Colleges and Universities and Their Stewardship of Place: A Guide for Developing Performance Measures for the Equity of Access and Student Success
| Title: | Colleges and Universities and Their Stewardship of Place: A Guide for Developing Performance Measures for the Equity of Access and Student Success |
| Author: | Kelly, Patrick J. Ewell, Peter T. |
| Date: | 2009 |
| Catalog #: | |
| Price: | FREE |
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| Description: |
As postsecondary education becomes a necessity for nearly all U.S. residents to compete for
living-wage jobs, the ability of colleges and universities to work collectively to expand access
and the opportunity to succeed is vital to our economic well-being. With the exception of a
relatively small set of institutions, institutional contributions to this national imperative
hinges on the degree to which they “act locally”. Based on extensive research conducted in a
variety of states, the vast majority of postsecondary institutions (two- and four-year) draw
their undergraduates from geographic areas that fit within a relatively small radius around the
institution. Despite this reality, many four-year institutions are reluctant to embrace the
regional service concept for fear that their reputations and desires to become more selective
might be threatened. The aspiration to become the best at serving their regions is rare, but
sorely needed across the U.S. This is especially true in regions that are becoming more
diverse – with growing racial/ethnic populations that are underserved. NCHEMS has worked with the National Association of Systems Heads (NASH) – with support from the Lumina Foundation for Education – to develop (1) empirically-based access regions for postsecondary institutions based on student enrollment patterns and (2) access, transition, and completion measures to gauge how well institutions serve their regions with respect to racial/ethnic equity. This work was conducted to provide additional information to the existing comparative college graduation rates by institution and race/ethnicity presented on the website www.collegeresults.org – developed by the Education Trust. |