The higher education industry is currently grappling with unprecedented forces, such as demographic shifts, market disruptions, and sustained enrollment declines. These trends were intensified by the COVID-19 crisis, which also deepened our understanding that outcomes of higher education are uneven and can often exacerbate historical inequities for many students and communities. Amid these monumental challenges, higher education leaders have an opportunity to build more resilient and equitable systems in which all students, regardless of their backgrounds, can achieve their definition of success.
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The MAPS Project is a student-centric initiative by the Sorenson Impact Center to chart the rapidly evolving higher education system. It brings high-quality data and historically marginalized voices to higher education decision makers in order to Model, Analyze, Prototype, and Share innovative solutions. The suite of MAPS data tools - and supporting research - offers a new way to identify strategic questions, navigate market challenges, and make data-backed decisions toward greater equity.
THE MAPS PROJECT
WATCH
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The suite of MAPS data tools offers opportunities for critical insight and foresight into institutional performance within a rapidly changing market. These tools empower leaders to ask better questions and make more informed decisions based on actionable, data-driven insights.
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The Sorenson Impact Center is proud to offer three interactive data dashboards — the Student Trends and Enrollment Projections (STEP Dashboard), the Institutional Equity Outcomes Dashboard, and the Financial Health Dashboard — that can help leaders:
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Assess demographic trends and enrollment projections across the United States
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Highlight institution-level factors related to equitable student success
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Compile and and analyze institutional financial health with a unique emphasis on student centricity​
View our suite of MAPS tools that illustrate current and projected trends in higher education.
STUDENT
PERSPECTIVES
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Now more than ever, elevating student voices and encouraging higher education leaders to first consider the impact their decisions have on students is critical if the industry is to thrive. The MAPS Project has centered around student perspectives on higher education, particularly focusing on the experiences of students from historically marginalized groups.