NACEP Members Take the Lead in State Initiatives

At the October NACEP National Conference, keynote speaker Michelle Cooper of the Institute for Higher Education Policy encouraged NACEP members to get engaged in their respective states in educating and informing their peers and policy-makers about the benefits of concurrent enrollment. In states with longstanding concurrent enrollment strategies, NACEP members have consistently filled leadership positions in their respective statewide organizations: the Minnesota Concurrent Enrollment Partnership (MnCEP), the New York Concurrent Enrollment Partnership (NYCEP), and the Utah Concurrent Enrollment Partnership (UACEP). With new legislation, policy, and developments in many states, other NACEP members have taken leadership positions as concurrent enrollment expands in their states.

A few examples of recent member involvement in state initiatives follow:

Karen Gray from Ohio Dominican University’s Project JumpStart, along with other NACEP members in Ohio, founded the Ohio Dual Enrollment Partnership and organized the first statewide Ohio Dual Enrollment Summit on Oct. 18. Due to the high demand for the summit among Ohio colleges and school districts, the organizers were forced to limit registrations when the maximum capacity of 250 was reached. Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor Eric Fingerhut shared the Regents’ framework as they draft a dual enrollment policy, among other speakers and breakout sessions.

Dr. Dorothy Gleckner of Bergen Community College, Darlene Yoseloff of Middlesex Community College and their colleagues at three other colleges convened the first two meetings of their dual enrollment peers from New Jersey Community Colleges on July 13 and Oct. 29. Along with 35 representatives from 15 community colleges, the October event included several high school partners in the dialogue.

Thanks to a grant from the University of Wisconsin System Administration, Greg Kleinheinz and the staff at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh’s Cooperative Academic Partnership Program hosted on Dec. 9 representatives from many of the University of Wisconsin comprehensive four-year campuses and two-year colleges to discuss the development of new concurrent enrollment programs.

In response to 2010 concurrent enrollment legislation, Brenda Abbott from Laramie County Community College was an active participant in stakeholder discussions on statewide standards for dual and concurrent enrollment programs. To further the development of quality concurrent enrollment programs, Laramie hosted, on Feb. 16-17, a two-day forum called Concurrent Enrollment Works! with representatives from the state’s community colleges and their high school partners. NACEP Research Committee Chair Jill Thorne of the University of Connecticut’s Early College Experience and NACEP Executive Secretary Adam Lowe conducted professional development workshops and provided updates on national trends in concurrent enrollment.

Washington State has for many years received accolades for its Running Start on-campus dual enrollment programs. Central Washington University’s Cornerstone Program will host a College in the High School Summit on April 13 to share best practices among the growing concurrent enrollment programs in the state. Presenters will include NACEP President Lynn Burbank and Executive Secretary Adam Lowe and representatives of University of Washington’s UW in the High School, future host of the NACEP National Conference in October 2012.

Relocating to the Tulsa Public Schools (TPS) after working with the University of Central Arkansas’ concurrent enrollment program, Vicki Beard Simmons discovered that Oklahoma policy did not allow high school teachers to be credentialed by colleges to offer concurrent enrollment courses in the high school. Recognizing that forcing students to travel offsite to college campuses limited the number of students in TPS able to take dual enrollment courses, she and her partners at Tulsa Community College successfully petitioned the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education in September 2010 to allow a pilot concurrent enrollment program.

NACEP Board Secretary Ginger Ramsden of University of Southern Indiana’s College Achievement Program was appointed to the newly established Indiana Dual Credit Review Subcommittee of the Indiana State Transfer and Articulation Committee, drafting standards and protocols for state oversight of dual credit programs that are not accredited by NACEP.

Karl Madeo of College Now at Tompkins-Cortland Community College and Maria Kindberg of Jamestown Community College’s College Connections have been appointed to Seamless Education Pipeline Innovation Team, one of six committees overseeing the implementation of the new Power of SUNY strategic plan for the 64 campus State University of New York (SUNY) system. Madeo was recently appointed as the Two Year Public Institutional Representative on the NACEP Board, filing the seat previously held by Peggy Sadler. Kindberg also serves as the President of the New York Concurrent Enrollment Partnership (NYCEP), an organization of New York community colleges operating concurrent enrollment programs.

NACEP can provide materials, speakers, advice, and other assistance to members who are engaged in state-level concurrent enrollment program development and policy initiatives.