Serving Students through Innovative Strategies Dr. Chris
Bustamante, Rio Salado College President
Slide 2
The State of Higher Education Today
Slide 3
Higher Ed Headlines University of Phoenix to Shutter 115
Locations October 17, 2012, New York Times UMUC to lay off 70 amid
declining enrollments March 28, 2014, The Baltimore Sun Corinthians
Cloudy Future June 20, 2014, Inside Higher Ed (HBCUs) Fighting for
Survival June 24, 2014, Inside Higher Ed City College of San
Franciscos quest to keep its doors open October 24, 2013, Inside
Higher Ed
Slide 4
Higher Education Today Completion Goals Skills Gap Increasing
Regulations & Accountability Diminishing Resources Increasing
Numbers of Adult Learners Staying Relevant
Slide 5
Texas Snapshot Changing Demographics High School Graduate
numbers are increasing 2016, more than half of all high school
graduates will be Hispanic By 2020, 7 out of 10 will be Hispanic
(or other minority populations) Degree Attainment Gap In 2012,
34.6% of the population hold a two-year or four-year degree 3
million+, ages 25-64 have some college, no degree 23.4% of the
population Sources: Knocking at the College Door, 2012 WICHE U.S.
Census Bureau, 2012 American Community College Survey and A
Stronger Nation through Higher Education, 2014 Lumina Report
Slide 6
Texas Snapshot continued
Slide 7
Rio Salado College: Founded to serve non-traditional
students
Slide 8
Rio Salado College: A non-traditional college in a traditional
system
Slide 9
Quick Facts 65,000+ students served annually 44,000+ students
online Largest public online community college in the U.S. Rio
Salado College Student Profile 60% are Female Average Age 29 More
than 40% are age 30 and older
Slide 10
Major Programs Corporate & Business Partnerships Early
College Initiatives Incarcerated Re-Entry Military & Veterans
Adult Basic Education (College Bridge Pathways) Online
Slide 11
Online Students I thought that my late start would prove too
great an obstacle. What I have earned is more than a degree it is a
milestone. Sylicia McPhea RSC Graduate
Slide 12
Innovations to Support Online Learners Proprietary LMS: Rio
Learn Predictive Analytics Plagiarism Detector 24/7 Student
Services Upside Down Instructional Model Master Course, Many
Sections Model Monday Start Dates Never Cancel a Class
Slide 13
Business Model Productivity Efficiency Scalability Quality
Slide 14
Instructional Model 22 Residential & 1,500 Adjunct Faculty
Extensive Adjunct Onboarding & Orientation Master Course Monday
starts throughout the year Never cancel a class
Slide 15
Iron Triangle Access/Completion Cost Quality Higher Educations
Source: The Iron Triangle: College Presidents Talk about Costs,
Access, and Quality, National Center for Public Policy and Higher
Education and Public Agenda, 2008
Slide 16
Recognitions Fast Company Ranked in Top 10 Education Companies
in the World. Fast Company Magazine, 2013 Gates Foundation McKinsey
& Company Named Rio as 1 of 8 highly-productive institutions in
the U.S. Winning by Degrees Recognized Rio as 1 of 12
highly-performing online institutions. Gates Foundation Convening
Session
Slide 17
The Future of Higher Education Delivery
Slide 18
Online Learning More than 7 million students online One in
three students taking at least one class online Online growth
outpaces traditional enrollment growth Source: 2013 Sloan-C Online
Learning Report
Slide 19
Future of Higher Education Leveraging Technology to Scale Next
Generation Learning Models Learning Communities Entrepreneurial
Initiatives Regionalization
Slide 20
Public & Private Higher Education Institutions Business
& Industry Vendors Leveraging Partnerships
Slide 21
2.5 times more likely to persist 65% more likely to earn a
degree Accelerate their time to completion Credit for Prior
Learning Students: Source: Council for Adult Experiential
Learning
Slide 22
Key Strategies for Change Clear, coherent academic / career
pathways Stackable credentials based on clearly defined
competencies Alignment of learning across education sectors
Transparency and accountability Source: Empowering Community
Colleges to Build the Nations Future, American Association of
Community Colleges, 2014
Slide 23
Student-Centric Solutions I wanted to be a role model for my
children and to prove that as long as you persevere, are patient,
and put in the work, you can succeed. Patrick Valenzuela, RSC
Graduate
Slide 24
Are you prepared to meet the needs of the future? Thank
you!
