Recent data shows NSHE ahead of call for performance by Secretary Duncan
Last week, on behalf of the Obama administration, U.S. Department of
Education Secretary Arne Duncan called for an increased focus on accountability and performance outcomes in higher education. This is a national call to action where Nevada already has a proven record of demonstrated success. Data on NSHE’s progress can be found on its recently updated Institutional Research webpage at www.nevada.edu/ir/.
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NSHE has been laser-focused on a creating a culture of completion since 2012. Since joining the Complete College America initiative, NSHE has seen a 21% increase in the number of awards conferred in its first three years of participation. The “15 to Finish” initiative, which NSHE adopted in 2013, has yielded remarkable results for all seven of its degree-granting institutions. Percent increases between Fall 2012 and Fall 2014 in the number of first-time degree seeking students (18-24 years old) enrolled in 15 credits or more are as follows:
- College of Southern Nevada: 31%
- Great Basin College: 100%
- Truckee Meadows Community College: 116%
- Western Nevada College: 214%
- Nevada State College: 400%
- University of Nevada, Las Vegas: 112%
- University of Nevada, Reno: 51%
The Nevada System of Higher Education prides itself on the data that it compiles, publishes, and makes readily available on its website. This type of transparent accountability was also a point of emphasis by Secretary Duncan.
Other successes include:
- Over a 10-year period, the number of awards (degrees and certificates) earned by NSHE’s minority students has increased by 171 percent.
- 2013 data released in “Diverse: Issues in Higher Education” showed NSHE institutions achieved top 100 rankings in 25 categories…many of them in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines.
- In 2013, the Legislature approved a new funding formula that made NSHE’s state funding driven by course completions instead of the historical number of enrolled students.
- Created a Performance Pool that rewards NSHE institutions for meeting clearly defined, institution-specific metrics for success and alignment with state economic development goals.
- NSHE’s Nevada College Collaborative, under the leadership of Director Frank Woodbeck, is partnering with K-12 and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development for a pilot program for a fully integrated education and career pathway in advanced manufacturing.
- Another exciting collaboration with K-12 and GOED has been the development of a new longitudinal data system, the Nevada P-20 Workforce Report. The system connects information from the moment a student starts preschool to high school graduation, acceptance to college and even entry into the workforce. This will help NSHE’s researchers to more easily identify trends and evaluate the success of its programs in meeting students’ needs.
On the NSHE website, you can also find information on graduation, enrollment, diversity and a myriad of other matters. In addition, the System compiles and publishes reports on areas that are mission critical such as workforce and research alignment.
