Community colleges have the potential to be powerful vehicles for social mobility
in the United States. They enroll nearly half of all post-secondary students in the
U.S. and graduates who earn an associate’s degree increase the family’s income by
more than 30 percent over a lifetime. However, the vast majority of students who
enroll in community colleges do not receive a degree within three years. The
barriers to degree attainment are multi-faceted and interconnected, spanning the
financial, academic, personal, and professional domains of students’ lives. Kelly
Hallberg will present the preliminary findings from a randomized controlled trial
studying a comprehensive program designed to address each of these barriers. One
Million Degrees (OMD) is a non-profit organization serving community college
students in the Chicago metro area that supports students financially,
academically, personally, and professionally through last-dollar scholarships, skill-building workshops, advising, and coaching.
Abigail Pitts
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