Source: (Photo: Eric Berman/WIBC)
STATEWIDE — Last year was a wake-up call for those in higher education, says Commissioner Chris Lowery. This year, he believes Indiana is on the right track.
In Monday’s State of Higher Education Address, Commissioner Lowery said Indiana has made significant improvements when it comes to college accessibility and graduation rates. Lowery hopes to continue building on that progress through Indiana’s HOPE Agenda – Hoosier Opportunities and Possibilities through Education.
The HOPE Agenda lays out certain goals for higher education in the Hoosier State, some of which include improving application and acceptance rates for people after high school, assisting veterans and people with disabilities in gaining access to college, retaining professors with long-standing institutional knowledge, and using credits people previously received and putting that towards their end goal.
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“With the combined efforts of policy, partnerships, and programming, driven by clear strategy and goals, underpinned by a strong strategic management process, and with an understanding of and service to students at the heart, we are working to create a culture in Indiana around the importance of higher education and more broadly training and education beyond a high school diploma,” said Lowery.
Although Indiana failed to meet certain expectations laid out in 2023, the Hoosier State did make some improvements.
For the first time in 13 years, college enrollment is up across Indiana. The Hoosier State has also improved to number 11 in the nation for college completion. In addition, several public schools have created strategic plans to address student retention.
Just last month, Indiana adopted a formal framework to fully utilize prior credits, making Indiana one of only nine states to do so, according to Commissioner Lowery.
The Higher Education Commission hopes to build off of these successes and some of the education legislative changes to work towards accomplishing more goals set out by the HOPE Agenda. The Commission has also formed the “Partnership Pentagon,” which is a gathering of leaders from business, education, government, and more, to discuss the challenges facing higher education and ways to address those issues.
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On the Right Track – Indiana’s 2024 State of Higher Education Address was originally published on wibc.com
