Community Partners
Retrospective
The routes learners take to reach higher education are many – but for too long, they’ve been met with only a single path to college success. For so many learners, the one-size-fits-all approach of traditional, course-based degree programs has ensured that the dream of a college education remains exactly that: a dream.
Since its founding in 2014, the Community Partner model at Southern New Hampshire University has sought to reinvent what a college education looks like, making it accessible to all learners, no matter what their personal circumstances might be. With this model, we blend the low-cost flexibility of our online, competency-based education with customized, face-to-face support through partnerships with trusted organizations working directly in the communities we serve.
Today, we have served more than 4,600 learners through our 15 partner organizations across the United States. We are now poised to expand our impact, allowing us to achieve our goal of reaching every learner that wants to earn a degree, and needs a program like ours to help them achieve it. Our commitment to all learners is to provide them with a high-quality education that meets their unique needs and leads to success in their careers, communities, and lives.
It’s not enough for higher education institutions to simply promise opportunity. With innovations like the Community Partners model, we can give each and every learner the tools and resources they need to make today’s dreams tomorrow’s reality.
2025
2022
2021
2019
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
March 2014
Launch of the Community Partners (CP) Program
March 2014: Partnership with Duet, Inc. (Formerly Match Beyond) Launches
PILOT
December 2014
The Metropolitan Regional Career &
Technical School - Alumni Program Pilot Launches
September 2014: 1st Degree Completed
January 2015: 100+ Unique Learners Served
2020
April 2019: 1500+ Unique Learners Served
June 2019: 300th Degree Completed
June 2019: Community Impact Team Launches
PILOTS
September 2019
Ecosystem Experiments Launch with: Collegiate Academies
Next Level NOLA
Trellis / Cowen Institute
KIPP New Orleans
LAUNCH (Youthforce NOLA)
September 2019: 2000+ Unique Learners Served
October 2019: 400th Degree Completed
October 2019: Partnerships with Chicago CRED and Year Up Launch
October 2019: Conducted Deep Dive Financial Analysis and Modeling to Inform Strategic Program Development Moving Forward
GRANT
June 2016 - June 2018
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Grant,
Codify and Adapt the College for America Model to a Community Partner Approach Nationally
PILOTS
March 2016
KIPP Through College and Diploma Plus Pilots Launch
July 2016
Our Piece of the Pie Pilot Launches
PILOT
September 2016: Partnership with Da Vinci Schools Launches
September 2016: 250+ Unique Learners Served
March 2017: 50th Degree Completed
July 2017: 500+ Unique Learners Served
PILOTS
March 2017
Pell Experiment with The Metropolitan Regional Career & Technical School Launches
April 2017
Pell Experiment with KIPP New York City - Dual Enrollment Launches
October 2017
Pell Experiment with North Star Academy - Dual Enrollment Launches
PILOT
September 2015: Partnership with PelotonU Launches
January 2018 - Ongoing: Unify Requirements for CP
September 2018: Partnership with Rivet School (Formerly Concourse) Launches
October 2017: Partnerships with IDEA-U and My Tech High Launch
November 2017: 100th Degree Completed
September 2018: 1000+ Unique Learners Served
PILOT
December 2018
Manchester High School West Dual Enrollment Pilot Launches
January 2019: 200th Degree Completed
March 2019: First Enrolled Term in CBE 2.0
February 2019
CP Executive Leadership Transition
EXTERNAL
March 2019: Partnerships with Noble Network of Charter Schools and JEVS Human Services Launch
October 2018
Acquisition & Transition to LRNG
EXTERNAL
September 2018
CBE 2.0 Launches
CBE 1.0 Teach Out Begins
EXTERNAL
March 2021: Partnerships with Trio New College Network and Harlem Children's Zone Launch
January 2021 – 2027
Workforce Partners Teach-Out
EXTERNAL
April 2021: 800th Degree Completed
April 2021
NECHE Approval for Direct Equate Transfer Into CBE AA & BA Degrees
EXTERNAL
May 2021: 3500+ Unique Learners Served
June 2021: Partnership with JEVS Human Services Sunset
October 2021: 4000+ Unique Learners Served
October 2021: 900th Degree Completed
January 2022: Partnership with Camden U Launches
October 2021: Partnerships with Degree Forward and Gateway U Launch
January 2022: Transfer Flexibilities Approved Internally for CBE AA Degree Programs
February 2022: 1000th Degree Completed
February 2022: Partnership with Portal Schools Launches
GRANT
June 2021 – April 2024
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Grant,
Shaping Southern New Hampshire University's R&D and Growth for Equity
March 2020
COVID-19 Pandemic
EXTERNAL
January 2020: LRNG Supports Brought In-House to CP
May 2020: 2500+ Unique Learners Served
March 2020: 500th Degree Completed
June 2020: Partnership with AdvanceEDU Launches
PILOT
June 2020
Dallas College Pilot Launches
July 2020: Last Enrolled Term in CBE 1.0
July 2020: 600th Degree Completed
August 2020: Partnership with College Together Launches
October 2020: 3000+ Unique Learners Served
November 2020
Reorganization of H2: Creation of the Social Impact Collective
EXTERNAL
December 2020: 700th Degree Completed
GRANT
May 2020 – June 2021
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Grant,
Covid-19: Planning & Testing Role of National Scale Institutions in Response
PILOT
September 2020 - Ongoing
PelotonU Virtual Coaching Pilot Launches
January 2021: Partnership with GraduLet Launches
2023
2024
Roadmap to Accelerated Growth
Design
March - August 2022
Design for National Scale
July 2022 - Ongoing
Market Identification &
New Segment Exploration
-
Education Deserts
-
Educator Pathway Exploration
-
Rural Communities
-
Tribal & Indigenous
August - December 2022
Review of Partner Journey to Inform Incubation & Launch Strategy
January - June 2023
Review of Partner & Learner Supports Infrastructure
January - June 2023
Development of Partner Lifecycle: Mapping Key Benchmarks for Partner Success
Implementation
July 2022 - Ongoing
Site Launches, As Applicable (Impact Partnerships, Gates Grant, Trio New College Network, Etc.)
January 2023 - Ongoing
Implementation of Incubation & Launch Strategies
July 2023 - Ongoing
Test & Learn Initiatives, As Applicable
Assessment & Iteration
July 2022 - June 2023
Trio New College Network: Phase 2
July 2022 - June 2023
Site Launches, As Applicable (Impact Partnerships, Gates Grant, Trio New College Network, Etc.)
September 2022 - June 2023
PelotonU National: Proof of Concept & Ongoing Programmatic Development
June 2023
Continuous Assessment: Scale Goals (KPIs, Benchmarks, Progress to Date)
July 2023 - Ongoing
Refinement of Partner & Learner Support Infrastructure
July 2023 - June 2024
Trio New College Network: Phase 3
June 2024
Continuous Assessment: Scale Goals (KPIs, Benchmarks, Progress to Date)
July 2024 - Ongoing
PelotonU National: Expansion
July 2024 - June 2025
Trio New College Network: Phase 4
June 2025
Continuous Assessment: Scale Goals (KPIs, Benchmarks, Progress to Date)