Southern State Community College has joined the Complete College Accelerator, a nationwide initiative to improve student success and close gaps in college access and completion.
Southern State is one of 11 state partners and just over 80 higher education institutions nationwide, to join Complete College America, a national nonprofit organization on a mission to raise post secondary attainment nationally, in the initial Complete College Accelerator cohort.
With funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Intermediaries for Scale initiative, Complete College America will work with 11 state agencies over the next four years to implement research-based practices designed to dramatically increase college completion on a statewide scale.
“We are pleased to have been selected in this highly competitive process,” said Southern State Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs Dr. Erika Goodwin. “We are excited to collaborate with institutional teams to improve college completion outcomes for populations of students who have historically been excluded from higher education.”
Utilizing funding from the national grant program, Southern State will work with Complete College America to conduct assessments of institutional performance, build data capacity, and develop and implement strategies to improve student outcomes.
As part of the national Complete College Accelerator network, Southern State will have access to innovations and best practices from other Accelerator systems and institutions. Southern State will also share its successes and best practices with institutions nationwide as part of the Accelerator.
Nationally, about 90% of students from under-resourced families do not graduate within six years — let alone four. According to NASPA’s Center for First-generation Student Success, 56% of first-generation college students had not attained a post secondary credential after six years. Research from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics shows that six-year graduation rates for Black and Latin students stand at 51.5%, lower than graduation rates for White students.
The Complete College Accelerator builds upon CCA’s long track record of developing the capacity of states, higher education systems, and campuses to create and implement data-informed transformative policies and practices. The selection of state partners is the result of a competitive RFP process, which launched in February. Participating states were selected from members of the Complete College America Alliance, which includes senior leadership from states, systems, institutional consortia, partner organizations and selected the participating institutions.
To learn more, visit completecollege.org/intermediaries-for-scale.
Submitted by Elizabeth Burkard, director of marketing, Southern State Community College.
