Celebrating 15 years of impact

THE FOUNDING OF HCM STRATEGISTS

HCM is launched in 2008 with a vision of creating a mission-driven public policy firm that works with clients to improve people’s lives through good policy.

POLICY SUPPORT FOR SIMPLIFYING STUDENT AID

Strategize and manage the launch and national conversation about simplifying federal student aid for the College Board’s Rethinking Student Aid study group.

LAUNCHING THOUGHT LEADERS IN THE FIELD

Help secure grants and set the organizational foundation for Complete College America for founder Stan Jones.

ALIGNING STATE FUNDING & DEGREE ATTAINMENT GOALS

Launch of Lumina Foundation’s State Strategy Labs and our management of this nationally-recognized resource for state leaders to increase the proportion of Americans with high-quality degrees, certificates and other credentials to 60% by the year 2025.

DEVELOPING A BREAKTHROUGH FRAMEWORK

Develop the Voluntary Institutional Metrics Project, a breakthrough framework for data consideration in policymaking that provides a holistic perspective on institutional performance across postsecondary sectors.

COALITION BUILDING

With community college chancellors in four states, HCM launches the new coalition, Rebuilding America’s Middle Class (RAMC). RAMC subsequently was a strong advocate for a short-term Pell Grant program.

LEADING A CALL TO ACTION AROUND THE AMERICAN DREAM

Launch of the American Dream 2.0 initiative and national call to action on how financial aid can help improve college access, affordability and completion. HCM partners with David Winston and Geoff Garin to produce public opinion research that elevates “value” as a cross-partisan priority for higher education.

HCM CELEBRATES FIVE YEARS

HCM continues to grow its portfolio.

SHIFTING THE NATIONAL NARRATIVE THROUGH FEDERAL POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

HCM is selected as one of 14 organizations for the Gates Foundation RADD initiative, a multi-year, multi-million dollar initiative resulting in major regulatory policy in increasing transparency and accessibility in federal financial aid.

CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY

Founding partner Kristin Hultquist testifies before Senate and House committees, addressing ways to simplify the federal financial aid system. Kristin spoke about the firm’s work with The American Dream 2.0 Coalition and a technical panel HCM convened. She was invited to testify again in 2017 and 2019.

HELPING STUDENTS ACHIEVE COLLEGE-READY SUCCESS

Common Core Toolkit release with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

MEETING THE NEEDS OF STATES THROUGH HIGHER ED POLICIES

Release of The Next Generation University policy brief for New America, which helped launch the University Innovation Alliance.

A HUB FOR CONNECTING FAMILIES AND SCHOOLS

Launch of Learning Heroes, co-founded by Bibb Hubbard and Cindi Williams.

EXPERT TESTIMONY

Martha Snyder’s first state legislative testimony for the New Jersey legislature on postsecondary funding formula reform; she testified a second time in 2018. Martha and her team have subsequently supported the development and sustainability of evidence-based formulas in 15 states.

LEADING THE WAY IN PROCESS DEVELOPMENT

After ESSA’s passage, HCM develops the process for independent experts to evaluate the quality of state ESSA plans as well as the standards and assessment system each state adopted by building a comprehensive 50-state database.

SIGNATURE WORK ON POSTSECONDARY OUTCOMES-BASED FINANCING

HCM releases the first of its definitive, signature framework for outcomes-based financing, Driving Better Outcomes. This methodology is featured in multiple college syllabi across the country.

Typology updates from all years:

2016, 2018, 2019, 2020

INTRODUCING B CORPORATIONS TO THE HIGHER EDUCATION COMMUNITY

HCM facilitates the working group for B Labs’ B Corp application to add an amendment tied to higher education.

AWARDING GRANTS FOR ADVOCACY IN HIGHER EDUCATION

HCM manages the Federal Financial Aid Advocacy (FFAA) Fund - Awarding $1 million in short-term grants focused on improving advocacy in the higher education space to help increase college completion, better serve more students, and improve return on investment.

LEADING PARENT RESEARCH & ENGAGEMENT

HCM releases with Learning Heroes the first of its annual reports on parent research. This research has had a significant nationwide impact in the field ensuring that parental views are taken into account when schools and systems are developing programs to measure student achievement.

Annual reports from all years:
2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022

PRESENTING PRACTICAL AND ACTIONABLE SOLUTIONS FOR STRENGTHENING THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE

HCM provides communications strategy to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences’ Postsecondary Commission on the Future of Undergraduate Education.

CONNECTING WITH LEADERS FOCUSED ON TRANSFORMING SOCIETY THROUGH LEARNING AND WORK

Founding partner Terrell Halaska Dunn moderates a panel at ASU+GSV with B Lab, “Business as a Force for Good: Introducing B Corps and Higher Education.”

LAUNCHING COLLEGE PROMISE

HCM partners with the Washington Partnership for Learning to launch the College Promise Coalition. The coalition subsequently advocated for and secured funding for the nation’s most generous student financial aid program.

INCREASING STATE INCENTIVES FOR DEGREE ATTAINMENT GOALS

HCM supports the program launch and selection of 13 states for Lumina's Attainment Challenge Grants (ACG), a program supporting states with funds for developing and implementing policies to improve degree attainment goals. This raised the number from 27 states with Lumina-recognized attainment goals to 40 states.

Celebrating 10 years

A new era brings about a renewed focused on bipartisan solutions for equity in education.

TACKLING TRANSFER

HCM launches the Tackling Transfer initiative, a three-year partnership between HCM, Aspen Institute College Excellence Program, and Sova, aimed at creating conditions for improvements in community college transfer that are scalable and measurable to achieve greater equity.

HIGHER ED STRATEGIC PLANNING IN CALIFORNIA

HCM completes its third strategic plan for the Campaign for College Opportunity.

COALESCING STAKEHOLDERS IN NORTH CAROLINA

HCM teams with the University of North Carolina and the North Carolina Community College system to coalesce stakeholders and utilize experts to advance a simpler, more predictable and clearer commitment of affordability to North Carolinians with lower incomes. Recommendations were accepted in the legislature’s 2022 budget.

TRACKING OPPORTUNITY TO MEANINGFULLY ADDRESS UNDERPERFORMING SCHOOLS

HCM and the Collaborative for Student Success create the Promise to Practice program, which examines how well states were doing in implementing their K-12 education approach in their ESSA plans.

EMPOWERING PARENTS & FAMILIES TO PARTNER IN THEIR CHILD’S ACADEMIC SUCCESS

HCM partners with Educational Testing Services (ETS) and Texas Education Agency (TEA) to develop the initial “Log In, Learn More” campaign, reaching more than 1.2 million parents who accessed the site to log into the portal during the first year launch.

INTENTIONAL STRATEGIC PLANNING

HCM completes multiple strategic plans for major higher education institutions including for the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO), the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities (APLU), and the Indiana Commission for Higher Education.

ADVOCATING FOR BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION

Kristin Hultquist joins Kim Cook and Drs. Bridget Terry Long and Judy Scott Clayton in a USA Today op-ed placed weeks before President Trump signs The FUTURE Act (Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education Act), which radically simplifies the federal financial aid application process. Students will begin benefiting from a simpler FAFSA in December 2023.

OPENING UP CAL GRANTS

HCM begins its collaboration with the California Student Aid Commission. Over the next three years, HCM facilitated a stakeholder workgroup, supported modeling and provided advice on ways to expand access to and simplify the Cal Grant programs. Today, Cal Grants are open to more “non-traditional” students.

THE EQUITABLE BIG DANCE

HCM’s team authors an alternative March Madness bracket equating NCAA prowess with the access and success of low-income, Black and Latino students. HCM’s team reprised their Equity Bracket in March 2023.

SUPPORTING STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE FUNDING FORMULAS

HCM supports the Texas Association of Community Colleges (TACC) and others to surface ways to improve workforce outcomes through a state community college funding formula.

HIGHER ED BUDGETING IN THE WAKE OF THE PANDEMIC

HCM provides analytical support for the release of Higher Ed Budgets for the Post-Covid Era developing a detailed framework to help policymakers make strategic budget decisions in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

EXPERT TESTIMONY LEADS TO LANDMARK LEGISLATION

Building on our work with TACC in 2020, we supported a legislated funding commission and work groups through analysis, facilitation and Martha Snyder’s expert testimony. The landmark House Bill 8 subsequently embraced the work groups’ recommendations in 2023.

NATIONAL RELEASE OF UNPRECEDENTED DATA

HCM partners with the Center for Education Policy Research (CEPR) at Harvard University to lead the release of unprecedented data around learning loss in K-12 public schools across the country. This research marked the first time researchers distilled national NAEP data down to the district level, allowing district-to-district comparisons on pandemic learning loss.

HQIM EXPERTISE

HCM supports the launch of the Collaborative for Student Success’ CurriculumHQ, a project that advocates for high-quality instructional materials in classrooms by providing accessible information on what guidance and supports states provide to districts, schools and educators. The site also features a blog series by HCM senior affiliate Jocelyn Pickford.

NAVIGATING LEGISLATIVE CHANGES IN CALIFORNIA

HCM supports the California Student Aid Commission with project management, facilitation, content expertise and final report support for the legislatively mandated California Student Loan and Debt Service Review Workgroup.

SUPPORTING INSTITUTIONS

HCM supports the Virginia Community College System’s Opportunity 2027 strategic plan development.

HELPING INSTITUTIONS SUPPORT MORE STUDENTS

HCM is awarded a contract to support the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia in its groundbreaking work to improve the representation and success of Pell Grant students at the state’s more selective universities.

FINDING COMMON GROUND IN AN AGE OF INCREASING DIVISION

HCM launches the Courage and Hidden Common Ground Alliance with the release of a case-making brief Facing What Ails Us Head On: A New Direction for Higher Education.

EXPLORING THE EXODUS FROM HIGHER ED

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation releases new, substantive research on college enrollment declines supported by HCM and Edge Research.

ASSESSING STATE READINESS FOR FOR REDESIGNING PUBLIC EDUCATION

HCM partners with Yes. Every Kid. to implement a new approach to assess state readiness education policy change by developing a 50-state data set mapping the cultural landscape based on assumptions of how certain factors would influence constituents’ willingness to support education reform initiatives.

HCM celebrates 15 years

The next five years will be HCM’s biggest yet as we make big moves and double-down on our postsecondary work.

INSPIRING EXCELLENCE IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA

Support for the Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) strategic plan for 2023-2026: Inspiring Excellence: A Bold Blueprint for Student Success with a focus on transfer equity, accessibility and STEM pathways for NOVA students.

SUPPORTING PARENT STUDENTS

HCM provides technical support to the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education with the launch of its inaugural year of CAPS program which supports 100 parent student fellows in their educational pursuits across five VA community colleges.

LEVELING UP FOR BLACK LEARNER EXCELLENCE AND SUCCESS

HCM releases a national Call to Action from 26 higher education leaders to Level UP for Black learner excellence and success in higher education.

BRIDGING THE DISCONNECT BETWEEN GRADES AND ASSESSMENTS

On behalf of Learning Heroes, HCM helps launch Go Beyond Grades media and billboard parent education campaign.

MAPPING FINANCE SYSTEMS TO DEVELOP EQUITABLE FINANCE POLICY

Release of Mapping Community College Finance Systems to Develop Equitable and Effective Finance Policy, a first-of-its-kind framework for states to evaluate and redesign their community college finance systems.

FIRST-EVER ANALYSIS ON STATE INVESTMENTS IN SHORT-TERM CREDENTIALS

HCM produces first-ever comprehensive 50-state typology on state investments in short-term credentials, detailing investments of nearly $4 billion in 28 states across 59 programs.

AWARDING THOUGHT LEADERS IN ASSESSMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY

To close a year and a half of engaging diverse viewpoints on the topic of assessment and accountability, HCM and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation award six experts as winners of the Chamber’s Future of Data Design Challenge.

INFLUENCING IDEAS WORTH SPREADING

Cindi Williams presents a TED Talk on surprising parent data about parents’ perceptions on student achievement vs. what that data actually says about learning loss.

PARTNERING FOR THE LONG HAUL

HCM begins its 10th year of supporting the Ohio Association of Community Colleges with the launch of new work to define and finance short-term credentials of value.

A FOND FAREWELL

After 15 years of leadership, co-founding partner Terrell Halaska Dunn ends her tenure as Managing Partner at HCM.

EMBRACING A POSTSECONDARY FOCUS

Beginning in 2024, HCM will intentionally partner within the postsecondary ecosystem.