EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State University is part of a newly debuted Web site that makes it easier for prospective students and their families to make side-by-side comparisons of reliable data for colleges the high schoolers may consider attending.
College Portrait, which can be found at http://www.collegeportraits.org, is the product of the Voluntary System of Accountability project, a partnership between the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.
Among the information available on the Web site are research and study abroad opportunities, graduation rates, degree offerings, and costs.
“The VSA is consistent with MSU’s long tradition of accountability and assessment,” said MSU Provost Kim Wilcox. “It provides a great opportunity to highlight Michigan State’s success for prospective students and key stakeholders.”
MSU’s contribution to the College Portrait Web site can be found at www.msu.edu/vsa/CollegePortrait.pdf.
The more than 300 colleges and universities participating represent nearly 60 percent of the 520 member institutions of the two higher education associations. These institutions enroll approximately 3 million undergraduate students and nearly 60 percent of the total undergraduate enrollment in four-year public college and universities.
“The College Portrait places America’s four-year public colleges and universities at the forefront of the higher education accountability movement,” said Peter McPherson, NASULGC president and former president of MSU. “College Portrait is designed to be a trustworthy source of reliable data for prospective students, families, policymakers and the general public.”
The VSA project and development of College Portrait came about through the involvement of more than 80 higher-education administrators and faculty members from more than 70 NASULGC and AASCU institutions, including MSU.
The project also received funding from the Lumina Foundation for Education.
For additional information on NASULGC, visit www.nasulgc.org. For more information on AASCU, visit www.aascu.org.