Report roundup

By AACC 21st Century Center Staff
A monthly roundup of reports of interest to the community college sector.
Here are three reports you should know about this month.

  1. The American Council on Education’s survey of U.S. college and university presidents shows that presidents from associate-degree granting institutions are, overall, more diverse and younger than presidents from other types of institutions. Thirty-six percent of associate college presidents are women and 20 percent are minorities. Among all institutions, three out of 10 college presidents are women, and fewer than one in five are racial/ethnic minorities. About 13 percent of associate college presidents are 50 or younger, the highest proportion of any classification. The survey included responses from 1,546 presidents, chancellors and CEOs—among them, 438 from public associate-degree colleges.
  2. Free tuition in Tennessee is not enough for some to consider enrolling. A series of round-tables with education leaders conducted by Complete Tennessee revealed that lack of college preparation, transportation issues, inflexible class schedules and a lack of support from the institutions are some reasons Tennesseans may not attend college. Findings are outlined in a report, which also highlights the college-going and completion rates in different regions of the state.
  3. The one-year persistence rate for students who started college at a two-year public institution in fall 2015 was 62.7 percent. That’s unchanged from the prior year. Persistence rates were higher for full-time students (70.2 percent) than for part-time students (57 percent). This is according to a Snapshot Report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. The overall persistence rate for college students starting at any U.S. postsecondary institution in fall 2015 was 73.4 percent. When looking at race and ethnicity, white and Hispanic students at two-year colleges persisted at about the same rate (67.8 and 64.9 percent, respectively). Asian students had a persistence rate of about 74 percent, while black students were at 55 percent.
AACC 21st Century Center Staff

is a contributor to the 21st-Century Center.