Area colleges are leading the way. University of Texas at El Paso, or UTEP, has dedicated funds from the Talent Dividend $10,000 challenge grant toward outreach programs to local high schools, sending current college students to teach skills necessary for college success. And in 2011, El Paso Community College was selected to share a $500,000 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to plan a new program called Completion by Design, aiming to increase college graduation rates among low-income students through financial aid and course scheduling innovations.

El Paso has gained national attention for changing the way we think about four- and six-year graduation models and assisting first-generation students with college access, financial support, and flexible part-time scheduling, among other strategies.