Completion Agenda

The college completion agenda is a broad-based reform movement spurred by U.S. President Barack Obama in his 2009 State of the Union address in which he set the goal that by 2020 the United States would again become the country with the highest proportion of its population with a college degree. Obama framed the goal as a national security issue, linking college completion and success to leadership in the global economy. In this movement, not only is a postsecondary credential seen as necessary for an individual to achieve success and middle-class status but increasing the proportion of the U.S. population with credentials that include certificates and other sub-baccalaureate credentials is seen as needed to maintain the country’s economic competitiveness.