Dept. of Education awards PSU $7.8M to foster transfer student success

A recent award from the U.S. Department of Education will allow Portland State University (PSU) to better serve transfer students throughout their higher education journey. Thanks to efforts from the Student Success teams, PSU was awarded $7,823,199 million to fund the Access, Connect, Complete, Engage (ACCE) program in partnership with Clackamas Community College (CCC) and Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC).

The grant is part of more than $40 million awarded to seven institutions seeking to improve completion rates for underserved students. At Portland State, ACCE aims to not only increase the number of underserved community college students who successfully transfer to PSU, but also increase the number of transfer students who persist and earn a bachelor's degree. ACCE is not the first effort from Portland State to better serve transfer students. In 2020, PSU established the Transfer & Returning Student Resource Center (TRSRC) to provide support to transfer students and students returning to their education after a significant break.

"Portland State is thrilled to have been awarded this grant which will help how we welcome and serve transfer students while also ensuring their success," said PSU President Ann Cudd. "Providing equitable access to education is at the very core of our mission and this opportunity to work with our community college partners to improve that access will be an exciting endeavor."

Clackamas Community College and Mt. Hood Community College represent more than 36,100 students currently enrolled and seeking degrees. ACCE will initially serve 2,000 transfer students from CCC and MHCC who will receive comprehensive, personalized and extended support while seeking their degree.

"Mt. Hood Community College is absolutely committed to providing a launchpad for students seeking successful careers and lives through higher education," said Mt. Hood Community College President Lisa Skari. "Thanks to this generous grant, and our partnership with Portland State University, many more people will get the equitable support they need to go on and achieve success through further educational opportunities."

The new program will support six full-time Transfer Success Coaches working with students at PSU, CCC and MHCC, as well as financial incentives like book stipends and funding for transportation each term.

"The ACCE program will provide invaluable support to help Clackamas Community College students seamlessly transfer and succeed at the bachelor's level. This initiative aligns well with our commitment to student success and creating pathways through higher education," said Clackamas Community College President Tim Cook.

A college education is one of the most effective ways to increase social mobility and advance economic opportunity, yet obtaining a degree is often out of reach for potential students. Community college students are also more likely to be first-generation and identify as Black, Indigenous or Latiné, and continue to experience barriers that contribute to racial inequities.

"To have an impact on degree attainment for underrepresented students we have to rethink how we serve our students. Eighty percent of community college students in the U.S. intend to attend a four-year institution and earn a bachelor's degree, roughly 30% of those students actually transfer to a four-year institution, and only 15% of those students achieve this goal of degree attainment," said Andrea Garrity, executive director of Student Success and ACCE principal investigator. "This research opportunity will not only improve how we serve students but has the potential to provide evidence that can benefit underserved transfer students nationally."

The program will get underway soon, and if successful, the model will be expanded to serve additional transfer partners in the state.

"Supporting transfer students to achieve their goal in earning a baccalaureate degree is foundational to achieving equity in education," said Randi Harris, associate vice provost of Academic Advising and ACCE co-principal investigator. "PSU looks forward to working collectively with our community college partners to provide the necessary supports and resources that empower our students to recognize all of the skills and experiences and knowledge that they have to be successful."