Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education Chris Lowery reflected upon higher education policy and programmatic successes during his second State of Higher Education address. Lakeshore Public Media host Dee Dotson is joined by the commissioner who shares higher education highlights and successes in the Hoosier state. The 2024 address focused on the Commission’s collaborative efforts to improve college enrollment, completion, graduate retention, and research outcomes over the past 12 to 18 months. During his address, Lowery first outlined how the Commission is addressing the challenges and opportunities facing higher education in Indiana through the HOPE Agenda – Hoosier Opportunities and Possibilities through Education. Additionally, he revisited recent legislative victories from the 2023 and 2024 sessions and shared early indicators of those strategic initiatives.
Indiana’s HOPE Agenda
In 2023, the Commission announced its HOPE Agenda to position Indiana as a top 10 state by 2030 in the following areas:
1. Post-high school training and education going rates for youth and adults, across all demographics;
2. Postsecondary attainment for veterans, individuals with disabilities, and the justice-involved;
3. Utilization of credit for prior learning to honor the work, training, and education already achieved by adult learners;
4. The rate at which Hoosiers successfully complete their chosen areas of study;
5. Retaining talent once someone has graduated from a postsecondary training or education program;
6. Measurable distinction in economic and social mobility and prosperity outcomes, and;
For more information visit https://www.in.gov/che/
