Omaha, NE; Portland, OR; and Milwaukee, WI) across the country. The program has a strong evidence base for success, 

recently publishing a randomized controlled trial confirming a significant impact on four-year college enrollment for 

students in the program. Six-year college graduation rates for College Possible students meet the national average for all 

students, and are five times that of all low-income students.

College Spring

CollegeSpring commits to increase the number of students served by our SAT preparation work from 2,350 in FY13 to 

4,150 in FY15 across multiple regions. CollegeSpring will encourage more students from low-income backgrounds to 

take the SAT, putting them on the path to start higher education at four-year colleges. On average, students from lowincome backgrounds score 189 points lower on the SAT than all other students. Since 2008, CollegeSpring has helped 

more than 5,000 students in the Bay Area and Los Angeles improve their SAT scores an average of 180 points, navigate 

college admissions and financial aid, and confidently pursue college degrees. CollegeSpring students see average score 

improvements of 180 points through its programs, often significantly expanding their college opportunities. CollegeSpring 

commits to conducting necessary research, evaluation, and program design to ensure that scores continue to improve even 

as it serves more students.

CollegeSpring will also offer these students college readiness programming. CollegeSpring will continue to expose high 

school juniors to high-achieving undergraduates via mentoring and tutoring to support their efforts to reach and succeed at 

four-year institutions, and to provide concrete guidance around college choice, college admissions, and financial aid. They 

commit to exploring partnerships and internal solutions to continue to strengthen the curriculum and resources they are 

able to offer students in this area so that they can make informed college decisions.
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CollegeSpring commits to taking concrete steps towards expanding its work to high school seniors and college freshmen 

by implementing pilot programs for both groups by 2015. CollegeSpring commits to exploring ways in which they can 

support students with the college admissions and financial preparation process during their senior years. CollegeSpring 

also commits to build programming for students bridging into freshman year of college to provide support with the 

academic, social, emotional, and financial aspects of transitioning to college.

College Summit

ScholarJob

Deloitte, Darden, Walmart, AT&T, Mutual of America, and the Samberg Family Foundation are committing $5 million 

over four years to support College Summit, and especially a collaboration called ScholarJob that will help low-income 

students across America connect getting an education with getting a great career. ScholarJob partner companies, who 

employ 1.8 million Americans, will bring their expertise to help students understand the steps they should take in high 

school to prepare for success in diverse careers.

In its first year, as it brings on more partners, ScholarJob will do two things: First, it will design pathways to show 

students the steps they need to take to be great candidates for careers at ScholarJob companies. High school students will 

see the math skills and the work-ready abilities like teamwork and customer service required to succeed in the workplace. 

Second, it will connect employees from ScholarJob companies with students so that the career opportunities come alive. 

This year, with an investment from the Bezos Family Foundation, ScholarJob volunteers will partner with College 

Summit student Peer Leaders to scale the program, equipping more than 100,000 high school students from low-income 

communities in 10 cities with cutting-edge technology to help them explore careers, and to attend and complete college.

College Summit Expansion in Missouri

College Summit, Southeast Missouri State University, Truman State University, and Hickman Mills School district 

commit to expand college access services into Kansas City, providing $1.5 million in services to 6,000 students in the 

next six years. Partners will use peer leadership, custom curricula, real-time student performance data and technology to 

help these high school students from low-income communities attend and complete college.

Inspired by the President’s Call to Action and 2020 goal, College Summit is helping provide American families with 

comprehensive tools and support to be smart shoppers for the right postsecondary opportunity—which ensures more 

students not only enroll but persist in the training/education that will connect them with their future goals and keep the 

nation competitive in the global economy.

College Track

College Track commits to serve dramatically more students and increase the number of students from underserved 

communities who will graduate from 4-year colleges. College Track will double the number of students they serve to 

3,000 by 2016. In 10 years, College Track will serve over 10,000 students and increase its college graduates tenfold. By 

2016, College Track also commits to tripling the number of signed partnerships with colleges and universities to thirty and 

adding at least one new College Track site per year nationally while expanding their impact in their existing regions (Bay 

Area, Los Angeles, Colorado, and New Orleans). Finally, to reach their ambitious growth goals, College Track will 

increase revenue from $12M to $20M annually by diversifying its revenue sources from National Foundations, 

Government, Corporations, and Individuals.

College Track is a national college completion non-profit that empowers students from underserved communities to 

graduate from college. The program currently operates in six cities in three states, with ambitious plans for expansion. 

College Track provides comprehensive services through its center-based approach to students for 10 years - from the 

summer before 9th grade through college graduation - to help ensure they succeed in college and beyond. Beginning in 

high school, College Track provides students with academic support, college advising, training, tutoring, case 

management, ACT Prep, workshops, one-on-one mentoring, and college, scholarship, and FAFSA application support. 

While in college, students receive one-on-one mentoring, financial assistance, case management and cohort-model 

support. The program also provides leadership development, enrichment and community service opportunities, and 

financial literacy training. College Track’s four program areas are divided into academic success, student life, college 

affairs, and college success, and each program has clearly-defined student goals and expectations that are mapped to 

higher education admission requirements. College Track and its partners provide students with financial support to ensure 
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students do not take out loans totaling more than $25,000 and guarantee students are folded into best in class university 

support services. Current Partners include UC Berkeley, Tulane, UCLA, Franklin and Marshall, Mills College, UC Santa 

Cruz, SF State, San Jose State, Foothill College, Patten University, UC Davis, UC Merced, and the University of San 

Francisco. While only 50 percent of non-College Track students from similar neighborhoods do not graduate from high 

school, 90 percent of College Track students are accepted into 4-year universities. Finally, College Track’s students 

graduate from college at 2.5 times the rate of their low-income peers.

Council for Opportunity in Education (COE)

COE will encourage its 900 member institutions to recruit low-income students by more effectively utilizing college 

access programs. COE will engage admissions officers of member institutions and offer professional development 

opportunities for admissions officers on specific methods of outreach and engagement with low-income students, 

including learning how to partner with college access and success programs. COE will also organize local alumni of 

college access programs to help recruit potential college students in low-income communities. 

COE commits to encouraging its member institutions to study and improve their records of retaining and graduating lowincome students. More specifically, COE will share strategies and best practices with institutions for how to best engage 

low-income students and the most effective approaches to retention and success for low-income students. 

COE will also work its member institutions to expand their offerings of retention and graduation programs that serve lowincome students. These approaches may include establishing summer bridge or extended orientation programs, or it may 

include methods for reducing the number of students in need of remediation. 

Each year, COE provides over 200 professional development opportunities to college access and success professionals to 

improve service delivery for low-income students. COE partners with the GE Foundation to promote collaboration

between secondary schools and the public and private sectors to boost college access in various cities. COE also tests new 

models for community collaboration through its i3 grant.

Complete College America

Twenty-six states have implemented or are currently developing performance-based funding for their public higher 

education institutions. CCA commits to encouraging states to adopt common metrics of student progress and success –

and tie state appropriations to them, providing special financial bonuses when more low-income students succeed.

Twenty-two of Complete College America’s Alliance States have provided written commitments to achieve “a significant 

increase in the number of college remedial students that complete college-level math and English their first year, 

recognizing that most of these students will need additional academic support.” Completion of these gateway courses will 

lead to many more low-income students completing their degrees.

Fifteen of Complete College America’s Alliance States are deploying extensive campaigns to encourage students to take 

“15 to Finish,” and many are implementing changes in tuition policies so 15 credits each semester cost students no more 

than the traditional 12-credit full-time load. This so-called “banded tuition” approach will be of significant help to lowincome students.

Three Alliance States have committed to utilize structured schedules at most of their institutions for most of their students

in programs of study with the highest enrollments. Structured scheduling has been proven to make the difference between 

graduating and dropping out. It adds much needed predictability to the busy lives of students who are delicately balancing 

jobs and school, especially true for low-income students who must work to afford college, and structured schedules often 

make full-time attendance possible, significantly increasing the likelihood of completion. Cohorts of students naturally 

form in structured scheduling, adding valuable peer-to-peer support and strengthening connectedness to faculty. 

Complete College America will hold these states up as exemplars to others. 

Eight Alliance States are developing highly structured degree plan systems, five of these Complete College America states 

will build Guided Pathways to Success (GPS)-enabled programs in top STEM fields at both two-year and four-year 

institutions. By placing all students on highly structured, default degree plans, excess credits are eliminated and on-time 
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completions become the norm. Enabled by technology, academic advising is intrusive and efficient, targeting students 

with just-in-time support when they most need help.

Education Commission of the States

As part of its “Blueprint for College Readiness” initiative, the Education Commission of the States (ECS) is committed to 

delivering meaningful policy-oriented documents and technical assistance to states. The purpose of this work is to 

enhance states’ capacities to design strategies focused on improving college readiness, transitional successes, and college 

retention and completion, most especially for students from traditionally underserved communities. ECS’ 2014 agenda 

includes the delivery of policy documents that are unique in the nation and focus specifically on the ways in which states 

might create conditions that enhance the previously mentioned objectives. Also, our agenda includes making the staff of 

ECS available to states to provide technical assistance in support of college readiness policies selected by leaders in those

states. To this end, ECS will engage state policy leaders from throughout the nation, including hosting state-level and 

regional policy workshops, providing policy support to state staff, and keeping state policy leaders informed of policy 

trends and successes in states.

ECS is deeply committed to assisting states in designing new strategies to assist low-income students. ECS is in 

conversations with potential funders for support of a state-level financial aid redesign initiative. The purpose of this 

initiative would be to help states consider strategies to improve the performance of their need-based aid.

ESC GEAR UP in South Texas

ESC GEAR UP in South Texas is committing to address college undermatch in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley. ESC GEAR 

UP in South Texas has begun establishing relationships with highly selective institutions and other partners to better 

engage the community on issues of college access and affordability. Working with these schools’ faculty as well as the 

National Council for Community and Education partnerships, ESC GEAR UP in South Texas is planning to host a 

conference on college match with various stakeholders. Furthermore, superintendents and central office staff who attend 

the GEAR UP national conference in Washington will be able to visit Johns Hopkins and Harvard to further enhance 

existing relationships with selective colleges as well as the four local universities and three local community colleges with 

whom ESC GEAR UP in South Texas partners with.

ESC GEAR UP in South Texas has already made great strides with college match. Working with Harvard University and 

Texas Instruments, eight local teachers from the GEAR UP schools in this area have been participating in a Masters of 

Mathematics for Teaching. This partnership will help provide highly rigorous dual enrollment College Algebra classes to 

GEAR UP students during their junior and senior year. The project also connects former Rio Grande Valley residents with 

current Ivy League students as well as graduates from these top tier institutions via webinars and face-to-face mentoring 

opportunities.

Helmsley Charitable Trust

Helmsley Charitable Trust builds multi-million-dollar funding effort to increase the number of students who complete 

with STEM college degrees: Responding to the national need recognized by PCAST and a broad range of education and 

workforce experts, the Helmsley Charitable Trust’s Education Program expects to invest $30 million from 2013 through 

2015 to support initiatives that will increase the number of college graduates in STEM fields through improvements in 

persistence to graduation. Helmsley has developed this program because it believes, first, that a sustained science and 

engineering workforce is a foundation for America's global leadership and economic competitiveness and, second, that 

education is the key to unlocking individual potential and providing pathways out of poverty through upward social 

mobility. In its first full year of grantmaking in undergraduate STEM education, the Trust has already approved over $14 

million in grants to networks of colleges and universities. These grants were designed to improve student learning and 

engagement in introductory STEM courses as well as to promote the implementation of policies, systems, and other 

supports that will improve retention, especially for under-represented students. Grantees include the Association of 

American Universities, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, the Association of American Colleges and 

Universities, Achieving the Dream’s network of community colleges, Complete College America, Yale University's 

Center for Scientific Teaching, and the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Minority Serving Institutions, which will 

begin working with a network of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in early 2014.
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Hewlett Foundation

In 2014, Hewlett intends to recommend $2.5 million in additional specific investments to its Board as follows:

To help more students complete college, Hewlett will commit $500,000 to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement 

of Teaching (CFAT) for their Community College Pathways Program, which has developed two pathways “to-andthrough” college-level mathematics: Statway and Quantway, which, together represent a comprehensive approach to 

remedial mathematics reform. For two years running, Statway and Quantway have tripled the success rate compared to the 

traditional course sequence, with students completing their requirements in half the typical time. 

To increase access to redesigned high schools, Hewlett will commit $500K to Expeditionary Learning (EL) for expansion 

of their deeper learning curriculum and related teacher professional development—developed for New York state under a 

Race to the Top award and now adopted by a quarter of NY schools. The curriculum is based on EL’s practices with small 

district and charter high schools in 160 low income schools in 30 states achieving in some schools results such as 100 

percent college acceptance rates for 9 years running and 70 percent enrollment or graduation from college, compared to 

just over 10 percent for low SES students.

To measure critical college and career readiness skills, Hewlett will invest $1 million in support of new research on 

“harder-to-measure” college- and career-ready student outcome indicators—including support for an upcoming White 

House (Office of Science and Technology Policy) meeting of lead researchers, agencies, and philanthropy on February 3, 

2014. Research will address designing and conducting better assessments at scale; making assessment/data regarding 

deeper learning outcomes more applicable to learning, teaching, and continuous improvement; and identifying current 

research gaps regarding effective instructional approaches to difficult-to-measure outcomes.

To improve college affordability, Hewlett will provide $500K to Open Stax for development of free, Open Educational 

Resources community college textbooks. To date, OpenStax College has published six peer-reviewed textbooks (Physics, 

Introduction to Sociology, Biology, Concepts of Biology, Anatomy and Physiology and Introductory Statistics), which 

have been adopted by 400 institutions, saving 55,000 students a total of $5.2 million in just over one year. Outside the 

formal college textbook adoption process, an additional, 3 million people have accessed the textbooks online.

Despite ongoing education reform efforts, there remain high rates of remediation for those fortunate few students who 

attend college--and weak employment prospects for those even more fortunate few who graduate from college. From the 

Hewlett Foundation's vantage point, the problem does not stem from a failing system, but rather from a significant 

misalignment in the system's pipeline, from K-12-to-higher education-to-workforce, which has resulted in damaging 

consequences for students, and most drastically for students of color and for students from communities of poverty. A key 

factor that contributes to this misalignment is incorrect signaling. Although research indicates there is a set of core 

competencies that are necessary to prepare students for college, career, and success in life, higher education is not 

signaling these as clear targets for high schools and, similarly, the employment sector does not communicate well that 

these competencies are the outcomes it needs from both the K-12 and higher education systems. As a result, many schools 

have been left focusing on teaching and testing rote learning outcomes that are no longer relevant or highly valued. 

Therefore, the Hewlett Foundation is capitalizing on current opportunities to straighten out the pipeline through 

implementing new forms of measurement and assessments that clearly address these key competencies and provide a 

means to identify the best instructional practices in line with them and hold schools accountable for students' success in 

acquiring these skills.

Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU)

HACU is committed to working with the President and his Administration to continue to strengthen the capacity of 

Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) to enroll and help our nation’s most vulnerable students succeed in higher 

education. HACU is especially committed to continuing to engage elected officials from both sides of the aisle at the 

national and local levels to ensure HSIs get the resources they need to get more Hispanic students to pursue their higher 

education goals. HACU’s efforts also include increasing the number of Hispanic students entering the STEM fields 

through the development of a HACU STEM Taskforce. HACU is committed to creating more and wider collaborations 

between Hispanic Serving School Districts (HSSDs) and HSIs throughout the nation in order to contribute to improving 

the cradle to career pipeline.
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Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Howard Hughes Medical Institute announces five-year $65M commitment to improve retention of college students in 

STEM, especially those under-represented in sciences. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s 2014 “Sustaining 

Excellence” Initiative is challenging the nation’s research universities to develop effective strategies that can lead to 

significant and sustained improvement in the persistence in science by all students, including students who belong to 

groups underrepresented in science. To date, 170 leading research universities submitted proposals in response to HHMI’s 

call. To meet this critical opportunity, HHMI expects to make awards totaling $65 million over five years and will 

announce the recipients in the late spring 2014. More information about this program can be found at 

http://www.hhmi.org/programs/2014-universities.pdf.

"I Have A Dream" Foundation 

The “I Have A Dream” Foundation (IHDF) commits to developing a comprehensive Alumni and Postsecondary program 

to support their network of over 12,300 Alumni and nearly 3,000 future Alumni. The Foundation will partner with 

Executive and Program Directors from local programs as well as with Dreamers currently enrolled in or who recently 

graduated from college to develop a network-wide postsecondary program that offers Dreamers a range of activities, 

services, and resources necessary for college readiness and success. These resources will eventually be delivered through 

a combination of social media and more traditional communication methods. IHDF will also define and implement a 

comprehensive data collection strategy in order to identify and support Dreamers who are ‘at-risk’ of not completing their 

postsecondary credential. Finally, the Foundation will host a National College Dreamer Leadership Conference in the 

summer of 2014 to directly provide Dreamers with a series of college and career resources.

The “I Have A Dream” Foundation also commits to opening and funding College Savings Accounts (CSAs) for Dreamers 

in their network and tying the funding of Dreamers’ CSAs to the achievement and celebration of specific evidence-based 

milestones that are critical achievements towards attending, and succeeding in, college, such as completing the 

SAT/ACT. CSAs have been shown to positively impact the college-going and graduation rates of children living in 

under-resourced communities, even when funded with relatively nominal amounts. IHDF plans to pilot the CSA program 

with minimally three affiliates around the country during the current school year, with the goal of rolling out the program 

across the broader network in following years. In IHDF’s current fiscal year, IHDF will also finalize the first full version 

of the IHDF College Roadmap, which lists the critical milestones a student must achieve on their path to and through 

college. Funding for student CSAs will be tied to the successful completion of milestones as outlined in the Roadmap.

Additionally, the Foundation will prepare to move the Roadmap online for user-friendliness, raise the necessary funds to 

seed Dreamer CSAs in minimally three cities, and provide CSA structure, administration, partnerships, event launch 

planning, and funds directly to CSA pilot program affiliates.

The "I Have A Dream" Foundation is building on their existing efforts to help children living in under-resourced 

communities achieve their full potential by promoting personal empowerment, high school graduation, postsecondary 

success, and financial support for postsecondary education. The foundation sponsors cohorts of students in underresourced public schools or housing developments, and works with these "Dreamers" from early elementary school all the 

way through high school. Upon high school graduation, each Dreamer receives guaranteed tuition assistance for higher 

education.

iMentor

iMentor has committed to matching 20,000 new students with mentoring in over 20 states over the next 5 years. iMentor 

partners with public high schools that serve first generation college students from low income communities and leverages 

mentoring relationships to significantly increase college entrance, persistence and completion rates for participating 

students and schools.

James Irvine Foundation

The James Irvine Foundation, through the Linked Learning practice it supports statewide in California, is helping to 

achieve the President’s goal of redesigning high schools to ensure students are prepared to succeed in post-secondary 

education and in a competitive workforce by providing $3.5 million in additional funding for California school districts 

that successfully apply for a Youth CareerConnect grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. Further, the Irvine 

Foundation, which has shepherded Linked Learning from its inception, will provide a grant of $1.5 million to the 
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California State University (CSU) system to educate teachers, counselors, and principals at high schools that are part of 

the growing Linked Learning movement. Linked Learning integrates rigorous academics with career-based learning and 

real world workplace experiences. Linked Learning is posting measurable success for high school students. The practice 

ignites students’ passions by creating meaningful learning experiences through career-oriented pathways in the state’s 

high-demand fields such as engineering, health sciences, law, entertainment, and more. When students love what they 

learn, they work harder, dream bigger, and learn more. This is successfully helping to strengthen America’s talent 

pipeline.

The Irvine Foundation’s additional funding aligned with the Youth CareerConnect grants builds on the Foundation’s longterm commitment to create and grow the Linked Learning movement. With total investments from the Irvine Foundation 

of more than $100 million, Linked Learning has evolved from a promising concept to a growing movement with 

demonstrated success. Within California, the Linked Learning approach has gained a broad, bipartisan base of support. 

This is best evidenced by the Linked Learning Alliance, a statewide alliance of more than 140 education, business, 

industry and community organizations. Originating in 2006, Linked Learning grew to nine districts through a multiregional district initiative and is now expanding throughout the state. In 2012, the California legislature approved a bill to 

support the expansion of Linked Learning to 63 districts. In 2013, $250 million was included in the state budget to fund 

career pathway programs, including Linked Learning pathways. When the pilot program is fully implemented, Linked 

Learning will be available to more than one-third of the State’s high school students.

Jobs for the Future

Jobs for the Future will support the launch of three new statewide Student Success Centers this year, to join four existing 

Centers in Arkansas, Michigan, Ohio, and Texas (which serve 123 community colleges). These staffed entities will link 

all public community colleges in their state around a success agenda committed to the dramatic reduction in remediation 

enrollments and a corresponding increase in the number of students who enter high value programs of study in their first 

year and move efficiently to degree completion and/or transfer. This effort is supported by the Kresge Foundation.

Jobs for the Future commits to supporting three states (Arkansas, Georgia, and Kentucky) in doubling the number of 

underprepared adult students who earn occupational credentials in the coming year through community college programs 

that integrate remediation into credit programs aligned with employer demand. Like Kansas and Illinois, who are 

announcing a similar commitment, these states are significantly expanding the Accelerating Opportunity model, in which 

over 40 percent of low-skill adults earn 12+ college credits, whereas nationally, only 4-6 percent of similar students earn 

any college credit. The Accelerating Opportunity initiative is supported by the Gates, Joyce, Kresge, Kellogg, and 

University of Phoenix foundations.

In early 2014, Achieving the Dream, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and Jobs for the Future will 

jointly explore with community colleges, higher education organizations, philanthropy and other stakeholders the 

feasibility of creating a "Breakthrough Collaborative"—a shared-learning approach from health care reform—for colleges 

willing to collect common data and progress markers and to learn together as they implement and improve promising 

practices that accelerate progress through remediation and gateway courses, including for students least ready for college.

JFF supports over 250 early college high schools around the country that are organized around a grades 9-14 model, 

located typically on a college campus. Underprepared students accelerate through a college-focused curriculum that 

results in over 90 percent of student earning some college credit while in high school and more than 20 percent earning an 

associate’s degree by the time they complete high school.

JFF manages a seven-state initiative in which over 70 community colleges are helping low-skilled adults enter and 

complete occupational credentials of 12 credits or more by implementing pathways that integrate remediation with college 

credit courses, are linked to career pathways to further certificates and degrees, and are aligned with labor market demand.

For almost a decade, JFF has led and convened a state policy network, currently involving teams from a dozen states, 

designed to identify, promote, and accelerate the implementation of a community college student success and completion 

policy agenda. States in our network—Virginia, North Carolina, Connecticut, Florida, and Massachusetts, for example—

are leaders in the statewide redesign of developmental education policy.

Working with a number of national organizations, JFF supports the implementation at nine colleges in three states 
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(Florida, North Carolina, and Ohio) that are pioneering a dramatic redesign of college pathways to improve persistence 

and completion. JFF works with state teams to promote learning and diffusion of successful strategies statewide, through 

institutional adoption and supportive system and state policies.

John M. Belk Endowment 

In a first-of-its-kind partnership, the newly-formed John M. Belk Endowment will provide $10 million over three years to 

the College Advising Corps to support higher education access in rural North Carolina. The College Advising Corps 

places recent college graduates as advisers in underserved high schools to increase the number of low-income, first 

generation, and underrepresented students entering and completing higher education. Over three years, the Endowment's 

funding will allow the College Advising Corps to partner with Davidson College, North Carolina State University, and the 

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to place 60 advisers in 60 underserved rural high schools across the state. 

These advisers will serve over 54,000 rural students over the 3 years. The Endowment believes this investment will help 

create a 21st century workforce by providing pathways for students to achieve their potential through education and serve 

as a model for other states. 

Based in Charlotte, N.C., the John M. Belk Endowment is a private family foundation whose newly defined mission is to 

empower the 21st century workforce by creating pathways to prosperity for underrepresented students by enhancing and 

innovating post-secondary educational opportunities in North Carolina. The JMB Endowment will award more than $13 

million annually in grants to programs and institutions aligned with its mission, which is based on the vision of its 

founder, the late John M. Belk, who served as the mayor of Charlotte and ran Belk, the nation’s largest family owned and 

operated department store company. Mr. Belk created the JMB Endowment in 1995 to fund a national merit scholarship 

program for his beloved alma mater, Davidson College. For more information, go to www.jmbendowment.org.

Joyce Foundation

The Joyce Foundation will award three grants, totaling $1.4 million, in December 2013 to support the creation and 

promotion of educational technologies to help adult learners improve their literacy, numeracy, and 21st century skills, 

such as critical thinking. Representing one of the first major investments by philanthropy in adult education technology, 

the objective of these grants is to directly improve college and career success for low-income workers by catalyzing a 

healthy market where new tools are being developed, tested, and implemented to improve adult student 

outcomes. Specifically, MIT Media Lab will develop several new education technology prototypes over the next two 

years based on extensive input from employers and educators. Digital Promise will lead a national conversation about 

opportunities to accelerate adult learning through use of digital tools and advancements in learning sciences and will 

facilitate partnerships for doing so. Ed Surge, an online news organization, will help educational institutions and others 

navigate technology options by cataloguing and spotlighting promising education technology tools for adult learners. The 

Foundation also plans to make additional investments in 2014 to evaluate the effectiveness of existing adult education

technologies in order to help schools make better purchasing decisions, and to accelerate entrepreneurship by individuals 

and companies trying to address the adult learning challenge through technology.

The Joyce Foundation has a number of existing investments that aim to improve outcomes for low-income students. These 

include the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence which identifies colleges who do an outstanding job with 

learning outcomes, completion rates, labor market outcomes, and serving low income and minority students. They also 

have the Accelerating Opportunity Initiative, a systemic effort managed by Jobs for the Future in six states (Illinois, 

Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi) to create and scale up integrated training programs that combine 

adult education and college-level, credit-bearing occupational programs and provide a minimum of 18,000 students at 

least one marketable, stackable credit-bearing credential. Finally, with the support of the Joyce foundation, MDRC 

implemented and studied the “College Match” pilot intervention to address undermatching in eight low-income Chicago 

public high schools over the 2010-2012 period. Initial results were very promising and have led MDRC to refine and 

expand the pilot in New York City. 

Khan Academy

Khan Academy is developing a new college advising and counseling section geared to the needs of high potential, lowincome students (but relevant to all students) to help them successfully apply to selective colleges. In addition, Khan 

Academy is creating new college-prep features that focus students on the specific content they need to be prepared for 

college math placement tests.
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Khan Academy is a not-for-profit organization with the mission of providing a free world-class education for anyone, 

anywhere. Khan Academy provides free online educational materials that support personalized education for users of all 

ages in a scalable way. In the last two years, Khan Academy has reached over 100 million learners worldwide and 

delivered over 1.2 billion exercise problems

It is core to Khan Academy’s mission that anyone, no matter what their background, can access the educational materials 

they need to maximize their potential. Khan Academy is working with volunteers and foundations from across the world 

to translate all our videos and interactive problems into the top 10 spoken languages and recently launched a Spanish 

version of Khan Academy: es.khanacademy.org. Khan Academy will also be working with hundreds of community 

organizations within the United States to bring Khan Academy to low-income households in conjunction with the Internet 

Essentials program that provides low-cost broadband for families that qualify for the National School Lunch Program.

Kresge Foundation

The Kresge Foundation, along with Jobs for the Future, will support the launch of at least three new statewide Student 

Success Centers in 2014, to join four existing centers in Arkansas, Michigan, Ohio and Texas. The significant growth of 

initiatives designed to improve the number of Americans securing postsecondary credentials can sometimes pose 

challenges for policymakers and community colleges. These centers seek to link all of a state’s community colleges 

around a success agenda so that they can best adapt and scale-up the most applicable and effective of these emerging 

reforms.

The Kresge Foundation will provide $1 million to the California Community Foundation to support the Los Angeles 

Scholars Investment Fund (LASIF). Los Angeles is ground zero for the challenges facing the college completion 

agenda. Today, nearly half of all Los Angeles 9th graders will not graduate high school and of those who are admitted to 

college, a majority do not receive a degree. LASIF seeks to reverse this trend by providing counseling, academic 

preparation, college planning, family engagement, financial aid, mentoring, peer networks, internships and on-campus 

support to ensure that more young Angelenos apply to, attend and graduate from college. 

The Kresge Foundation invests approximately $20 million annually in programs designed to support postsecondary access 

and success, both to help low-income, under-represented and first generation students navigate to and through college, and 

to build the capacity of institutions whose primary mission is to serve these students, such as community colleges and 

minority serving institutions. Among Kresge’s programs designed to enhance student success is the $1 million Talent 

Dividend Prize, which will be awarded in the Fall of 2014 to the U.S. metro area that exhibits the greatest increase in the 

number of post-secondary degrees granted per capita. To help students make good choices for postsecondary learning, 

Kresge funds programs to expand college advising through support of the National College Advising Corps and other 

initiatives, such as MDRC’s College Matching Program, designed to find the most supportive colleges for low-income 

and first generation students. Kresge also funds programs seeking to enhance the effectiveness of developmental 

(remedial) courses, including support for the Carnegie Foundation’s Quantway/Statway developmental math pathways, 

and the University of Texas’s New Mathways developmental math sequence.

Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (LEDA)

LEDA’s commitment to the college pipeline will focus on expanding its program model and scaling the impact and scope 

of its work. Over the next year and a half, LEDA will growing the size of its current cohort by at least 50 percent in 

collaboration with its current higher education partner, Princeton University. Over the next three to five years, LEDA will 

implement a financially viable and programmatically sustainable strategic plan through the creation of a consortium of 

selective colleges and universities that will (a) replicate the success of the original program model in order to increase the 

number of cohorts served, (b) increase LEDA’s geographic footprint and reach, and (c) institutionalize proven best 

practices in recruitment, preparation, college guidance and college success.

LEDA will document practices in the areas of talent identification, recruitment, college guidance, freshman transition and 

college success for talented low-income students. LEDA will continue to expand its recruitment efforts both 

geographically and by leveraging its expertise in identifying “under the radar” students who are academically gifted but 

are not familiar with the range of college options available to them. In order to disseminate best practices and to grow the 

pipeline of eligible students for LEDA and its partner institutions, LEDA will join forces with national, regional and local 

nonprofit organizations dedicated to supporting college opportunity initiatives for low-income students. In an effort to 
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build the knowledge pool of outcomes of various interventions that garner success for low-income students, LEDA will 

formulate the parameters for, and implement, a longitudinal evaluation of this population.

LEDA is a national not-for-profit dedicated to diversifying our nation’s leadership pipeline by helping academically gifted 

students from low-income backgrounds gain admission to, and succeed at, our nation’s most selective colleges and 

universities. LEDA Scholars have come from 40 states and the District of Columbia, with a median family income of 

$36,000. 75 percent of LEDA Scholars have enrolled in our nation’s Most Competitive colleges and universities (as 

classified by Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges), they have an average college GPA of 3.3, and a six-year college 

graduation rate of 96 percent. 

National Association For Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO)

The National Association For Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO) commits to expanding its partnership 

with the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools, with a goal of annually establishing a Freedom School on or near 10 

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs) from 2014-2017. 

Freedom Schools offer summer and after-school enrichment that provide low-income children high quality academic 

instruction; promote civic engagement and social action; parental and family involvement; and good nutrition and health 

habits.

NAFEO also commits to expanding its work around the Five-Fifths Agenda for America (FFFA) model designed to 

increase the number of black male bachelor’s degree graduates, teachers and STEM graduates with a goal of adding three 

additional demonstration projects on HBCU/PBI campuses between 2014 and 2017.

NAFEO commits to increasing HBCU/PBI participation in the Mentoring Cares Network HBCU Rising STEM initiative 

with a goal of involving 5 universities, annually until all 15 HBCUs with ABET certified Schools of Engineering are 

participating in the HBCU Rising STEM initiative in order to have 25 percent of all HBCU students serving as mentors by 

2017.

In a 2010 National Dialogue on Blacks in Higher Education hosted by NAFEO and co-hosted by a range of diverse 

stakeholders, NAFEO and a diverse group of 200 national African American associations agreed on a number of 

collaborative actions to put more low-income students on the pathway to college success. Several of the actions NAFEO 

agreed to lead are designed to expand or accelerate early intervention efforts that place or keep more low-income students 

on the pathway from cradle to college and career.

NAFEO commits to continuing, accelerating the pace of the work, and expanding its efforts to establish ten (10) Centers 

of Excellence in STEAM on or around HBCU and MSI campuses to identify and model promising practices for moving 

HBCU and MSI students through completion of 2- and 4-year as well as graduate degrees in STEM; NAFEO commits to 

accelerating its efforts at identifying and modeling promising practices for moving HBCU and MSI students through 

completion of 2- and 4-year as well as graduate degrees in STEM; and

NAFEO commits to accelerating its efforts to establish Promise Communities in the service areas of HBCUs and PBIs to 

assist in increasing the tax base in those service areas, then engaging the residents in leveraging their dollars for needbased scholarships for students attending the colleges in their service areas as we as institutional aid. 

National Center for Academic Transformation (NCAT)

The National Center for Academic Transformation (NCAT) commits to publishing two new guides on how to 

successfully complete a course redesign in mathematics. Both guides integrate what NCAT has learned over the past 13 

years and can be used independently by institutions, systems and states without direct NCAT intervention. The 

guidebooks are free of charge and can be reprinted with attribution for non-commercial purposes.

NCAT commits to continuing the Redesign Scholars Program, which links those new to course redesign with moreexperienced colleagues to whom they can turn for advice and support. Trained in NCAT?s course redesign methodology, 

Redesign Scholars have led successful redesigns that have been sustained over time. Individual institutions that want to 

initiate course redesigns may wish to invite a Redesign Scholar to visit their campuses. NCAT has designated a number of 

Redesign Scholars in mathematics, 12 of whom have particular experience in modularizing the developmental math 

sequence using the Emporium Model.
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National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP)

NCCEP commits to gathering data about successful program models and practices currently in place across GEAR UP 

programs. In doing so, NCCEP will help assess the level and degree of college match strategies in the GEAR UP 

community, and help identify which practices have potential for scale. NCCEP will assist the U.S. Department of 

Education with in-person interviews with GEAR UP directors at the February 2014 NCCEP/GEAR UP Capacity-Building 

Workshop. NCCEP will also conduct a formal survey of the interventions used across GEAR UP, working in partnership 

with the Department to capture the most relevant data. Finally, NCCEP will host a focus group of GEAR UP state 

directors to explore the details of promising interventions.

NCCEP commits to helping share information and delivery models across the GEAR UP community, as well as other 

stakeholders across the broader college access community. NCCEP has agreed to host both a plenary session and a 

workshop session on college match for an audience of 1,200+ college access professionals at the February 2014 GEAR 

UP conference.

NCCEP is also committed to testing and refining promising strategies on the ground. NCCEP’s commitment to train 

participants in the GEAR UP Alumni Leadership Academy on the near-peer model and encourage their use of the model 

in their program work reflects this strategy.

Finally, NCCEP’s commitment to conduct an analysis of the data from the 15-state Evaluation Consortium reflects the 

need for more data to drive programming decisions. NCCEP’s analysis will help build understanding of the links between 

college visits and college match, and evaluate whether college visits are a promising strategy to increase match. The 

ability for college access programs to have programmatic data, college application data, college match data, and National 

Student Clearinghouse data for postsecondary enrollment verification purposes could provide the opportunity to build a 

conceptual framework for others to use as they conduct future GEAR UP and college access evaluations that incorporate 

the college match concept.

NCCEP serves as the national training and technical assistance provider to the GEAR UP grantees. The new 

commitments identified above build on NCCEP’s unique relationship with the grantees of GEAR UP, and NCCEP’s 

ability to help identify and share the best practices that emerge from GEAR UP practices on the ground. NCCEP is also 

uniquely positioned to work with GEAR UP programs to scale best practices that emerge from the discussion on 

supporting low-income students. GEAR UP grantees in 15 states are taking significant actions to improve their ability to 

measure and report outcomes, and use data to improve practice. They are the managing partner of GEAR UP College and 

Career Readiness Evaluation Consortium which fosters collaboration among its members; demonstrate the impact of 

GEAR UP across local, state, and national levels of implementation; and build a culture of evidenced-based assessment 

and decision-making. 

In addition to NCCEP’s commitments, several GEAR UP organizations have made individual commitments.

In West Virginia, three public four-year colleges and one public two-year college have committed to supporting a threeyear pilot project to provide intensive, personalized college counseling by text message. This project will begin serving 

approximately 1,000 students in January and will add at least 1,000 students each year during the three-year effort. West 

Virginia also commits to increasing developmental education reform efforts funded by Complete College America.

GEAR UP Massachusetts is committed to increasing the number of low-income and first-generation students applying to 

college through expansion of the Massachusetts College Application Celebration (MCAC), which works in collaboration 

with The American College Application Campaign (ACAC), an effort of the American Council on Education to increase 

the number of first-generation and low-income students pursuing a college degree or other higher education credential. 

The primary purpose of this effort is to help high school seniors navigate the complex college admissions process and 

ensure they apply to at least one postsecondary institution. The effort occurs during the school day, with a focus on 

students who might not otherwise apply to college.

GEAR UP at MiraCosta College commits to reviewing students' GPA, attendance, and other metrics every six weeks. 

Data is reviewed by teams with an action plan for student success celebrations and additional interventions.
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San Jose State University GEAR UP commits to providing math and English preparation for seniors to prepare their 

college readiness to meet early assessment requirements, encouraging GEAR UP senior students to apply for community 

college, assisting parents in filling out the FAFSA, and providing a pipeline for a successful transition from high school to 

college.

Oklahoma GEAR UP commits to paying for every high school junior in GEAR UP schools to take the ACT, continuing 

with ACT prep workshops, and participating in College APP week. 

Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) GEAR UP commits to identifying and collaborating with stakeholders in 

Texas whose mission relates to college match, intervention, test preparation, and remediation strategies. The college also 

commits to creating a paradigm that results in the most effective and efficient means of dramatically increasing academic 

readiness starting at middle school continuing through the completion of high school. TAMIU also commits to addressing 

variables such as financial literacy throughout high school, successful identification and application to private 

scholarships (both merit and need based), successful completion and processing of the FAFSA (application for financial 

aid), successful assessment (ACT & SAT) preparation starting in 10th grade, and successful selection and application to a 

minimum of five postsecondary institutions.

National Education Foundation

The National Education Foundation, a federation of philanthropists, corporate, and nonprofit leaders, will accelerate 

corporate and philanthropic commitments to encourage leaders to support local college success programs through private 

support including scholarship funds, pro-bono business services and consulting, board service and corporate volunteers 

for FAFSA completion, mentoring, and creating a National Scholarship Fund for low-income students. The National 

Scholarship Fund will partner with the National College Access Network (NCAN) to distribute scholarship dollars 

through hundreds of NCAN member programs around the country, such as the Denver Scholarship Foundation, the 

College Success Foundation, and the District of Columbia College Access Program. These organizations will raise the 

dollars locally as well as provide scholarship recipients with the support services proven to increase college enrollment 

and graduation for low-income students.

National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC)

NACAC will offer free resources to school counselors from every public high school in the U.S. to ensure that all 

counselors have resources from trusted sources, such as NACAC and the U.S. Department of Education, to assist them in 

guiding students and families on the path to postsecondary education. NACAC seeks to reach more than 50,000 

counselors in nearly 20,000 U.S. public high schools.

NACAC will provide training for counselors and other staff in college readiness counseling, with the goal of improving 

college enrollment outcomes for underrepresented students. NACAC will use its comprehensive “Step-by-Step to

College” curriculum to train counselors from the six diverse, large school districts in the U.S. in reaching students with 

college readiness information early in their academic experience.

NACAC will raise awareness of community college and transfer admission as viable pathways to a baccalaureate degree 

by developing resources for the professionals who assist students in the transition to higher education. Specifically, 

NACAC will deliver research- and policy-to-practice information about non-traditional paths to the baccalaureate degree 

to more than 100,000 professionals serving as high school counselors, 2-year college admission and advising officers, and 

4-year college admission officers in 2014.

NACAC will work with postsecondary institutions through our National College Fair program to (1) increase the number 

of under-represented students at the Fairs, (2) offer training for school counselors who work with under-represented 

students, and (3) work with school districts with large numbers of low-income students to address college access gaps. 

NACAC’s 59 National College Fairs reach more than 850,000 students annually, a number NACAC seeks to increase to 1 

million through this initiative.

The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), founded in 1937, is an organization of more than 

13,000 professionals from around the world dedicated to serving students as they make choices about pursuing 
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postsecondary education. NACAC is committed to maintaining high standards that foster ethical and social responsibility 

among those involved in the transition process.

National College Access Network (NCAN)

NCAN commits to expanding its work to increase college access and success for students by offering the following new 

services to the college access and success field: publishing an annual, national benchmarking report on college access and 

success programs, developing an online platform to teach college access advising skills, developing a texting system to 

improve “nudging” for students on key college-going tasks, and promoting increased use of AmeriCorps for college 

access advising.

Each of these commitments will increase the ability of practitioners to expand college access. A national benchmarking 

report will allow the community to know the outcomes of their work. The online platform to expand training will teach a 

broader community the skills needed to assist students throughout the college going process. The texting system will 

provide a tool programs can use the implement nudging, shown in recent research to motivate students and to help them 

meet deadlines. Finally, encouraging additional community programs to apply for AmeriCorps grants will leverage 

resources to place more advisors with students.

Forty four college access programs, including nationwide programs such as KIPP through College and Strive Network; 

two statewide college access networks (Florida and Tennessee); and four state higher education offices (Illinois, 

Maryland, Utah, and West Virginia), all committed to expanding their work to increase college access and success for 

low-income students. Expansions primarily include adding new services or expanding existing services to new schools; 

however, Bottom Line of Massachusetts and New York recently announced an expansion to Chicago, IL and expects to 

add another location in 2015. 

Thirty-seven organizations committed to expanding their early awareness activities. Currently, these organizations offer 

early awareness college access services to approximately 59,000 students nationwide. After the pledged expansion, which 

will take one to five years depending on organization, over 140,000 will receive early awareness services. Primarily, the 

services will include workshops for middle school students to learn about college, how to apply to go, and how to pay for 

it. Additionally, new training will be available for teachers and counselors. Organizations will also increase the number of 

students visiting college campuses. Included in the 37 commitments are three state higher education agencies looking to 

expand their direct service to middle school students: Illinois, Maryland, and Utah. 

Twenty-six programs serving over 11,000 students with test preparation services committed to expanding their work to 

help over 30,000 students with test preparation. Strategies to assist students with test preparation include expanding the 

number of high schools where test preparation courses are available, making courses available to students earlier in high 

school and/or over the summer, training teachers to be able to offer test preparation courses, and offering courses for 

standardized tests not already covered such as PSAT. College Horizons, a program that works with Native American, 

Alaska and Hawaiian Native populations nationwide, will increase the number of students it targets to receive test 

preparation courses as well as fee waivers to take the exams. The Illinois Student Assistance Commission will mobilize 

its 100 near-peer mentors to promote usage of their free online test preparation materials. 

Thirty-nine programs will work to decrease undermatching and help students matriculate to the institution of higher 

education where they are most likely to succeed. Strategies for expanding this work include increasing the number of days 

advisors will spend in high schools, offering services at previously unserved high schools, adding summer components to 

the college selection process, and expanding college visits and fairs. Highlights include: KIPP through College will pilot 

two college matching tools with their students, Denver Scholarship Foundation will engage corporate partners and 

program alumni to participate in speed mentoring and application days, and Tennessee College Access and Success 

Network will partner with Lipscomb University to create a college access training program so more adults will learn how 

to help students successfully apply for colleges that are a good match and fit.

Twenty-five organizations committed to working to prevent remediation or support remediation services. The majority of 

the strategies are to prevent the need for remediation, including: summer courses for high school students, high school 

transcript review, highlighting the impact of remediation in college counseling, and Accuplacer test preparation. Of note, 

the Northern Virginia Community College is expanding their Pathway Connection program, which works with struggling 

10th-12th graders to prevent the need for remediation. For students in remediation, maintaining access with their near peer 
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mentor to help keep them on track is also important. States are working to address remediation as well: Utah’s institutions 

are focusing on math by using flipped classrooms, technologically enhanced classes, and allowing students to complete 

more than remedial math course a semester; and West Virginia and Maryland are both working with Complete College 

America initiatives. 

Building on Existing Efforts. The mission of the National College Access Network is to build, strengthen, and empower 

communities committed to college access and success so that all students, especially those underrepresented in 

postsecondary education, can achieve their educational dreams. With hundreds of members that represent over two 

million students nationwide, NCAN helps its members serve students better by providing programs with up-to-date tools 

and resources, connecting them to each other, and informing them of developments in the field. By building the capacity 

of college access programs, university outreach centers, and state systems of higher education, NCAN facilitates more 

robust and expanding services for underrepresented middle and high school students on their path to postsecondary 

educational success.

National College Advising Corps (NCAC)

The College Advising Corps is announcing it will grow by 34 percent in the 2014-15 school year, adding 129 advisers and 

serving 38,700 additional students. Including multiple-year commitments made by funders and universities, over three 

years, these commitments will serve 82,200 students. Currently the College Advising Corps, in partnership with 23 

universities, places recent college graduates in underserved high schools to increase the number of low-income, first 

generation, and underrepresented students entering and completing college. CAC’s advisers are a diverse and effective 

group of public servants: 69 percent are from underrepresented populations, 63 percent were Pell eligible when they were 

students, and 54 percent were first in their families to go to college. New university partners include, Davidson, NC State, 

and Washington University in St. Louis. University partners expanding the number of advisers they will support include 

Brown, University of California-Berkeley, University of Illinois, University of Michigan, University of Missouri, 

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Southern California, and University of Virginia. Including the 

new commitment above, 504 advisers will be placed in 552 high schools and will serve 165,000 students in the 2014-2015 

school year. Beyond the 2014-15 expansion, the Advising Corps commits to continue to scale over the next five years 

with a growth target of 1,000 high school placements and 300,000 students served per year.

New Mathways Project

In collaboration with the Texas Association of Community Colleges, the Charles A Dana Center at The University of 

Texas at Austin has received the support of all 50 community college districts in Texas to develop the New Mathways 

Project (NMP), a systemic approach to improving student success and completion of developmental and gateway 

mathematics through development and implementation of accelerated mathematics pathways in statistics, quantitative 

reasoning and STEM-preparation. NMP commits to scaling the NMP to 75-100 percent of colleges in Texas by 2016 and 

to reach 25-50 percent of the target population within implementing institutions. A second commitment of the NMP is to 

expand their approach to multiple, accelerated mathematics pathways to two additional states by 2016.

OneGoal

OneGoal commits to grow to serve 5,000 students annually in five markets by 2017. This spring, OneGoal will serve 

2,500 students in two markets – Chicago and Houston—through its corps of 70+ high-performing teachers trained to 

deliver the OneGoal course to high school students. Second, OneGoal will prioritize innovations that not only work for 

the student population we directly serve but those innovations that also have systemic implications for all students. And to 

augment our efforts, we commit to work alongside K-12 partners and the broader higher education community to 

disseminate and replicate the lessons we collectively learn in order to reach the President’s 2020 College Completion 

Goal.

OneGoal strives to empower low-income high school students that match at the lowest selectivity tiers to reach their full 

potential and graduate from college. OneGoal provides the district’s highest performing teachers - those already working 

in and paid by high poverty high schools – with training and support to teach the OneGoal course to low-income students, 

offered every day of junior year and senior year of high school. The students, teacher, and content move online during 

freshmen year of college to bridge the gap between high school and college and ensure students persist to graduation with

the tools, habits, and confidence to succeed on their own. The OneGoal course – as featured in Paul Tough’s bestselling 

book How Children Succeed – is grounded in a 1,400-page curriculum that focuses on developing noncognitive skills, 
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improving academic performance in core high school classes and standardized tests, enrolling in a match college, and 

succeeding during the critical first year of college. To date, 87 percent of OneGoal's high school graduates have enrolled 

in college, in some cases at rates more than double the local average for students matching at similar tiers. Of the 

OneGoal students who enroll, 85 percent are persisting in college or have graduated with a college degree.

Pearson

Pearson commits to working with 50 institutions and their low-income and remedial students, over three years, to analyze 

how students learn and where they struggle. Through this work, Pearson will identify best practices and help institutions 

as they redesign their course offerings to better support the success of all students regardless of their income or level of 

academic preparedness. The ultimate goal of this work is to help institutions across the United States make statistically 

significant improvement in the number of students completing credit bearing courses.

PG&E

PG&E will commit $1 million by 2016 to high school redesign efforts. This funding may go towards existing academy 

support, new academies and/or other programs that support low-income student success.

PG&E will expand the number of PG&E New Energy Academies by 50 percent by 2016. The partnership academy model 

has proven to be successful particularly with underserved and at-risk students. When the required curriculum is provided 

in a relevant manner and the students understand how what they are learning can be applied in the “real world” to solve 

problems, make change, and advance society, these students begin to envision a future for themselves and their families. 

They plan to identify new opportunities and will support additional schools that express an interest in an energy-themed 

academy.

PG&E will graduate 1,000 PG&E New Energy Academy students by 2020. In 2015, nearly 150 seniors compose the first 

graduating class of the New Energy Academies. Nearly 80 percent of these students planned to attend community college 

or a 4-year university. They expect to see at least 1,000 graduates by 2020.

PG&E will maintain a college-bound rate of 75 percent or higher. Furthermore to supplement the efforts of the teaching 

staff, they will provide internships so that students can gain work experience to help them understand that a job can 

become a career with a college degree. Their mentoring program will endeavor to match students with mentors that can 

also serve as role models.

Finally, they will advocate for the expansion of partnership academies by connecting California school districts with state 

and federal funding opportunities: Funding opportunities exist for partnership academies through a special budget 

appropriation of $250 million. PG&E will assist in connecting school districts with these funding sources.

Posse Foundation

The Posse Foundation is announcing a doubling of the number of schools committed to supporting STEM Posses. The 

Posse Foundation is announcing 5 new college and university partners for STEM Posses, doubling the number of 

institutions committed to supporting STEM Posses and bringing the total number of top-tier Posse STEM partners to 

10. Over the next five years, these five schools will provide 250 students from diverse, urban backgrounds a total of $35 

million in full-tuition, four-year scholarships, helping them complete STEM degrees at some of the nation’s top colleges 

and universities doubling the number of students served by STEM Posses to 500 with a total of $70 million in full-tuition, 

four-year scholarships being provided. The five new university partners for STEM Posses include Davidson College, 

Georgetown University, Middlebury College, Pomona College, and Smith College. They join the current STEM Posse

partners which include Brandeis University, Bryn Mawr College, Franklin & Marshall College, Texas A&M University, 

and University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

Since 1989, The Posse Foundation has built a reputation for successfully supporting the educational aspirations of urban 

students in cities across the country. Its ultimate goal is to develop a new kind of leadership network in the United 

States—one that will better represent the nation’s shifting demographics at the tables where decisions are made. To date, 

Posse has sent close to 5,500 students to college. These Scholars have won $670 million in full-tuition four-year 

scholarships from Posse’s top-tier university and college partners, which today number 51. Most important, Posse 

Scholars are persisting and graduating at a rate of 90 percent—a rate that well exceeds the national average and equals or 
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exceeds the average graduation rates at most selective colleges and universities in the United States.

Starfish Retention Solutions

Starfish commits to partnering with a team of qualified researchers to analyze comprehensive data sets (including student 

engagement in instruction, student support referred and received, and student outcomes) from more than 200+ college and 

universities. The research will be focused on identifying student outreach and support strategies that help struggling 

students achieve greater success and persist in their education.

Starfish commits to creating a new position of Director of External Relations to continue its conversations with leading 

not-for-profits about promoting their research findings across its client community and modifying the Starfish software to 

build in relevant capabilities which automate processes discovered to be impactful from research findings. An example of 

this work is the automated generation of a Leading Indicators metrics recommended by the Education Trust so that 

colleges and universities have out-of-the-box analytics for every major student system in use. 

Starfish commits to developing a public domain Taxonomy of Student Support in collaboration with industry standards 

bodies and student services associations. This taxonomy will enable the detailed analysis of student support effectiveness 

across colleges and universities by providing a common language to describe and categorize student support 

activities. The adoption and promotion of the standard within the Starfish software and client community will allow 

detailed and rapid cross-institution research and benchmarking of more than 3 million students in their paths to success. 

Starfish Retention Solutions provides software and capacity-building services to colleges and universities to enable 

impactful student services to be efficiently delivered at scale and in a coordinated fashion. Its software solutions help 

students engage with an informed, connected campus community early enough to make a difference in the students’ 

persistence and academic success.

Student Success Initiatives at University of Texas

Student Success Initiatives (SSI) continues to be committed to directing 39 Achieving the Dream Leadership Coaches 

(mostly former community college CEOs). Leadership Coaches consult CEOs and administrative teams in over 200 

community colleges serving nearly 4 million students in 34 states. Leadership Coaches provide expert critical advice to 

support institutional transformation for improving student success—particularly aimed at helping low-income students 

and students of color, stay in school, gain college readiness, and earn a college certificate or degree. 

SSI directs the Gulf Coast Partners Achieving Student Success, a regional initiative for improving college readiness and 

student success, particularly for low-income students and students of color, through partnerships with eight Houston-area 

community colleges and 11 independent school districts. Participating colleges and schools will continue to implement 

and scale successful cross-sector improvements in college readiness and developmental education. 

SSI will continue to provide training for Texas community college trustees on the role of the board in improving student 

success, particularly board actions that impact low-income students, students of color, and under prepared developmental 

education students. The Board of Trustees Institute provides Texas community college trustees and CEOs expert advice 

for exemplary higher education policy and governance practices designed to support trustees commitment to actions to 

improve student success. Since its inception in 2007, 38 of the 50 Texas districts have participated in SSI related trustee 

training.

In partnership for national impact with the Association of Community College Trustees, SSI continues to commit to 

designing and implementing trustee training for community colleges in multiple states nationwide, with plans to expand to 

several additional states. Through the Governance Institute for Student Success, community college trustees and CEOs are 

provided expert advice and support in data-informed governance and the role of the board in improving student success, 

particularly board actions that impact low-income students, students of color, and under prepared students. 

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded Developmental Education Initiative (DEI) saw 15 ATD colleges in five 

states help students progress quickly through developmental education by focusing primarily on student services, 

curriculum redesign, and technology. SSI managed the provision of technical assistance providers/consultants.
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The California Leadership Alliance for Student Success (CLASS) initiative saw SSI and the Center for Community 

College Student Engagement (CCCSE) work with CEOs and trustees at 12 California community colleges to direct 

attention toward leadership strategies and policies to increase successful outcomes for students. Four publications resulted 

from this work.

United Negro College Fund (UNCF)

UNCF commits to using proceeds from revenues generated from the sale of the 1964 Civil Rights Act Commemorative 

Coin to sustain and enhance the capacity of UNCF member institutions to address the needs of low-income students and 

establish an endowed scholarship fund to support scholarships for minority students. In 2008, Congress designated UNCF 

as the beneficiary organization of revenues generated from the sale of the Coin. The new Coin, issued in 2014, celebrates 

the 50-year anniversary of the signing of this landmark legislation.

The UNCF College Account Program (UCAP) is a custom-designed college savings and scholarship initiative for lowincome students, conducted in partnership with Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) charter schools and 

Citibank. Students with savings accounts in UCAP schools are prepared for and more confident about attending college 

than others.

The Gates Millennium Scholars Program, which is administered by UNCF, provides significant college scholarships 

annually to over 1,000 high-achieving, low-income minority students. The GMS Program aims to educate a diverse new 

generation of leaders by expanding college opportunities and access with a suite academic, financial and personal 

supports.

In June 2013, UNCF launched a new, nationwide Better Futures Public Service Announcement (PSA) campaign. The 

new campaign was unveiled at the U.S. Department of Education, with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan; Dr. 

Michael L. Lomax, UNCF President and CEO; and Vernon Jordan, former UNCF Executive Director. UNCF’s Better 

Futures PSA campaign will continue during 2014 to help raise money for low-income, minority students to attend college 

by illustrating how providing financial support for deserving students to go to college is an investment in a better future 

for everyone.