Eastern Kentucky University has been selected to join Degrees When Due, a national initiative of the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) to help students who have some college credits complete their degrees.
As one of the colleges and universities from 20 states participating in Degrees When Due, EKU will learn best practices in degree reclamation and provide targeted support while re-engaging students who have paused their studies. The University’s participation in the initiative is facilitated through the Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE); Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, University of Kentucky and University of Louisville. Several KCTCS institutions are also participating in Degrees When Due through CPE.
“Students who leave college without a credential often feel that they have missed their opportunity, but the reality is that they have not,” said Lisa Cox, director of the Student Outreach and Transition Office. “ It’s up to EKU to seek ways to re-engage these students. The strategies we will learn through our partnership with Degrees when Due will help us to better identify and serve a diverse population of adult learners, strengthening the communities we are committed to serve.”
Degrees When Due will grant EKU access to a variety of resources to help more students complete their degrees and to help the institution audit students’ previously earned and transfer credits to determine the most efficient pathway to graduation. The program will benefit the more than 60,604 individuals in Kentucky who have been identified as having some college credits, but no awarded degree.
“Our Degrees When Due institutional and state partners are building a strong pathway to degree attainment for all students, including by providing an on-ramp for those who have paused their studies or ‘stopped-out,’” said IHEP President Michelle Asha Cooper, Ph.D. “IHEP enthusiastically welcomes the selected institutions and states to this effort. Through this initiative, they will increase student success, serve a diverse set of student populations, and join us in addressing one of higher education’s most pressing challenges: degree completion.”
Cox echoed those sentiments. “Having worked in the area of adult degree completion for over a decade, one thing I feel can’t be overlooked is the impact that degree completion has on future generations within a family. Our children are watching and learning from our example,” she said. “EKU is excited to join the Degrees when Due initiative, to acquire new methods for reengaging and supporting students on a renewed path to graduation.”