I hope that you are staying safe and well and are finding points of encouragement and even inspiration in these difficult days.
For me, encouragement and inspiration have come in a couple of ways. One is the outpouring of empathy, care, and counsel that has come from leaders of all kinds this graduation season. Many of you likely saw former President Obama’s message to HBCU graduates in the “Show Me Your Walk” celebration, which started with one of our partners (Michael Sorrell of Paul Quinn College) and featured graduates from our Frontier Set colleges and universities.
Another is the speed and creativity our partners are employing to help our most vulnerable students amid this global health and economic crisis. Institutions like Lorain County Community College and many others are showing that the investments they have made in student-centered innovation are helping themselves and their students become more resilient in the face of an uncertain future. And partners such as the National College Attainment Network and others are mobilizing to ensure that today’s students have the information and support they need to keep moving toward their goals. Keep reading to learn more about those efforts.
In the coming weeks, I’ll provide more information about our work in the areas of holistic student support, quality teaching and learning, student mobility, and institutional viability. We are working quickly to deploy more than $11 million of investments in those areas.
To say these are difficult times is an understatement. But these are also times when the best of our enterprise can shine through, and we can already see it starting to happen.
Regards,
Patrick Methvin
Featured Stories
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Encouraging Data from Georgia State
How are colleges and universities tapping innovation to support their students amid the pandemic and the rapid shift to virtual instruction? Higher education author Jeff Selingo caught up with Tim Renick of Georgia State University to discuss. -
A New Way of Measuring Return on Investment in Higher Ed
Third Way’s new paper models a new approach for measuring economic value—a Price-to-Earnings Premium that can be used to get a sense of the amount of time it usually takes to recoup the cost of obtaining a credential at a particular institution. -
FAFSA Renewals Are Down, But Help Is on the Way
FAFSA renewals are down nearly 5% for the 2020-2021 school year compared to last year, according to a new National College Attainment Network analysis. But the Network also notes that a number of state and national efforts are being ramped up to help fight this slump. -
COVID Resources and Updates
Check out our webpage with key information on our COVID-19 response, partner updates, and links to field resources and official guidance.