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The cornerstone of the four-year project is the development of the Urban Transfer Research Network (UTRN), a national network of public two- and four-year institutions located in urban regions that will collaborate to increase the number of community college students who transfer into and complete a four-year degree. Initial partners in the collaboration include institutions in Tampa, Phoenix and Portland.
“Thanks to the leadership of Drs. Dan Walleri, former director of Research and Planning at Mt. Hood Community College [Dan Walleri passed away in July 2005], and Mary Kinnick, professor of Education at Portland State University, this project will make a substantial contribution to our knowledge of the factors that lead to success for transfer students, particularly for underrepresented students. Applied research like this is a necessary component of policymaking,” said Kathi Ketcheson, director of Portland State’s Office of Institutional Research and Planning and the project's principal investigator.
Portland State University has a long history of this type of work. In 1999, researchers at Portland State and their partners at the regional community colleges released a study outlining the patterns of undergraduate students attending Portland State University and the regional community colleges. They found that many students enroll in more than one community college while enrolled simultaneously at Portland State. Tuition costs, family and work responsibilities, and course availability have an impact on enrollment patterns.
Such research projects and partnerships are critical as over half of all students entering postsecondary education for the first time begin at community colleges. In addition, according to a national study by researcher Clifford Adelman, the attainment rate of bachelor’s degrees by underserved populations continues to lag behind the rate for Caucasians.
Portland State University currently enrolls more than 1,500 students in its co-enrollment programs with Portland Community College, Clackamas Community College, Chemeketa Community College and Mt. Hood Community College. In addition, Portland State offers degree completion programs on those campuses and at the CAPITAL Center in Hillsboro, and master’s degree programs throughout Oregon and online.
Lumina Foundation for Education, an Indianapolis-based, private,
independent foundation, strives to help people achieve their potential
by expanding access and success in education beyond high school.
Through grants for research, innovation, communication, and
evaluation, as well as policy education and leadership development,
Lumina Foundation addresses issues that affect access and educational
attainment among all students, particularly underserved student groups,
including adult learners. The Foundation bases its mission on the
belief that postsecondary education remains one of the most beneficial
investments that individuals can make in themselves and that society
can make in its people.
For more details on the Foundation, visit its Web site at www.luminafoundation.org.
Portland State University, Oregon's only urban university, is the largest and most diverse in the state system. The University's position in Oregon's economic and cultural center allows for deep community engagement and the creation of partnerships with hundreds of organizations throughout the region — partnerships that give PSU students valuable learning opportunities as they solve real-world problems of business and community. Portland State offers more than 100 undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degrees, as well as graduate certificates and continuing education programs.
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Source:
Kathi Ketcheson (503-725-3425), Principal Investigator
PSU Office of Institutional Research and Planning
For Immediate Release (#05-136)
