1. Graduation Rates & Global Citizenship

2. Graduation Rates For Those Seeking a First Degree

3. United States Graduation Rates on the Decline U.S. has fallen from 1st to 12th place in one generation. 70% of High School Graduates go to College. Graduation Rate for Associates Degrees is 30%. Gradation Rate for Bachelors Degree is 57%. Nationwide, 40.4% of 25-34 year olds have completed a college degree. President Obama has set a goal to raise the college graduation rate to 60% within 10 years.

4. Are Graduation Rates a Problem in the United States? The U.S. definition of a “Graduate” does not include non-traditional students or transfer students while in other countries all “Graduates” are counted. Some argue that the focus should be on the quality of education rather than the quantity of graduates. The U.S. places 2nd in the total percentage of individuals with a Bachelor or higher degrees. Many Community College students transfer to a four year college before finishing their Associates Degree.

5. Percentage of Population 25-64 YearsOld with Degrees

6. Graduation in U.S. is very Costly

7. Global Citizenship Competition does not promote Global Citizenship. Global citizenship means participating collectively as a global community to address international inequality (both social & economic). As Global Citizens, the focus on Graduation Rates should be on collaborating together for improvements, and celebrating success in all countries.

8. Achievements to Celebrate The first woman to gain a PhD from Saudi Arabia was in the 1970’s. Today women in Saudi Arabia outnumber western women worldwide in graduation rates. In South Korea, 93% of all students graduate from high school on time. The Ford Foundation International Program has been successful in reducing the frequency of “brain drain” in developing counties. More people are taking knowledge gained at University back to their home counties.

9. Thank You! Power-point created by: Michelle Hagen. Research performed by: Dana Daugharty & Michelle Hagen