College of Education announces new center devoted to postsecondary success

Shouping Hu, professor of higher education at Florida State.

A new center dedicated to identifying and evaluating institutional, state and federal policies and programs that may serve to improve student success has been established in the Florida State University College of Education.

The Center for Postsecondary Success (CPS) will provide support for and foster collaboration among those who are interested in conducting research on student success in postsecondary education and using research to inform policy and practice.

“CPS will serve as a vehicle for applying sophisticated and cutting-edge methodological approaches to real world postsecondary problems in order to identify promising policies and practices for increased student success,” said Shouping Hu, professor of higher education at Florida State and founder and director of the CPS.

Hu, along with David Tandberg, assistant professor of higher education, and Toby Park, assistant professor of educational leadership and policy, are teaming up with a national advisory board of prominent researchers, practitioners and policymakers, including:

  • Scott Thomas, professor and dean, School of Educational Study, Claremont Graduate University, and editor-in-chief, Journal of Higher Education.
  • Robert Toutkoushian, professor, Institute of Higher Education, University of Georgia, editor-in-chief, Research in Higher Education.
  • Laura Perna, professor and executive director of Penn AHEAD, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania.
  • Linda Hagedorn, professor and associate dean, College of Human Sciences, Iowa State University.
  • Yvonne Belanger, program officer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
  • Charles Hokanson, senior vice president & chief policy officer, Helios Foundation.
  • Randy Hanna, chancellor, Florida College System, Florida Department of Education.

Hu, Tandberg and Park are currently leading a multiyear evaluation of Florida’s recent developmental education reform, funded in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Researchers at CPS are also evaluating Florida’s Bright Futures scholarship program, state performance funding programs and outcomes associated with minority serving institutions, among other topics.

The CPS regularly invites scholars, practitioners and policymakers to lecture on issues related to postsecondary success. Recently, the CPS hosted Sandy Baum, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute, and Michael McPherson, the president of the Spencer Foundation, for a public forum on higher education finance and policy.

To learn more about the center and its activities, visit www.centerforpostsecondarysuccess.org.