Overhead scene of campus with people walking and large letters VCU.
VCU has joined a collaboration of 130 public and land-grant universities dedicated to improving student success in colleges and universities across the country. (File photo)

VCU joins national student success initiative

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Virginia Commonwealth University has joined a collaboration of 130 public and land-grant universities dedicated to improving student success in colleges and universities across the country.

The effort, “Powered by the Publics: Scaling Student Success” was developed by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities to create and carry out evidence-based practices to improve college access, close the achievement gap and award hundreds of thousands more college degrees by 2025. Participating institutions will collect and share data to improve success in public higher education.  

VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D., announced VCU’s participation during today’s Board of Visitors meeting.

“We are pleased to be a part of this important collaboration which will share best practices for improving college access, creating equity in student outcomes and boosting graduation rates,” Rao said. “And we’re eager to share VCU’s strategies and experiences for improving access because very few universities can tell the story of increasing graduation rates, diversity and academic standards all at the same time.”

In the past seven years, VCU has increased the six-year graduation rate from 57 percent to 67.4 percent, which is higher than the national rate. The four-year graduation rate increased from 34 percent to 44.4 percent during the same time. VCU confers 50 percent more degrees than it did in 2011. The university has closed gaps in the graduation rate among historically underrepresented students, including Pell recipients. The university welcomed its largest freshman class ever this year, with 55 percent of the class consisting of minorities and one-third being first-generation students.

VCU and the other participating institutions represent 3 million students, including 1 million recipients of Pell Grants.

The member universities have been organized into 16 “clusters” — each focused on a different aspect of student success. VCU is part of the initiative’s “Urban Cluster” along with Cleveland State University, Florida International University, Jackson State University, Morgan State University, University of Colorado-Denver, University of Memphis, University of New Orleans, University of South Alabama, University of Toledo and Wayne State University.

Rao was named to the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities’ Coalition of Urban Serving Universities last summer. Presidents and chancellors from 37 public urban research universities focus on recruiting, admitting, retaining, educating and graduating high-need, traditionally at-risk students while reducing costs, re-examining campus business models, and fostering mutually beneficial campus-community engagements. The coalition also helps the institutions transform their surrounding communities through partnerships.