The Central Ohio Compact:
A Regional Strategy for College Completion
and Career Success
David Harrison, Columbus State Community College
Dolan Evanovich, The Ohio State University
Wade Lucas, Olentangy Local Schools
Steve Lyons, Columbus Partnership/Columbus 2020
Progress to Date
• 2010. Discussions with college presidents and district
superintendents.
• May 2011. College Success Summit 1: Is there a case for
a regional strategy?
Summit 1
What kind of partnership could…
• Ensure that all college-bound high school
graduates are college ready?
• Increase the number of high school graduates
with credit toward a college degree?
• Dramatically increase the number of students
earning a college degree or certificate?
• Reduce the costs of education for students,
families, and taxpayers?
Summit 1
A Regional Approach
• Earlier assessment of college readiness, with
programmatic steps to prevent remediation.
• Start the college experience earlier, with an emphasis
on making the senior year more productive for more
students through dual enrollment and TAG courses.
• Leverage all assets, including facilities, personnel, and
technology, toward an integrated system.
• Align with regional workforce and economic
development efforts.
• Strategic focus on curriculum alignment, outreach to
students and families, and data sharing.
Summit 1
Guiding Principles
• Confront the hard facts.
• Focus on acceleration, innovation, and
integration.
• Lead by example. Design solutions around the
needs of students.
• Start small, scale fast, measure relentlessly.
• Don’t over-think it. Have a bias toward action.
Progress to Date
• 2010. Discussions with college presidents and district
superintendents.
• May 2011. College Success Summit 1: Is there a case for
a regional strategy?
• November 2011. College Success Summit 2: Strategic
framework focused on curriculum alignment, access, and
data. Delegation of teams to advance the work.
Time is the Enemy
• There is a new American majority on campus.
Only 25% of today’s college students are
“traditional.”
• Part-time students rarely graduate.
• Low-income students and students of color
struggle the most to graduate.
• Students take too many credits and too much
time to graduate.
• Remediation produces few students who
ultimately graduate.
Progress to Date
• 2010. Discussions with college presidents and district
superintendents.
• May 2011. College Success Summit 1: Is there a case for
a regional strategy?
• November 2011. College Success Summit 2: Strategic
framework focused on curriculum alignment, access, and
data. Delegation of teams to advance the work.
• April 2012. College Success Summit 3: Adoption of the
Lumina Foundation’s 60% Goal and formation of strategy
team.
• Fall 2012. Completion of strategy document, adoption by
governing boards, implementation of initial pilots.
The Central Ohio Compact
A Regional Strategy for College Completion and Career Success
Achieving the 60% Goal
• Dramatically increase the number of students earning a postsecondary credential.
• Ensure that all college-bound high school graduates are
college ready.
• Increase the number of high school graduates with credit
toward a post-secondary credential.
• Increase the number of community college students earning
bachelor’s degrees through guaranteed pathways to
completion.
• Provide consistent, accurate, and timely communication with
students and families to eliminate uncertainty and ensure
success at the college level.
The Central Ohio Compact
A Regional Strategy for College Completion and Career Success
Achieving the 60% Goal
• Employ specific strategies for working adults, low-income and
first generation students, and students of color.
• Advance the region’s need for a highly skilled workforce,
including an emphasis on STEM fields, by aligning with
regional workforce and economic development efforts.
• Manage the costs of education for students, families, and
taxpayers through 2+2 and 3+1 bachelor’s degree programs,
shared facilities and services, and integrated planning.
The Central Ohio Compact
A Regional Strategy for College Completion and Career Success
Achieving the 60% Goal
Next Steps
• Adoption by K-12, college and university governing boards.
• Implementation at the transition points:
– Integration of developmental education and dual enrollment
opportunities in high schools
– Targeted communication with guidance counselors, students, and
families
– Curricular planning, advising, and outreach to accelerate
community college transfer students
– Alignment of technical credentials with workforce needs
• Annual summit each spring to report results and impact,
share what was learned, and plan the next cycle.
Dolan Evanovich
Vice President of Strategic Enrollment Planning
The Ohio State University
Wade Lucas, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Olentangy Local School District
Steve Lyons
Vice President of Member Services and
Community Engagement
Columbus Partnership