The University of Texas System and The City University of New York Explore Incremental Credentialing
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y., Dec. 11, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Credential as You Go, an initiative working toward a nationally recognized incremental credentialing system, announced a major increase to its national network with the addition of The University of Texas System (UT) and The City University of New York (CUNY).
With the addition of UT and CUNY, the Credential As You Go Network now includes 54 total members of eight state systems, 44 institutions, and two credentialing organizations across 22 states.
“The integration of The University of Texas System and The City University of New York further expands the Credential As You Go Network in a way that will continue incremental credentialing benefits for both education and employment,” said Nan Travers, director for the Center for Leadership in Credentialing Learning at SUNY Empire State University and co-lead for Credential As You Go.
The primary postsecondary credentials acknowledged in the workforce are still two- and four-year college degrees. This largely ignores learners who attend college but do not complete a traditional degree, often treating them as if they have no postsecondary-level learning. According to statistics from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, 40.4 million Americans fall into the “some college, no credential” population.
The UT System is focused on infusing career readiness into the undergraduate experience by incorporating relevant industry microcredentials and skills badges at no additional cost to learners.
“We look forward to collaborating within this network to share and learn best practices that will further UT System’s efforts to develop new and innovative pathways to high-quality careers,” said Kelvin Bentley, program manager of Texas Credentials for the Future at The University of Texas System.
“New York’s labor market is full of working adults with credentials that represent valuable knowledge and skills that can serve as on-ramps into CUNY,” said Kim Siegenthaler, CUNY’s Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Innovation. “Joining Credential as You Go is an important opportunity for CUNY to engage with this fast-changing landscape in higher education and develop robust, dynamic educational and career pathways for working adults in New York.”
CUNY’s work is focused on developing credential pathways in four key industries—business, healthcare, IT, and education. CUNY’s strategy is to create opportunities across the university for students to earn credentials that are relevant and valuable for both career advancement and progress toward degree completion.
Credential As You Go
Credential As You Go is a national movement to transform and facilitate the development of a nationally adopted incremental credentialing ecosystem that improves education and employment outcomes for all learners. Credential As You Go is funded through the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education (Grant R305T210063) and a Walmart grant. Learn more at https://credentialasyougo.org/
The University of Texas System
The University of Texas System has enhanced the lives of Texans and individuals worldwide through its commitment to education, research, and healthcare for 140 years. With 14 institutions collectively enrolling over 255,000 students, the UT System stands as one of the largest public university systems in the United States. UT institutions annually produce over 66,000 graduates and award more than one-third of the undergraduate degrees in Texas, as well as over 60% of the state’s medical degrees. The combined efforts of UT-owned and affiliated hospitals and clinics resulted in over 10.7 million outpatient visits and more than 2 million hospital days last year. The UT System’s $3.8 billion research enterprise is one of the nation’s most innovative and ranks No. 1 in Texas and No. 2 in the nation for federal research expenditures. The UT System has an operating budget of $29.1 billion for fiscal year 2024 and employs more than 116,000 faculty, health care professionals, support staff, and student workers.
The City University of New York
The City University of New York is the nation’s largest urban public university, a transformative engine of social mobility that is a critical component of the lifeblood of New York City. Founded in 1847 as the nation’s first free public institution of higher education, CUNY today has seven community colleges, 11 senior colleges and seven graduate or professional institutions spread across New York City’s five boroughs, serving over 243,000 undergraduate and graduate students and awarding 55,000 degrees each year. CUNY’s mix of quality and affordability propels almost six times as many low-income students into the middle class and beyond as all the Ivy League colleges combined. To learn more about CUNY, visit https://www.cuny.edu
Media Contacts
Lucia Weathers
Credential As You Go
Lucia@WeathersStrategyGroup.com
317-287-9669
