Ohio University System Recognized at State Capitals Campaign Event

Feb. 2012

Advocacy

Ohio education leaders, legislators and other officials joined a College Completion Agenda: State Capitals Campaign event hosted by the College Board Advocacy & Policy Center in late January to discuss ways to improve college readiness access and completion as the United States strives to increase college completion to 55 percent by 2025.

The Ohio State University President E. Gordon Gee and Jim Petro, chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents, discussed Ohio's innovative, low-cost programs to aid all students; College Board research on the admission process for low-income students; and areas for improvement and growth. They were joined by about 100 others, including 20 students from Fort Hayes Arts and Academic High School. Seven state senators and representatives also attended the event.

The event, held in Columbus, was part of the College Board’s State Capitals Campaign, which focuses on mobilizing the nation and advancing policies and practices that work to increase the percentage of 25- to 34-year-olds in the United States with an associate degree or higher by 2025. The campaign has crossed the nation, bringing together governors, policymakers, educators, community advocates and business leaders to advance the College Completion Agenda. As part of the agenda, the College Board Advocacy & Policy Center released a comprehensive report that includes rigorous indicators (aligned to 10 interdependent recommendations) and charts the progress toward the 55-by-2025 goal.

"As we strive to reclaim our nation's place at the pinnacle of educational excellence, it is important to form partnerships among groups and institutions that share the same goal. The College Board has found no more valuable partners than the people of Ohio and The Ohio State University," said College Board President Gaston Caperton. "Thanks to the efforts of people like Chancellor Petro, President Gee and thousands of dedicated Ohioans, this state has taken a giant leap toward achieving 55 by 2025 and building a strong foundation for future prosperity."

The University System of Ohio serves as a model of success for addressing the challenges that the College Board Advocacy & Policy Center has highlighted in its research. The university system has created programming to ensure that career/technical schools, community colleges and universities work together to provide students with a seamless process to complete their degree in a timely fashion. Key initiatives include:

• Making three-year degrees available to all students at all public universities.
• Implementing an Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) course guarantee where students who take an AP Exam and score a 3 or higher are guaranteed college credit.
• Implementing dual credit classes and robust postsecondary access in grades 11 and 12.The University System of Ohio has one of the most comprehensive college-credit equivalency transfer programs, taking uncertainty out of the process and saving students in Ohio approximately $47 million last year.
• Creating the Forever Buckeyes to extend the in-state resident tuition rate to any public or private Ohio high school graduate who leaves the state but returns to enroll in an undergraduate or graduate program at an Ohio college and also establishes residency in Ohio.

"The University System of Ohio is leading the nation in developing and implementing innovative policies aimed at graduating the maximum number of students with the skills employers are seeking, as quickly and cost effectively as possible," said Petro.

The Ohio State University, as part of the University System of Ohio, which recently exceeded national averages (for public and private institutions) for both retention and graduation rates for African American and Hispanic students at its Columbus campus, aids students through:

• The Preferred Pathway Program, a collaboration between Columbus State Community College and The Ohio State University, which provides a guaranteed, guided route to an Ohio State baccalaureate degree for program participants.
• The robust Economic Access Initiative to help first-generation and low-income students and their families overcome the hurdles they face when it comes to college access.

"In terms of college access and attainment, Ohio is determined to work together to get it right. Ohio State's Preferred Pathways Program and Economic Access Initiative are just two examples of the university fulfilling its mission as a land-grant institution — to better the lives of 11 million Ohioans by providing access to a world-class education," said Gee.