An Evaluation Of Colorados College Opportunity Fund And Related Policies

The first and only voucher-based policy approach to finance higher education in America, the College Opportunity Fund (COF), was implemented by the state of Colorado in 2004. In 2011, this research study conducted a survey to seventeen senior administrators of Coloradan universities, as an attempt to examine the outcomes and effects of the COF program, from the administrators' perspective. What are the lessons learned from the College Opportunity Fund according to the university executives?

This document supplements the Commission policies on the College Opportunity Fund program and provides guidance to institutions and students on: student, course, and enrollment eligibility, invoice and reconciliation files; and program operations.

The Colorado Department of Higher Education is using this first-in-the-nation, student-friendly, fiscal approach to tackle the state's challenges of low participation and depleting financial resources.

Public Policy and Higher Education provides readers with new ways to analyze complex state policies and offers the tools to examine how policies affect students’ access and success in college. Rather than arguing for a single approach, the authors examine how policymakers and higher education administrators can work to inform and influence change within systems of higher education using research-based evidence along with consideration of political and historical values and beliefs. Raising new questions and examining recent developments, this updated edition is an invaluable resource for graduate students, administrators, policymakers, and researchers who seek to learn more about the crucial contexts underlying policy decisions and college access. Special Features: Case Studies—allow readers to examine strategies used by different types of colleges to improve access and retention. Reflective Exercises—encourage readers to discuss state and campus context for policy decisions and to think about the strategies used in a state or institution. Approachable Explanations—unpack complex public policies and financial strategies for readers who seek understanding of public policy in higher education. Research-Based Recommendations—explore how policymakers, higher education administrators, and faculty can work together to improve quality, diversity, and financial stewardship. New epilogues and a revised Part III—reexamine themes and encourage critical thinking about inequality and policy change

This report for the College Opportunity Fund (COF) covers the first two fiscal years of the COF program, FY05-06, FY06-07. It describes the implementation efforts of COF program stakeholders, the statistics of participation in the program, and concerns of the program. COF enables qualifying resident students to use higher education tuition stipends to pay tuition at participating institutions. Along with fee-for-service and performance contracts, the stipends replace the prior funding approach of direct appropriations from the state legislature to institutions of higher education. The COF program was intended to improve access to and awareness of higher education and, by linking higher education funding to student enrollment, to give institutions an incentive to market to prospective students. Performance contracts were negotiated to improve access and retention, quality, institutional efficiency and the state's priority needs. In exchange, institutions were intended to have more flexibility and less state oversight. Devised at a time of constrained state support, the COF program was designed so that all publicly funded institutions would qualify for enterprise status under TABOR (Taxpayers' Bill of Rights), providing flexibility for both the governing boards and the executive branch to address revenue need of each institution. Four appendixes include: (1) Institutional Implementation Efforts; (2) Fee-for-Service Contract Table; (3) College in Colorado's COF Marketing Efforts; and (4) Additional Information. (Contains 6 tables.).

The first comprehensive overview charting the accountability of higher education. As the price tag of higher education continues to rise, colleges and universities across the country are under increasing pressure to demonstrate their value. Graded on numerous metrics, including cost and ability to prepare students for the job market, colleges must satisfy requirements from multiple stakeholders. State and federal governments demand greater accountability. Foundations and private donors, as well as today's parents and students, approach education with a consumer sensibility. How can colleges navigate these pressures while trying to stay true to their missions and values? In Higher Education Accountability, Robert Kelchen delivers the first comprehensive overview of how colleges in the United States came to face such overwhelming scrutiny. Beginning with the earliest efforts to regulate schools, Kelchen reveals the rationale behind accountability and outlines the historical development of how federal and state policies, accreditation practices, private-sector interests, and internal requirements have become so important to institutional success and survival. With so many diverse and conflicting entities holding colleges responsible for their performance, the variety of accountability systems in play can have both intended and unintended consequences. Immersed as they are in current debates about how best to respond to these pressures, faculty and administrators will welcome this up-to-date and timely account, which offers not only a look at current practices but also an examination of the future of accountability in American higher education.

An indispensable reference that everyone concerned with the future of American colleges and universities should acquire. First published in 1999, American Higher Education in the Twenty-First Century offered a comprehensive introduction to the central issues facing American colleges and universities. This thoroughly revised edition brings the classic volume up to date. The contributors have rewritten every chapter to address major changes in higher education, including the rise of organized social movements, the problem of income inequality and stratification, and the growth of for-profit and distance education. Three new chapters cover information technology, community colleges, and teaching and learning. This edition seeks to capture several crucial dynamics in the nexus of higher education and society. Placing higher education within its social and political contexts, the contributors discuss finance, federal and state governance, faculty, students, curriculum, and academic leadership. They also grapple with growing concerns about the future of the academy and reflect more deeply on the racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity within higher education. No other book covers such wide-ranging issues under the broader theme of higher education’s relationship to society. Highly acclaimed and incorporating cutting-edge research, American Higher Education in the Twenty-First Century is now more useful and engaging than ever. Contributors: Michael N. Bastedo, Philip G. Altbach, Patricia J. Gumport, Benjamin Baez, Peter Riley Bahr, Joy Blanchard, Corbin M. Campbell, Melanie E. Corrigan, Peter D. Eckel, Roger L. Geiger, Lawrence E. Gladieux, Sara Goldrick-Rab, Jillian Leigh Gross, D. Bruce Johnstone, Adrianna Kezar, Jacqueline E. King, Aims C. McGuinness, Jr., Michael Mumper, Anna Neumann, Robert M. O’Neil, Laura W. Perna, Gary Rhoades, Roman Ruiz, Lauren Schudde, Sheila Slaughter, Daryl G. Smith

First published in 1998, American Higher Education in the Twenty-First Century offers a comprehensive entree to the central issues facing American colleges and universities today. This thoroughly revised edition brings the volume up to date on key topics of enduring interest. Placing higher education within its social and political contexts, leading scholars discuss finance, federal and state governance, faculty, students, curriculum, and academic leadership. Contributors also address major changes in higher education, especially the influence and incorporation of the latest technologies and growing concern about the future of the academy in a post–Iraq War setting. No other book covers such wide-ranging issues under the broader theme of higher education’s relationship to society. Highly acclaimed and incorporating cutting-edge research, American Higher Education in the Twenty-First Century remains the standard reference in the field. Contributors: Philip G. Altbach, Benjamin Baez, Michael N. Bastedo, Robert O. Berdahl, Marjorie A. E. Cook, Melanie E. Corrigan, Judith S. Eaton, Peter D. Eckel, Gustavo Fischman, Roger L. Geiger, Lawrence E. Gladieux, Sara Goldrick-Rab, Patricia J. Gumport, Fred F. Harcleroad, D. Bruce Johnstone, Adrianna Kezar, Jacqueline E. King, Aims C. McGuinness Jr., Amy Scott Metcalfe, Michael Mumper, Michael A. Olivas, Robert M. O'Neil, Gary Rhoades, Frank A. Schmidtlein, Sheila Slaughter, Daryl G. Smith, John Willinsky -- Higher Education Policy