College Promise and Coalition of Leading Organizations Commit to Preparing America's Talent Pipeline by Eliminating Barriers to Affordable, Quality Postsecondary Education

WASHINGTON, April 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- College Promise, a nonpartisan initiative to promote accessible, affordable, and attainable quality post-secondary education in the U.S., is galvanizing a diverse coalition of national organizations committed to bolstering college and career outcomes for youth and adults.

Since September 2015, the College Promise movement has expanded to over 360 local and statewide Promise programs across the country, all delivering tuition-free college opportunities and increasing wraparound services for our nation's students. "College Promise is committed to build on this progress, led by America's community colleges, to expand the movement, engaging thousands more college, business, and nonprofit partners working together. We want to realize this shared vision of the talent pipeline that will drive our nation's future," said Martha Kanter, CEO of College Promise.

Today, College Promise released a joint commitment statement in support of making college more universal and accessible for all in order to strengthen the American economy by unleashing a talent pipeline for the 21st century that is far better skilled and inclusive than ever before:

"We believe the best way to increase our nation's college access and attainment goals and, at the same time, eliminate inequities and achievement gaps across America is to galvanize a nationwide movement in support of making college as universal, accessible, and affordable as high school has been in the U.S. for more than a century...If America is to remain competitive in the global marketplace, pathways to economic and social mobility are critical to a fulsome national recovery. America must take bold steps to bolster its position in the world. The pace of change in the knowledge economy affecting the American workforce makes a high school education no longer enough to build the knowledge and skills required for long-term career success now or in the future. One hundred years ago, we made high school education universally accessible. Today, we must position our country to meet the demands of a new era by making a College Promise for All."

Signatories of the commitment statement include:

National League of Cities (NLC), State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO), Jobs for the Future (JFF), Achieving the Dream (ATD), Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR), ECMC Foundation, Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholars (APIA), American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), Excelencia in Education, The League for Innovation in the Community College, Complete College America, Avalos Foundation, The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, NAF, National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), Educational Testing Service (ETS), Lumina Foundation, EdX, National Association of System Heads (NASH), America's Promise Alliance, Scholarship America, Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities, tnAchieves, Washington Student Achievement Council, Civic Nation, National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP), Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management Education (ISKME), Columbia University Teachers College Community College Research Center, MENTOR, Code of Support, Ascendium and California Community Colleges.

"The vast majority of new job openings require postsecondary credentials, yet earning a college degree is simply unattainable for far too many Americans. Over the last 30 years, college costs have doubled in the U.S. and student debt has tripled," said Rosye Blancas Cloud of College Promise. "This disproportionately impacts low-income students, who make up only 12% of those earning a degree by the age of 25."

The joint statement represents the signatories' commitment to work together in taking transformational steps forward to increase College Promise opportunities for every American, thereby reducing - or eliminating altogether - the inequities and declines in college and career access and success that have long impeded our nation's economic and social prosperity.

Read the full statement and sign up your organization by clicking HERE.

About College Promise
College Promise is a national, nonpartisan initiative to build broad public support for accessible, affordable, quality College Promise programs across the United States. Through partnerships with community colleges, universities, and leaders from across the nation's education, business, government, nonprofit, labor, and philanthropy sectors, College Promise supports communities and states to enact proven solutions that enable hardworking students to complete their college degrees or certificates, aligning no-cost tuition strategies with meaningful student supports. www.collegepromise.org

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