Fall 2023 BU Wheelock Ed Policy Speaker Series: Adela Soliz (Vanderbilt University) Presents “What Is the Effect of Institution-Level Articulation Policies on Community College to University Transfer?”

Talk title: “What is the Effect of Institution-Level Articulation Policies on Community College to University Transfer?”

Abstract: Community colleges enroll more undergraduates than any other sector of higher education, and many students start at these institutions with the goal of eventually earning a bachelor’s degree. However, few actually manage to do so. Our study makes use of variation in the timing of the development of institutional partnerships across community colleges to estimate the causal effects of these policies on students’ academic outcomes. Our findings have implications for policy makers and college administrators who seek to improve vertical transfer rates and fulfill the promise of four-year college access for students starting at community colleges.

Adela Soliz is an Assistant Professor of Higher Education and Public Policy, in the Dept. of Leadership, Policy & Organizations at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College. Dr. Soliz’s research focuses on policies affecting student success at public community colleges. Most of her research uses large state administrative or national datasets and econometric methods to estimate causal effects of policies and program participation on community college students’ outcomes. She is interested in issues related to college affordability, the development of vocational education at community colleges, and transfer and articulation between two and four-year institutions. Before coming to Vanderbilt, Professor Soliz was a fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Brown Center on Education Policy. Soliz holds a doctorate in Quantitative Policy Analysis in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Before going to HGSE, Soliz taught developmental English at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, as well as ESL, GED, and citizenship classes in non-profits supporting immigrant populations around New York City. She received her B.A. in Anthropology from Reed College.

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