Updates

Four new members join as Alliance of States continues to grow

Complete College America’s Alliance of States continues to add new, highly motivated states to its ranks. Kentucky, Maine, Missouri, and New Mexico have all pledged to make college completion a top priority and to work with Complete College America to help realize their goals. 

Alliance of States gains two new members, pushing total to 24

Both Minnesota and Florida have announced their membership in Complete College America’s Alliance of States.

Minnesota, a state that consistently ranks at the forefront of adult educational attainment levels “cannot afford to rest on past success,” according to Governor Tim Pawlenty.  The state understands the importance of measuring postsecondary outcomes as a key to unlocking its completion goals. Since 2007, the Office of Higher Education has published the Minnesota Measures Reports on Higher Education Performance, a series of annual policy and data reports that provide in-depth analysis of school performance and highlight key factors affecting the state’s retention and completion challenges. As a member of the Alliance, Minnesota will bring state and campus leaders together to improve college completion. The state will also be a great resource to other member states by sharing some of its model practices.

Florida is another valuable addition to the Alliance of States. Governor Charlie Crist has been an outspoken advocate of Florida’s educational advancement and has actively engaged the state in a number of initiatives to improve college performance. Florida has established itself as a leader in postsecondary innovation with programs like the State Course Numbering System, one of the most successful credit transfer programs in the country; an open-door remediation policy at state community colleges, and a dual enrollment program designed to attract some of the brightest high school students to Florida colleges. The state also gives out annual “best practice” awards to promote a sense of ownership in higher-ed policy and to spread innovation across institutions. Florida is committed to college completion as a means of creating more graduates to meet the demands of future job markets. Complete College America welcomes Florida to the Alliance, and knows that its exemplary dedication to higher education will be beneficial to all.

Georgia announces participation as the 22nd member of the Alliance of States

Georgia has further committed itself to college completion by becoming the 22^nd state to join Complete College America’s Alliance of States. Adoption of this agenda will serve as a welcome supplement to Georgia’s own recent push for postsecondary success. In the vanguard of the state’s completion agenda is the Graduation Rate Task Force, formed earlier this year, an initiative that identifies challenges and puts Georgia on the path to improving college outcomes. Georgia anticipates that participation in the Alliance will not only raise greater awareness of the vital importance of college completion, but will also unite all stakeholders in common cause to significantly boost college completion.

CCA at the White House Summit on Community College

Read our policy briefing [PDF] on the importance of time, choice, and structure.

Texas becomes 21^st member of Alliance of States

Governor Perry believes that, “to help students have the best life possible, we must give them the best education possible,” which is why he committed the Lone Star State as the twenty-first member of the Alliance of States. Since the beginning of fiscal year 2009, Texas has provided millions of dollars in incentive funding to institutions that increase the number of graduates, with bonus funding for at-risk and STEM field graduates. Texas also set ambitious college completion goals through their state’s higher education plan, which aims to close the gaps in student participation, student success, and institutional excellence and research by 2015. With one of the largest and most diverse populations in the country, Texas’s leadership and commitment to advancing higher education will strengthen the entire Alliance of States.

Oklahoma commits to college completion, joins Alliance of States

Oklahoma has committed to strengthening its public agenda for higher education by joining Complete College America’s Alliance of States. The state’s goals include better preparing students for success in postsecondary education, increasing the number of students enrolling and graduating from college, and ensuring those graduates are prepared for success in the increasingly competitive global economy. In his letter to Complete College America, Governor Henry states that, “Though great strides have been made by Oklahoma during the last decade to increase the number of students earning college degrees, Oklahoma’s place in the global economy will be determined largely by the future commitments we make to improve our educational system at all levels.” Participation in the Alliance will not only help Oklahoma further the state’s ambitious goals, but will also benefit other states aiming to provide world-class higher education for their citizens.

Arkansas commits to Alliance of States

Already a national leader for taking bold steps to increase college graduates in his state, Governor Beebe has committed Arkansas to do even more by joining the Alliance of States.  “I realize that, without improvement in this area, our economic development efforts will face enormous barriers,” observed the Governor in his letter to Complete College America.  Under his leadership, Arkansas has moved policies to raise awareness and ease applications for scholarships, cut costs for students, provide for seamless transfer of credits, demand accountability in higher education spending, and tie state funding to completed courses, not just enrollment.  All Alliance states will benefit from Arkansas’s involvement.

Louisiana joins Alliance of States (see press release)

Governor Jindal is crystal clear in his commitment letter to CCA: “It is critically important that we increase our college graduation rates and numbers, not only for the personal benefit of our students, but for the vitality of our state and national economy.”  Building on significant improvements like statewide articulation and transfer agreements and the adoption of rigorous performance standards, Governor Jindal and Sally Clausen, Commissioner of Higher Education, have committed Louisiana to dramatically increasing degree and credential completions while ensuring alignment with the state’s current and future workforce needs.  These efforts and more make Louisiana a valuable new member of the Complete College America Alliance of States.

17 states join the Complete College America Alliance of States.

Signifying their intent to take bold action, 17 states have joined Complete College America's Alliance of States, committing to set degree goals at state and campus levels, establish common measures of progress and publicly report results annually, and develop and implement action plans to graduate more students.

Complete College America Launches: five national foundations join together in support of state leadership on college completion  (see press release)

Complete College America officially launched on March 2, 2010, as a new organization dedicated to helping states implement the bold reforms necessary to bring about dramatic increases in the numbers of young adults with college degrees and other credentials of value, and to close the gaps in college attainment for low-income and underrepresented minority populations. Five of the nation's leading foundations have joined together in support of Complete College America's efforts:  Carnegie Corporation of New York, Ford Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and Lumina Foundation for Education. 

Complete College Tennessee Act  sets forth bold reforms to help more of the state's students earn a degree. 

Utilizing his power to call legislators into an “extraordinary session,” Governor Phil Bredesen and a nearly unanimous General Assembly have vaulted Tennessee to national leadership in college completion.  From simplifying course selection, to designing accelerated programs to graduate students faster, to simplifying credit transfers, to establishing a new statewide community college system, the Complete College Tennessee Act clearly demonstrates the state’s commitment to student success – and the economic benefits that result.  Read a synopsis of the Complete College Tennessee Act.