Ind. urges education coalitions

In an effort to increase college completion and student success, the Indiana Commission for Higher Education challenges local leaders from all 92 Indiana counties to form a College Success Coalition.

Up to 20 Indiana counties will be accepted into the coalition each year on a competitive basis until each county has an active, sustainable local coalition, according to a press release by the ICHE.

Leadership teams from participating counties will receive a $1,000 startup award, ongoing training and technical assistance. A $5,000 performance bonus will be awarded once key requirements are met.

Indiana currently ranks 40th nationally in the number of residents with college degrees, according to the release. About a third of Hoosier adults have completed education beyond high school.

“College completion has a significant impact on the quality of life and future earnings for Hoosiers,” Teresa Lubbers, Indiana commissioner for higher education, said in the release. “Rallying local communities around the common goal of college success is critical to meeting the needs of our students and our state.”

Workforce experts project that for Indiana to remain economically competitive, 60 percent of the state’s population will need to receive a college education by 2025.

During the last two years, according to the release, the state has supported the development of college success coalitions in 35 counties. These county coalitions have recruited nearly 1,000 organizations and implemented more than 1,000 targeted activities designed to increase college access and completion.

To learn more about the project, visit LearnMoreIndiana.org/Coalitions.

— Mark Keierleber