$2.4 million initiative aims to boost college completion for 21st Century Scholars INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Nearly 2,500 college freshmen at Indiana State University, IUPUI and Ivy Tech Community College will be connected with a trained “College Success Coach” this fall through a new state initiative designed to increase graduation rates by up to 15 percent for students enrolled in the state’s 21st Century Scholars program. Supported by a $2.4 million grant from USA Funds to the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, the coaching initiative is part of a larger redesign of Indiana’s early-promise scholarship program that emphasizes clearer expectations for students and proactive support at all levels. “For more than two decades, Indiana’s 21st Century Scholars program has made it possible for thousands of Hoosiers to afford a college education,” said Teresa Lubbers, Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education. “However, too many Scholars never make it to graduation day—leaving them with the dashed dreams and diminished career opportunities that come with some college but no degree. “We firmly believe that all Scholars can be successful, and a growing body of research indicates that an effective college coach can empower students to overcome the barriers that all too often prevent them from completing college and reaching their full potential.” College Coaching 101 The hallmark of college coaching is a one-on-one relationship that helps students to decide what they want out of college and then map out a plan to make it happen. During regular meetings, coaches encourage students to identify obstacles, create contingency plans, connect with on-campus resources and link their short-term actions to their long-term goals. Scholars will learn to balance work, personal commitments and financial challenges with a demanding academic load while developing time management and problem-solving skills that are critical to long-term success in college, their career path and in life. Only about 15 percent of 21st Century Scholars earn a two- or four-year degree on time, a graduation rate slightly above that of all low-income Hoosier students (9 percent) but below that of the state’s full-time college population overall (23 percent). A recent report by the American Educational Research Association confirmed that the coaching model developed by InsideTrack—the company selected to deliver Indiana’s coaching initiative—can increase on-time graduation rates by as much as 15 percent. Program Rollout & Sustainability “USA Funds’ financial support of this program is part of a broader partnership with our home state to provide Indiana students with fulfilling educational, career and life experiences,” said Carol D’Amico, USA Funds Executive Vice President, National Engagement and Philanthropy. “Our collaboration with the Indiana Commission for Higher Education and InsideTrack will lead to improved college success rates among 21st Century Scholars and provide a student success model that other Indiana colleges and universities and other states can adopt.” Through its service agreement with the state, InsideTrack has guaranteed a minimum increase in the percentage of Scholars completing their first year of college that is designed to make the service self-sustaining after the first year. InsideTrack also projects a 10-15 percent increase in the college completion rates of Scholars served by the program. Based on first-year performance, Indiana State University, IUPUI and Ivy Tech Community College have agreed to sustain the service for a second year using the additional tuition revenue and state funding that would result from the anticipated improvement in student retention. Indiana State University has been piloting the coaching service through InsideTrack over the past year with a representative sample of its freshmen students. Encouraged by the initial results, ISU will now be able to expand the service to include its entire entering class of 21st Century Scholars this fall. “InsideTrack worked with us to design a true impact study for which we can actually measure the effect of an intervention, coaching, and by extension, return on investment. This is rare in higher education, and I am hopeful this will also be true for the statewide 21st Century Scholars project,” said Dan Bradley, President of Indiana State University. 21st Century Scholars Program: Moving from Access to Success The new college coaching initiative is the latest step in a fundamental redesign of the 21st Century Scholars program led by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education since the agency assumed responsibility for the program two years ago. With support from the Indiana General Assembly, the early-promise scholarship now reflects a renewed emphasis on improving student preparation and college completion with changes that include: Improving college-readiness by requiring 21st Century Scholars to graduate high school with a 2.5 GPA and complete a Scholar Success Program that helps them prepare for the rigors of college; Keeping Scholars on track to graduate from college on time through new on-time credit completion requirements that expect students to earn at least 30 credits per academic year; and Providing more consistent and coordinated support for 21st Century Scholars from the time they enroll in the program to the day they graduate from college through expanded partnerships with local schools, colleges and community partners. Established in 1990, Indiana’s 21st Century Scholars program is a need-based, early-promise scholarship program that provides students the opportunity to earn up to a four years of paid tuition at an Indiana college. Learn more at Scholars.IN.gov About the Indiana Commission for Higher Education The Indiana Commission for Higher Education is a 14-member public body created in 1971 to define the missions of Indianas colleges and universities, plan and coordinate the states postsecondary education system, and ensure that Indianas higher education system is aligned to meet the needs of students and the state. Learn more at che.in.gov. About USA Funds Headquartered in Indianapolis, USA Funds is a nonprofit corporation that works to build a more purposeful path for America’s students to and through college and on to rewarding careers and successful lives. USA Funds pursues its nonprofit mission through philanthropic activities and partnerships, policy research, and programs and services that enhance preparation for, access to and success in higher education. Learn more at usafunds.org. About InsideTrack Society thrives when students succeed. Since 2001, InsideTrack has used a proven combination of coaching, analytics, consulting and technology to unlock potential in millions of students and the institutions they attend. We invite you to join the leading colleges, universities, foundations and others working with us to enhance the transformative power of higher education. Please visit us at insidetrack and follow us on Twitter @InsideTrack. College Success Coaching: Partner Testimonials “This past year we partnered with InsideTrack on a coaching project with 1,000 of our freshmen. The coaches are extraordinarily good at building relationships with students, helping them to set goals, and to coach them through the inevitable challenges that arise. Seeing the project scale for 21st Century Scholars across the state strikes me as one with great potential for improving retention and completion rates for this critical constituency to Indianas future.” Josh Powers, Associate Vice President for Student Success, Indiana State University At IUPUI, we focus a great deal of attention on supporting 21st Century Scholars through our Summer Bridge program as well as through targeted programming and peer mentoring. Because not all Scholars are able to take full advantage of these programs, our Inside Track partnership will help these students get connected with the many forms of supportive programming IUPUI offers.” Dr. Kathy E. Johnson, Associate Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Education, IUPUI “We are focused on ensuring the success of our students at Ivy Tech Community College. This partnership will add another resource that will help us connect with our students. Because of our enrollment and current staffing models the volume of students our advising team works with is very large so the timing of this partnership is critical. We know that our students face challenges along their journey and to have someone there to help them overcome those challenges is what will keep them engaged and moving forward towards their goals.” Jeff Fanter, Vice President Student Experience, Communications and Marketing, Ivy Tech Community College FACT SHEET: College Success Coaching for 21st Century Scholars Program Rationale For more than two decades, the 21st Century Scholars program has made it possible for thousands of low-income and first-generation Hoosiers to go to college. While the Scholars program is a national model in many respects, it has not lived up to its potential in a critical area: college completion. Program Design Research shows effective college coaching services deployed during the first-year campus experience can empower students to overcome barriers to college persistence and completion. The hallmark of the proven coaching model provided by InsideTrack is a one-on-one relationship that helps students assess what they want out of college and equips them to map out a purposeful plan to make it happen. Coached students tend to be more engaged on campus and more likely to take advantage of opportunities that develop the cognitive and non-cognitive skills required for success in their careers and in life. Partner Selection and Impact Indiana State University, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and Ivy Tech Community College were selected to participate in the state’s college coaching program through an application process open to all Indiana public and private colleges. The anticipated impact includes: A. Student Impact: Students who participate in the college coaching program are more likely to earn their degrees, and complete on time while minimizing college debt. B. Institution Impact: ISU, IUPUI and Ivy Tech will integrate evidence-based practices that increase student persistence and completion, resource utilization and operational efficiency. Data-rich reporting will give these college administrators greater insight into campus barriers to student retention and completion while providing opportunities to perform more effective root cause analysis. C. Statewide Impact: The primary benchmarks for evaluating the statewide impact of this program are: Persistence: A minimum 3% increase in Scholars completing their first year of post-secondary education. Completion: A 10-15% increase in Scholars attaining a post-secondary credential on time. Costs & Return on Investment The grant will cover 100% of the first year costs associated with the implementation of the InsideTrack program at IUPUI, ISU and Ivy Tech after which the program will be sustained by the additional tuition and state funding resulting from improved student retention.
Posted on: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 22:22:20 +0000
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