THE ASSOCIATION OF Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), an
organization with membership in the United States, Canada, and Mexico,
has launched a massive effort to increase college access, close the
achievement gap, and award hundreds of thousands more degrees by
2025. Through the initiative, called Powered by Publics: Scaling Student
Success, participating universities will work within clusters of
four to 12 institutions to implement innovative practices that advance
student success. Schools also pledge to share aggregate data with the
goal of spurring lasting change across the higher education sector.
"We've witnessed growing enthusiasm among public university
leaders to advance college completion," says APLU president Peter
McPherson. "We have to seize the moment and mobilize institutions."
Collectively, the 130 participating U.S. institutions enroll 3 million
students, including 1 million who receive Fell Grants. They are diverse
in their enrollment, demographics, regional workforce needs, and
selectivity. This diversity is intended to spark adaptable reforms that
can be adopted by a variety of institutions, including those with limited resources. Each cluster of universities
will focus on a specific area, such as
data integration, financial aid, student
literacy, and the role of student advising.
The effort will be overseen by
APLU's Center for Public University
Transformation, which will regularly
disseminate lessons learned from
participating institutions.
Find links to a list of participating
schools and view frequently asked questions.