Achieving the Dream Shines Spotlight on the IRSC Promise

February 23, 2023 Suzanne Seldes

FORT PIERCE, FL—Indian River State College (IRSC) Vice President for Student Success Elizabeth Gaskin shared details about the game-changing IRSC Promise program with practitioners from more than 300 colleges attending DREAM, Achieving the Dream (ATD) ’s signature event held February 14-17, 2023, in Chicago.

Beth Gaskin Joining Gaskin were the presidents of Grayson College, Harper College and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College for a spotlight session titled “Unleashing America’s Talent: Using College Promise Programs to Advance Access, Momentum, and Mobility.” Panelists discussed the factors motivating their institution to offer a Promise program, how their programs are designed, and what they are learning about recruiting and serving previously “missing” students.

Launched in March 2022, the IRSC Promise Program offered new in-district public and public charter high school graduates the opportunity to earn an A.A., A.S. or A.A.S. degree from IRSC tuition-free. The program’s success correlated to a dramatic increase in college-going, with more than 1 in 3 area high school graduates matriculating to IRSC for the fall 2022 term. First-time-in-college enrollment was the largest in IRSC history.

Data demonstrate the program’s broad reach:

Minority students are 80% of the Promise 2022 cohort.
Enrollment for first-year Hispanic students has doubled from the last fall.
First-generation students make up the majority of 2022 first-year students.
Pell-grant eligibility is the highest in years, increasing 48% year over year.
The gap between female and male first-year student enrollment is narrowing.For 2023, the IRSC Promise program has expanded to include eligible, in-district home school graduates. Those interested in committing to the IRSC Promise must do so at promise.irsc.edu before the March 10 pledge deadline.

“Education lays the foundation for economic and social mobility,” says Vice President for Student Success Elizabeth Gaskin. “It was my honor and privilege to represent Indian River State College and share our evidence-based strategies for increasing access to higher education through the IRSC Promise.”

“The Promise was a whole-of-community effort,” Gaskin concludes. She credits faculty and staff, IRSC’s District Board of Trustees, the IRSC Foundation and Foundation Board, and partners at the local school districts for the program’s success.