Moon Shot for Kean University
Climbing Higher with Moon Shot
At Kean University, we embrace and celebrate our longstanding mission to expand access to higher education and increase the social mobility of our students. Kean’s recent designation as an R2 research university from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education reaffirms our commitment to supporting innovative research and student success.
Kean’s status as New Jersey’s urban research university positions the University as a statewide leader in research and policy specifically for and about urban communities. As we continue to grow, we take square aim at improving our students’ persistence and graduation rates to fulfill our mission and vision.
We embrace a new definition of ‘elite.’ Distinct from the definition embraced by Ivy League schools and the like, our definition of ‘elite’ is comprehensive, expansive, forward thinking, and forward reaching. We imagine a world in which ‘elite’ is compatible with welcoming people from all walks of life, and all students feel a sense of belonging as they receive a world-class education at Kean. By our definition, part of what makes us elite is how we uplift one another and our communities and provide all our students, faculty and staff with the tools and resources to succeed.
Kean partnered with EAB’s Moon Shot for Social and Economic Mobility community to connect with an expansive network of like-minded universities. The Moon Shot for Social and Economic Mobility model includes student-centered strategies to identify and remove systemic barriers to success for our students. The 15 evidence-based best practices utilized by the Moon Shot community fit seamlessly with Kean’s mission, vision, and several existing initiatives. By coalescing around shared, data-driven goals, and collaborating around the challenging work of transforming our systems, our community will work together to eliminate barriers to student success.
To close equity gaps by 2030, regions must do the following:
Hold Reform
Hold reform ensures that students can navigate administrative processes more smoothly, reducing the likelihood of them dropping out or transferring to other institutions.
Advising
Proactive advising plays a crucial role in supporting college students throughout their academic journey. By proactively engaging with advisors, students can optimize their college experience and increase their chances of achieving their academic and career goals.
Navigate
Collaboration and clear communication are pillars in our recipe for supporting student success at Kean University. Navigate will provide Kean advisors, faculty and administrators with a wide-range of tools offering streamlined and timely support for our students.
FAQ
What is Moon Shot for Kean?
The Moon Shot for Kean is a public-private partnership focused on the elimination of student success gaps in higher education in the United States. EAB is partnering with national experts and community-based organizations to provide regional clusters of two- and four-year colleges and universities with research-backed best practices, policies and technology.
Additionally, each region must commit to deploying the 15 best practices and policies proven to be beneficial to their student populations. All colleges must agree to collect and share data, convene with the network quarterly, and adhere to the initiative and implementation timetable.
Why a regional focus?
As noted in Lumina Foundation's report titled A Stronger Nation, "Eight of every 10 Americans now live in cities or suburbs. To reach the 60 percent attainment goal, we must focus on these regions….[M]etro areas are fertile ground for the kinds of local collaborations that boost attainment."
The formation of local collaborations with government, community-based organizations, and employers will help boost college attainment. These regional collaborations between schools are also critical to establish common academic pathways that allow students to move between two- and four-year institutions and earn a degree more quickly and efficiently. Streamlining credit transfers between institutions and accelerating time to degree are significant aspects in supporting student success.
What is EAB's role?
EAB's role and responsibilities include the provision of these benefits across Moon Shot for Social and Economic Mobility regions:
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Leadership Institute: Change Management Skill-Building: EAB will facilitate a cohort-based Leadership Institute to develop practitioners armed with exceptional change management skills to uphold the Moon Shot principles and drive and sustain change throughout the region.
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Best Practice Research: Regions will have access to evidence-based best practices and policies that already have been deployed at scale across institutions, while rapidly contributing their own groundbreaking discoveries.
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Student Success Management System Technology: EAB will deploy at scale a common student success technology. This will create a nearly seamless approach and infrastructure to collectively identify obstacles, collaboratively design interventions, rapidly compare results, and urgently deliver improvements.
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Implementation Expertise and Project Management: EAB will provide regions with a dedicated consulting team tasked with providing regions with a structured, measurable, and deadline-driven timeline to implement practices and policies. As new areas of opportunity are determined for each region, EAB will work with ecosystems to provide technical experts and support.
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Data Transparency, Metrics Alignment, and Assessment: EAB will facilitate the use of common metrics for measurement, comparison, and assessment of our progress and success for rapid adjustment and improvement.
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Convenings: EAB will organize and convene regions virtually across the year to efficiently share results, engage in thoughtful discussions, and facilitate structured work sessions.
What is the role of the participants?
Two- and four-year colleges and universities within each region agree to implement the following best practices to create an institutionally focused approach to student success:
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Change Management
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Campus Climate Assessment
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Reduction of Registration Holds
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Retention Grants
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Aligned Mathematics
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Expanded Meta-Majors and Majors
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Remediation and Developmental Education Reform
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Academic Maps
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Streamlined Transfer Pathways
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Access to a Second Chance
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Proactive Advising Enabled by Technology
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Coordinated Care Network
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Confidence-Building and Belongingness
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College Access Partnership with Community-Based Organizations
How long will this initiative last?
The Moon Shot for Kean partnership with EAB’s Moon Shot for Social and Economic Mobility will be active for five years.