PROVIDENCE, RI - In the lead-up to his 2025 State of the State Address, Governor Dan McKee and the Rhode Island Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner (RIOPC) are highlighting some of the agency’s accomplishments last year, including the growing success of the Rhode Island Reconnect Program and an increase in Rhode Islanders with postsecondary degrees.

“Our state is committed to raising incomes and creating a more prosperous future for all Rhode Islanders, but that takes all of us,” said Governor Dan McKee. “The work happening here at RIPOC is setting our residents up to achieve more in education so that they may expand their career opportunities and earning power. I’m grateful to Commissioner Gilkey and his team for their efforts over the past year. Building on this in 2025 is critical for our state, our residents and their families, and our economy.”

“Thank you to Governor McKee and all of our elected officials and higher education civil servants who work tirelessly to help put a college degree within the reach of thousands of Rhode Islanders. Governor McKee’s goal to raise the incomes of all Rhode Islanders is closely connected to the goals and strategies for state higher education. College degree attainment has been tied to higher lifetime wages, which brings economic advantages not only to college graduates themselves but also to their families and their hometowns. We continue to make strides in making a college education more affordable and accessible to Rhode Islanders as well as aligned with job opportunities here in the Ocean State,” said Commissioner Shannon Gilkey, Ed.D. 

RIOPC’s accomplishments in 2024 include:

• Relative to its population, Rhode Island is ranked 6th in the United States for the highest rate of college-going individuals. The proportion of Rhode Islanders who are enrolled in college (5.24%) puts the Ocean State in the top 10 in the United States. Strada’s State Opportunity Index shows that Rhode Island ranks as one of the top two states that are aligning post-high school education programs with high-demand, high-wage jobs. Rhode Island is also leading in the Strada’s rankings on degree “affordability,” and baccalaureate attainment. It is worth noting that the proportion of working-age Rhode Islanders with postsecondary degrees or credentials has risen 3.4% to 56.7%; the national average is 54.3%.
• Affirming that higher education is a priority for the state, Rhode Islanders passed a $160.5 million higher education facilities bond that will provide students with the cutting-edge technology and classrooms they need to compete in the 21st-century workforce. The bond offers $87.5 million to build the University of Rhode Island Life Sciences Building and $73 million to support the Rhode Island College Institute for Cybersecurity and Emerging Technologies. 
• FY24 saw a significant increase in Rhode Island’s postsecondary public funding, thanks to the efforts of the Governor and General Assembly, who continue to invest in the talent pipeline at our public colleges and university. The FY2024 appropriation from all sources of funds was $65.5 million, representing a $21.7 million, or 49.4%, increase over the FY2023 final enacted budget. Highlights include an $8.0 million appropriation for OPC's RI Reconnect program; additional funding for the Last Dollar Scholarship, Fresh Start Scholarship, and Hope Scholarship; the transfer of the Longitudinal Data System to Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner; and funding for the Higher Education Finance Review. 
• With the increased and stabilized funding for RI Reconnect, the Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner expects to provide wraparound services to an additional 3,000 Rhode Islanders who seek to complete college degrees and credentials among underserved, working-age Rhode Islanders. Staff known as Educational Navigators work with adult residents to address barriers to education and workforce training completion and help them navigate changing careers, learning a new trade, or getting on the path to a degree or certificate.
• By extending Rhode Island College’s last-dollar Hope scholarship for in-state third- and fourth-year students through 2030, the state has built upon the RI Promise program and offers another pathway to quality, affordable postsecondary education. This effort was led by Dr. Jack Warner, who was selected after a national search that yielded over 66 applicants to serve as Rhode Island College’s next president.
• OPC assumed management of Rhode Island’s Longitudinal Data System, which received significant state investment. It was moved from URI and is now closer to state decision-makers. 
• The Council on Postsecondary Education passed a seamless transfer policy for general education credits between CCRI & RIC, thus reducing student costs, eliminating redundancies and red tape, and improving efficiencies between the institutions. 
• OPC’s Westerly Education Center, RI Nursing Education Center, and Woonsocket Education Center have served the education and workforce training needs of 6,451 students in 2024, enabling them to earn the postsecondary credentials needed to enter their chosen careers.