Powered By Publics Announces Advisory Council Members

Washington, DC – The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) today announced the creation of an advisory council for its Powered by Publics: Scaling Student Success initiative. The advisory council, which will provide high-level leadership and strategic guidance for Powered by Publics, is comprised of a diverse array of higher education experts, business community leaders, as well as a student representative. The group met for the first time today and is expected to participate in topic-specific subcommittees and task forces in the future.

[View the list of institutions participating in the initiative and the clusters they will be working within]

“We thank the advisory council members for their leadership and look forward to drawing on their deep well of expertise as we advance this critical initiative to improve college access, close the achievement gap, and vastly increase the number of college graduates,” said APLU President Peter McPherson.

Launched last November, Powered by Publics is a massive effort to increase college access, close the achievement gap, and award hundreds of thousands more degrees by 2025. The 130 participating public universities and systems will work within “clusters” of four to 12 institutions that concurrently implement innovative and effective practices to advance student success on their campuses.

[View Frequently Asked Questions about Powered by Publics’ work]

The initiative represents the largest ever collaborative effort to improve college access, advance equity, and increase college degrees awarded. Collectively, the institutions enroll 3 million students, including 1 million students who receive Pell Grants.

Below is the roster for the full Powered by Publics Advisory Council:

• Robert Anderson, President, State Higher Education Executive Officers Association.
• Michelle Cooper, President, Institute for Higher Education Policy.
• Antonio Flores, President and Chief Executive Officer, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.
• Claire Jacobson, Director, Taking Student Success to Scale: High Impact Practices, National Association of System Heads.
• Christine Keller, Executive Director, Association for Institutional Research.
• Jennifer Keup, Director, National Resource Center, University of South Carolina.
• Dane Linn, Vice President of Immigration, Workforce & Education, Business Roundtable.
• George Mehaffy, Vice President for Academic Leadership and Change, American Association of State College and Universities.
• Demarée Michelau, President, Western Interstate Commission of Higher Education.
• Christopher Mullin, Director, Strong Start to Finish.
• Cedric Mutebi, Student Representative, Wayne State University.
• Deborah Santiago, Chief Executive Officer, Excelencia in Education.
• Karen Stout, President and Chief Executive Officer, Achieving the Dream.
• Bruce Vandal, Senior Vice President, Complete College America.
• Stacey VanderHeiden Güney, Every Learner Everywhere, WCET.
• Josh Wyner, Vice President, Founder, and Executive Director, Aspen Institute, College Excellence.