By Jeff Murphy,
October 18, 2016
WARRENSBURG, MO – While he continues to advocate for initiatives in higher education
that can improve accessibility, affordability, and the reduction of students’ college
debt load, University of Central Missouri President Charles Ambrose in October has
been part of national discussion on issues related to college completion among underrepresented
groups in higher education, career readiness, and value.
Ambrose’s national involvement in addressing these important issues has come through
his participation in the 2016 Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) Symposium
on Student Success Oct. 5 in New Orleans, and the USA Funds MSI Measuring College
Value Grantee Kickoff Meeting in Indianapolis, Oct. 12. Ambrose served on a panel
at the ACCT event and was invited to serve as a presenter at the MSI meeting.
With more than 150 people in attendance, the ACCT Symposium brought together community
college trustees and presidents as well as leaders from philanthropic organizations,
government agencies and other non-profits to focus on workforce development and new
research on vulnerable student populations. This included working students, parents
and minorities.
During the symposium, researchers who are focused on workforce and higher education
presented briefing papers exploring a broad range of issues that must be confronted
by community college leaders. Trustees worked collaboratively to develop policy responses
to issues that were raised by new research presented during the event. This includes
research dealing with topics such as the challenge of growing student debt load and
how it has impacted the pursuit of bachelor’s degrees after associate degrees are
earned; the correlation between teacher quality and student support services as related
to student success; the need to pay much closer attention to the role of parenthood
amidst a decline in needed college childcare facilities; addressing the differences
that persist between the incomes of African American students and white males who
complete associate degrees, and much more. The event was sponsored by ACCT in partnership
with USA Funds and with support from the Lumina Foundation and the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation .
The MSI Measuring College Value Grantee Orientation involved members of an innovation
group that includes seven institutions that received a combined total of $2.3 million
in USA Funds® grant support for the development and application of data tools and
institutional practices that enhance college completion rates and career readiness
of first-generation, low-income and minority students. The three-year Measuring College
Value Initiative is designed to support two-year and four-year minority-serving colleges
and universities in measuring the value of their programs, improving student outcomes,
and developing innovative approaches that inform the broader postsecondary education
community of ways to increase program completion and advance the career readiness
of their students.
During the meeting, President Ambrose led a workshop titled “The Critical Role of
Businesses in the Development of College Value Initiatives,” drawing from experiences
gained from The Missouri Innovation Campus (MIC), a cooperative initiative between
UCM, the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District, Metropolitan Community College and approximately
45 business partners. This helped institutional innovation groups to learn more about
developing or enhancing their plans to engage businesses in developing their college
value initiatives.
“For communities to prosper, it is important that we address the obstacles that are
facing students at all levels. We must work together to build smooth pathways to
improve access for students entering college, particularly those who are underrepresented
in higher education, while also giving them tools and services to help them succeed,”
Ambrose said. “I’m grateful to represent UCM, and privileged to be invited to engage
in dialogue with educators across the country.”
