Clear the Path

While more Michigan residents need to participate in higher education, Michigan will not achieve its economic development goals unless it helps a far greater share of its higher education students complete degrees in a timely manner. Michigan’s state universities have themselves recognized the critical nature of this goal and have challenged themselves to increase completion rates. There are a number of important factors within each learning institution’s control that can improve Michigan’s degree completion rates, including guidance counseling, outreach, and support services. All these services are particularly important to historically underrepresented populations. As part of a compact of shared accountability, each public and private two- and four-year higher education institution should shine a light on its own work to increase enrolled students’ completion rates and should hold itself accountable for improving its completion rates.

RECOMMENDATION

Improve Institutional Completion Measures

The leadership bodies of Michigan’s two- and four-year higher education institutions must ensure that each public and private higher education institution sets its own success goals and benchmarks for student progress and degree completion that emphasize timely progression to the degree. Such goals and measures should be based on each school’s unique mission and population, but with attention to the success among important subgroups within the student body (e.g., minorities and women). Goals, measures, and results are to be reported annually, beginning with the 2005–2006 academic year.

(Completion Work Group rec. 2)

News

• U. Michigan President Backs Higher Education Proposals, by Justin Miller, Michigan Daily via University Wire (January 7, 2005)
• MSU Chief Says More Science, Technology Grads Vital to Michigan’s Future, by Maryanne George, Detroit Free Press (February 1, 2005)

Web Links

• Presidents Council State Universities of Michigan Report to the Public 2005–2006