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The state will spend more than $1 million to help more students of color and adult learners graduate from colleges in eastern Oregon.

Gov. Kate Brown announced last week that the state will spend $1.6 million to launch an initiative called 鈥淢oon Shot for Equity鈥� at Eastern Oregon University, Treasure Valley Community College and Blue Mountain Community College. The money comes from the Governor鈥檚 Emergency Education Relief Fund, a pot of federal Covid relief money that she controls.

It鈥檚 part of a from a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm, EAB, that aims to close gaps in degree attainment. The program includes simplifying college registration, setting up clear course maps to reduce the amount of time and money spent seeking a degree and making it easier to transfer credits.

鈥淓very student in Oregon, no matter who they are or where they come from, deserves equitable access to higher education,鈥� Brown said in a statement. 鈥淲e must invest and innovate to break down the barriers that have kept too many Oregonians from succeeding in higher education.鈥�

In Oregon, more than half of Asian-American adults have a bachelor鈥檚 degree or higher, and nearly two-thirds have at least an associate鈥檚 degree, according to the state鈥檚 . More than half the state鈥檚 population of white adults and nearly half the state鈥檚 Black adults have at least an associate鈥檚 degree.

But only 15% of Hispanic adults have a bachelor鈥檚 degree, while another 15% have completed an associate鈥檚 degree or certificate. Native American and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders have similarly low levels of post-high-school education, with 35% of Native Americans and 40% of Pacific Islanders achieving an associate鈥檚 degree or higher.

Eastern Oregon University has almost 2,900 students who take classes in person in La Grande or through online degree programs. Close to 70% of its students are white, with Latino students making up the next largest group.

Treasure Valley Community College in Ontario and Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton both offer associate鈥檚 degrees and transfer programs to a mix of full-time and part-time students. Both serve majority-white populations.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oregon Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Lynne Terry for questions: [email protected]. Follow Oregon Capital Chronicle on and .

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