Who We Are

Reimagining undergraduate education to increase student success while decreasing student costs

Welcome! The College-in-3 Exchange is a collective of campuses hosting conversations to design undergraduate degree options that increase student success while decreasing student costs. This idea has moved from an experiment of a few campuses to an organized movement, serving as a catalyst for reimagining undergraduate education using evidence-based practice to inform a variety of designs that are not only shorter and less expensive, but better.

The College-in-3 experiment is now launching a national higher education innovation incubator – the College-in-3 Exchange – building on the work of the early pilots to bring a variety of new designs to scale.

Sound interesting? Let’s talk!

Exchange Members

Leadership

Lori J. Carrell

Chancellor of the
University of Minnesota Rochester

Lori J. Carrell

Lori Carrell, chancellor of the University of Minnesota Rochester, focuses on transformative communication, learning innovation and well-being in higher education communities. Co-author, Communicate for a Change: Revitalizing Conversations for Higher Education.

Robert Zemsky (Bob)

Professor of Education at the University of Pennsylvania

Robert Zemsky

Bob Zemsky, long-time professor at Penn, has forcefully argued that colleges and universities need to be transformed from within. Co-author, Communicate for a Change: Revitalizing Conversations for Higher Education.

Madeleine Green

Independent Consultant and former Vice President at the American Council on Education

Madeleine Green

Madeleine Green, independent consultant and former Vice President at the American Council on Education. She has translated her experiences working with varied institutions on leadership development, change management and international education into many books and articles, including co-authoring “On Change” a series
of monographs.

Debbie Beauchene

Project Coordinator for College-in-3 and Former Educator

Debbie Beauchene

Debbie Beauchene, project coordinator for College-in-3 and former educator. A passionate advocate for transforming volunteer and community engagement.

Our Convener/Cluster Strategy

Media

Universities considering three-year programs to combat cost of college, NBC News, August 2024

Opinion: Rethinking College: Times Have Changed, Wally Boston opinion piece, Texarkana Gazette, August 2024

Accelerated Baccalaureate Degrees, Ramaswamy, Sonny, and Selena Grace. The Beacon, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, July 2024

Opinion: The Answer to the Righteous Anger that Roils Campuses is Purposeful Change, Robert Zemsky opinion piece, Hechinger Report, June 2024

Universities try 3-year degrees to save students time, money, Stateline, May 2024

Can these colleges, accreditors breather new life into a bachelor’s degree?, University Business, May 2024

As students question the value of college, higher ed works to fix the ‘time trap’, Lumina Foundation, May 2024

As Some Question Higher Ed’s Value, Colleges Work to Fix the “Time Trap”, Forbes (PDF), May 2024

Colleges promote 3-year bachelor degrees as enrollment fall, revenues decline, Washington Times, April 2024

Traction for the three-year Bachelor’s Degree, Inside Higher Ed, April 2024

Do we need a shorter degree?, Jeff Selingo, April 2024

Race to the Finish – The rise of faster bachelor’s degrees raises the question: What is college for?, The Chronicle, March 2024

A bachelor’s in three years? Colleges just got the green light to get in the game. Boston Globe, March 2024

Want a bachelor’s degree in three years? University of Minnesota Morris is trying to make it easier, Star Tribune, February 2024

Three-year degree programs may be easier to implement than you think, University Business, February 2024 

University of Minnesota Rochester receives $200,000 gift, Post Bulletin, February 2024 

Has the Time for a Three Year Degree Finally Arrived?, Forbes, January 2024

Summer school may be back in vogue as college students work toward early graduation, USA Today, August 2023

Mayo Clinic provides internships, mentoring for undergrads on accelerated career pathway, Mayo Clinic News Network, August 2023

In Defense of a Real Three-Year Degree, Inside Higher Ed, May 2023

Yes, a College Degree Is Still Worth It; College graduates continue to command higher wages, but to combat falling enrollment, schools need to emphasize skills over credentials, Wall Street Journal, May 2023

College in 3: Getting your college degree in 3 years, Taming the High Cost of College, May 2023

The Push for a 3-Year Bachelor’s Degree, Inside Higher Ed, April 2023

Colleges push 3-year degrees as enrollments fall, costs rise, The Washington Times, April 2023

Q&A: How a U of M Rochester program is turning into a nationwide model toward faster degrees, Minnesota Star Tribune, April 2023

As colleges experiment with 3-year degrees, U of M Rochester leads the charge, KSTP News, July 2022

Momentum builds behind a way to lower the cost of college: A degree in three years, The Hechinger Report, April 2022

U of M Rochester chief winning supporters for three-year college plan, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, April 2022

Momentum builds behind a three-year degree to lower college costs, Washington Post, April 2022

A New Push to Create a 3-Year Degree Option, Inside Higher Ed, November 2021

“College in 3” project teams up with 13 institutions to explore three-year degree options, Penn State GSE News, November 2021

3-Year college degree programs, what to know, US News and World Report, November 2020

Let’s Talk

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