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Arkansas to join multi-state initiative for two-year colleges Thursday, Apr 19, 2007 By Rob Moritz Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - Arkansas has been invited to participate in a multi-state initiative designed to help low-income and minority students attending community college improve graduation rates, the state Department of Higher Education said Wednesday. The "Achieving the Dream" initiative provides data to participating two-year colleges to identify best practices that all colleges involved can use to increase student graduation rates. "I have personally worked on the opportunity for our colleges to participate in this national initiative for over two years as a tool to focus on student success,' state Higher Education Director Linda Beene said in a news release. "While we have made accomplishments in access to our colleges, graduation and transfer for a baccalaureate degree should be the target goal," Beene said. About 5,800 full-time, first-year, degree-seeking students enrolled in the 22 two-year colleges in Arkansas last fall, said Dale Ellis, communications manager for the Department of Higher Education. About 20.8 percent of students who enrolled in two-year colleges in Arkansas in 2003 have completed their degree, Ellis said. Under the "Achieving the Dream" initiative, 20 of the 22 two-year colleges have qualified for the program and are eligible to submit applications to participate. Four of the schools are to be selected, the department said. Along with Arkansas, other states invited this week to participate in the initiative are Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oklahoma and South Carolina. Fifty-eight schools in nine states - Connecticut, Florida, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Washington - are currently in the program. The Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation has agreed to grant $3.5 million to the initiative to be used by the four Arkansas schools selected to participate. The schools will receive a first-year investment grant of $50,000 and will be eligible to apply for continuing funding of up to $400,000 over a four-year period. |
