Partnership Pentagon Overview - Commission for Higher Education

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Partnership Pentagon
        Overview
   Commission for Higher Education

PARTNERSHIP PENTAGON OVERVIEW

                                                        SCOPE OF WORK
Participation in the Indiana Commission for Higher Education (the Commission) Partnership Pentagon will allow the Commission to develop and expand
critically important collaboration with thought leaders from five key sectors of society, including business, government, education (K-12 and higher education),
non-profits (community- and faith-based organizations) and philanthropy. A group of leaders throughout Indiana, the Partners, will be working in concert with
the Commission over 18 months to better understand and propose solutions around Indiana’s challenges and opportunities related to higher education. The
intent of this work will be to maximize the collective impact of the five sectors amongst one another as multiplicative, rather than simply additive. The Hunt
Institute will work alongside the Partners and Commission staff to provide support in the form of facilitation, research and design thinking to fully develop
ideas for policies and programs and deepen partnerships.
The Commission is currently setting long-term goals to address higher education trends, such as reversing the declining college-going rates for youth and
adults, continuing to improve student persistence and completion, and increasing graduate retention in Indiana. These strategic areas are part and parcel of
improving overall college attainment rates for Indiana. Currently, the state ranks 39th overall in attainment and 43rd when only including bachelor’s degrees
and higher.

The guiding principles of the Partnership Pentagon will be to increase opportunities to access economic and social mobility and prosperity for all Hoosiers. For
employers, these principles yield a robust and future-oriented talent pipeline and more stable and thriving communities throughout Indiana. While the
Commission team has begun to pursue a historic agenda during the current legislative session at the Statehouse to reverse noted trends and catalyze
opportunities, Commissioner Lowery believes that deep and long-term improvements will require collaborative and concerted work by the five key sectors of
society for truly transformational change. Thus, the creation of the Partnership Pentagon.
By the end of the 18-month period, which will include six meetings of the Partners, the expectation is to have a comprehensive set of policy and budget
recommendations that can be taken to the full Commission, the Governor and the Indiana General Assembly for action in the 2025 biennial budget session.

PARTNERSHIP PENTAGON OVERVIEW

PENTAGON SECTORS
The five sectors of the Partnership Pentagon – education,
government, employers, community organizations and
philanthropy – are at the intersection of higher education’s
role in building a prosperous civil society.
Current Focus
Policy: Review challenges related to higher education; hear
the Commission’s plans to address those issues using
proven programs and adapting to the needs of learners,
the workforce and institutions; and provide support for the
Commission’s policy recommendations

PARTNERSHIP PENTAGON OVERVIEW

LONG-TERM AREAS OF FOCUS:
Collaboration:                  Connection:                     Innovation:

Thinking about higher           Communicating how the           Providing ideas and input on
education’s role in             Commission’s policies and       policies and programs from
improving economic and          programs will directly          other states or countries,
social outcomes for             impact your respective          across the Pentagon
individuals and building a      sectors and seek champions      construct, that will help
sustainable and robust          within your spaces to           accelerate postsecondary
talent pipeline for             provide support for these       attainment in Indiana
employers, all of which will    initiatives; communicate
ultimately lead to a            outcomes from the
strengthened civil society      legislative session and build
                                upon them

▸ PARTNERSHIP PENTAGON OVERVIEW

Meeting One     April 4, 2023    The Return on Investment for      This meeting will explore the return on investment for pursuing higher education and the
                                  Pursuing Higher Education              various benefits of different types of postsecondary degrees and credentials.

Meeting Two     June 26, 2023      The Role of K-12 in Higher      This second meeting will explore the importance of K-12 partnerships and alignment with
                                     Education Access and         higher education, dual enrollment and internships, and other college readiness initiatives at
                                         Completion                                                     the K-12 level.

Meeting Three    October 2,      Engaging Adult Learners in the     This meeting will focus on engaging and re-engaging adult learners to complete their
                   2023            Higher Education System        degrees/credentials, as well as the various support services needed to serve adult learners
                                                                                      including veterans and justice-impacted students.

Meeting Four     January 29.      Improving Access to Higher         This meeting will feature discussion on improving access to Indiana’s higher education
                    2024                  Education                institutions, as well as ways to engage students in the college-going process early in their
                                                                                                        academic careers.

Meeting Five      March 25,      Creating a Culture of Research     Discussions in this meeting will focus on raising the profile of academic research across
                   2024                 and Innovation                  Indiana, encouraging R1 and regional universities to increase access to research
                                                                       opportunities, as well as recruitment and retention of talented faculty and staff.

 Meeting Six    June 24, 2024       Pathways to Workforce          Shifting the focus to the alignment of higher education priorities with the economic and
                                Development and Advancement        workforce needs of Indiana will be the goal of this meeting. Discussion topics will include
                                                                             internships, upskilling, reskilling, and stemming brain drain in Indiana.

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