Good evening friends. Good evening. The other day I was in Philadelphia and I looked out to the community gathered there for the graduation. I was a little bit overwhelmed because when I looked out, what I saw was so beautiful. I have that same feeling right now that, wow, you look so good. To the CU alums and students who are here, I just have to say how brightly you shine. I see you, I see you across the landscape of more than 4,000 colleges and universities across the country. The effectiveness of colleges and universities are typically and often solely measured by grade point average graduation rates. While those things are important, there are other things that make the measure of a college experience. There are also accrediting agencies that give us validation among our peers and make it possible for our students to access Pell Grants.
Those agencies are often focused on important but limited measures of institutional effectiveness. And despite institutions across the country publishing fancy, glossy brochures full of talking points that speak to the outcomes of their institutions, the public trust in colleges and universities has been shaken because the cost of a degree is so high and the outcomes may be not as strong as they’re often purported. This leaves people wondering, is college really worth it? And while the data I just talked about GPAs and persistence to graduation are critically important, they tend to leave out the most important aspect of change and growth that might be occurring during a student’s time in college.
A couple of years ago at CU, one of my dearest colleagues, Karen Casper, who is associate provost, asked, “What’s wrong with this?” She exposed the existing gaps in telling the fuller story of what colleges and universities can be and should be. As a result of her advocacy and insight, we undertook a process of defining what it truly means to earn a degree at College Unbound through the lens of equitable and transformational outcomes. You just heard Belita, every single graduate here demonstrates those kinds of outcomes. Not just a degree, not just a good GPA, not just 120 credits to graduate. Not just the completion of Big Tens, but something bigger, larger and more important. Grounded in the literature and working in collaboration with the Lifelong Learning Commission of the Board of Trustees, we defined equitable outcomes as a change in life opportunities – a material change in students’ lives as a result of their education.
At CU, we also defined transformational outcomes as the changes in students’ sense of self. Belita talked about it – their voice, their sense of power, the ability to create change in the world as a result of their CU education. Here are just a few highlights of equitable outcomes:
- 71% of our students report in the alumni survey that Mike Reeves that led this past year advanced in their careers.
- 51% of students were promoted.
- 64% assumed leadership roles in their organizations since graduating.
- 58% report being more financially secure as a result of their degree from College Unbound.
- 72% of students graduates are driving change in their organizations, driving change in their organizations in terms of transformational outcomes.
These are things that make students stand with their shoulders back and their spines straight.
- 71% have indicated that they’re more likely to be community engaged and volunteer on behalf of their community.
- 84% more likely to advocate for other people.
- 87% influence friends and family to return to college.
- 88% more confidence in the ability to accomplish the goals that they set for themselves.
- And 90% of CU alums say they have a greater belief in their potential.
Come on!
These are the people who are gonna change the world. CU alums. These are the people we’ve been waiting for. These are the people we need now more than ever. At CU we often talk about our goals of supporting students to create change for themselves, for their families, and for their communities. This is proof that CU students are truly making this happen.
Congratulations to all of the CU alums and special acknowledgement to the early classes of students for trusting us. Thank you for trusting us and being the living and breathing manifestation of our dreams and your dreams together. I thank you all.