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Higher-Ed Leaders Dr. George Kuh and Dr. Claire E. Jacobson Join Student Opportunity Center (SOC) Team


ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 25, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- "We're thrilled to have them formally join our team as our growth and impact accelerates," said Chris Freire, founder and CEO of SOC, a company that partners with colleges and universities nationwide to help effectively and efficiently scale High-Impact Practices (HIPs) and Experiential Learning (EL) opportunities.

Known nationally for her work in HIPs, equity assessment, and accelerating change through networks, Dr. Jacobson joins SOC as Vice President of Campus Strategy. In this role, she will be working with campuses to accelerate the scaling of high-quality, equitable experiential education and HIPs by providing customized strategy and implementation support. Previously, Dr. Jacobson served as director of the National Association of System Heads (NASH), where she directed NASH's $1.2M Lumina-funded project to embed and scale promising High-Impact Practices at both the campus and system level with a focus on closing equity gaps for first-generation students and students of color.

"At SOC, I am excited to continue the work I've done throughout my career of helping students to better draw connections between their learning?everywhere learning happens," said Jacobson, who believes higher education must take extra measures to prevent equity gaps from widening. "I look forward to being a part of the SOC team," she added, "because I believe SOC is positioned to help close these gaps to ensure all students receive a quality 21st-century education that prepares them for success after graduation."

Dr. Kuh, who is the founding director and senior scholar at the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment, brings his wealth of knowledge on HIPs to SOC's advisory board, where he will play an active role in establishing strategy, positioning, and providing feedback on the organization's efforts to provide quality HIPs and EL to every student. Recognized for his distinguished career in teaching and learning, Kuh holds 11 honorary degrees and has written extensively about student success and High-Impact Practices.

"At a time when resources are stretched thin, SOC is well positioned in the post-COVID environment to add value to the undergraduate experience by facilitating and scaling HIP participation by identifying experiential learning activities on and off the campus," said Kuh, who is Chancellor's Professor Emeritus of Higher Education at Indiana University Bloomington. "Equally important," Kuh added, "SOC is committed to assisting institutions integrate appropriately experiential learning in the curriculum and documenting the efficacy of such activities to enhance the positive effects of the next generation of HIPs."

SOC has been doubling its membership each year and is now working with over 200 campuses and thousands of companies nationwide on its mission to provide experiential learning and high-impact opportunities for every student. Learn more here or contact [email protected].

SOURCE Student Opportunity Center, Inc



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