IRSC Tapped for National Guided Pathways Project
IRSC Tapped for National Guided Pathways Project
May 28, 2019 Suzanne Seldes
The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) has selected Indian River State College (IRSC), winner of the 2019 Aspen Prize for College Excellence, to participate in Strengthening Guided Pathways and Career Success by Ensuring Students are Learning, a new, two-year project launched with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Ascendium Education Group. The endeavor seeks to strengthen designs of project-based and applied-learning experiences, and to assess student achievement of learning outcomes to advance equity and student success goals along guided pathways.
“IRSC is known nationally for implementation of its Guided Pathways framework and the positive effect it has had on improving our students’ rates of college completion, transfer, and attainment of high-value jobs,” says Dr. Ed Massey, IRSC President. “We are delighted to be among the 20 institutions selected for this project. It will advance our collective understanding of the processes and practices that fully prepare all students for success.”
The Guided Pathways framework is composed of four main practice areas: (1) mapping pathways to student end goals; (2) helping students choose and enter a program pathway; (3) keeping students on path; and (4) ensuring that students are learning.
“AAC&U is thrilled to partner with the selected Guided Pathways institutions to promote student success and demonstrate the ways in which community colleges are vital to our nation’s strength—serving as engines of discovery, innovation, and social mobility,” said AAC&U President Lynn Pasquerella.
About AAC&U
AAC&U is the leading national association dedicated to advancing the vitality and public standing of liberal education by making quality and equity the foundations for excellence in undergraduate education in service to democracy. Its members are committed to extending the advantages of a liberal education to all students, regardless of academic specialization or intended career. Founded in 1915, AAC&U now comprises 1,400 member institutions—including accredited public and private colleges, community colleges, research universities, and comprehensive universities of every type and size.
AAC&U functions as a catalyst and facilitator, forging links among presidents, administrators, faculty, and staff engaged in institutional and curricular planning. Through a broad range of activities, AAC&U reinforces the collective commitment to liberal education at the national, local, and global levels. Its high-quality programs, publications, research, meetings, institutes, public outreach efforts, and campus-based projects help individual institutions ensure that the quality of student learning is central to their work as they evolve to meet new economic and social challenges.
For more information about AAC&U, visit www.aacu.org.
About Indian River State College
A leader in education and innovation, Indian River State College (IRSC) transforms lives by offering high quality, affordable and accessible education to the residents of Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee and St. Lucie counties through traditional and online delivery. IRSC is recipient of the 2019 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, nation’s signature recognition of high achievement and performance among America’s community colleges.
IRSC serves nearly 30,000 students annually and offers more than 100 programs leading to Bachelor’s degrees, Associate degrees, technical certificates and applied technology diplomas.
