Cluster Timeline

Intensive collaborative activities supported by APLU will run for five years, with continued evaluation and opportunities for renewed engagement beyond the initial five-year period. APLU has divided the five-year period into five phases, some of which are overlapping and ongoing and often will not correspond with calendar years.

• Phase I: Organizing Clusters (2018)

  View the detailed Phase I Action Plan

  • Work with main points of contact at interested institutions to begin forming the clusters.
  • Get agreement and buy-in on the composition of the cluster from each participating university.
  • Each cluster will hold virtual meetings during the summer/early fall of 2018. There will be two virtual meetings with main contacts from each campus as well as one conference call with presidents and chancellors.
  • APLU continues to develop partnerships with national higher education stakeholders and technical assistance groups.
  • APLU continues its work on a knowledge-management platform to collect, synthesize, and disseminate results of collaborative activities.
  • Kick-off the initiative at the 2018 APLU Annual Meeting (half-day session)
• Phase II: Assessment of Current Capacities and Initial Collaborative Work (2019)
  • Clusters work collaboratively to drive agreed-upon degree completion and student success efforts on campus.
  • APLU provides advice and data via a knowledge-management platform and cluster meetings/conference calls/campus visits.
  • APLU works with clusters to procure financial support from national or regional funders to support cluster activities.
  • Clusters and APLU begin to develop a “marketplace” for student success solutions and strengthen relationships with other higher education stakeholders nationally.
  • Gates Foundation assessment tool is piloted with at least 20 campuses.
  • Other self-assessment tools are administered as needed (e.g., Lumina Beyond Financial Aid assessment).
  • Cluster members share and discuss results of self-assessments.
• Phase III: Continued Collaborative Work, Innovation, and Action (2019-2022)
  • Clusters continue to work collaboratively to drive agreed-upon degree completion and student success efforts on campus.
  • New student success strategies that emerge from the clusters are piloted or tested more broadly.
  • Existing best practices are adapted for use in various campus contexts.
  • APLU continues to provide advice and data via a knowledge-management platform and cluster meetings/conference calls/campus visits.
  • APLU continues to work with clusters to procure financial support from national or regional funders to support cluster activities.
  • Clusters and APLU continue to develop a “marketplace” for student success solutions and strengthen relationships with other higher education stakeholders nationally.
• Phase IV: Sharing Lessons Learned (2020-2022)
  • Clusters continue to work collaboratively to drive agreed-upon degree completion and student success efforts on campus, with a focus on sharing and scaling.
  • Shared standards and self-assessment tools are developed.
  • Data is collected and synthesized to evaluate success.
  • Cluster participants share key data and lessons learned.
  • APLU conducts outreach to generate support for implementation of successful strategies among universities.
  • APLU disseminates knowledge across the membership and strategic partners in the higher education sector; lessons learned are used in our congressional advocacy efforts as applicable. APLU may also provide guidance to universities to use in their own state/local advocacy activities.
• Phase V: Overall Evaluation & Planning Next Steps for the Initiative (2022)
  • Develop final learning products and sustainability plan.
  • Re-evaluate and renew commitments, and identify new opportunities for collaboration.