Charge

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The Accessibility subcommittee is charged with developing recommendations to address the accessibility of the state’s system of higher education. It is tasked with developing a clear standard for accessibility and goals to meet and maintain that standard. In addition, it will recommend goals to close achievement gaps and clearer pathways to success for students of all interests and backgrounds.

How should Colorado define accessibility?

What should be the accessibility standard for the following state categorizations of higher education institutions? • Research institutions • State colleges • Community colleges • Technical schools

How can the system and individual institutions be held accountable for maintaining accessibility?

Colorado has the nation’s largest gap between the college attainment of its largest ethnic group and other ethnicities and the nation’s second largest gap between low and high income groups. What should be Colorado’s 5 and 10 year goals to address this gap?

Framework

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• Definition

• Principles (Standards)

• Recommendations (Goals)

• Best Practices

Key data will be important to set the stage for the prinicples and recommendations throughout the report.

Access Definition

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How should Colorado define accessibility?

From a student perspective, Colorado provides an integrated higher education system which delivers viable post-secondary educational opportunities for all Coloradoans regardless of income level, geographic location, historic underrepresentation, and non-traditional background.

Accessibility must address the following components: • Awareness of the promise and possibility of higher education• Academic preparation• Financial affordability • Remediation capacity• Geographic considerations

Access Standards

Draft May 11, 2010

Colorado School of Mines

13 Community Colleges in CC System

Selective

Open

Moderately Selective

What should be the accessibility standard for the following state categorizations of higher education institutions?

Aims CC Colorado Mtn College

Technical Schools

Highly Selective

State

Col

lege

s

Res

earc

h

Com

mun

ity

Col

lege

s

CU UNC

CSU

FLC

CSU-P ASC

WSC

MSC*

* Metropolitan State College is considered a modified open enrollment institution

Principles

Access to Colorado’s public higher education is based on student merit and desire

Access translates into and is measured by the completion of a higher education degree or certificate

Access recognizes that students begin higher education with different advantages and disadvantages

Access requires removing various barriers to higher education completion including awareness, academic preparation, affordability, and mobility

Access anticipates differences among institutional missions and capacities

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Recommendations (Goals)

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1. Admittance

All qualified students should be guaranteed admittance into Colorado’s integrated system of public higher education institutions.

Students who satisfy defined admission requirements for each tier of our system will be deemed to be admitted.

Notice will be sent, proactively, to students and families that, based on admittance criteria established for such tier, they have been admitted to college.

Recommendations (Goals)

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2. Student Access, Completion, and Mobility

All qualified students should be able to move to public institutions with more selective admission criteria (up the pyramid) if they meet transfer requirements.

Transfer to public institutions from two year to four year institutions of qualified students should be developed from the student’s perspective and should be as seamless as possible.

Concurrent enrollment is “sister” institutions should be encouraged and developed.

Institutions will be funded, in part, on the number of students from their geographic region who complete higher education certificates and degrees regardless of the institution attended.

Recommendations (Goals)

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3. Merit based admission and affordability

Students – who qualify for admission to a public institution on merit – should be supported financially to help their ability to attend that public institution.

Students attending public institutions at the top half of the pyramid are charged a competitive market tuition and fees with 100% financial need being met for qualified, low income students, through a combination of gift and self help and without use of parent or private loans.

Excess revenue generated by market rate tuition and fees at the top of the pyramid will be reallocated to the bottom half of the pyramid to supply supportive services to students requiring them to access and complete their education.

Just as with Federal Pell Grants, need-based financial aid gift aid will be awarded to students through the Department of Higher Education and are portable to any Colorado public higher education institution