In collaboration with Lumina Foundation, ACE is creating a global learning community–the Alliance for Global Innovation in Tertiary Education–for the exchange of innovative practices shown to increase postsecondary degree attainment and equity.
ACE has named a panel of expert advisors to help guide the initiative:
- Nasima Badsha, former chief executive of the Cape Higher Education Consortium, Cape Town, South Africa
- Michelle Asha Cooper, president, Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP), Washington, DC
- Marcelo Knobel, rector, University of Campinas (Unicamp), Campinas, Brazil
- Jamil Salmi, former tertiary education lead, World Bank, Bogotá, Colombia
- Andrée Sursock, senior adviser, European University Association (EUA), Brussels, Belgium
- Mary Tupan-Wenno, executive director of ECHO, Center for Diversity Policy, The Hague, Netherlands
“ACE, with the support of Lumina Foundation,
has been able to assemble a distinguished group of world leaders to
examine a topic that is of universal importance for higher education:
expanding the opportunity for underrepresented populations to access
higher education and obtain the support needed to complete a degree
successfully,” said Patti McGill Peterson, senior fellow in ACE’s Center
for Internationalization and Global Engagement (CIGE).
The Alliance, which is coordinated by CIGE,
will identify flexible, student-centered approaches that enable diverse
student populations to navigate the postsecondary system throughout
their lifetimes to obtain knowledge, skills, and credentials. Achieving
more equitable outcomes for a changing student demographic is a central
goal of the project, which will explore innovative modes of delivery,
credentialing, credit recognition and degree pathways.
The Alliance will comprise a network of
senior practitioners, thought leaders, policymakers, and employers from
the United States and seven additional participating countries and regions.
During this two-year initiative, CIGE will produce a series of thought
leadership papers, develop a set of case studies on comparative issues
and practices, and facilitate data collection and shared knowledge among
Alliance partners. Project outcomes will be circulated widely among the
U.S. higher education community.
In February 2018, ACE will convene the
inaugural global meeting of the Alliance in Washington, DC. Invited
country delegations and the expert advisors will discuss specific
examples of policies and practices that increase postsecondary degree
attainment for underserved students.
ACE will share early results of the first Alliance meeting at ACE2018, ACE’s 100th Annual Meeting, March 10-13, 2018, in Washington, DC.