College joins national college completion initiative

Bishop State Community College 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.

Bishop State is one of twenty colleges and universities participating in Degrees When Due where the college leaders will learn best practices in degree reclamation. The initiative will also provide targeted support while re-engaging students who have paused or “stopped out” of their studies. Bishop State’s participation in the initiative is facilitated through the Mobile Area Education Foundation’s 75,000 Degrees Talent Hub initiative. “Governor Kay Ivey has set a state goal of 500,000 credentialed Alabamians by 2025 to meet the workforce

demands of our state’s business/industry," said Chandra Scott, Director of Strategic Outcomes for the Mobile Area Education Foundation. “Reengaging students in the 75,000 Degrees Talent Hub is essential to fulfilling our region’s goal of 75,000 Degrees by 2030. Degrees When Due will provide both Bishop State and Coastal Alabama Community Colleges with proven strategies that will better identify and serve returning learners.” Degrees When Due will grant Bishop State 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 62,791 individuals in Alabama who have been identified as having some college credits, but no awarded degree. “Degrees When Due aligns with Bishop State’s overall mission of providing multiple pathways to student access and success,” said Bishop State President Dr. Reginald Sykes. “The faculty and staff of Bishop State are committed to serving all students and promoting increased attainment to meet our region’s goal of 75,000 Degrees by 2030.” “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.”