The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program (Aspen) and its partners at the Community College Research Center (CCRC) have launched a first-of-its-kind initiative that reflects the next wave of the community college student success movement: Unlocking Opportunity: The Post-Graduation Success and Equity Network. This networking is taking a bold focus on excellence and equity in post-completion outcomes and post-graduation success.
Sinclair College has been selected to participate in this initiative as one of only 10 leading community colleges making up the nationwide network.
The initiative's goal is to encourage and drive thousands more community college students—including students of color and those from lower-income backgrounds—to enter and complete programs that lead directly to jobs that pay a family-sustaining wage, or to the efficient and effective transfer to complete a bachelor’s degree. Sinclair is committed to unlocking student potential and driving regional prosperity.
For the Dayton Region, the family-sustaining wage is $43,315 annually (or $20,82/hour) without employer paid healthcare benefits.
A living-wage program is one whose completers are able to earn the family-sustaining wage within one year of program completion.
Sinclair has created five internal goals to reach the initiative's overarching goal. For more information about each internal goal, see "Work Team Details" below.
The network will run from 2023 through 2028, with a three-year hands-on period followed by three years of monitoring and research.
The Open Pathway Quality Initiative is a requirement of the Higher Learning Commission: to qualify for Reaffirmation of Accreditation, an institution must designate one major improvement effort. Sinclair has selected the following Key Reforms:
Sinclair's five Key Reforms named in the Quality Initiative are action items that closely align with and support the five major Unlocking Opportunity goals—they are essentially a subset of the action items fueling Unlocking Opportunity. Because of this close relationship, Sinclair has internally combined both efforts to maximize efficiency and employee efforts.
Sinclair has formed seven work teams—under the leadership of an Administrative Work Team—to achieve its goals and align the actions across all college operation and academic areas. Each work team has a 2028 goal and target (or goal alignment) and is led by an Administrative Sponsor and a Team Lead. Faculty and Staff members from across Sinclair are participating as Work Team Members. More information about each individual Work Team is below.
Work Team Members:
Unlocking Goal
Increase the number of new, degree-seeking with the intent to transfer full-time and part-time students who earn a credential and transfer within 6 years.
Target
From 346 to 470 by 2028
Work Team Members
Unlocking Goal
Double the number of students who complete credentials within in-demand, living-wage (1 year) or full-credit transfer programs.
Target
From 1,500 to 3,000 by 2028
Work Team Members
Unlocking Goal
Meet 5-year enrollment projections for Sinclair’s Bachelor of Applied Science degrees.
Target
From 155 to 585 by 2028
Work Team Members
Unlocking Goal
Triple the number of students participating in career exploration and experiential learning in living-wage programs.
Target
From 1,000 to 3,000 by 2028
Work Team Members
Unlocking Goal
Double the number of those participating in custom training options that are connected to living-wage occupations.
Target
From 635 to 1,270 by 2028
Work Team Members
Goal alignment
Increase utilization of Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) to convert the learning that students experience outside of the classroom to academic credit.
Work Team Members
Goal alignment
Leverage new and existing technologies, expand wrap-around support to students, and reform advising practices to better inform students about living-wage programs.
Work Team Members
Revised 11/13/2024