Universities Join Forces to Help Lower-Income Students

Universities usually compete fiercely for students, research dollars and even bragging rights on the football field.

But a group of universities, including Arizona State, is banding together for a common goal: improving graduation rates for lower-income students.

The unusual alliance, announced earlier this month, brings together 11 major research universities to develop and share proven strategies for increasing student retention and graduation. Arizona State University (ASU) spearheaded the initiative.

“Rich kids have a better chance of getting college degrees,” ASU President Michael Crow says. “We’re going to even out that playing field so family income is no longer a predictor of college success. We’re going to innovate together.”

Schools in the University Innovation Alliance (www.theuia.org) have raised $5.7 million to create a national “playbook” of ideas that can be shared.

Among those involved in the alliance are The Ohio State University, Michigan State, Purdue, University of California-Riverside and The University of Texas at Austin. Crow is the alliance's chairman.

Nationally, about 59 percent of students earn bachelor’s degrees within six years. Students from higher-income families have significant advantages.

Wealthier families often prepare their children to go to college, Crow said. Lower-income and first-generation college students can have a tougher time adjusting. A 2011 study found that only one in 10 people from low-income families has a bachelor’s degree by age 25, compared with half of all people from high-income families.

Crow, who himself came from a lower-income family, said the traditional “sink or swim” attitude toward all college students is too simplistic. Technology can be used to help students’ progress toward earning degrees.

ASU plans to share with the other universities its eAdvisor technology. The Web-based system, introduced in 2007, helps a student track what classes are needed every semester and the projected graduate date. If a student decides to change majors, the system can figure out what classes are needed and how long it will take to earn a degree.

ASU junior Tatiana Jenkins used the eAdvisor technology to investigate academic majors at ASU before she entered the university. She was able to see all the required classes she would need to take for political science, broken down by semester.

ASU officials say the technology has helped improve four-year graduation rates among lower-income students from 26 percent to 41 percent.

The alliance is one of several initiatives that Crow has helped launch that are in line with the university’s mission of giving more students access to a college education. Over the summer, ASU partnered with Starbucks to provide online degrees to the coffee-shop giant's employees. Like the Starbucks initiative, the university alliance is aimed at increasing the percentage of adults with college degrees.

Eleven universities involved in alliance
Arizona State University, The Ohio State University, Georgia State University, University of California-Riverside, Iowa State University, Purdue University, University of Central Florida, Michigan State University, University of Kansas, Oregon State University and The University of Texas at Austin.

Featured

  • New Kent State Academic Building Earns LEED Silver Certification

    Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, recently announced that its newest academic building, Crawford Hall, has earned a LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, according to a news release. The facility was recognized for its innovative design, water conservation technologies, energy-efficient systems, and sustainable construction materials, among other features.

  • cutaway view of a modern school building, showing various rooms and zones

    Layering AI into HVAC Systems Shows Reduction in Carbon Emissions

    Heating and cooling systems are just one of the many new ways that AI can be integrated into schools. According to a new study from Schneider Electric's Sustainability Research Institute, AI-powered HVAC systems in schools can lead to significant carbon emissions savings.

  • Kraus-Anderson Continues Work in Minnesota School District

    Maple River Schools in Mapleton, Minn., recently began construction on another project included in a district long-range facilities plan. Construction management firm Kraus-Anderson recently began work on two new classrooms and an outdoor track and field facility, according to a news release.

  • K12 Tutoring Earns Every Student Succeeds Act Level II Validation

    Personalized online tutoring service K12 Tutoring recently announced that it has received Level II validation underneath the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), according to a news release. The independently validated study provides evidence of K12 Tutoring’s role in creating positive student outcomes through effective academic intervention and research-based solutions.

Digital Edition