Arizona joins Complete College America Alliance

The Arizona Board of Regents convened higher education and policy leaders from across the state to officially launch Arizona’s participation in the Complete College America Alliance, a national network focused on improving student success and increasing college completion rates across higher education systems. 

Arizona’s participation follows Gov. Katie Hobbs’ commitment to formally align the state with this national initiative focused on strengthening higher education student success. The effort is part of Arizona’s broader work to expand access to higher education and help more students earn degrees and credentials that lead to workforce opportunities. The initiative also aligns with Arizona’s goal of equipping 60% of working‑age adults with education or training beyond high school by 2030.

“This work is about delivering better outcomes for students and positioning them for future success,” said ABOR Chair Doug Goodyear. “By joining the Alliance, Arizona is setting a higher expectation for what statewide collaboration can deliver for students and the future workforce.”

Hosted at Helios Education Foundation and led by the board, the Arizona CCA Alliance kickoff brought together representatives from Arizona’s public universities, community colleges, state agencies and national partners. The event introduced Arizona’s Alliance priorities, aligned strategies supporting student success and connected state leaders with CCA’s national network and resources.

The program included an overview of the CCA Alliance model, a discussion focused on expanding access for Arizona students and a statewide student success panel. Panelists highlighted initiatives such as the Arizona Comeback Initiative, learning mobility efforts and workforce‑aligned credential pathways. The event concluded with a discussion of next steps and implementation priorities.

As a member of the Alliance, Arizona leaders will collaborate with the CCA and teams of higher education and state policy leaders from across the country to implement data-driven and evidence-based policies shown to improve student outcomes. 

“The Complete College America Alliance is focused on helping states move more students from enrollment to completion while closing long-standing attainment gaps,” said Dhanfu Elston, Ph.D., chief of staff and senior vice president for strategy at CCA. “The strength of the CCA Alliance is that it brings leaders together around shared goals, shared data and shared accountability to drive lasting statewide progress.”

The board will serve as the coordinating agency for the Alliance, working closely with the Arizona Community College Coordinating Council, state agencies and education partners to support data-informed planning, policy alignment and shared learning with peers nationwide. The Arizona Alliance is co-led by Roxanne Murphy, director of postsecondary attainment at the Arizona Board of Regents, and David Borofsky, executive director of the Arizona Community College Coordinating Council.

“This work allows Arizona to build on proven successes from other states while strengthening policy alignment and data use,” said Borofsky. “Aligning community colleges and universities helps create clearer pathways and stronger support for Arizona students.”

Founded in 2009, the CCA is a national higher education advocacy organization that uses evidence-based research, policy and collective action to help more students achieve degrees and credentials of value while closing attainment gaps among the most marginalized and underrepresented students. The CCA Alliance includes senior leadership from states, higher education systems, institutional consortia and partner organizations committed to significantly increasing the number of students who successfully complete college.