Serving Students through Innovative Strategies

Dr. Chris Bustamante, Rio Salado College President

The State of Higher Education Today

Higher Ed HeadlinesUniversity of Phoenix to Shutter 115 Locations

October 17, 2012, New York Times

UMUC to lay off 70 amid declining enrollmentsMarch 28, 2014, The Baltimore Sun

Corinthian’s Cloudy FutureJune 20, 2014, Inside Higher Ed

(HBCUs) Fighting for SurvivalJune 24, 2014, Inside Higher Ed

City College of San Francisco’s quest to keep its doors open

October 24, 2013, Inside Higher Ed

Higher Education Today• Completion Goals

• Skills Gap

• Increasing Regulations & Accountability

• Diminishing Resources

• Increasing Numbers of Adult Learners

• Staying Relevant

Texas SnapshotChanging Demographics

– High School Graduate numbers are increasing– 2016, more than half of all high school graduates will be Hispanic– By 2020, 7 out of 10 will be Hispanic (or other minority populations)

Degree Attainment Gap– In 2012, 34.6% of the population hold a two-year or four-year degree– 3 million+, ages 25-64 have some college, no degree– 23.4% of the population

Sources: Knocking at the College Door, 2012 WICHEU.S. Census Bureau, 2012 American Community College Survey and A Stronger Nation through Higher Education, 2014 Lumina Report

Texas Snapshot continued

Rio Salado College: Founded to serve non-traditional students

Rio Salado College: A non-traditional college in a traditional system

Quick Facts• 65,000+ students served annually• 44,000+ students online• Largest public online community

college in the U.S.

Rio Salado College

Student Profile• 60% are Female• Average Age – 29• More than 40% are age 30

and older

Major Programs• Corporate & Business Partnerships

• Early College Initiatives

• Incarcerated Re-Entry

• Military & Veterans

• Adult Basic Education (College Bridge Pathways)

• Online

Online Students “I thought that my late start would prove too great an obstacle. What I have earned is more than a degree – it is a milestone.”

Sylicia McPheaRSC Graduate

Innovations to SupportOnline LearnersProprietary LMS: Rio Learn

– Predictive Analytics– Plagiarism Detector

24/7 Student Services

Upside Down Instructional Model

Master Course, Many Sections Model– Monday Start Dates– Never Cancel a Class

Business Model• Productivity

• Efficiency

• Scalability

• Quality

Instructional Model• 22 Residential & 1,500 Adjunct Faculty

• Extensive Adjunct Onboarding & Orientation

• Master Course• Monday starts throughout the year• Never cancel a class

Iron Triangle

Access/Completion

Cost

Quality

Higher Education’s

Source: The Iron Triangle: College Presidents Talk about Costs, Access, and Quality, National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education and Public Agenda, 2008

RecognitionsFast Company

Ranked in Top 10 Education Companiesin the World.

Fast Company Magazine, 2013

Gates Foundation

McKinsey & CompanyNamed Rio as 1 of 8 highly-productive institutions in the U.S.

“Winning by Degrees”

Recognized Rio as 1 of 12 highly-performing online institutions.

Gates Foundation Convening Session 

The Future of Higher Education Delivery

Online Learning • More than 7 million students online

• One in three students taking at least one class online

• Online growth outpaces traditional enrollment growth

Source: 2013 Sloan-C Online Learning Report

Future of Higher Education • Leveraging Technology to Scale• Next Generation Learning Models• Learning Communities• Entrepreneurial Initiatives • Regionalization

• Public & Private Higher Education Institutions

• Business & Industry

• Vendors

Leveraging Partnerships

• 2.5 times more likely to persist

• 65% more likely to earn a degree

• Accelerate their time to completion

Credit for Prior Learning Students:

Source: Council for Adult Experiential Learning

Key Strategies for Change

• Clear, coherent academic / career pathways

• Stackable credentials based on clearly defined competencies

• Alignment of learning across education sectors

• Transparency and accountability

Source: Empowering Community Colleges to Build the Nations’ Future, American Association of Community Colleges, 2014

Student-Centric Solutions

“I wanted to be a role model for my children and to prove that as long as you persevere, are patient, and put in the work, you can succeed.”

Patrick Valenzuela, RSC Graduate

Are you prepared to meet the needs of the future?

Thank you!