NAICU and CIC Unveil Website Designed to Support Student Access
and Success Efforts at Private Colleges and Universities
Project Supports National Goal of Making U.S. First Again in College Completion
WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept. 23, 2010 - The National Association of Independent Colleges
and Universities (NAICU) and Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) unveiled a new
website ( www.buildingblocks2020.org) today designed to highlight and support efforts by nonprofit private colleges and
universities to increase the number of at-risk students they enroll, and to boost
the retention and graduation rates of various student populations.
The website is the central component of Blocking Blocks to 2020, a national initiative
organized by NAICU and CIC to help the nation meet President Obama's call to make
the United States first in college completion by 2020.
The website provides opportunities for campus professionals working on the front lines
of student access, retention, and completion to learn from the experiences of other
colleges, and to mine for practices and policies that fit their individual institutional
missions and student populations. The website will also serve as an information resource
for consumers and policymakers who are interested in what colleges are doing to not
only reach out to students from diverse backgrounds, but boost their chances of earning
a degree. The number and diversity of institutions and programs represented on the
website will grow, as NAICU continues to gather and post material from colleges and
universities.
At the moment, the Building Blocks to 2020 website provides summaries of 535 existing
or proposed programs at 250 nonprofit private colleges and universities. Summaries
of programs can be browsed alphabetically by institution, and by state, and are searchable
by 34 topics.
NAICU and CIC Unveil Website Designed to Support Student Access
and Success Efforts at Private Colleges and Universities
Project Supports National Goal of Making U.S. First Again in College Completion
WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept. 23, 2010 - The National Association of Independent Colleges
and Universities (NAICU) and Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) unveiled a new
website ( www.buildingblocks2020.org) today designed to highlight and support efforts by nonprofit private colleges and
universities to increase the number of at-risk students they enroll, and to boost
the retention and graduation rates of various student populations.
The website is the central component of Blocking Blocks to 2020, a national initiative
organized by NAICU and CIC to help the nation meet President Obama's call to make
the United States first in college completion by 2020.
The website provides opportunities for campus professionals working on the front lines
of student access, retention, and completion to learn from the experiences of other
colleges, and to mine for practices and policies that fit their individual institutional
missions and student populations. The website will also serve as an information resource
for consumers and policymakers who are interested in what colleges are doing to not
only reach out to students from diverse backgrounds, but boost their chances of earning
a degree. The number and diversity of institutions and programs represented on the
website will grow, as NAICU continues to gather and post material from colleges and
universities.
At the moment, the Building Blocks to 2020 website provides summaries of 535 existing
or proposed programs at 250 nonprofit private colleges and universities. Summaries
of programs can be browsed alphabetically by institution, and by state, and are searchable
by 34 topics.
Programs featured from Hope include the FOCUS program, a program for a small group
of at-risk incoming freshmen, and opportunities for undergraduate research in the
natural sciences to all students in the STEM areas (science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics), with special outreach to students of color in local high schools.
Up until about 10 years ago, the U.S. led the world in college completion. However,
as the percentage of young adults with degrees has surged in other developed nations,
the U.S. now ranks 12th in the percentage of adults 25 to 34 with an associate's degree
or higher, according to the College Board.
"Nonprofit private colleges are committed to doing their part to make the U.S. first
in the world in college completion again, and are redoubling their efforts to increase
the number of graduates from all backgrounds," said NAICU President David L. Warren.
"Given the productivity of the nonprofit private sector in graduating students - we
enroll 19 percent of all students, but award 26 percent of all degrees - our institutions
will be a crucial part of helping the nation reach the 2020 goal."
"For any group of students you want to follow - top students in high school, first-generation,
low-income, high-income, or minority - nonprofit independent colleges have the best
record of graduating students in timely fashion, thereby helping to fulfill President
Obama's goal that many more Americans will have high-quality college degrees," said
CIC President Richard Ekman.
In the next year, NAICU and CIC will ask all private colleges to report on their progress
toward meeting self-identified goals in producing more college graduates; increasing
graduation and/or retention rates; increasing success with at-risk students, and/or
increasing graduates in areas of national need. The two associations will issue a
milestone report summarizing the sector's progress. NAICU and CIC will release additional
milestone reports periodically.