Executive Director’s Note

By Julia Michaels

It’s data season again! Powered by Publics is committed to transparency by sharing data and monitoring progress toward equity. As part of that commitment, this month we launched our second annual Core Data Metrics collection. The Core Data Metrics track institution-level data for eight measures, disaggregated by 15 student subgroups, that will contribute to the analysis of our collective progress in supporting student success. If you haven’t already, I encourage your institution to start the Core Data Metrics process by exploring the resources on APLU.org/CDM ahead of the August 1 submission deadline.

Thanks to the 2020 collection cycle, we already have some great baseline data on Powered by Publics institutions. Denise Nadasen, APLU’s Assistant Vice President of Data & Policy Analysis, has completed an analysis of 2013-14 to 2018-19 academic years across the 125 institutions. I encourage you to read the brief report, which will serve as a vital baseline for measuring progress toward our equity and completion goals.

I’m also delighted to highlight some of the other updates in our newsletter this week.

• Coming up on July 28, we will host a PxP Learning Event, “Exploring Foundational Course DFW Rates, Equity Gaps, and Progress to Degree.” This event is part of the Teaching and Learning hub for Powered by Publics.
• A learning memo from the Western Coalition examining the work they’ve doing through a faculty learning community.
• A blog post from the University at Buffalo on how they’re using mentoring to support the success of first-generation students.
• And a recording of the APLU Pride Month Webinar held last month with a diverse panel of LGBTQ+ public university leaders reflected on their own journeys in higher education, described challenges they’ve faced and explored the role of allies in affirming their identity.