U.S. Department of Education Postsecondary Success

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Postsecondary Education

Washington, DC 20202

Fiscal Year 2024

APPLICATION FOR THE

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

POSTSECONDARY SUCCESS RECOGNITION PROGRAM

CLOSING DATE: XX/XX/XX

Form Approved

OMB No. 1840-NEW, Expiration Date: XX/XX/XX

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

OFFICE OF POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION

Dear Applicant,

Thank you for your interest in applying for the Postsecondary Success Recognition Program. The purpose of this program is to recognize institutions that serve as engines of economic mobility by supporting all students to complete affordable credentials of value that prepare them well to participate in the workforce, their communities, and our democracy. For this recognition program, the Department considers postsecondary success to include providing access to an affordable education including to underserved populations; supporting students through to completion of credentials of value; and helping students navigate to career pathways that improve their lives through economic mobility.

The Notice Inviting Applications for the Recognition Program (Notice) published in the Federal Register is the official document describing the requirements for submitting an application. We advise that you carefully review the application guidelines included in this package and the Federal Register notice here: (TBD URL). This recognition program is administered by the Office of Postsecondary Education of the U.S. Department of Education (Department) and does not include financial compensation nor guarantee financial compensation in the future.

In order to apply for the recognition program, institutions must appear on the initial eligibility list. This list was constructed by the Department using publicly-available data to measure performance on key indicators related to access, affordability, retention, transfer, completion, and post-college outcomes. To check your institution’s eligibility, visit (TBD URL).

Applications for FY 2024 must be submitted electronically using (TBD URL or EMAIL). FY 2024 applications are due by (TBD Date).

If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact Jennifer Engle at [email protected] or at (202) 987-0420.

We appreciate your interest in the Postsecondary Success Recognition Program and look forward to receiving your application.

Sincerely,

Nasser Paydar, Ph.D.

Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Institutions must be included on the FY 2024 initial eligibility list for the Postsecondary Student Success Recognition Program. To check your institution’s initial eligibility, visit: (TBD URL). Institutions must also meet these additional requirements to be eligible for the program:

1. Institutions must meet the definition in Section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1001) which includes public and non-profit institutions offering programs at least 2 years in length, that are legally authorized in their State to provide a program of education beyond secondary education, and is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association. See link to review the full text of the definition.

2. The institution must have been in existence for ten full years, that is, from at least 2011 (to allow for a review of 10 years of Graduation Rate Survey data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) and must be a Title IV-participating institution.

3. The institution must provide the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) access to information necessary to investigate a civil rights complaint or to conduct a compliance review if needed.

4. The institution must be in compliance with all applicable laws including civil rights laws, and must not be subject to an outstanding letter of findings from OCR concluding that the institution has violated one or more of the civil rights laws that OCR enforces. A letter of findings containing one or more violations will not be considered outstanding if OCR has entered into a resolution agreement with the institution to remedy the violation.

5. The institution must not be subject to a pending lawsuit by the U.S. Department of Justice alleging that the institution has violated one or more of the civil rights statutes that it enforces or the Constitution’s equal protection clause.

6. The institution must have, or be subject to, a nondiscrimination policy or policies addressing race, national origin (including shared ancestry), sex, and disability (and provide a link to the policy), be committed to equal opportunity for all students and all staff consistent with applicable law and must not have any outstanding findings of unlawful discrimination. The U.S. Department of Education reserves the right to disqualify an institution’s nomination and/or rescind an institution’s recognition if unlawful discrimination is later discovered.

7. The institution must be in good standing with their accrediting agency and must not currently be subject to Heightened Cash Monitoring by the U.S. Department of Education.

The U.S. Department of Education reserves the right to disqualify an institution’s nomination and/or rescind an institution’s recognition if one of these eligibility requirements is later discovered to have not been met or otherwise been violated.

INSTITUTION PROFILE

Institution:

OPE ID Number:

Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) Number:

Legal Name:

Branch Campus: _____ Yes _____ No      

     

Institution Location:

Street:

Line 2:

City:

State:

Zip Code:

Tribal Organization (if applicable):

Website:     

Institution Point of Contact:

First and Last Name:

Institution/Organization:

Job Title:

Email Address:

Phone Number (including extension):

Institution Level:

• Predominately Certificate-Granting Institution

• Predominately Associate-Degree Granting Institution

• Predominately Baccalaureate-Degree Granting Institution

Institution Sector:

• Public Less-Than-Two Year Institution

• Public Two-Year Institution

• Public Four-Year Institution

• Private Non-Profit Less-Than-Two-Year Institution

• Private Non-Profit Two-Year Institution

• Private Non-Profit Four-Year Institution

Institution Designation: (mark all that apply)

• Historically Black College or University (HBCU)

• Predominately Black Institution (PBI)

• Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI)

• Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI)

• Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institution (ANNH)

• Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU)

• Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institutions (NASNTI)

• Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP) eligible

• Not Applicable

APPLICATION QUESTIONS

Please provide thorough answers to the following questions, including specific examples with relevant data as well as student voice (which may include responses collected through the use of surveys). Each answer is limited to 2 single-spaced pages (6 pages total). Your answers should explain how your institution exemplifies the purpose of this program to recognize institutions that provide access to an affordable education, including for underserved students, while supporting all students through to completion of credentials of value that lead to economic mobility.

Why is Student Success a Priority for Your Institution?

1. Please explain:

   1. Why and when your institution made a commitment to making student success a campus-wide priority including for underserved populations;

   2. How your institution defines success in the context of your mission, student population, and the communities you serve; and

   3. How your institution supports a culture of success from leadership to faculty to staff to students themselves.

How Does Your Institution Execute its Success Strategy?

2. Please explain:

   1. What your institution’s specific student success goals are, including for underserved populations, and how you measure them;

   2. What key policies and practices your institution uses to reach these goals; and

   3. How your institution implements an intentional, scaled, and sustainable campus-wide success strategy, including resources.

What is the Impact of Your Institution’s Student Success Strategy?

3. Please explain:

   1. How your institution uses data, evidence, and evaluation to drive your student success strategy and support continuous improvement;

   2. How your institution has progressed against your student success goals over at least the last five years including for underserved populations;

   3. How (up to five) key practices, programs, or policies have demonstrably contributed to the impact of your student success strategy.

Recommendations for the Postsecondary Success Recognition Program

Please provide at least one and up to three written recommendations to support your application for the Postsecondary Success Recognition Program. One of these letters must come from your institution’s board of trustees (or comparable body). Other recommendations might come from a student organization on campus or student member of a campus success committee; an organization with which your institution partners on your student success efforts including community-based organizations; a government official or agency in your State or Tribal organization; a local or regional business or Chamber of Commerce; and/or another entity with concrete and actionable information about your institution’s student success efforts.

Required Signatures

I have reviewed the information in this application and certify to the best of my knowledge that it is accurate.

_______________________________________________________ Date:__________________

(President’s Printed Name)

_______________________________________________________ Date:__________________

(President’s Signature)

PAPERWORK BURDEN STATEMENT

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1840-NEW and the expiration date is XX/XX/XXXX. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 10 hours per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering, and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this application, please contact Jennifer Engle ([email protected]), Senior Advisor, Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20202 directly. [Note: Please do not return the completed application to this address.]

PRIVACY NOTICE

The personally identifiable information (PII) requested on this form is collected through authorization under the Higher Education Act, which allows the U.S. Department of Education to recognize institutions that serve as engines of economic mobility by supporting all students to complete affordable credentials of value that prepare them well to participate in the workforce, their communities, and our democracy. The purpose of collecting your PII is to identify you as a point of contact for your institution. The information you provide is voluntary, however, the form will need to be filled out completely to be considered. While your information will not normally be disclosed outside of the Department, there may be circumstances where information may be shared with a third party, such as for media coverage, Freedom of Information Act request, court orders, or subpoena, or if a breach or security incident would occur affecting the system.

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