CState Accelerate success story featured on “PBS NewsHour” on May 9
The nationally broadcast “PBS NewsHour” on May 9, 2023, included a report on the success of CState Accelerate in helping community college students to persist, stay on track, and become graduates.
You can view the 8 1/2 minute televised story and read the transcript at the PBS NewsHour website or watch on the PBS NewsHour YouTube channel.
In addition to television coverage, the story was re-broadcast on public radio stations throughout the U.S.
The news segment included interviews with two CState Accelerate students, Culinary Arts major Blessing Henderson and Electrical Engineering Technology major Micki Harris. Both described the many types of support and the sense of community they gain from being part of the program.
CState Accelerate is free for eligible students and provides comprehensive academic, personal, and financial support designed to help students stay in college, earn credits faster, and graduate on time.
The NewsHour team also interviewed CState Accelerate Director Tammie S. Larkins and Cincinnati State President Dr. Monica Posey.
A portion of the story by NewsHour reporter Hari Sreenivasan described the source for programs like CState Accelerate: ASAP (Accelerated Study in Associate Programs) at the City University of New York (CUNY). From its launch in 2007, ASAP has expanded to serve over 40 percent of full time, degree seeking CUNY students.
The initial CState Accelerate program operated from 2015 to 2018 as part of a rigorous, statewide study conducted by a nationally recognized research organization, MDRC.
Along with Cincinnati State, programs modeled on ASAP were put in place at Cuyahoga Community College and Lorain County Community College.
An April 2023 report from MDRC indicated that programs like CState Accelerate show remarkable success. Six years after the start of the programs at the three Ohio community colleges, graduation rates had increased by 50 percent. The report also noted that students who participated in the programs increased their earnings by 11 percent during the pandemic.
Because of the success of the original grant-funded program, Cincinnati State relaunched CState Accelerate in Fall 2021 with funding raised during the College’s 50th Anniversary Campaign. The original campaign goal of $3 million was exceeded, with final pledges for CState Accelerate reaching $3.5 million.