While launching a new program requires a great deal of thinking and planning, few would have imagined the sudden emergence of the global pandemic that upended all our well laid plans in 2020 and 2021. Fortunately, the inaugural cohort of the ACE Learner Success Lab (LSL) not only pivoted successfully to a virtual environment, but learned to collaborate and thrive.
Author: ACE
Veterans Need Colleges to Keep Some Pandemic-Driven Changes
The flexibility that colleges and universities introduced during the pandemic provided an unexpected benefit for student veterans that shouldn’t be thrown out if and when the world can go back to normal, write Warrior-Scholar Project CEO Ryan Pavel and Amy Bernard of the Bush Institute.
Virtual Learning Can Be a Gateway to Increasing Equity in Higher Education
Much remains uncertain about what the fall 2021 semester will bring, but it’s increasingly obvious that expanded online offerings will be a welcome development—both now and for many years to come. Read more from Joseph I. Castro, chancellor of The California State University.
Bringing Jobs and Workers Together in the New Skills Economy
Bridging the disconnect between learners and employers requires a new approach to help open opportunities for people who have historically been underserved by the current system. Can blockchain help fill these gaps?
A Trauma-Informed Lens for Addressing Race-Based Incidents on Campus
As campuses deal with the impact of COVID-19 and systemic racism, campus leaders have an opportunity to make sustainable, structurally supported change that provides foundations for reparation, reconciliation, and healing for campus communities.
Do Institutions Really Know What Is Going on With Their Students’ Mental Health?
A number of studies, articles and blog posts in recent years have hinted that campuses are figuratively hanging off of a mental health cliff. Kate Wolfe-Lyga and Marcus Hotaling write that while numerous factors that have likely contributed to this increase in need, the main concern is whether colleges and universities have the capacity to support their students’ mental health.
Examining HR Hiring Practices for LGBTQ+ Professionals at Community Colleges
Research shows that students are more likely to persist and complete when they see themselves reflected in faculty, staff, and leadership on campus. How can we ensure that diversity in leadership extends to LGBTQ+ professionals, particularly at community colleges?
Congress Lifted the Pell Grant Ban for Incarcerated People. What Now?
With Pell Grant access restored, we can now move forward with more postsecondary programs in prison, which are an evidence-based way to shatter many of the inequities and obstacles associated with reentry that people with low-incomes and communities of color face—the very communities that colleges and universities are strive to serve better.
Innovating Transfer Through Regional Partnerships: Houston Guided Pathways to Success
Regional partnerships between two- and four-year institutions, like Houston GPS, are increasingly a critical means to bolster transfer and degree completion. Starting with seven institutions, it has grown to include 13 two- and four-year institutions with an aggregate enrollment of more than 300,000 students in the Houston-Gulf Coast region.
Regional Data-sharing Agreements: The Central Florida Education Ecosystem Database
Higher education is increasingly embracing the use of big data to increase and assess the effectiveness of institutional policies and practices and to drive needed change. The Central Florida Education Ecosystem Database (CFEED) offers one promising model for regional data-sharing agreements that can increase educational attainment.
Innovating the Transfer Pipeline Through Regional Partnerships
Collaboration between two-year sending and four-year receiving institutions is key to improving community college student transfer and graduation rates. The Central Florida Educational Ecosystem Database and Houston Guided Pathway to Success are two innovative models for achieving this goal.
A Call to Action Regarding Succession Planning and Sustainability
Presidential succession planning should be part of a broader process that takes into account the long-term sustainability, relevance, and impact of our colleges and universities, writes CUPA-HR President Andy Brantley.