Spotlight on Houston: Using the Power of a City to Catalyze a Local College Completion Movement Spotlight on Houston: Using the Power of a City to Catalyze a Local College Completion Movement   The days of CCA working exclusively with states are over, in large part because Houston is proving how successful a metro region can be in college completion work. In this session, led by CCA Fellow and University of Houston Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs/Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Paula Myrick Short and the Houston team, participants will learn how to convene leaders across sectors and move quickly and effectively toward scale of a Game Changer, pursuing solutions for a full community of students. Welcome and panel introductions.

34th among metro areas for college degree City of Houston DIVERSITY 4th largest city Ethnically diverse GROWTH 26% growth in population 2000-2010 EDUCATION 34th among metro areas for college degree Houston - fourth largest city in the U.S., and one of the most ethnically diverse in the country. More than 145 languages spoken throughout the Houston area City experiencing record growth – total population grew 26 percent from 2000-2010. Greater metro area has a population of 5.95 million and the highest growth of any metro area from 2014-15, adding over 159,000 people. Yet we are 34th among the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. for our percentage of the population holding a college degree.

300,000+ Students Houston GPS institutions are a reflection of the city we serve with a diverse population of over 300,000 students, each pursuing access to the American dream through a college degree.

Today, we would like to share the story of Houston GPS Today, we would like to share the story of Houston GPS. How nine institutions came together to make the American Dream possible for students in the Houston region. By telling our story, we hope to provide a framework for others aiming to implement similar regional collaborations across the country. Specifically, we will address a number of key questions including: How did we get started? How did we establish an evidence-based plan to implement GPS strategies? What have we put in place to ensure effective implementation and what is our progress to date? How are we working to close achievement gaps across Houston GPS institutions? What policy implications should be considered in implementing similar regional collaborations?

Over a cup of coffee in Indianapolis on break at a CCA Academy, I told Tom Sugar about my new position as Provost at the University of Houston. Tom and I discussed CCA’s mission, and I invited him to visit Houston to think big with me. He agreed. We then brought together representatives from Houston area community colleges and UH system institutions to discuss a bold new vision for higher education in the region. At this initial meeting, we heard from experts on the power of Game Changer strategies and spent some time s digging into the tough data on Houston college students. The numbers revealed that – like elsewhere in the country – higher education in Houston takes too long to complete. Very few students graduate on time. It costs too much, and students graduate with too many excess credits. And, finally, too few students ever actually graduate, especially minority, low-income, and first-generation students. The leaders that gathered that day in 2014 were ready to own their results and committed to work together to improve the success of our students.

Following through on the commitment to collaborate, Chancellors and presidents of each institution signed an MOU to implement GPS strategies at scale.

Student Success Planning Grant

Establishing an Evidence-Based Plan Spring 2016 January 2016: Cross-institutional technology vendor demonstration meeting February 2016: Houston GPS Spring Academy February 2016: Task Force Plans completed March 2016: Institutional Plans completed Fall 2015 August 2015: Houston GPS representatives attended CCA GPS Leader meeting September 2015: Houston GPS Fall Planning Academy Fall 2015: Monthly Institutional Team and Task Force Group meetings Spring/Summer 2015 March 2015: Grant received from Houston Endowment to develop proactive solutions for improving student success among Houston area students Spring 2015: Review of persistence/graduation studies focused on the Houston area Summer 2015: Meeting with institutional leaders, Campus Coordinators appointed, Institutional Teams and Task Force Groups formed

Organizational Structure Oversight Committee Institution Team Leaders Institution Coordinators Institutional Teams Task Force Groups

Fall Academy

Spring Academy Task Force and Institutional Team Sessions Content Expert Consultation Task Force Planning Templates

Task Force Plans

Institutional Plans

Accountability Metrics

Progress Tracking

Technology Solution Cross-Institutional Data Sharing Degree Planning EAB Navigate Proactive Advising EAB Student Success Collaborative Cross-Institutional Data Sharing EAB Transfer Interface

Degree Map Assessment Momentum Year Full Transfer Post-Transfer 15 to Finish Engagement in Discipline Informed Choice Gateway Completion Momentum Year All credits in the major at two-year institutions transfer as 60 hours toward the corresponding major at four-year institutions. Full Transfer After transfer, 60 hours remain to complete a degree in a corresponding major with manageable course sequencing over 2 years at the four-year institutions. Post-Transfer

Implementation Progress Spring/Summer 2016 April 2016: Proactive Advising Symposium, Corequisite Remediation Policy Institute May 2016: Math Pathways Report completed May 2016: Houston GPS became the 40th member of CCA’s Alliance of States June 2016: Houston GPS leadership meeting June 2016: Houston GPS representatives attended CCA 15 to Finish Policy Institute June 2016: Houston GPS Technology RFI released Fall/Winter 2016 July 2016: Implementation progress monitoring plan established September 2016: Houston GPS became a participant in CCA’s Purpose First network September 2016: Institutional 5-year targets set for Houston GPS outcome measures October 2016: Business degree maps meeting November 2016: Houston GPS Alliance Team attended CCA’s Annual Convening Spring/Summer 2017 February 2017: Houston GPS CAO meeting March 2017: Texas Southern University joined Houston GPS March 2017: Houston GPS Momentum Year Symposium April 2017: Education degree map meeting June 2017: Houston GPS team attended CCA’s Purpose First Convening July 2017: Houston GPS team attended CCA’s Summer Action Summit Fall/Winter 2017 September 2017: Houston GPS institutions implemented Purpose First interventions October 2017: Houston GPS was selected as a finalist for a Strong Start to Finish grant November 2017: A team presented “Regional Evidence-Based Consortia as a Strategy to Increase College Completion: Implications for Higher Education Policy,” at the 2017 Annual ASHE conference. November 2017: EAB contract in process for UH System

Looking Forward We believe in EQUITY. We know we’re all in this together – and our collective economic, cultural and civic futures depend upon success in higher education for all people, not just the most economically secure. We will move beyond lip service, recognizing that while data disaggregation is an essential starting point, we must do more in our pursuit of concrete actions proven to permanently close educational achievement gaps for those most often left behind: students of color, low-income students, first-generation students and older students. We support students of high ability and high need and reject low expectations.

Policy Considerations

CATCH THE SHUTTLE AT 5 PM CANAL STREET ENTRANCE OF THE HOTEL JOIN US FOR A WELCOME DINNER AND RECEPTION AT THE WORLD FAMOUS CATCH THE SHUTTLE AT 5 PM CANAL STREET ENTRANCE OF THE HOTEL