OSU-OKC joins 'PEP' initiative

Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City has been selected to join a new initiative promoting equity-centered student success practices and policies. OSU-OKC is one of nine colleges and universities in the state collaborating with Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and Complete College America in this initiative.

Complete College America selected three state higher education agencies in Arkansas, Montana, and Oklahoma as inaugural members of the Policy, Equity and Practice network. This initiative, abbreviated as “PEP,” features 34 participating colleges and universities. As part of the program, the schools will seek to improve college completion rates for students from historically underserved backgrounds.

CCA will lead cohorts of colleges and universities across these regions to develop a toolkit of implementation strategies for equity-centered student success practices and policies, conscious of demographic disparities by income background and race in college completion, and post-completion, metrics.

CCA champions 4 pillars of success—Purpose, Structure, Momentum, Support—each with a set of corresponding strategies that must be at the center of all student-centered higher education systems.

In this initiative, schools will build capacity around and implement equity-centered completion strategies chosen from the CCA pillars of student success and develop policies that enable long-term sustainability.

In Oklahoma, the focus will be on adult learners using education as a pathway into the workforce, and on high school students in concurrent enrollment courses.

OSU-OKC’s President Scott Newman said he believes OSU-OKC will be able to achieve significant results through its participation in the program.

“OSU-OKC is uniquely positioned for participation in the PEP initiative given the institution’s role as major provider of coursework to area high school juniors and seniors, as well as a workforce institution which connects learners from diverse backgrounds with careers in high-demand, rewarding fields,” Newman said. “We look forward to working closely with Complete College America and the State Regents to advance OSU-OKC’s impacts on our students and community.”

For more information, visit completecollege.org/pep