1. The Three A’s
Access, Accountability, Affordability
(and Degree Completion)

2. Organization and
Administration of
Higher Education
The University of Central Oklahoma
Tuesday, March 1, 2016

3. Introduction of Speaker
 Jessica Rimmer, Vice President for Student
Engagement and Success
 Mid-America Christian University
 Twelve years in Higher Education
 Currently a PhD Candidate at The University
of Oklahoma
 Research Interests: Leadership and Student
Retention

4. Areas of Responsibility
 Student Life
 Campus Ministry
 Student Success Center
 University Athletics
 Department of Public Safety
 University Retention
 Title IX

5. The Issue of
Access
The belief in opportunity

6. Aspects of Accessibility
 Access of disenfranchised populations
 Geography
 Programs
 Affordability
 Student convenience
 Student preparation
 Student/Institution match

7. Historical Support for Access
 Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862
 Second Morrill Act of 1890
 Brown vs. Board of Education
 Higher Education Act of 1965

8. The Spellings Report (2006)
 Inadequate preparation
 Lack of information about college
opportunities
 Persistent financial barriers
Findings indicated that access to higher education was
inhibited by a “complex interplay” of:

9. Access and Success
Separate and Unequal

10. Recommended Resources
 The State of College Access and
Completion: Improving College Success for
Students from Underrepresented Groups
(2013) Laura W. Perna.
 Separate and Unequal: How Higher
Education Reinforces the Intergenerational
Reproduction of White Racial Privilege
(2013), Anthony P. Carnevale and Jeff Strohl

11. The Issue of
Affordability
Ensuring a Pathway to Opportunity

12. Affordability
“If people perceive postsecondary education
as unaffordable, they are likely to make
decisions that limit their participation and
success” (Baum & Ma, 2014, p. 12)

13. What is affordability?
 Unmet Need
 Expensive vs. Unaffordable
 Commodity expenditure vs. Long-term
investment
“Of fundamental importance, it is impossible to
define affordability only in terms of prices and
required expenditures. The resources available
to pay the prices determine what people can
afford” (Baum & Ma, 2014, p. 3).

14. Questions on Affordability
 What should be included in price?
 Room and Board?
 Books?
 Who’s income should be considered?
 Students? (for what period)
 Parents?
When considering affordability…
“We should focus on whether students,
regardless of their age when they enroll, can
reasonably expect to improve their long-term
standards of living” (Baum & Ma, 2014, p.3)

15. Recommended Resource
 College Affordability: What is it and how can
we measure it? Sandy Baum and Jennifer
Ma (April, 2014). The Lumina Foundation.

16. The Issue of
Accountability
A Matter of Public Trust

17. Accountability
 “As a general policy construct, the term
refers to the responsibility (if not legal
obligation) of campus and system
administrators, as well as government
officials, to provide their supervisors
(ultimately the public) reports of the
stewardship of public funds.” (Leveille, 2006,
p. 34)
Described:

18. Accountable for what?
 Cost
 Value
 Quality

19. Accountable to whom?
 Students and Families
 Industry
 Accrediting bodies
 Governing Boards
 State Governments
 Federal Government
 Alumni
 Foundations
(Leveille, 2006)

20. Measures for Accountability
 Retention Rates
 Graduation Rates
 Transfer Out Rates
 Gainful Employment
 Student Debt Load
 Student Employability

21. National Transparency
 IPEDS
 College Navigator
 College Score Card
 Accrediting Bodies

22. Further Reading on
Accountability
 http://www.slideshare.net/ragutier/accountab
ility-for-higher-education-institutions-likely-
future-directions
 Leveille, D. (2006). Accountability in higher
education: A public agenda for trust and
cultural change. Center for Studies in Higher
Education, UC Berkley.

23. Criticisms
 Does not allow for the broader aim of Higher
Education
 Diversity of institutional type
 Flaws in the measures
 Understanding of broadly communicated
measures

24. Degree
Completion

25. Degree completion
 A degree completion program is an
undergraduate academic program, most
frequently found in the US or Canada, that is
offered with an established university but
typically for non-traditional students.”
(Wikipedia)
 Originally looked at students with 60 credits
or more who have been away from college
for an “extended period of time” (Taylor,
2000)
 May Incorporate prior learning assessments

26. Student Demographics
 “Nearly 40 percent of today’s postsecondary
students are self-supporting, ages 24 and
up” (Horn & Nevill, 2006 in Spellings, 2006,
p. 9)
 The new undergraduate

27. What is happening in the
State of Oklahoma
 Mid-America Christian University- College of
Adult and Graduate Studies
 Southern Nazarene University
 The University of Oklahoma- Outreach
Center
 Oklahoma’s participation in Complete
College America- Reach Higher
 UCO- Operation Degree Completion

28. Questions

29. Contact
jrimmer@macu.edu
405-692-3275
Twitter: @Jessrimm28
Facebook: Jessica Patterson Rimmer