Rockefeller Foundation Grants $150,000 To Two-year College Association

The Center for Student Success at the Arkansas Association of Two-Year Colleges (AATYC) received a $150,000 grant from the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation (WRF) to strengthen policy and best practice initiatives that improve student success at the state’s higher education institutions.

“Over the last two years, the Center has worked hard to help Arkansas community colleges to increase their success rates. We are learning what works to retain and successfully graduate students,” said Dr. Sherece Y. West, WRF president and CEO. “Our state must increase the number of college graduates to gain a competitive edge in today’s global economy. The Center plays an important role in working with the two-year colleges to learn about how to support marginalized students and take that learning to scale.”

The WRF grant also supports the creation of a new Arkansas Higher Education Fellowship th

at is being funded in partnership with the Kresge Foundation.

With these additional resources, the Center says it will be able to better support colleges seeking to expand proven institutional practices, pilot new initiatives to improve student success, and translate learning and best practices from successful programs into state policy change.

“The Center has leveraged significant grants from the Federal Government and national foundations to drive some very exciting innovation across the community college system aimed at improving student outcomes. Partnering with WRF provides us with the core support that the Center needs to build upon this momentum and be successful in the long-term,” said Dr. Ed Franklin, AATYC Executive Director. “We want everyone in the state who is seeking higher education to not only have the opportunity to go, but also the resources and support to succeed.”