Ongoing Projects - UA Education Policy Center

The Black Belt Series

ISSUE BRIEF SERIES

Since 2020, the EPC has produced over 20 issue briefs examining the unique challenges facing Alabama’s Black Belt region — from population decline and unemployment to healthcare access, broadband, and educational opportunity. This ongoing series partners with AL.com and UA’s Center for Business and Economic Research to compile, publish, and publicize data that raises awareness for citizens and policymakers alike.

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National Survey of Finance & Access

ANNUAL NATIONAL SURVEY

Initiated in 2003 and transferred to UA’s Education Policy Center in 2005, the National Access and Finance Surveys are conducted annually in partnership with the National Council of State Directors of Community Colleges and the American Association of Community Colleges. With at least 49 of 51 possible state-level responses each year, this survey provides the nation’s most comprehensive annual view of how states fund and prioritize access to public higher education.

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DRIVE: Driving Regional Innovation Through Vehicular Electrification

REGIONAL INNOVATION INITIATIVE

A coalition partnership between the University of Alabama, West Alabama Works, Tuscaloosa County Economic Development Authority, and Shelton State Community College. DRIVE assembles partners from the public and private sectors to revitalize Alabama’s rural economies through free and low-cost technical training and job creation in vehicle electrification, targeting 27 counties in the underserved Wider West Alabama region.

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Alabama Transfers

TRANSFER PARTNERSHIP

Powered by the Alabama General Studies Committee (AGSC) and the Statewide Transfer & Articulation Reporting System (STARS), and developed in partnership with the EPC, Alabama Transfers ensures that students who transfer from a community college to a public four-year university carry their coursework with them. The EPC conducted the second external review of AGSC and STARS in 2015-16 and continues to support this critical statewide pathway initiative.

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Mission-Driven Classification

CLASSFICATION SYSTEM

The Mission Driven Classification (MDC) is an alternative to the Carnegie Basic Classification that uses geography, institutional size, program offerings, and selectivity to classify all 1,497 public institutions and 1,819 private non-profit institutions into meaningful peer groupings. Developed by EPC Director Katsinas and colleagues beginning in 1994, the MDC’s community college classification is embedded in all federal IPEDS data sets and has been used to inform Congress, state legislators, and researchers nationwide.

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