Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

Kentucky Student Success Collaborative

KYSSC value to the commonwealth

Funded by the James Graham Brown Foundation and housed at CPE, the Kentucky Student Success Collaborative (KYSSC) serves as the first statewide center in the country that works with both two- and four-year institutions, linking campuses with nonprofit organizations, business leaders and state policy makers to identify challenges facing higher education students and develop strategies to address them. The goal of the initiative is to expand innovative approaches that will improve graduation rates, close equity gaps, enhance workforce development and increase learning opportunities for emerging leaders in higher education.

Resources:

Improving Success by Filling Student Basic Needs

More than half of all college students across the nation struggle to meet their needs for food, housing and other basic necessities, which can adversely affect their ability to succeed in school. To address these challenges, the Council on Postsecondary Education’s Kentucky Student Success Collaborative has formed an action network to examine the scope of the problem in the commonwealth and identify ways to increase supports so students don’t opt out of college.

Creating Pathways to Prosperity for Kentucky Adults

Over 1.4 million Kentuckians lack a postsecondary credential or degree, and many of these have some college credit. The Council's Adult Learner Action Plan calls on higher education to develop strategies to engage or re-engage Kentucky adults.

Improving Student Success Around Transfer through Policy and Degree Pathways

About one-third of all undergraduate postsecondary students are enrolled at a KCTCS institution - many of whom intend to transfer to a university to complete their bachelor's degree. Improving the transfer process is very important for retention and completion, especially among low-income students, first-generation college students, and students from underrepresented groups. 

CPE is directing attention and resources at improving student pathways through community college and into four-year colleges. This includes improving pathways, partnerships, processes, and policy that removes barriers for degree completion. 

Improving Success through Gateway Course Design and Policies

Gateway courses are a universal experience for students and are essential to future success.These large-enrollment, introductory courses tend to ave notably higher failure, withdrawal, and incomplete rates among first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students - even when those students are performing well in their other courses.

The Council is working with Kentucky's institutions to improve outcomes by focusing on data-driven, evidence-based reforms and collaborating with specialists to improve gateway course outcomes. 

 

Last Updated: 6/12/2025