The Three A’s Access, Accountability, Affordability

(and Degree Completion)

Organization and Administration of Higher Education

The University of Central Oklahoma

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Introduction of Speaker

Jessica Rimmer, Vice President for Student

Engagement and Success

Mid-America Christian University

Twelve years in Higher Education

Currently a PhD Candidate at The University

of Oklahoma

Research Interests: Leadership and Student

Retention

Areas of Responsibility

Student Life

Campus Ministry

Student Success Center

University Athletics

Department of Public Safety

University Retention

Title IX

The Issue of Access

The belief in opportunity

Aspects of Accessibility

Access of disenfranchised populations

Geography

Programs

Affordability

Student convenience

Student preparation

Student/Institution match

Historical Support for Access

Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862

Second Morrill Act of 1890

Brown vs. Board of Education

Higher Education Act of 1965

The Spellings Report (2006)

Inadequate preparation

Lack of information about college

opportunities

Persistent financial barriers

Findings indicated that access to higher education was

inhibited by a “complex interplay” of:

Access and Success

Separate and Unequal

Recommended Resources

The State of College Access and

Completion: Improving College Success for

Students from Underrepresented Groups

(2013) Laura W. Perna.

Separate and Unequal: How Higher

Education Reinforces the Intergenerational

Reproduction of White Racial Privilege

(2013), Anthony P. Carnevale and Jeff Strohl

The Issue of Affordability

Ensuring a Pathway to Opportunity

Affordability

“If people perceive postsecondary education

as unaffordable, they are likely to make

decisions that limit their participation and

success” (Baum & Ma, 2014, p. 12)

What is affordability?

Unmet Need

Expensive vs. Unaffordable

Commodity expenditure vs. Long-term

investment

“Of fundamental importance, it is impossible to

define affordability only in terms of prices and

required expenditures. The resources available

to pay the prices determine what people can

afford” (Baum & Ma, 2014, p. 3).

Questions on Affordability

What should be included in price?

Room and Board?

Books?

Who’s income should be considered?

Students? (for what period)

Parents?

When considering affordability…

“We should focus on whether students,

regardless of their age when they enroll, can

reasonably expect to improve their long-term

standards of living” (Baum & Ma, 2014, p.3)

Recommended Resource

College Affordability: What is it and how can

we measure it? Sandy Baum and Jennifer

Ma (April, 2014). The Lumina Foundation.

The Issue of Accountability

A Matter of Public Trust

Accountability

“As a general policy construct, the term

refers to the responsibility (if not legal

obligation) of campus and system

administrators, as well as government

officials, to provide their supervisors

(ultimately the public) reports of the

stewardship of public funds.” (Leveille, 2006,

p. 34)

Described:

Accountable for what?

Cost

Value

Quality

Accountable to whom?

Students and Families

Industry

Accrediting bodies

Governing Boards

State Governments

Federal Government

Alumni

Foundations

(Leveille, 2006)

Measures for Accountability

Retention Rates

Graduation Rates

Transfer Out Rates

Gainful Employment

Student Debt Load

Student Employability

National Transparency

IPEDS

College Navigator

College Score Card

Accrediting Bodies

Further Reading on

Accountability

http://www.slideshare.net/ragutier/accountab

ility-for-higher-education-institutions-likely-

future-directions

Leveille, D. (2006). Accountability in higher

education: A public agenda for trust and

cultural change. Center for Studies in Higher

Education, UC Berkley.

Criticisms

Does not allow for the broader aim of Higher

Education

Diversity of institutional type

Flaws in the measures

Understanding of broadly communicated

measures

Degree Completion

Degree completion

A degree completion program is an

undergraduate academic program, most

frequently found in the US or Canada, that is

offered with an established university but

typically for non-traditional students.”

(Wikipedia)

Originally looked at students with 60 credits

or more who have been away from college

for an “extended period of time” (Taylor,

2000)

May Incorporate prior learning assessments

Student Demographics

“Nearly 40 percent of today’s postsecondary

students are self-supporting, ages 24 and

up” (Horn & Nevill, 2006 in Spellings, 2006,

p. 9)

The new undergraduate

What is happening in the

State of Oklahoma

Mid-America Christian University- College of

Adult and Graduate Studies

Southern Nazarene University

The University of Oklahoma- Outreach

Center

Oklahoma’s participation in Complete

College America- Reach Higher

UCO- Operation Degree Completion

Questions

Contact

jrimmer@macu.edu

405-692-3275

Twitter: @Jessrimm28

Facebook: Jessica Patterson Rimmer