Washington, D.C., Dec. 3, 2012—Today, the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) and the Pathways to College Network are convening policymakers, practitioners, and leaders in and outside of higher education to bring much needed attention to issues surrounding the payoff of the higher education investment for underserved student groups—including economic and social as well as public and private benefits—given the opportunities, tradeoffs, and costs they encounter along the way. During the National Summit on the Investment Payoff: Supporting Efforts to Increase the Benefits of Higher Education for Underserved Populations, held at the National Press Club, IHEP and the Pathways to College Network are hoping to reinvigorate the conversation around the investment payoff by focusing on how changes in the economic and social conditions over the last decade have impacted the benefits of higher education.
Kicking off today’s discussion are IHEP President Michelle Asha Cooper, Ph.D., and IHEP Senior Associate Alisa Federico Cunningham who will introduce a framework for reassessing and supporting efforts to maximize the benefits of higher education for underserved students. Panel presentations and breakout sessions will then focus on three themes: (1) Maximizing higher education benefits for today’s students; (2) impacting various postsecondary benefits positively through purposeful interventions points at the precollege, institutional, governmental, and workforce development levels; and (3) identifying and calling to action ways to maximize the benefits and reduce barriers for underserved students through policy and practice. Finally, serving as the keynote luncheon speaker is John H. Jackson, Ed.D., J.D., president and CEO of the Schott Foundation for Public Education, who will offer his thoughts on ways in which stakeholders can ensure that investment in postsecondary education pays off.
“Students along their path toward college completion of a postsecondary credential should ultimately reap the full benefits of their hard work. Although the conversation about higher education investment and benefits is not new, the changes in economic and social conditions and the diversity of students in the 21st century make it all the more important,” said Cooper. “Therefore, we’re hoping to lay the groundwork for these issues that can inform a national agenda to publicly discuss the investment payoff and facilitate renewed commitments to maximizing the benefits of higher education for students and society.”
To learn about other event speakers or for more information about the National Summit on the Investment Payoff: Supporting Efforts to Increase the Benefits of Higher Education for Underserved Populations, please visit IHEP’s website at www.ihep.org. A free copy of the event’s various publications can also be downloaded from visiting the site.