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USAO joins Degrees When Due degree completion initiative


Degree When Due
Degrees When Due assists students with college completion after a lapse in enrollment.

The University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma has been selected to join Degrees When Due, a national initiative of the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP), with the goal of assisting students with some college credit to complete their degrees.

As one of eight colleges and universities selected from Oklahoma, USAO will participate in best practices in degree reclamation and will provide targeted support while re-engaging students who have paused or stopped out their studies. USAO’s participation in the initiative is facilitated through the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. Oklahoma is one of 20 states participating in the nationwide initiative.

“The Degrees When Due program will provide our faculty and staff with invaluable tools to help us better serve our non-traditional students,” said USAO President John Feaver. “Many Oklahomans have been forced to delay their college education due to myriad factors, often out of their control. This initiative will allow them to establish effective, individualized ways that they can earn their degree.”

Degrees When Due will grant USAO access to a variety of resources to assist with auditing students’ previously earned credits in order to determine the students’ most efficient pathway to graduation. The program will benefit the many Oklahomans identified as having some college credit but no degree.

“Our Degrees When Due institutional and state partners are building a strong pathway to degree attainment for all students, including by providing an on-ramp for those who have paused their studies or ‘stopped-out,’” said IHEP President Michelle Asha Cooper, Ph.D. “IHEP enthusiastically welcome the selected institutions and states to this effort. Through this initiative, they will increase student success, serve as a diverse set of student populations, and join us in addressing one of higher education’s most pressing challenges: degree completion.”

“We are always looking for ways to ensure that every single one of our students can complete their baccalaureate degree,” said Dr. Donna Gower, vice president for academic affairs. “Through the Degrees When Due initiative, we will be able to develop cutting-edge support programs so individuals who may have been out of college for some time can still receive the full benefits of USAO’s distinct education.”

Other Oklahoma institutions participating in the initiative include Connors State College, Murray State College, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, Northeastern State University, Oklahoma City Community College, Oklahoma Panhandle State University and Redlands Community College.

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