Colleges Selected for National Initiative
Boston, MA—(November 2, 2015)—Implementing guided academic and career pathways at scale—for all students—is the shared commitment of 30 colleges selected, through a highly competitive national process, to participate in the Pathways Project led by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).
Jobs for the Future is part of the national partnership, which is focused on building capacity for community colleges to implement a pathways approach to student success and college completion. Other partners are Achieving the Dream, Inc., the Aspen Institute, the Center for Community College Student Engagement, the Community College Research Center, the National Center for Inquiry and Improvement, and Public Agenda. These organizations have participated actively in the college selection process and also are substantively involved in designing and delivering a model series of six two-day pathways institutes, each focusing on key elements in a fully scaled pathway model for community colleges. The project is funded through a $5.2 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The Pathways colleges are in urban, suburban, and rural locations in 17 states, with fall headcount enrollments ranging from less than 3000 to almost 60,000 students. The selected institutions are:
Alamo Colleges (Texas)
Bakersfield College (California)
Broward College (Florida)
Cleveland State Community College (Tennesse)
Columbus State Community College (Ohio)
Community College of Philadelphia (Pennsylvania)
Cuyahoga Community College (Ohio)
El Paso Community College (Texas)
Front Range Community College (Colorado)
Indian River State College (Florida)
Irvine Valley College (California)
Jackson College (Michigan)
Lansing Community College (Michigan)
Linn Benton Community College (Oregon)
Monroe Community College (New York)
Mt. San Antonio College (California)
Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (Wisconsin)
Paris Junior College (Texas)
Pierce College District (Washington)
Prince George’s Community College (Maryland)
St. Petersburg College (Florida)
San Jacinto College (Texas)
Skagit Valley College (Washington)
Stanly Community College (North Carolina)
South Seattle Community College (Washington)
Tallahassee Community College (Florida)
Tulsa Community College (Oklahoma)
Wallace State College (Alabama)
Western Wyoming Community College (Wyoming)
Zane State College (Ohio)
The selected colleges will be the first to participate in the pathways institute series over the next 2.5 years and will work with expert coaches as well as Pathways partners at those institutes. In addition, the participating colleges themselves will contribute to learning both across the initiative and more broadly, across the community college field.
“Jobs for the Future is proud to continue working with our partners in the field on implementing pathways reforms at scale. This effort builds on our previous role as the state policy partner for Achieving the Dream, the Developmental Education Initiative, Completion by Design, and the Student Success Center Network,” said Michael L. Collins, Associate Vice President for Postsecondary State Policy at Jobs for the Future. “As JFF directly supports the Pathways Project, JFF’s Policy Leadership Trust for Student Success will also advance national thought leadership on how state and federal policy can support scaled implementation of pathways reforms, in the voices of college and state leaders.”
“These very diverse community colleges can feel proud of the strong foundations they have laid for this transformational work,” said AACC president Walter G. Bumphus. “We are pleased with the rigor and integrity that the Pathways partners have ensured in the selection process, and all of the partners look forward to the intensive work ahead.”
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Additional Contacts:
Kay McClenney, Ph.D.
Senior Advisor to the President/CEO
American Association of Community Colleges
kmcclenney@aacc.nche.edu
Gretchen Schmidt, Ed.D.
Executive Director, Pathways Project
American Association of Community Colleges
gschmidt@aacc.nche.edu
