Governor Rendell: Pennsylvania Pledges to Significantly Increase College Completion by 2020

State Joins National Alliance Focused on Raising Degree Attainment

HARRISBURG, Pa., March 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Citing the need to increase the number of Pennsylvania students who finish college, Governor Edward G. Rendell today announced the state has teamed with 16 other states in an effort to significantly increase college completion rates by 2020.

"Pennsylvania boasts some of the finest colleges and universities in the nation, and we have made progress in making these institutions accessible and affordable to millions of students, but the number of students attaining college degrees falls woefully short of our nation's needs and our collective potential," Governor Rendell said.

A 2009 national study on education and the workforce found more than 60 percent of jobs will require a college degree in the coming decade, yet only 43 percent of Pennsylvanians age 25 to 34 have earned degrees. In addition, only about one-third of students enrolled in Pennsylvania's four-year public colleges and less than two-thirds of those enrolled in four-year, private colleges graduate on time.

"Pennsylvania's long-term economic outlook depends on a well-educated, highly skilled workforce," the Governor added. "That workforce increasingly requires a postsecondary degree, but too many of our students are falling short. This must change."

Pennsylvania and the 16 other states will work cooperatively with Complete College America, a national nonprofit organization, to identify ways to dramatically increase the number of young adults with a college degree. The Complete College Alliance also will focus on closing degree "attainment gaps" for traditionally underserved populations.

In addition to Pennsylvania, the alliance currently includes Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia.

"Fewer than 40 percent of young adults hold an Associate Degree or higher," said Stan Jones, President of Complete College America. "The numbers for most states are even worse. For states and America to be competitive, six of ten adults between the ages of 25 and 35 will need to hold a postsecondary degree or credential of value in the labor market by 2020. That's why the commitment to students and the higher education institutions that serve them made by Governor Rendell is so important to Pennsylvania's long-term economic and social well-being."

Pennsylvania has taken dramatic steps in recent years to make a college degree more attainable, including working with public colleges to control tuition increases and simplifying the process for transferring college credits so students can avoid the costly, time-consuming process of retaking courses if they change schools.  

Complete College America will provide Pennsylvania with tangible and practical support to help implement a range of strategies that will bring needed changes in the culture and practices of its public postsecondary institutions. To join the Alliance, a state – in partnership with its colleges and universities – must pledge to make college completion a top priority and commit to:

• Setting state and campus-specific degree and credential completion goals;
• Developing and implementing aggressive state and campus-level action plans for meeting the state's completion goals; and
• Collecting and reporting common measures of progress toward the state's completion goals.

Alliance states will receive in-depth technical support from America's leading experts on improving college success, including assistance in building consensus for reform, developing policy action plans, guidance on applying for and effectively using federal funding to produce more degrees, and annual networking opportunities.  

Five national foundations are providing multi-year support to Complete College America, including the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and Lumina Foundation for Education.

"The long-term economic growth of any state is tied to the educational attainment of its citizens," said Jones. "Reform-minded states like Pennsylvania are taking the lead in addressing this serious national issue head on. The implications of 'business as usual' are too great not to act."

For more information on Complete College America, visit www.completecollege.org.

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Education