Complete College America

In the latest newsletter, we're looking back on both the past 12 months and the past 15 years of our shared movement for college attainment. Thank you for an incredible 2024, going all in with CCA on student success. #CCADoesTheWork

This past month, I had the privilege of participating in two exciting opportunities connected to my role as Vice President of Finance at the Cal State Student Association, the student-led organization representing the roughly 450,000 students of The California State University system. First, I was honored to speak on a student panel at the Complete College America annual convening on November 19th alongside Emmanuel Rodriguez from The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS). The panel focused on the critical challenges California students face in higher education while highlighting impactful programs, investments, and interventions that have made college more accessible, affordable, and equitable. It was inspiring to share insights into the ongoing efforts to increase completion rates and support student success across the Golden State. Thank you to Manny and everyone at TICAS for allowing me to speak about this important set of issues and for your support in making it happen! Additionally, on December 5th, I had the opportunity to speak at the CSU Advocacy Training Conference during the Partnering with Students in Advocacy Efforts session. It was a privilege to share best practices for engaging students in advocacy and discuss how meaningful collaboration between the CSU and student leaders can drive impactful change. Huge thanks to Mary Dolan-Washington for including me in the conference! These experiences helped me focus on the importance of centering student voices in policymaking and advocacy to address the challenges we face while advancing equity in higher education. As I continue my journey with the CSSA, I will lead the Solidarity and Equal Partnership Task Force, a group of student leaders throughout the CSU dedicated to proposing actionable strategies embodying inclusivity, equitable engagement, and collaborative decision-making. Stay tuned for more updates about our work! #HigherEducation #StudentLeadership #Advocacy #CollegeAccess #CSSA #CompleteCollegeAmerica #Solidarity #Partnership #TICAS

The Fall 2024 cohort of the CCA Policy and Advocacy Student Fellows will present their capstone projects this Friday. We welcome anyone interested to join us on Dec. 20 at 1 pm ET/10 am PT to hear from future higher education leaders, innovators, and disruptors. More information at https://lnkd.in/eCed3SzW

Whether you were able to attend All In: The 2024 CCA Annual Convening or if you had to miss it, don't miss this insightful recap and key takeaways from the Ithaka S+R team. #AllInCCA2024

🎙️ NEW EPISODE of CCA on the Air podcast: Degrees of Democracy "It's about generational change and social mobility." - Nicola Blake, Ph.D. How can higher education restore public trust while expanding access and success for all students? In our latest episode, education leaders tackle this critical question and explore how college completion strengthens democracy. Recorded live at the 2024 CCA Annual Convening, the episode features: - Yolanda Watson Spiva, Ph.D., BCC, President, Complete College America -Chris Lowery, Commissioner, Indiana Commission for Higher Education - Nicola Blake, Ph.D., Senior Fellow for Strategic Initiatives and Student Success, The City University of New York - Darryl Cooper, Member of the Class of 2025, Howard University - Carol Geary Schneider, Senior Advisor, Civic Learning and Democracy Engagement Coalition 🎧 Listen now: https://lnkd.in/eZRKUNmX #HigherEducation #StudentSuccess #CollegeCompletion

Thank you to the Student Basic Needs Coalition for sharing the importance of interconnecting student success and civic engagement, which we highlight in our latest white paper, "Complete College, America: Harnessing the Power of Higher Education to Renew American Democracy." Read the full paper here: https://lnkd.in/eJ78KGuZ

Thank you to Sara Goldrick-Rab for her valued thought leadership, consistently advocating for an equitable higher education system that eliminates barriers to student success across the board. We appreciate you sharing our latest report on the complex connections between education and democracy. #CCADoesTheWork

Hope IS a strategy. Ignore the Harvard biz school pundits. Without strategic and purposeful optimism, we are doomed. So today I’m grateful to Complete College America for laying out in painstaking detail exactly why there is hope for higher ed— if only we are willing to fight and rescue it from its worst impulses. This essential report says the quiet parts out loud: 🔥Elitism rules the current system and that’s no accident. 🔥The primary problem faced by public colleges and universities? Underfunding. 🔥Higher ed cannot support a healthy democracy if it continues its privatized ways. We have to work on making it a public good available to all. Bottom line, this CCA report affirms what’s at stake and clarifies that students are humans first- and always. It reflects a real journey for CCA and one that thrills and inspires me. This is a #RealCollege must read 💪🏼💪🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Way to go Yolanda Watson Spiva, Ph.D., BCC Dhanfu E. Elston, Ph.D. Charles Ansell #highereducation #affordability #basicneeds #democracy

So happy to celebrate Campaign for College Opportunity's 20-year history focused on college completion in California and centered on equity! A truly wonderful event that highlighted key accomplishments, recognized champions, and led with student voice. I left inspired to activate change through our partnership. Jessie Ryan, Charles Ansell, Complete College America

CCA Vice President for Research, Policy, and Advocacy Charles Ansell is featured in Chalkbeat Colorado, discussing how higher education can strengthen democracy. "If graduation rates are as low as they are, that's going to have a severe impact on our democratic health." Check out the full interview and insights here: https://lnkd.in/duWWffEN