The Rise Report | Issue 2 | Learners at the Center

Good afternoon!

Welcome back to The Rise Report. I'm so glad you're here.

Thanks to many of you who responded to last week's inaugural edition – your notes reminded me why this work matters and why connection across Colorado's postsecondary ecosystem is so needed.

As we build this community of readers, I want to make sure you know what you'll find here each week. The Rise Report is a weekly dispatch from FutureRise (read more) covering postsecondary education and workforce development in Colorado. But for a few special guest posts, I will author each week's edition. My writing and analysis is made stronger by your engagement and interactions. Please share your insights, content ideas, and stories with me here.

This week, I want to share more about why FutureRise focuses on the population of learners we have prioritized, and why evidence is at the center of everything we fund.

With gratitude,

Alison

If you're an education institution or training provider considering the application invitation for the Boundless Opportunity Scholarship, please send a brief Intent to Apply email to [email protected] by February 19. This isn't a commitment – it simply helps us plan for the review process.

Full applications are due March 27 at 5:00 PM MT. 

Questions? Review the full Call for Proposals or reach out to us directly.

When most people think about ‘college students’ they picture an 18 year-old leaving home, moving into a residence hall, and spending four(ish) years earning a bachelor’s degree.

I know that picture well – it was my own path, and admittedly it shaped how I came to this work in public policy. For a long time, it was my default image of postsecondary success.

But my understanding has changed – partly through two decades of policy work, and partly through watching my own high school senior earn an industry-recognized credential before he’s even graduated high school or set foot on a college campus. The pathways are different now. The learners are different. And our image of success has to be different, too.

That historically traditional picture doesn’t describe most of today’s students (read more from the Today’s Students Coalition) and it doesn’t describe the Coloradans who stand to gain the most from postsecondary education.

Consider the numbers:

The Boundless Opportunity Scholarship focuses on non-traditional students: adults 22 and older returning to school. GED recipients building a path forward. Veterans transitioning to civilian careers. Former foster care and juvenile justice youth who aged out of systems that weren’t designed to welcome and support them.

These learners are at the heart of solving Colorado's talent challenge.

They're also the learners that our education and workforce systems can use as the inspiration for transformation. These neighbors can't leave their jobs to attend class full-time. They need credentials that lead to real employment, not debt. They need programs that meet them where they are – with flexible schedules, clear career pathways, and support that accounts for the complexity of their life.

FutureRise invests in programs that serve these learners because it's strategic. These are Coloradans with work experience, motivation, and roots in their communities. When they succeed, their families, their communities and our regions succeed with them.

Colorado's talent system will rise or fall based on whether we can reach the learners who have been left out of the now outdated, narrow higher education conversation. 

FutureRise is here to change that conversation – elevating and supporting the learners and pathways that will define Colorado’s future.

Next week: we will share with you why evidence matters to FutureRise.

Henry Mack, the Assistant Secretary of Labor who oversees the Employment and Training Administration announced at a convening of community college leaders that the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor will announce the opening of the Strengthening Community College Training Grants program. The program is designed to allocate competitive grants for partnerships between community colleges and local industries and workforce development agencies. Mack noted that the program will prioritize getting more community colleges prepared for the July 1 launch of Workforce Pell. Mack noted that he wants the grants to be used to connect institutions to their workforce, complement state data systems, and report program outcomes. Related: Our colleague Iris Palmer at New America writes about why states need to create a runway beyond 2026 for Workforce Pell implementation.

The Colorado Workforce Development Council (CWDC) and Colorado Commission on Higher Education (CCHE) held a rare joint session on Jan. 30 to discuss the implementation of Governor Polis's Executive Order 2025-006, the blueprint for a combined Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development. Leaders and commissioners also discussed Workforce Pell and the state’s Talent Pipeline Report. Review the agenda and access the meeting recording here. Related: CWDC Managing Director Lee Wheeler-Berliner and Talent Pipeline Senior Analyst Ryan Gedney joined Debbie Brown, president and CEO of the Colorado Business Roundtable (COBRT) on the latest edition of ‘A Seat at the Table’ podcast.

​​The Homegrown Talent Coalition (HTC) is hosting a Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Day at the Capitol on February 23 from 8-10am in the Capitol Rotunda. HTC is a statewide coalition of 20+ organizations committed to ensuring every Colorado student graduates high school with access to college credit, in-demand industry credentials, and high-quality work-based learning experiences. PWR Day at the Capitol will bring together leaders from education, business, and policy to highlight the importance of career-connected learning and expand opportunities that help Colorado students succeed. RSVP for PWR Day at the Capitol here; sign up for email updates about the Coalition here; or reach out to Sarah Swanson if you want to learn more. 

The Rise Report welcomes updates from our colleagues across Colorado. Think of this as your one-stop-shop for conference updates, new research + reports, job postings, and career moves.

Congratulations to John Albright who was selected to be the next Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Strategy Officer for the Colorado Community College System. Most recently, John was the Senior Vice President and Executive Director of City Year Denver. He will begin his tenure on February 23. Welcome John!

JB Holston, executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) has been appointed to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) as a Commissioner by Governor Polis. The WICHE Commission is comprised of 48 Commissioners appointed by their respective governors from the 15 Western states and the U.S. Pacific Territories and Freely Associated States. Congratulations JB!

The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) will host the 2026 Higher Education Policy Conference in Chicago from August 3-6. The Policy Conference is the preeminent gathering of leaders from state higher education policy agencies, national higher education policy organizations, institutions and state and federal governments. The call for proposals is now open, and submissions are due by February 27.

New America released a report focused on what state leaders can learn about re-engaging adult learners. The release and full report can be found here, and it features the “Return to Earn” program at Pueblo Community College. The report calls for reimagined investment strategies that leverage private philanthropy dollars, braided with state support as a way to sustain adult re-enrollment initiatives. 

New data from Lumina Foundation shows that while nearly 55% of U.S. adults now hold a credential beyond high school (up from 39% in 2009), not all of those credentials meet Lumina's benchmark for delivering higher earnings. The updated Stronger Nation tool now distinguishes between credentials that pay off and those that don't – a transparency push that Lumina says reflects changing expectations from learners and policymakers alike. Watch the release event here.

Governor Polis sat down with Jason Altmire, president of the Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU) to discuss how states can better align postsecondary education systems with workforce and economic outcomes. The Governor emphasized credential value, employer engagement, and clear pathways from education to employment. Listen here.

Next week, we will share why evidence is so important to the work supported by FutureRise and will profile some key partners and projects.

In the meantime: What's happening in your corner of Colorado? What are you seeing that's working, or might welcome a new solution or fresh approach? Reply and let me know.

As I said in the inaugural edition: The Rise Report will keep you connected. But the real invitation is bigger: help us become the connective tissue Colorado needs.

Until next week,

Alison